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

[audi/s/scott]

I too wanted a faster more sporty car for the wife but a larger more
practical car won.  She went from a lowered/chipped passat to the A6 and
hasn't looked back.

***Try to fit a baby seat in a B5***  It's not good at all.  Not sure on the
utrasport but I don't think they grew.

I'm going to throw out something here, you need bigger.  We have so much
crap to haul sometimes I even wish we had more space and even had thought of
a *gasp* SUV. You'd be surprised how much room a stroller takes up, then you
need a pack and play, diaper bag and assorted odds and ends.

After having our first child we bought a A6 avant (tip) and as someone
stated it's a better choice when kids are at hand because you tend to
multi-task.  And it's one less thing for the driver to worry about.  All in
all a tip isn't actually that bad to drive on longer  trips.

If you go bigger, C5/6 A6/C5 S6/C5 Allroad are some nice options.  Just
beware of the allroad suspension and turbos.

Just food for thought, if not you might have some growing pains,

-Scott





On Nov 6, 2007 11:49 PM, Aaron Ryba <aaronryba at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 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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