[s-cars] POLE: wonderful dilema, S4 or Ultrasport?

[Aaron Ryba]

S heads,

The time has finally come. I am once again in the market for a new (to me) car and was wondering what the all-powerful list would have to say. So with my first baby now on the way my has FINALLY decided to get rid of her beloved (to her) Limited edition, Luna Green 02 Beetle GLS for something with a few more doors and some room for a car seat and stroller. Thank GOD! She will not drive a stick so automatic is the only option here. I know, I know, How could I live, let alone marry and have children with someone who will only drive an automatic? Well, luckily she has many other fine qualities that make up for this character flaw. My dilemma now is what to get. My choices as I have narrowed them down thus fare are either a 2001/2 B4 S4 Avant with about 60-80k miles OR a 2004 A4 B5 1.8T Ultrasport Avant with about 30-50k miles. With some recent research I figure good examples of each could be had for around $16-18k. 

While I am temped by the persistent dream of owning a B4 S4 Avant I think I would like the gas mileage and the better condition of the newer Ultrasport Avant over the S4. I also worry that an S4 would be more costly to run & repair once it gets up past 80k miles with two turbos and two more cylinders (my S6 is at 143k so I know it can go the distance, its just that you can't wait for parts to arrive when a baby needs to make it to a doctor's appointment). I have found some S4's for sale that have had the major service performed recently though (timing belt, water pump, etc.). I assume the 1.8T engine would be easier to work on and more importantly would require less attention since it would have possibly half the mileage of the S4's TT V6. I already have a 95 C4 S6 so I am familiar with a turbo engine and Audi cars in general (4kcsq before this) so I can put Bentley, ETKA and hopefully VAG-COM (in the near future) to use on this new machine if needed.

I like both cars because since I am forced to get an automatic both of these come with the tiptronic steering wheel button shifter. I am likely to be the pilot on most all long drives. Has anyone used these things? I haven't had a chance to test drive with the buttons. I did get a chance to drive a 6spd B7 A4 2.0T recently with the basic Tip trans and it wasn't all that bad. The 1.8t has some great potential for tuning to get hp up to about 230 or so to keep pace with my S6 for a fairly cheap price. If I go with the S4 I'm not sure how much $$ I would spend to modify a car my wife would primarily drive since it already has some oomph. 

So, this car is really for my wife and not for me. I hesitate to go for the S4 when she might not even care about all that extra horsepower, torque and sporty suspension. Might we be better off with the Ultrasport since it is newer, better on gas, cheaper and easier to work on?  I can only assume the newer less complex Ultrasport will be more reliable. But an S4!!! Ah, decisions, decisions. Recently my wife crunched the side skirt of her bug and punctured a tire which resulted in what will most likely be $600+ in damages for new tires, mounting & balancing, alignment and bodywork. The point is maybe an older car with a few more blemishes will be a better bet for someone who isn't as anal retentive as me to keep it in the best condition?

I was also thinking about an A3 just for the DSG tranny paddle shifters but the prices are still considerably high and it's not much car for the money compared to a slightly used A4 or S4. Also always liked......dare I say it here......the Volvo V70R and MazdaSpeed3 but prices are still fairly high for the Volvo and the Mazda interior just can't compete with Audi not to mention front wheel drive only. I'm pretty much sold on a new Audi, it's just which one to get. Any thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Aaron Ryba
Upstate SC





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