A4 vs. S4

[hb5000]

Hi everyone,
I'm not very familiar with audis or how reliable they are and such. I am, however, looking into buying one. I was wondering, would it be better to get a 99 or 2000 A4 with around 75,000 miles which is in excellent condition all around for about $10,000, or to get a 99 or 2000 S4 with about 100,000 to 135,000 for a couple thousand more. I really do want speed, and if I got an A4 it would be the 1.8T because I know those have more potential. I also know, however, that they are supposed to be pretty slow. I really do want speed, but also a reliable car, I know the S4s have plenty of power, but with more miles is it worth it? Thanks.

[marked001]

I would most definitely avoid a high mileage s4

[hb5000]

Really? ok. I really do want a reliable car which is not too hard to maintain, even though I do want speed. What could you do to a 2000 1.8T to make it fast? Could it become as fast as an S4? I'm sure there are some sort of ecu chips or turbo upgrades or something, but I'm really not familiar with an audi tuning companies. Thanks. Also, what if the S4 only had like 100,000 miles and it was a 2000? Still not worth it? Would it not be reliable or something? Thanks.

[MikeLee2484]

only 100000 on a 2000? i dont think the word only should be in that sentence. thats a ton of miles. i ONLY have 90,000 on my 96, thats a good use of the word there. dont comprimise the miles for the price. stick with the A4, and build it up, i mean its not like 250 hp stock in the S4 is that much anyway. you can get a 1.8T up in that range with less, i think, than buying the S4, and you dont have to have a high mileage car.

[hb5000]

What can you do to an A4 to make it as fast as an S4? So an A4 with 75,000 miles is better than an S4 with 100,000 miles? I know i have a lot of questions, sorry, i just want to make the right choice. Thanks.

[docurley]

Have a search for Turbo kits or even a K04 kit will get you to around the 250bhp and thats quite cheap but their are biger Turbo kits out their from ATP to mane one company that will see you up to 300bhp and still have money in the bank.

[hb5000]

I realize that upgraded turbos would make a 1.8T significantly faster, but would it compete with an S4? What kind of 0-60 times would I be looking at? Isn't the stock time like 7.5 or 7 seconds or something? Also, how would I get aftermarket turbos installed? Thanks.

[marked001]

100k on a 2000 isnt horribly high, I have like 95k on my 99.5 and I dont drive it terribly much... but unfortunately, audi's are kind of a pain to maintain no matter what.. if you can do the work yourself..its a huge plus... and then when you get into big turbo's... it gets that much more unreliable... I honestly dont know what s4's run in teh quarter..but here is a a4 quarter mile database.. big turbo depends on how far you want to go.. k04 is the simplest.. t28 and gt28 get a little more complicated and pricey..i've got a t28 and love it..

[hb5000]

I see. I read somewhere that the 0-60 on a 2000 A4 (1.8T) is like 8 seconds. Around how fast (0-60) would it be with a chip? I know they're supposed to help a lot. Would it be faster with a chip than a stock 2.8 A4? What about a chipped 2.8 vs. a chipped 1.8T? Thanks.

[MikeLee2484]

a chip for a 2.8 is only going to increase the hp by 15-20, while a chip for a 1.8T is going to be around 40 or 50 (correct me if im wrong). you probably wont get a lot of info on exact times because people would have to go to the track to get them, since there are so many different set-ups the times will be quite varied as well. also, i dont think most people are taking their audis to the 1/4 mile track, most audi owners would probably take their cars to a course, because of the quattro. just my oppinion. if you want to mod, like its said in most other threads if you read them, go with the 1.8T. short of a supercharger, the 2.8 is not worth modding. get the 1.8T, just trust us, you'll be happier with more money in your pocket in the end.