I'm giving serious consideration to an 08 RS4 - the specs on it are amazing and for the price of a used car, it seems the way to go. I researched the S5 though and it too has many great features though it's considerably higher in price since it's newer but man, it sounds like an amazing car. I just sold my bimmer and I'm ready to dive into something new but it has to be high performance or I'd totally regret the purchase so here I am asking for help.

The problem for me isn't money, it's more the factor of what the ride and handling and 'apparent' power differences are based on torque curves and gear ratios. I'm interested in knowing how they might 'feel' different compared to each other - in any way that can be described.

I've never ridden in either due to their limited availability. To spring for either is difficult without knowing some of the details regarding what I'd notice were different. I bought my M without having driven one and went based upon people's experiences as described so I'm going to give it another shot but with Audi this time.

Could those who have driven both or know anything about either please help me understand where the differences might be noticeable if I were to find a low mileage RS4 cabriolet and compare it to a new S5 cabriolet? Thanks much!



UPDATE: Since creating this post which still gets periodic updates by forum members responding to the thread, I had bought the RS4 and kept it for a year. I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I'd be. Don't get me wrong. It's a great car but I expected more. The professional car reviews on this car are spot on in comparison to the M3 which is what I bought to take its place. The RS4 has a considerably more refined feeling about it in all areas of comfort and driveability. It's a great looking vehicle too. What I didn't like about it was that the front end would push due to the weight distribution and contribution of the all wheel drive system. It just felt a bit heavy in the turns, unlike the M3 which admittedly was a newer model and one might expect better performance as the model years go by.

In the winter, the RS4 handled quite well. I got a new set of tires for it since the originals were worn and probably from the prior owner tracking the car.

Seat comfort was designed more for a cruise around town or on a long trip versus a race track. The M Sport Seats were much more snug and kept my small frame from sliding around in the car. That's the other problem I had with the RS4. The leather Audi chose for the vehicle was very shiny and smooth and I found myself sliding in turns which was a bit unsettling at times. A taller person or someone who was considerably wider than me won't have that problem. The seat designs would probably fit a larger person quite well (larger than me). I'm only 5'0" tall.

Acceleration with the stock tune wasn't anything to write home about. You could get to a high speed quickly but you didn't feel the acceleration. The tune had a smooth and gradual torque curve that didn't set you back in your seat when you stepped on the accelerator pedal. The M3 had a much more pronounced 'fun to drive' feeling of acceleration, especially with paddle shift.

I'm glad I bought the RS4 but was much more impressed by the M3 which was 3 model years newer.

I'm unsubscribing from this thread but I'll keep my account active so if you have any questions about ownership, feel free to PM me and I'll share with you whatever I know or don't know.

 

Decisions, decisions... MAN, I wish I had your dilemma!

I've never driven either, but, if its raw power the 4 is the easy choice. But, everything I've heard about it suggests it a little nose-heavy; which will affect handling & braking. If its a balance of power, looks, AND handling, go with the 5. Cabs generally handle slightly less well, regardless of make/model, due to the lack of structural rigidity caused by the missing roof.

Get the 5.

 

Thanks AWDaholic - Is it a bad thing for a girl to want it all? I want horsepower and ride and handling along with excellent braking. I know cabs are notorious for chassis compliance but I tell you what, the M Roadster I just sold was plenty stiff enough in the turns. You'd feel a little front end push but I didn't spring for the strut braces that I'm sure would have helped, plus a front end camber adjustment was suggested to make the difference for turning performance.

The problem for me is that I'm going to compare whatever it is I get, with the M Roadster - nearly equal in weight distribution front to rear, small and light weight compared to an AWD 4 passenger cab and non-turbo, non-supercharged. The steering system on the M is amazingly responsive, yet not twitchy at low speeds.

I've been swaying toward the 5 and was hoping for comments like yours might help me make the decision. Thanks for your help!

 

I would probably go with the 4. Especially considering it's a cab. Losing 2 extra doors is a great plus with the convertible. The S5 is nice, but I think the 4 is more of a "drivers car". If you were going hard top, I'd probably suggest the S5.

 

That's some of the logic I pondered yesterday. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

I'm in negotiations on an RS4.

What are the Extended Warranty options available through the dealer and are they different for an RS than other Audis?

Would it benefit me any to have the dealer throw one in as part of the negotiations or should I wait?

Thanks!

 

You can do what I did and find one that is CPO Certified Pre Owned. It ads an extra 2 years of warranty to the cars existing warranty. I am SO glad my car was CPO! I've racked up over $10,000 in warranty repairs. If I hadn't had extended warranty, I probably would have let the car go by now.

 

Well, I found an 08 RS with low mileage and it was CPO with Audi Care but the dealer was a complete pain in my side. It was like pulling teeth to get an accurate listing of the very few options the car might come with. I had to argue with the Salesman and the Dealer Owner that the iPod interface AND the 6 CD Changer weren't likely to be installed together since installation was in the glove box. Bozos. They finally saw for themselves on the car they've had at the dealer for about 3 months. I made them look at the car since this whole discussion was by phone and email.

I made an offer which they countered (having told me the list price was the rock bottom price - what did they think, that I was a complete fool?) I countered their counter by asking for the NAV Map Database to be updated - they told me the car already had the latest which is unlikely. I think they didn't even know what I was talking about. I was asking for about $100-$250 in dealer cost to be thrown into my deal. They refused.

I was just about to give them $1,000 deposit when I saw on their form that it's non-refundable. I was already a bit skeptical that there might be some mistake in the features they told me the car did or didn't have and they wouldn't budge on the no refund policy. Guess what? I walked.

What really baked my potato was that the salesman first told me they already had an offer from someone in Canada and that if I were to give them a $1,000 refundable deposit (yes that's right - refundable), that they'd hold the car for me. I'm flying down to visit family next week and the dealer is just over an hour away from where I'll be staying. Having called insurance and lined up my funding, the last thing I was going to do is hand over the deposit. I wanted to be sure that after the test drive, if everything checked out OK including my short legs being able to comfortably drive the car, that only then would I be buying the car. The only thing that would cause me to walk would be a mis-understanding on the list of things they kind of told me were on the car (the iPod issue made me wonder what else they didn't really know was or wasn't on the car - and this is an Audi Dealer!) so I had to have the ability to back out if it wasn't going to be a 100% satisfactory purchase.

After all was said and done, they told me if they still have it around next week while I'm in town, I can see it in person with no obligation. What happened to the Canadian buyer I was up against? I think there wasn't one and that they were just using a story line to put pressure on me. There wasn't any mention that they'd be calling the person back and selling it to the Canadian buyer. It's as if the salesman forgot he told me that story.

It's so far, been a very disappointing search and the two Audi dealers I've dealt with so far make me want to run back to BMW ASAP.

Is this typical for Audi dealers to be such nimrods? I'm disgusted and put off by the whole RS search. The other two RS4 vehicles I found haven't bothered to get back to me at all today. I've got money ready to go but no place to spend it! What kind of automotive business are these people running?!

<EOR - End of Rant>

 

Sounds like the typical dealership BS. The "sales" guys are worthless. They don't know **** about the cars they are selling. What state are you looking in for your car? It took me 4 months to find exactly what I wanted. Just be patient. If you don't like the answers/dialogue from the sales idiots, go right up the chain and talk to the manager. If he doesn't want to hear it, go to the GM. It's too bad that those clowns never give women enough respect. Especially when the girl they are dealing with knows more about their **** than they do.

Btw, I suggest you broaden your search. Finding the right car a few states away and driving it home is more than worth it.

 

Thanks for your post. The story gets better. The salesman contacted me three times since the deal went south and I shared my story last night. He called me and wrote two emails.

He's wasting his energy continuing to explain why their deal is better than another I'm considering. The other I'm considering will require me to travel out of state and drive home which I'm willing to do - thanks for the suggestion. This is something I already assumed would be my best bet to get exactly what I'm looking for.

We just happen to be flying to visit family next week and the dealer I was working with yesterday is just over an hour away from where we'll be staying. I thought maybe it was meant to be! And maybe it is. I just wrote back to the salesman all the while thinking to myself that I may just have to bite my tongue to get a chance to at least drive one of these models. I haven't been able to locate one in my state.

Does anyone happen to know how many RS4s were ever built? I believe RS4s were available in 07 and 08 model year and I think the Cab was only available in 08. Somewhere, I read there were only 150 Cabs delivered to the US for the 08 runner.

The salesman told me the RS4 was built in Rheine, Germany too but sometimes they're wrong for even the basic facts. I'd like to confirm if the RS4 was built in Rheine.

Lastly, does anyone know how much I should expect CPO to add to the car? I found one that doesn't have CPO and I'm not sure how much to expect CPO to add.

Thanks again!