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The Audi 4.2 V8 chainguides are not something you want to do as shown^^(which are on the back of the engine)/ Although only the B7 S4s came in a wagon.
Im helping my neighbour right now source a 6spd B8 S4. Only the 2010-2012 models because hydraulic steering (2013+ went to electric). The supercharged V6 is a much better motor than the V8 and especially the 2.0T for reliability.
Its reliable for an audi but then again it is still a euro car so its not toyota maintenance
Here's what I know on the B8+ supercharged v6 chassis... A friend of mine runs a B8.5 nationally in SSM and his wife DD's a relatively stock one, so when I considered buying one (I still am) I went to him. Here was his feedback:
Steer clear of the 10-12 automatics. Most of them have mechatronics units failures. Not really a concern for you as you are looking for a manual trans variant (as I am as well). The automatic transmissions in these cars overall has really been their maintenance Achilles heel.
Early B8 had thermostat housings that would break
PCV system is fragile
This link has a few nice little summaries depending on what gen 3.0 engine you get. Most of the issues have been resolved through the years, so getting a B8.5 (even at higher mileage) would not concern me much. https://www.shopdap.com/blog/post/co...-engines1.html
Overall, the S4 is high on my list of realistic wants once my truck is paid off. The sport diff is something worth looking for as a sport enthusiast as that gives you the torque vectoring, which is an incredible feature in low traction environments.
Audi is pretty much the same as BMW, just weirder.
I do all the service on a 2008 A4 S-line with the 3.2l NA V6.
Very expensive parts.
Recent repair was replace front coolant cross tube and upper hose. The equivalent of a Miata upper hose and the coolant neck that bolts to head.
Bill was 750, had to put radiator core support into "service position" for any room at all. Basically rip the nose off the car for 6" of clearance.
I wanted to replace the thermostat as well but the Intake plenum would have to be removed and the customer declined...
The thermostat was $125 parts cost.
Took 3 days to get parts...
Silly over designed German crap. Turned a 1 hour job into a 4 hour job.
Car needs a clockspring at $600 parts cost.
It's not getting it...
Car needs a front brake pad sensor at $120. BMW sensors are $20.
It's not getting it...
Customer has spent 3k in maintenance in last 2 years for piddly crap. Car has 130K and this one is a simple one, non Quattro
Wagons will be the most valuable and may increase in value over next 10 years. Sedans will end up worth little. Mileage is important on these. 130K is high.
If your willing to put up with overdesigned expensive German junk and you can do most of the work yourself I'd get a 02 or 03 BMW E39 M5, only available in manual rear wheel drive.
These will probably double in value in next 10 years and are substantially simpler compared to the Audis you mentioned. Parts are expensive, just not Ferrari expensive.
The later V10 M5s should be avoided at all cost.
The few E34 M5 wagons that were built are all worth 6 figures now. (German wagons rule!)
If she was completely happy with your Speed 6 then everything else will have to live up (or down) to it.
I'd invest in the best one I could find NOW while they are still available. Broken but super clean would be best.
Build it for longevity over power and keep it a long time. You may end up looking for exactly this 5 years from now when you fire sale "that Damn German car".
That Acura I mentioned way back has the Japanese copy of Audis torque vectoring system. Probably not quite as good as Audi but far more reliable...
A 100K post 2003 German car is 66% through it's expected service life. A 100K Honda/Acura is at 40% and a 100K Toyota/Lexus is at 30%.
All the German stuff gets cost prohibitive past 150K unless you do not mind being a technician on a regular basis and even then the parts will not be cheap.
The exception to this rule is a German car that gets 150K in three or four years. Mileage doesn't hurt as much as years do.
Granted I'm the OP here, but it's an interesting discussion and perhaps a commentary on where the auto industry is headed.
I remember back in flight school, a buddy bought a used Porsche with a tiptronic transmission and he would not shut up about how fast it was and racing Mustangs and blowing their doors off. He was a walking talking douchebag posterchild, wore skinny jeans before they were popular because he was ahead of his time and a popped collar. He went to some bullshit college in Annapolis, can't remember the name. Anyways, he was the first guy I knew who had a camera in his phone and he had it in his hand everywhere... which was not popular because the history of Tailhook was still very much a thing and nobody wanted pictures taken of anything. He got kicked out of intermediate flight training for cheating... ironically for looking at notes on his phone during a flight.
Even if it wasn't for not wanting to be that guy, I'll always be a fan of stick... no homo. I'm glad the wife is a fan as well... of stick.
Hope others are paying attention to this thread. New production vehicles with a third pedal will likely be a thing of the past likely within the decade... and in 20 years (or less) when we're 100% electric...
Granted I'm the OP here, but it's an interesting discussion and perhaps a commentary on where the auto industry is headed.
Hope others are paying attention to this thread. New production vehicles with a third pedal will likely be a thing of the past likely within the decade... and in 20 years (or less) when we're 100% electric...
There was an interview in C&D or R&T a few years ago with a big wheel at BMW, who said that the only reason the Germans still make a real manual is because it’s needed for the American market. In Europe, they only want flappy-paddles for performance cars, because F1.
As I understand it, car companies find it easier to meet EPA requirements with autos.
My Dad is going to purchase a 09 911 and I did a BUNCH of research on the PDK transmission. He was thinking about PDK to allow my Mom to also drive the car.
Short answer is the manual is completely bullet proof but will require a clutch replacement every 10 years or so.
The PDK is also very dependable but...
If you have problems not even the Porsche dealer repairs this trans. The manufacture has not released any parts or service data.
Basically the ONLY option for a PDK problem is transmission replacement at the dealer at a average cost of 15K. This includes returning the 5K core.
The manufacture rebuilds this transmission but ONLY sells it to the Dealers.
It's a scam and the cars are starting to show problems with age.
Dad will buy a manual because the flappy paddles are unserviceable.
Cars are now in the 35K range and 15K is too much to invest.
Food for thought.
Even Ferrari has discontinued manuals because the SMG trannys are faster, make a poor driver look like a master, and the buying public doesn't want manuals...
Volvo to old.. and weird.
Volvo customers are strange.
Old Volvos were super reliable.
That one is old.
They were incredibly hard to destroy. Way Way tough regarding accidents
I've always said "If you want to survive crashing into a train get a Volvo, If you want to avoid crashing into a train get something else..."
Audi is too old and expensive. It will be the most valuable in 5 years but he's 5K to high now.
Add is poorly written, reads dealer or flipper. I may be wrong but it doesn't sound like and enthusiast or long term owner.
The Bimmer is a possibility
The BMW has the Sports seats which is way cool.
I'd want to see COMPLETE service records to determine service level.
The BMW wins in my book. The add reads like an enthusiast owns it.
He's doing oil changes right. Might be worth checking out.
He's got a perfect reason for replacement which is my first question.
You can't answer why your selling the car means I'm not coming to look at it.
Most E36 M3 owners I contacted when searching for mine had owned for less than a year and had poor excuses for the sale.
Guy I purchased from owned 8 years with full documentation. He didn't tell me he was a BMW touring motorcycle freak.
His 3 bay garage looked like a BMW motorcycle museum.
He had just bought a Mercedes wagon to replace the M3 and also needed parking...
Easy power increases for the BMW, Not for the Audi
The BMW for 3-4 years up to 150K mileage might work...
It will still end up surprising you with just how much car parts can cost...
Volvo to old.. and weird.
Audi is too old and expensive. It will be the most valuable in 5 years but he's 5K to high now.
Add is poorly written, reads dealer or flipper. I may be wrong but it doesn't sound like and enthusiast or long term owner.
The Bimmer is a possibility
Easy power increases for the BMW, Not for the Audi
The Volvo was just to see if you were paying attention!
My first car (that got me through high school and college) was a beige '82 242 GL 4+OD... I had no idea at the time how cool it was. I've always had a soft spot for bricks... a '90'ish 740 sedan with a 400hp smallblock would scratch a deep itch.
I'm absolutely digesting everything you're saying and starting (in addition to hours of YT'ing) to build a picture of what buying a used 2005'ish to 20015'ish car is all about.
I really like the 535i because nobody would suspect you're hiding 400whp under there from an intake and a tune.
The Audi "S" looks the business from any angle, and has the Beemer on sex-appeal, and would be a plus for the AWD aspect for the missus.
I'm not actually considering modifying anything I get for the wife unless it's 100% geared towards engine safety (ie, better fuel pump or more coolant flow, or heat management).
But... in addition to the wife's future ride, I'm eyeing something for myself. I'll be "business casual" for the next 15 years and might as well look the part. I see a lot of Audi S5's that I could roll in... might be a better solution than at E55 for commuting. Not sure I could rock a 2dr BMW (ie, Clarkson's take on douchebaggery) under any circumstances for myself... but the Audi has an appeal I can't put my finger on.
The BMW looks really nice, it still has ~5 years of life left in it before things like the cooling system expire.
If you can live with the maintenance costs and the depreciation, I think it will be a great car. Also a really nice upgrade to the MS6 in every way.
The Volvo is a joke. I remember driving a Volvo V90 (960) in the past, it felt like a car from the 80's and when getting back in my Lexus IS200 it was like going ahead 20 years in time.
The Audi is too old and too expensive.
Originally Posted by samnavy
But... in addition to the wife's future ride, I'm eyeing something for myself. I'll be "business casual" for the next 15 years and might as well look the part. I see a lot of Audi S5's that I could roll in... might be a better solution than at E55 for commuting. Not sure I could rock a 2dr BMW (ie, Clarkson's take on douchebaggery) under any circumstances for myself... but the Audi has an appeal I can't put my finger on.
Personally I do not like Audi's at all, but the first pre-facelift Audi A5 has a timeless design. Really beautiful car.
Here in Europe they sold well and they are heavily depreciated. You can find an A5 starting from 7500€ and an S5 starting from 12500€. They priced a bit lower compared to similar BMW's which makes me wonder.
The S5 is tempting with it's V8 soundtrack, but if anything goes wrong mechanically the repair bills can stack up quickly. The 4 cylinder A5's were plagued with high oil consumption. Not sure which engines the USA got.
Volvo Bertone was very cool back in the day.
There are Volvo enthusiasts out there.
I visited one that had 3 early turbo wagons, all sticks and his best one came factory with Recaro seats and a bunch of factory hot rod pieces.
I think it had a 6 speed with LSD. He called it an "R-type".
He was still a bit strange...
That 535 is a bit like a baby M5 without the stratospheric priced engine and no SMG.
You probably will not find another like it.
The 3.0 turbo was put into most of the mid-level BMWs so parts will be cheaper and more plentiful.
I'd do a bit of research on the "sport suspension" to make sure it was normal.
Some M5s (E34 series for sure) had exotic self leveling rear suspension that was difficult to repair and owners had to do serious mods to remove that crap.
Any German suspension that requires computer control is a negative in my book. Electronic dampening adjustment is ok but if it will do weird **** it's best to avoid.
It's telling that the car had to be "re-programmed" for the seats.
Why does it have to be so complicated???
Last year I repaired an AC system in a 2014 X5 (3.0 turbo) that produced my all time record for "coldest car" at 32.8 degree vent temps at any speed (including stopped) and at any fan setting on a 100 degree day!
It was like driving around inside a freezer.
This is better than any R12 system that I have ever tested.
The complex design of this system (when working properly) kicked ***.
It needed a $1200 compressor that was killed by a failure of the internal lining of a $325 low side hose. It had an "aneurism" inside the hose.
I diagnosed this one by feel. The low side hose was colder past the restriction.
Total cost to customer a bit over 2 grand.
It was a manufacture defect...
60K mileage.
Just recently I put a valve cover on it, the whole cover, not just the gasket.
It required yet another super special socket to change the plugs...
Annoying
I missed that TL you posted.
That is the cheapest one I've seen.
That's a California car, a possible negative as sometimes Calif cars are a little bit different than Federal cars. You would have to research this.
They made them up to 2014- later is better. Avoid popped titles if possible. In my book a popped title makes it worth 50 cents on the dollar.
Often banks will not loan money for this reason as insurance companies frown on Collision or Comprehensive for popped titles. This limits resale to cash buyers.
Being 10 years old busts most banks anyways...
Hard to find and a bit ugly but the driving experience is definitely BMW with close to Toyota reliability. I worry about parts availability as it was such a "niche" vehicle.
Aftermarket hop up stuff is going to be rare as hen's teeth for this car.
I've never seen a stick version in person. I have driven the automatic and it rocks...
I NEED a low mileage example that has been destroyed by softball sized hail. I don't care about a popped title.
I type too much, time to get back to work.
I'm doing a engine bay refurb and complete AC system in a 1989 Grand Wagoneer.
A nearly flawless survivor with 90K, never wrecked, no rust, original crappy Chrysler paint in perfect shape, woodgrain is near perfect.
Customer thought it was worth 10-15 K.
I advised 40-50K and maybe more.
After it's finished my customer has requested that I sell it for him as he (as well as I) does not believe it's worth 40K to keep it.
Calling it CRUDE is an understatement...
It will end up on "Bring a trailer" in a few months.
I'd replace it with an early NSX.
05-14-2020, 08:39 AM
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