2001 S4... How's the reliability?

[ludesh17]

I'm getting a new car for my freshman year at college and I found a 2001 S4 with roughly 124000 miles. I want to know how reliable the car is and I want to know how long the car will last me if I drive it hard. I'm assuming the car is in decent shape before buying it. I also want to know what to look for when looking at this car. Like, what are the major problem spots on the car? I've read on edmunds.com that the car is extremely reliable but I also know when you're a student with a little amount of money, having an Audi break on you isn't really something you can afford....
I really want something relatively quick (this car is the fastest car I'm considering) and I also want something that won't break on me like my 1997 Prelude Type SH did... Any help at all would be great.
Thanks in advance-
Justin

[Slow4]

shitty!
stay away

I also want something that won't break on me like my 1997 Prelude Type SH did...

[KNaudi]

just walk away.

[wdbdy2000s4]

Stay away from a b5 s4 if you're concerned with reliability or maintenance costs. Main issues for these cars are pretty much turbos and sycnros. Both will cost you a few grand easy and leave the car virtually undriveable until they are fixed. You would be much better served buying a more reliable car or something easier to work on and upgrading it to be quicker. Even an A4 is a significantly better option because the maintenance is signifcantly easier and cheaper.

[fazda]

lol your hon-duh would of been 1000x more reliable!

your s4 will be nothing but a fun expensive headache.

[Dorny1]

I agree with him, get an A4 if you're looking for cheap and reliable.

[KNaudi]

not even an A4 will be cheap when compared to a civic, sentra, (insert almost any other Japanese car here)

[bigdo26]

Also wouldn't recommend the S4 if you're going into your freshman year of college. Unless you've got a bunch of $ to play with... I sure didn't. I had a 2002 Maxima during college and that car was great - S4 would have been more fun, but not really practical due to the high frequency of repairs. Although if the S4 has always been stock and you will keep it stock, it's not all that bad. Just tough to call with 8-10 year old cars.

[///S4]

inminent brain damage!!! j/k the main problem when buying this car is trying to find one that hasn't been neglected or not kept well maintainance wise, if you do your own wrenching and do a lot of preventive maintainance this cars are insanelly awesome, and when taken care of they are somewhat reliable... oh and make sure you always have upwards 2k saved up in case something expensive breaks... try to find one as stock as posible (unless already stage 3)it might be tempting to buy one with some modds like a chip, but chances are the car has seen some abuse.

[KNaudi]

I had my B5 A4 my first 2 years of college and even the bills on that were testing my meager budget as a college student. Just get an appliance now and save the rest of the $$$ for a nicer car when college is over (or for the 'important' things at college)

[Slow4]

OP, just noticed your location....is that Fairfax, VA?

[KNaudi]

OP, just noticed your location....is that Fairfax, VA?

pssshhhhh NoVA sucks.

[Slow4]

pssshhhhh NoVA sucks.

Hahahaha, yes. Cops out here are big a-holes, I know of one.

[belinko]

LOL S4 and reliable shouldn't be in the same sentence.

If the vehicle is meticulously maintained it will be reliable.

How many owners of the vehicle? How much repair/maintenance documentation does the vehicle come with? These are some questions that can let you know how "reliable" the vehicle will be.

In general the parts aren't terribly expensive, it's the labor rate. You'll be paying $90-120 per hour for repair work. The complexity of the S4 is due to the fact that a V6 with two turbo's was squeezed into the B5 chassis, which makes just about any repair time consuming, which eats into the labor for a simple repair. As some have suggested an A4 is "slightly" better off. I wouldn't use the term "significantly", because the labor rate is the same, but the main difference is that there is room in engine bay to make repairs, unlike in the S4. All in all if you're looking for reliability I wouldn't be looking at the Audi brand. $.02

[NOTORIOUS VR]

Can't speak for the rest, but mine has been rock solid. But proper maintenance will still cost you. These cars are getting old and they need the upkeep.

Just found out I need some CA bushings replaced.... such is life, but very much worth it for the pleasure my S brings me.

[Aggv]

I'm getting a new car for my freshman year at college and I found a 2001 S4 with roughly 124000 miles. I want to know how reliable the car is and I want to know how long the car will last me if I drive it hard. I'm assuming the car is in decent shape before buying it. I also want to know what to look for when looking at this car. Like, what are the major problem spots on the car? I've read on edmunds.com that the car is extremely reliable but I also know when you're a student with a little amount of money, having an Audi break on you isn't really something you can afford....
I really want something relatively quick (this car is the fastest car I'm considering) and I also want something that won't break on me like my 1997 Prelude Type SH did... Any help at all would be great.
Thanks in advance-
Justin

Go away, stop posting here, stop looking at audis and buy an accord/camry/etc...

[KNaudi]

Go away, stop posting here, stop looking at audis and buy an accord/camry/etc...

lol you just said what we all are thinking, thanks.

[a4_matt]

ttifof

[Razorecko]

Find an s4 with 1 owner history. What happens is that ALOT of these s4's have gone through 3 or 4 owners and every single time odds are there is a major repair that is needed and its sold to the next owner. By the time you get it as a 4/5th owner the car is ragged, falling apart, and usually has an accident rap sheet the size of a booklet.

[NogaroWonda00]

jesus christ cant you see the god damn search button?

If you think your honda was "unreliable" you must be drunk looking at s4's I would KILL to have my car be as reliable as a honda...

[Trigger Happy]

If you have to ask you can't afford it.

[moclakens]

LOL at this thread:)

[shorterthanrich]

reliability: lol.

[8520]

Troll.

[fazda]

i have never been left stranded with my s4, but repairs and maintenace are a bitch.

[P0234]

Go away, stop posting here, stop looking at audis and buy an accord/camry/etc...

Yup, terrible car for a college student. Worry about your books, not a car that is going to need more attention than a stripper with a bad drug habit.

[Aggv]

Yup, terrible car for a college student. Worry about your books, not a car that is going to need more attention than a stripper with a bad drug habit.

hahaha, stripper with a bad drug habit is great

[Raacerx]

Like, what are the major problem spots on the car? I've read on edmunds.com that the car is extremely reliable but I also know when you're a student with a little amount of money, having an Audi break on you isn't really something you can afford....

Audi and Reliability is an oxymoron. If your a freshman in college, without a garage and a place to work on your car, and without much mechanical experience, this is one of the WORST cars you can by. The reason they are so cheap these days, is the cost of maintenance and the difficulty of working on them. Many relatively simple repairs require the engine to be pulled. @ 125k miles, you might be replacing the turbos soon. Using new parts and a shop to do this work, you are looking at over $4000 just to get up and running.

Stay away. If you must have an unreliable German car, get an A4 1.8T. They are very easy to work on, far far far cheaper to repair, very easy to modify and upgrade, and a great way to get your feet wet. The B5 S4 is a full time job. Take it from a college student who has pulled his engine twice already in the last year; you either need to be prepared for all the $$$ and work, or you need to start thinking practically.

i have never been left stranded with my s4, but repairs and maintenace are a bitch.

You know, I've never been stranded either. I've had to replace all kinds of things, even blown turbos, but I've never had to call AAA, I've never been stranded, car has always got me home safely. I carry an ENTIRE set of tools in my trunk and jackstands just in case, and it has saved me countless countless countless times (and saved some random people on the side of the highway too).

[MikeyB3]

Blah blah blah, turbos. Blah blah bbb-blah, maintenance. Money, costs, the pain, German. ... Hizzle fizzly diddles not reliable... No. Get a different car. Kthxbai.

[S E B]

just run away.

^^