2am

I know this is a common thread but I thought I'd bring it up one more time as I'm deciding between the following cars:

2004 Deep Blue R32 w/ 8K miles. *CHERRY* condition, 27K
2001.5 Imola Yellow S4 Avant w/ 45K miles. Good condition, 25K
2001.5 Nogaro S4 Sedan w/ 55K miles. Good condition, 25K

I drove both yesterday and while I was blown away by the R32's 'perks' (looks, interior, exhaust note) the handling seemed pretty good but not TOO hugely better than my track-friendly Scirocco 16v. Ride quality/road noise was a bit harsh for a 30k car(much like my older VWs) and it still tends to push alot thru tight corners. There was also a slight knocking noise under acceleration from low revs (due most likely to 11.3:1 compression and bad gas. I can't say enough about the exhaust note tho (absolutely sweet!) and it is definitely nice on the eyes (specially for a VW fan).

I immediately went to the nearby Audi dealer for reference (the S4's I'm looking at are from private parties but I wanted to drive a B5 S4 just to compare). The S4 felt way more refined, much quieter inside, and had a much more sophisticated ride. However it definitely felt older (loose gearbox, creaks/rattles) and the used car won't feature a warranties. I didn't get to drive it as hard as I did the R32 (dealer was much less into racing thru windy roads than the private party) but it did feel pretty solid in terms of handling. Perhaps even better than the R32?

My question is for those that have driven or owned both cars, which they'd recommend for a daily driver/snow car/fun car. Aside from style and performance, reliability is somewhat a factor, as is general 'fun to drive'. 2dr vs 4dr isn't really an issue although I'm 30yrs old so having friends squeeze into the back is a bit rough (tho they've been doing it most their lives in my Scirocco). I live in a pretty dense city (Bay Area) so parking the R32 might be easier as well.

The power for both seemed adequate (although the R32 felt like it could stand a few more horses) so I'd try to keep them in near-stock form (most likely chip only). The thing I liked most about the Audi was its smooth ride, however I'm guessing by now the shocks probably need to be replaced (4yrs) and I'd probably go with aftermarket statis coilovers which would most likely kill the ride right?

The warranty is also a concern although I spoke with an Audi finance guy who told me you can purchase a 7YR/70K mile extended warranty for ~$2k. (7YR/100K for ~$3k). This would cover the turbos and transmission which I understand seem to be the biggest point of failure.

Ultimately both cars come in at about the same price with roughly the same specs. The Audi is a 4yr old car but it is an 'Audi' (which seems slightly better build quality than the VW even though they're made by the same people). It's also hard to tell which will have the best resale value as I feel the R32 is slightly overpriced even though its a limited edition and the S4 has done most of its depreciation already. Again, hard to tell....

Here's what I came up with for specs:

_________Audi___VW_
Year:____2001___2004
Cost:____25K____27K
0-60:____6______5.9
MPG:_____17/24__19/26
HP:______250____240
Torque:__258____236
Weight:__3704___3256
P_to_W:__0.067__0.0737
Length:__176.7__163.3
Width:___72.8___68.3
Wheelbas_102.6__56.9

Let me know what people generally think. I'm going to spend the weekend up in the mountains and come back to purchase one of these ...

Kimchee

2001.5 Imola Yellow S4 Avant w/ 45K miles. Good condition, 25K

Tomasz@Startup

Audi is faster, and much faster with the chip. But it will cost you more. To match the VW you need springs/shocks - $1,000 (or more, but that would take you beyond R32), an exhaust - $1,000, and 18" wheels - $1,500, and warranty - $2,000. But it is so much faster, even though with a crappy shifter/transmission.

On another hand the R32 needs Xenons - $1,200.

Tomasz

/\/\ightar

if you're going to do it at all. A simple chip upgrade (< $800 used) will totally tromp on a stock R32. Supercharging an R32 will cost thousands of dollars. However, I really like the R32 and I believe it will be a classic. I've heard that the seats are prone to tearing.

The S4 is a luxury sport sedan. The R32 is not. Again, my opinion only, I think the R32 is overpriced for what you get. Getting a good condition used B5 S4 01.5 or 02 is the way to go.

EuroDriver

I live in Europe so my S4 Avant has the optional Recaro seats. I actualy found the R32 seats almost painfully uncomfortable. I could also get the R32 as a 4 door.

The tipping factors in my decision was the 320 horse power and 500 nm of torque after chipping, a much more refined and attractive cabin and more space.

Ohlins and KW suspensions actually have a better ride than the stock suspension, especially in the back where the OEM Sachs shocks are especially harsh. The big surprise for me was how much the steering feel and precision improved after the coilovers were installed

Since getting the S4 I have been delighted with the mods. In the order of improvement to the car I would rank them as follows

Coilover suspension with adjustable shocks (10)
DTS/TBS and snub mount (8)
Chip (7)
Exhaust (5)

Drilled brake rotors (3)
Gearshift mod (2)
SS brake lines (1)

neilm

S4 Avant for the best utility and most modable.
R32 has a higher fun to drive factor imho.

oldyellar

S4+chip=325+hp......that is all.

neilm

325+ hp seems like a lot for just a chip

tusca

GIAC adds another 40 on top of that I think.

oldyellar

but the chip really does add 50 to 75 whp.