Do I or don't I Car swap to an Audi

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Starting to get to the bored with the car point, so I've been looking at what I could afford and I've found a March 17 Audi S4 Avant up for 32K.

 

Trade in currently for my May 17 vRS 230 is showing as about 15K.

 

Or do I just chuck a 2.5K at it and Stage 1, Lightweight Alloys and cat back exhaust.

 

What would you do?

[KenONeill]

Never driven an Octy 3, but Audis used to have much harder seats than Skodas.

[penguin17]

Life is too short.  If you can afford it then go for it.   Big step up in performance and the interior is really nice; bark from the exhaust ain't bad either 

 

A colleague had the S4 Avant before he p/x'd it for a Q7 and it was lovely.  I did find the interior a little cramped though (but most things do feel like that compared to the Octavia/Superb)  

 

I'm trying to use my bestiest man maths to 'justify' enquiring about a Volvo V60 Polestar.  I'm failing miserably but I shall persevere. 

[PetrolDave]

I changed from an 2007 Audi B7 RS4 Avant to my current Octavia 3 Combi, the legroom and the boot space in the Octavia are MUCH greater - not sure if that will also be true of a 2017 S4 Avant or whether the legroom and boot space are important to you.

 

I miss the performance of the RS4 but the greater legroom and boot space "almost" compensate for that as it's much less hassle trying to fit everything in for a long holiday - I no longer need to use a roof box!

[theandywaite]

29 minutes ago, Gti Jazz Blue said:

Starting to get to the bored with the car point, so I've been looking at what I could afford and I've found a March 17 Audi S4 Avant up for 32K.

 

Trade in currently for my May 17 vRS 230 is showing as about 15K.

 

Or do I just chuck a 2.5K at it and Stage 1, Lightweight Alloys and cat back exhaust.

 

What would you do?

 

I'm an anti badge snob (one of the main reasons I'm a Skoda fan) so I wouldn't bother. Personally I think a vRS with a few mods would be more interesting and more personal.

 

Depends what your aims are, I guess.  Are you looking for more prestige? More speed? More refinement?

 

If I had spare change I'd buy a second car as track toy (maybe an old Clio Renaultsport or something of that ilk).

[KenONeill]

28 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

Life is too short.  If you can afford it then go for it.   Big step up in performance

Sure, until you realise that you can't achieve better journey times, and you're sitting on a park bench rather than in an armchair for 4 hours.

[penguin17]

1 minute ago, KenONeill said:

Sure, until you realise that you can't achieve better journey times, and you're sitting on a park bench rather than in an armchair for 4 hours.

One way to look at it.  I like a firm seat though.  Much prefer the ones in the Sportline Superb vs the full leather of the L&K, for example. 

[Loopylil]

I know which one would bring the bigger smile to my face (and keep it there...) sorry Skoda fans.

[rum4mo]

I'm not a badge snob either, but I had a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion for 13 years, moving on to another Passat was not a option as there was no 4X4 and no "good power" petrol engines, the VW CC looks fabulous but still has the 2 mentioned limitations, so I headed off towards Audi, maybe a A4 3.2 quattro - I found that they were few and far between and had dismal MPG, so I ended up buying what I never considered I would ever buy, a slightly used B8 S4 and I'm very glad I did.  Basically I don't bother what people with issues about Audi or any other marque think, it tends to come from jealousy, I'm not a typical Audi driver, I'm just someone that liked to buy an S4 and it is what I think of it that counts, I'm not in the business of trying to impress anyone with my life choices. Lots of proper Audi drivers do drive like complete c**ts it has to be said, just like c**ts that buy many other brands.

Do I like being pampered every time I cross the threshold of my local Audi dealer - not a bit of it as it comes at a price - nice well dressed young girls though! By the way, you find that the usual %age of male customers shuffle into the Audi dealership wearing their "best" baggy grey trackies with suspect staining on them as you find at all other dealerships, maybe trying to blend in?

[*JP*]

To be very concise...

 

Don't think you can get away from the fact that the Audi is the better car...

 

BUT if it was me I would be concerned about changing a perfectly good car and paying an extra £17k to get another used car with only a year's manufacturer warranty left.

 

(A better buy IMHO for not much more would be a  brand new Seat Leon ST Cupra R...350hp with the fully warranted ABT pack.)

 

 

[Ads230]

1 hour ago, Gti Jazz Blue said:

....Or do I just chuck a 2.5K at it and Stage 1, Lightweight Alloys and cat back exhaust.

 

It'll never be finished, so that 2.5k may not stay as static as you'd like

[roaddetective]

3 hours ago, Gti Jazz Blue said:

Starting to get to the bored with the car point, so I've been looking at what I could afford and I've found a March 17 Audi S4 Avant up for 32K.

 

Trade in currently for my May 17 vRS 230 is showing as about 15K.

 

Or do I just chuck a 2.5K at it and Stage 1, Lightweight Alloys and cat back exhaust.

 

What would you do?

When you get that itch, you usually just have to scratch it. I asked on this site the same sort of question a few months ago. Should I stick with my 2011 Octavia VRS TSI which had a number of upgrades and was reliable, or should I buy a MK3 Octavia VRS 230 TSI. Everybody said, stick with the car you have found reliable, with has far less depreciation than buying a 20 grand car. I thought I could hold back a while longer, until I saw the ideal car for me the very next week. What I had to do was scratch that itch and buy, as you can see below. You are however, spending a lot more than I did, so try to think carefully before you make that decision. I also like those powerful Audi's.   

[ahenners]

B9 S4 are nice. A step up in a number of ways from an Octavia - though as mentioned possibly very slightly less practical. If you want it and can afford to, then go for it.

[logiclee]

I ran a B8.5 S5 V6T for a while.

 

 

Build quality and materials way above Skoda, a very firm ride but not crashy like the Mk3 Octy and not a hint of a rattle.

 

The Longitudinal Dual Clutch S-Tronic just feels great and hardly every gets caught out in the way a DQ200/250 can.

 

The engine is a gem, sounds awesome and never short of power or torque.

 

The downsides?

Yes the seats are hard but they are supportive, my XF seats are similar so I suppose you get used to them.

You are a target for boy racers and the boys in blue.

And Economy isn't great, as you'd expect. Economy for me was low 20's

 

 

[Boundy123]

I've recently changed from a 13 Octavia vRS diesel hatch to an 11 Audi A4 Avant 2.0 tfsi S-Line. No where near the sort of money your looking at laying down but I can't justify spending big money on a car the wife plods to work and back in, plus I have all the performance I need on 2 wheels.

 

When I first started looking at changing my diesel due to a big fall in mileage, I wanted a Octavia vRS petrol estate but 10k doesn't buy you a Mk3 and mk2 felt like to much of a backwards step, as I couldn't find a fully loaded one. 

 

I popped my search criteria into auto trader and didn't get very many hits. 

It needed to be 

Petrol

Estate

Manual 

Under 8 years old

0-60 in less than 8 seconds

Under 80k miles

Front and rear parking sensors 

Leather seats

Factory Nav

Cruise control 

Auto lights and wipers

Xenons

And less than £10k. 

 

I've just run that same search and it only returns 22 nationally. 

 

Audi (2)Ford (3)MINI (11)

SEAT (2)SKODA (3)Vauxhall (1)

 

The Audi was the only logical choice. It ticks all the boxes. I did nearly steer towards a Seat Leon FR but even a car that was 3-4 years younger than my Audi with half the miles didn't seem to wear nearly as well as I would've hoped. It just felt like a slightly worse vRS. 

[rum4mo]

@Boundy123, I'm sure that you are aware of the potential issues with the 2.0TFSI engines of that sort of age which sound like a similar design mess up to the 1.4 twincharger and even can affect the same age 1.8TFSI engines, good luck though - I accidentally missed that bullet by dismissing that engine when buying the S4.

[grldtnr]

I always say, my Skoda is an Audi in a donkey jacket,and Welly boots! 

Seems to me , you're going the other way ,putting your vRS in an Armarni suit,  with brown Brougues!!

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Thanks for the replies all.

 

Heart says yes - but the head says no, also my wife pointed out that my elderly mother might struggle to get in it 🙄 though I did say that my mum could keep her Citigo and I could drive her around in that (lovely car round town - ruined by the awful Automated Manual that she insisted on having).

 

Needless to say I've got some thinking to do - might see if I can pop down and see it if it is still unsold by the weekend.

 

Other slightly left field choice was an RS Q3 - there are a few about and it has that lovely 2.5 5 cylinder turbo motor, just not sure if I could go from a 590 litre boot to 356 litres, our Mini Clubman has a bigger boot than that.

[Boundy123]

3 hours ago, rum4mo said:

@Boundy123, I'm sure that you are aware of the potential issues with the 2.0TFSI engines of that sort of age which sound like a similar design mess up to the 1.4 twincharger and even can affect the same age 1.8TFSI engines, good luck though - I accidentally missed that bullet by dismissing that engine when buying the S4.

I'm well aware of the issues regarding high oil consumption. The car I bought was a 1 owner, full Audi history car that had the engine rebuilt and tensioner replaced by Guildford Audi in 2015 under warranty.  As you can see from my list of requirements. I was extremely fussy in the car I wanted to buy, it was a needle in a haystack car, luckily it ended up being 40 miles away. 

[pist0nbr0ke]

12 hours ago, Gti Jazz Blue said:

Thanks for the replies all.

 

Heart says yes - but the head says no, also my wife pointed out that my elderly mother might struggle to get in it 🙄 though I did say that my mum could keep her Citigo and I could drive her around in that (lovely car round town - ruined by the awful Automated Manual that she insisted on having).

 

Needless to say I've got some thinking to do - might see if I can pop down and see it if it is still unsold by the weekend.

 

Other slightly left field choice was an RS Q3 - there are a few about and it has that lovely 2.5 5 cylinder turbo motor, just not sure if I could go from a 590 litre boot to 356 litres, our Mini Clubman has a bigger boot than that.

 

You need to buy this now it's up for sale:

 

 

[Gerrycan]

On 27/06/2019 at 00:23, Gti Jazz Blue said:

Starting to get to the bored with the car point, so I've been looking at what I could afford and I've found a March 17 Audi S4 Avant up for 32K.

 

Trade in currently for my May 17 vRS 230 is showing as about 15K.

 

Or do I just chuck a 2.5K at it and Stage 1, Lightweight Alloys and cat back exhaust.

 

What would you do?

Insist on a thorough test drive first and work out where you would actually use the additional power and traction.

If you are going to do some track work, then go for it, but if you are only going to use it on public roads then you might want to consider what your motivation for the change really is.

 

[*JP*]

12 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

Insist on a thorough test drive first and work out where you would actually use the additional power and traction.

If you are going to do some track work, then go for it, but if you are only going to use it on public roads then you might want to consider what your motivation for the change really is.

 

UK winters are a motivation for additional traction!

[logiclee]

44 minutes ago, *JP* said:

UK winters are a motivation for additional traction!

 

Trust me, an S4/S5 on summer rubber on snow and ice is a very scary experience.

 

With a set of winters on then yes fine. But most 2wd cars are fine on winter tyres for a UK winter.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Well - the other aspect was insurance so I've just had a chat with LV - very impressed with the results.

 

I could Bluefin, change the alloys (Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.3 for example) and cat back sports exhaust for only an extra £33 for the 10 months on my insurance - I was really surprised at that quote.

 

I quoted the reg of the S4 Avant that I've seen and that would be a cots of change of + £167.56 for the 10 months but the excess would increase from £250 to £600 - so even that isn't bad.

 

So now I need to do my man maths.

[Guest]

Go on, chuck another £17k if that's what you really want. But one word of warning, that £17k is only the start of it.

 

Apart from the extra fuel + insurance, you may need to add the cost of a defribulator if any maintenance work required. 

 

And not forgetting that if that particular car was over £40k new, you may be spending an extra £310 a year more in road tax depending on when it was registered.

 

I agree, heart says yes every other part of the body says no.

 

 

Edited 28 June, 2019 by Guest