2000 Audi S4 2.7 twin turbo from North America
Summary:
Very fun, but prepare to become best friends with your mechanic
Faults:
I got the car with only 90000km on it. Within the first month:
- Hydraulic clutch broke $$$$+ tow truck
- Both right and left rear wheel bearings broke $$
- Drive shaft bushings were leaking on the rear differential
- In dash CD player and trunk mounted 6 CD player kept showing error.
General Comments:
Overall the car is definitely a driving car for that enthusiast out there. It will give you endless fun in all driving conditions. There are many cool options like the 6cd Bose player and the alcantara seats, but I am going to put this from the point of view of a twenty year old.
- There is no back seat room to put normal sized people in
- Drinks way, way too much gas; will go through a 60L tank in 260km
- Although fast, it's very sluggish
- Handling amazing
- Alcantara seats although sporty, are in no way comfortable.
And last of all the maintenance is a joke. The car needs servicing all of the time. Every time I bring it in for an oil change they find another problem.
People this is definitely a fun and good looking car but look away, look at the repair costs for example; replacing the twin turbos on the car, which were made horrible from Audi, are $10,000.
Personally next car I'm going to a benz... this car gave me a bad impression of Audis.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 9th March, 2008
9th May 2009, 19:08
Think twice before jumping to Mercedes. All of these performance cars are high maintenance. Look at Consumer Reports, the S4 has average reliability, while just about all Mercedes cars are below or well below average. If you were disappointed in Audi's cost of ownership, you may want to go with a Toyota or Honda, you probably won't find any relief with MB.
9th Jun 2009, 21:16
It would be cheaper to replace with aftermarket turbos :) I got a reconditioned KO4 turbo for my 1.8T Quattro for $750.
Was going to cost me more than $1000 for the standard K03 at the dealership.
31st Aug 2010, 01:33
If you want a luxurious car without the maintenance cost get a Lexus. If you want a powerful car without the maintenance costs get a Nisan 200SX, but don’t get a Mercedes unless it’s pre 1996. After that they are all expensive and troublesome. My 1998 C200 gearbox failed at 80,000km on a dirt road 30km from nearest town and cost $7,500 to be replaced. (C36 AMG is OK with 4spd).
16th Mar 2009, 21:44
Well, thanks to reviews like yours, I won't buy an S4, even if I'd really like to.
Lets save a few bucks and get a C32 AMG, hand-built engine and 350HP in a wolf in sheep clothing... hmmm sounds interesting.