falconpunch

Hi, new member here! Thinking about buying a used A4 or S4.

Here's the backstory: I owned a 2006 BMW Z4 coupe (3.0si auto) from 2012-2017 and loved it, but moved downtown and only drove once a week so we decided to keep my wife's car, which we still have. It's a 2007 Cobalt getting waay up there in miles.... anyway, I want a fun 4-door sedan to last us ~4 years. At that point we'll be making more money and will likely want to go electric since prices will have come down.

Basically, I want a 4-door that will drive as close to possible as my Z4, and I also want a dual-clutch or at least some other type of SMG paddle-shifted transmission. I know power-to-weight wise, the S4 is probably a closer fit as the Z4 had 255hp but was lighter. But I'm not sure that spending $22K on a ~2012-2013 S4 is worth it over spending the same money on a 2017 A4 with the 252hp 2.0 and new transmission. What are driving/steering dynamics like? S4 brakes/suspension a large upgrade, or fairly similar to a newer A4? I know I'll have to test drive, just don't have a ton of time right now and cars are all over the place here on the east coast.

This would be for daily driving, but also weekend trips through New England where I liked to take the twisty backroads in my Z4.

Here's what I'm looking at:

• 2017 B9 A4, 20-50K miles, $19-22K
• 2011-2014 B8 S4, 70-100K miles, $20-23K
• 2010 B8 S4, 99K miles, $12.5K (just found this, has some warts but really intriguing considering we only need it a few years)
• Possibly a BMW... but the Audi dual-clutch, styling, and all models having AWD is why I'm leaning Audi

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

munsabin

I've seen people mention on here that the B9 A4 drives very close to a B8 or B8.5 S4. I drive a stock 2017 B9 A4 (35K km (~22K miles) old now) and it rips. I've taken it in the back country and acceleration / power was not issue, especially under 120 km/h (~75 miles/h), which applies on twisty roads.

I would personally aim for a low mile 2017 A4 from your options. As soon as the new A4 came out, there was no way I was going back to the B8 or 8.5 interior... it just doesn't compare. And the styling from B8 to B9, while not drastically changed, adds even more of a elegance to it.

You may have to pay a bit more up front than one with more miles, but you may also be able to keep it for more than your estimated 4 years. As I said, I'm just under 3 years in and I feel like I'm driving a brand new car. Love it no less than the 1st day I got it, and is just as fun. I don't see myself wanting to change it in the next 2 years. It's quite functional / spacious too - I managed to fit 5 guys (2 big rugby guys, 2 stalky dudes and one on the skinnier side) and were fine for 5 hours drive from Toronto to Detroit. All our stuff for the weekend plus a lot of Duty Free beverages fit all in the trunk. I added a hitch to mine as well for bikes in the summer. Can hardly tell it's there from the back.

Flyguy31

There is a thread on here or on the A5 areas outlining the difference between driving an A4 and S4. Most think the A4 is just fine taking into account the additional cost of the S4. My A4 is plenty quick and drives excellent. Personally I would be very suspect buying a used A4 with 70-100K miles on it. You'd be better off getting a B9 with lower miles and spending a little more. I think if you test drive the A4, it will be similar if not better that the 2006 version of the Z4. The B9 transmission is very capable.

chych

Regarding paddle shifting, I've never been able to find it that useful on my B9 DSG Quattro (sport), except for upshifting early to get a little more mpg. My previous car was an Acura TSX with a regular automatic transmission, and I would be mostly paddle shifting it, and it really improved its dynamics. With the DSG, manual shifting is not that satisfying, partly because of the way the DSG predicts (or mis-predicts) the next gear. If I'm driving aggressively around windy roads, it's almost always better to put it into sport mode and let it manage the shifts. In fact only in auto mode can you get the fastest downshifting (by pressing the knockdown button when you floor the pedal). That's my experience, I'm sure others may disagree (and in any case if you're going electric in the future, the importance of manual shifting may be low).

A4 2.0T is a quick little car, similar 0-60 and 1/4 mile times as your BMW, and great handling (especially with sport suspension).

NoMoreSwede

Hi Falcon, if you want a dual clutch and handling that can compare to a Z4 I’d suggest looking at a VW GTI. It’s got 4 door practicality, but the size and low weight that made the Z4 what it was. No issue finding one in your price range.

Turboale

Since you are getting close to the end of the factory warranty a tune will also liven up the car quite a bit. Call me biased but I'd rather have a B9 A4 over a B8 S4... Especially if you can get one with virtual cockpit. Easily the best party trick and something I personally can enjoy every day.

mjhaedicke

Falconpunch, muddling over roughly the same cars you are looking at but throwing in a '16-'17 A6 as well. Different beast but the extra space is enticing..no virtual cockpit tho!! Low mile '17 A4 and higher mileage (~30k) A6 is around the same price. Wife reminding me we need to throw a car seat in the back so she is pushing the A6 ugh

An S4 with up to 100k miles might scare me a bit. Keep us posted on you search!!

audi8k

I'll just mention 2 things.
The B8 S4 (3.0T) is supercharged. You need a test drive. (If it comes paired with the Sport Diff and Dynamic Steering that might help you to decide.)
The B8/8.5 MMI is well integrated into the dash and protected from the sun.

falconpunch

Wow! Thanks for all the replies!

Yeah I almost didn't post because I had decided on a low-mileage B9 A4. But I got curious about other opinions haha. As for interior, that's not a huge priority to me as long as the seats are decent. You can imagine what the interior of the current '07 Cobalt is like so anything will be a massive upgrade... and for styling, I do like the B9s a bit better but not enough to outweigh performance.

Ah okay, good to know I'll have to try to hunt that thread down!

I guess here you're defining "useful" as strictly "it makes the car faster vs leaving in auto mode"? I can see how that would be true with the computer predicting the next gear, etc., but it still doesn't capture the full power of the engine above like 3500 RPM unless you go to manual shifting, right? Even in sport mode. I guess I'm just wanting control over the gear (in a small percentage of actual driving, like you said) vs the absolute quickest shifts, etc. I really liked the paddle-shifting dynamic on my Z4, and even though it was still "just a torque-converter automatic" it was night and day better than other systems I've tried in rentals... current V6 Camaro, last-gen V8 Camaro, current V6 Mustang.

falconpunch

Ah yes, almost included this... I rented a GTI for a whole week a while back, I think it was a 2016 with Autobahn package. The problem is I don't really like the current-gen styling much and we do need the cargo room of a normal sedan... I really liked the way it drove though and was hoping an A4/S4 would be close (minus some nimbleness obviously). One thing I didn't exactly like was the huge turbo lag... is the A4 lag as bad? Going onto a highway it would wait 2 full seconds after flooring it before pinning me in the seat, even in sport mode. Took a lot of getting used to... but I guess in the end the power WAS there haha

Ah yeah, a tune is another thing I wanted to ask about. I've seen quite a few threads on that though. I really like the idea of something cheap like the Chipwerke system that I can completely install/remove myself if I want to.

Don't mention the A6 to my wife!! Just kidding. We may end up at least poking around one of those on a lot. I was surprised how close low-ish mileage ones are in price to the A4. Personally I would really like to keep it as small as possible... we just need space to match the Cobalt and the A4 can do that.

Yeah that is a good point, and it goes to my turbo lag comment on the GTI above. What exactly is the Sport Diff, I've read about differentials in respect to other cars but with these isn't the Quatto system similar across them?

Oh and for the MMI stuff, I'm not as concerned as I really like just using Google on my phone whenever I need directions. Always seems to be better than any car nav.