So the RS4 got my attention for sure but after seeing some of the YouTube videos, I wish I lived in a warm state where the M3 could be my daily driver. It's not really that practical in states that see unpredictably large snowfalls. But then again, the RS4 isn't really a 'practical' car now, is it?

So back to the RS4 from a technical standpoint - what are the quirks this model has that go with the territory? I found out what quirks the BMW has by surfing several forums over the past 5 years but Audi is entirely new to me and I'd like a head start to know what to expect from this beast.

Please don't sugar coat your responses. I'm a big girl and can take it.

 

First of all, CPO shouldn't cost you more. It's just a clean, certified car. As far as the issues with the RS4, I wouldn't know since I'm a TT guy. I would def cruise all the forums for that info. Patience Grasshopper..

 

My flight is booked, the deal has been negotiated and the car is waiting for my arrival - woo hoo!!!



My only question at this point is how the iPod interface works. If anyone here knows what I'm supposed to name my playlists, I'd love to be able to reprogram my iPod that I used in my bimmer which I just sold, with the proper playlist naming convention. With BMW, the version of iPod adapter I had required the iPod playlists to be named BMW1, BMW2, BMW3, etc.

What does the Audi iPod system require for playlist names?

My flight leaves tomorrow around 3:30PM and the Salesman is picking me up at the airport.

Dealer fees are a grand total of $75 - I nearly fell out of my chair when he said that was all. There was no application fee for their financing either and they beat the lowest rate I could get through any of my sources. I'm beside myself with excitement! I'll have to post pictures when I have a chance.

Flights for two only cost $427 each and I was able to use my FF miles to offset the cost so two one-way tickets were $550 for me and hubbie to fly down.

I plan to negotiate the warranty while there since I'll be paying for it outright if I decide to go that avenue.

Thanks for your help! Wish me luck!

 

Congrats! Good luck. Road trips are always a great way to familiarize yourself with a new car. Have fun opening it up. Make sure you lean on the loud pedal enough. And YOU MUST post lots of pics!

 

We're back! The car is going to be a lot of fun. During the trip, we had several hours to decide what needs to be done to the car. In comparison to the M Roadster, there are some things we think are missing on the RS4 from an overall driveability standpoint but I'll get to those later. I still have to unload the car from the trip. Later, I'll post pics and the dealer experience as we bought from a dealer about 15 hours from our house, sight unseen.

Average Speed on freeway - approx 90 mph
Fuel Economy - approx 19.4 mpg which really isn't too bad considering the MSRP fuel economy rating

It was a great trip and well worth the overall effort!

 

Nice! Can't wait to see pics!

 

I was recently faced with the same choice and here's what I did:

(a) Chose to buy a used 2008 RS4 over a 2011 anything--while my A4 was working fine and I was in no rush to buy a car.

(b) Shopped on line until I saw a car in the color I wanted and with low to decent mileage. I ignored cars with bad or no free CARFAX, as well as ones with scanty descriptions or limited photos.

(c) Contacted the dealerships through e-mail and phone and took no BS. At the first inkling of any BS from the dealer such as you describe, I just moved on to the next dealer.

(d) Found a customer-service-focused dealer who had the car I wanted with acceptable mileage--20K was a little high, but still OK. Negotiated a decent price below NDA and KBB, but absolutely, positively including CPO. Purchased it remotely and had it shipped to my state through economical and efficient shipper they recommended.

Bottom line is that dealers act like scumbags because we buyers let them and fail to vote with our dollars. There are 270 Audi dealers in the USA. Don't accept sub-standard service. If you do, you'll just keep them in business and perpetuate the age-old problem.

 

Gratz on your purchase! I hope you enjoy your ride and can get the vanilla odor out. It's my least favorite fragrance.

 

Dear Car Girl

First of all, Congratulation on you purchase.

Secondly, I have not been on Audiforums for quite a while, as otherwise I would have done my best too to ensure you made the right choice, though I can see you did well.

Anyway, you left some questions behind in your posts, some of which I will try to assist with.

Numbers of cars sold, etc. there are some info at the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_RS4 there you will find answer for some of your questions as well as some general info.

One of the other things you mentions was where the car was build. All Audi “S”, “R” and “RS” models are made not “just” by Audi, no they are made by “Quattro GmbH”, which you can see too from the sticker at the drivers doorframe, which is not bad at all. It is still of a great importance for me that the car is build in Germany instead of…..do I dear to say it……..in the US, sorry!

Winter has come and gone since you got your car, and I am sure that you by now have had fun at the traffic light, beating ANY rear wheel driven car on the green light. I have never had mine in snow, but we used my wife’s new A4 Avant, 2.0 Quattro on a trip up to Big Bear Lake 6 weeks back, where I was a little puzzled to start our trip on the Pirelli P-zero (which was an option we got along with 19” wheels, which is the exact same rim and size as on the RS4), how would high performance summer tires perform in the snow………………I went out to get myself a set of chains not to look like an idiot driving around up there. We ended up getting a lot of snow over the extended weekend we spend up there and the house we rented included driving on some steep roads, etc. To tell you the through, I have never had so much fun, seeing all those stupid Escalade’s and Tahoe’s and the like, they did not stand a chance without having to install their speed limiting and noisy chains, and that could still not make them beat a Quattro on performance summer tires…………..what a laugh! Btw, we are talking 4 to 8 inches of snow here! If you have any to add to this point here, I would love to hear about them!

You also mentioned that you were planning some upgrades, how is going and which are on you mind?

I am sure you have done your recerch on watched as much as possible on YouTube to gain knowledge and I hope you hit Top Gear UK, none other than Clarkson testing the RS4, if you were not convinced before, this may help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjaTCMJ8YKg ….I am not sure I hear what he is saying about the M3…………………

Well, have fun and drive safe out there and feel free to ask if you have some questions about the RS4 and I will try to have a look in here a little more offend.

Lars

 

Lars,

Thanks for your post. I've had the car for almost 5 months now and can't believe how time flies. The only mods made so far are a new set of All Season Michelin tires. No regrets there. It sure made winter driving fun! We had several 6-8" snowfalls and had no problem getting around town.

Upgrades were put on hold. i spent the winter recovering from a herniated disc in my neck which was and extremely painful. It began only a few weeks after buying the car so I couldn't even drive it. I'm at least well enough to drive and be back to work but haven't bought much for the car yet. I've replaced the struts in the trunk, installed two pieces of thick foam on the iPod that kept vibrating loose (very poor design for OEM installed mechanical interface), cabin air filter, engine air filter, windshield wiper blades and oil change with oil filter. Oh yeah, I also bought RS4 floor mats from a company in the UK but won't install those until the salt and grime from winter subside.

I'm still looking to get a CF steering wheel with smooth, not perforated leathe like the R8 I found and I need to detail the interior which was clean when I bought it except for the leather seats and CF trim. The doors are huge so there have been developing scuff marks on the footwell and kick panel which also need tending to.

Eventually, I may replace front and rear sway bars, struts, wheels and have the intake carbon removed but the next mod is likely to be a short throw shifter. The reach to 5 and 6 are long compared to the two other manuals recently owned. I thought of having the seats re-upholstered by a close friend of the family who owns a business doing car and boat interiors but I'm on the fance regarding getting new seats all together. The leg bolsters and lumbar are built more for comfort than aggressive handling. You know what I mean. i checked out your garage!

The car is amazing on its own but could use some mods to make it even racier and personal. I'll post follow-ups as upgrades are done.

Thanks again for your info and suggestions!