2016 Audi S5 in 2021

[Raubtier]

Hello,

I am thinking about joining the Audi family now that my friend is offering to sell me his 2016 S5 Premium Plus original MSRP $64k with only 7k miles on it for $38ooo. The car is like new with a few packages like technology, black optic+ and limited slip diff. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether this 2016 S5 is still a good idea in 2021, all pros and cons. Appreciate your thoughts!

[Mrads]

I was also a BMW 335i owner before moving to Audi. First there is no real comparison between the e92 and B8.5 S5 other than the number of doors. The power delivery is completely different, the weight split is different, the handling is different.

Anyhow, I am on my 5th Audi since leaving BMW and I have zero regrets.

TLDR: just do it

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[S5Black]

Sounds descent to me.

[ENV²]

They are very reliable machines. Tuneable for more power and still reliable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Crucible35]

Sounds like a steal to me if it only has 7k miles on it.....or is that a typo? lol How can a 5 year old car have only 7k miles on it?.....was your friend stationed over-seas?

[Raubtier]

Not a typo! It was his weekend toy and he just didn’t really drive it. I understand that it may be a decent deal, I just wonder whether a 2016 S5 B8.5 is still worth buying in 2021 or something from the same category but newer would be a better idea at this price point (but most likely with more miles on it).

[Neil F]

Don’t understand what you are questioning. We have B8s and few will disagree that they were and still are great. (I do not like the B9 styling). If it has had basic care it still is a very good vehicle

[Mrads]

Don’t understand what you are questioning. We have B8s and few will disagree that they were and still are great. (I do not like the B9 styling). If it has had basic care it still is a very good vehicle

Amen, brother.

If I didn't have a B8.5 RS5, I would happily buy another S5 without any concern.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[whts4]

I currently own a 2015 S4, which I've owned since 2017, and recently bought a 2017 S5 (19k mi) in February. The reason I specifically wanted a late B8.5 S5 (2015 -2017) was bc I don't like the newer B9 cars (2018- on). The newer B9 cars are bigger, more isolated, much more electronics (most I don't care about), the drive train isn't as engaging and linear, the styling is less appealing, mandatory "start- stop" and I really don't like the "tablet" style interface.....call me old school.

The 2015-2017 B8.5s have all of the latest driveline improvements available for the B8 &B8'5 cars including the improved electronics available before they ended the production in August 2016 (for the 2017 S5). I have the same options plus ADS on my S5 and the car is wonderful to drive, Both my S5 and S4 are extremely reliable and that is one of the reason I was convinced that I'd rather have a low mileage B8.5 than the newest B9. I plan on driving these along time and enjoying the sweet spot of a DSG, supercharged V6 with sport dif and all of the features I want in a DD. Additionally, my wife is a petite little thing and she could not get comfortable in the B9 nor adjust the seats to fit her. We tried the same experiments at Mercedes, BMW and all of the sport luxury cars and none meet her needs....basically she and I love the B8.5 S4 and S5 cars.

Prices have moved upward quite a bit in the past 9-12 months, so what once was a more affordable used car is $6k or $8k more than last year at this same time. A decent well cared for 2016/2017 with under 20k miles ( w/no accidents, very good condition, service records) is really hard to find. So anything btwn $36k -$40k is the going "asking prices"....sell price is probably a few thousand less from a dealer. Sounds like you may have found one of those few remaining well maintained cares with extremely low miles. If you know the history, and don't need to replace brakes, tires or other items, that is a fair price, in today's market.

The only mod I did to mine was adding a slightly stiffer 22.9mm rear swaybar to improve handling, otherwise it is a stock car.

Enjoy a wonderful car, buy it if you like it.

[ezridah]

All good good points above. I have a 2012 S5 that I daily and am still tweaking/modifying with no desire to swap for something newer.

You don’t see S5s with that low of mileage very often. If it sat forever I might be concerned with seals, rubber, etc. although I’m auto conversant but not in the knowledgeable category lol. Definitely have a PPI done (even though you likely trust your friend)…

[Raubtier]

Thank you for this informative post! Did you add the sway bar to the s4 or s5? I I would think the coupe would come with a stiffer one (my Infiniti G coupe did as opposed to the sedan). Is there noticeable difference in handling with the sway bar?

[Mrads]

Thank you for this informative post! Did you add the sway bar to the s4 or s5? I I would think the coupe would come with a stiffer one (my Infiniti G coupe did as opposed to the sedan). Is there noticeable difference in handling with the sway bar?

The S4 and S5 both use the same OE sway bars.

The 3 simplest mods that pay off with immediate handling improvment are the AK (drivetrain stabilizer), CR15 and stiffer sway bars.



Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk

[whts4]

Yes both the 2015 and 2017 are running a slightly stiffer/bigger rear swaybar from Audi ( 2012 S4 with std suspension swaybar) which is approx 22.7mm. Suspension and handling are very subjective, so this is what I've found to be a great upgrade. I forgot to mention that I added a CR15 to both cars as well. With that said, there are numerous easy upgrades you can do to the B8.5 to dial in your preferences including the ALK, 034 or Eurocode sway bar set, etc. The real key is that the car is great as is....but should you wish to tweak it there are lots of options.

As I said in my earlier post, this is a great platform and with many choices of upgrades for power, suspension, wheels, appearance....and on and on. Bc it is a very flexible, reliable and a solid platform, it is a one of my absolute favorite sport sedans.

Have you driven it yet? Any reservations?

There are two known reliability items that may or may not surface. Basically a water pump and/or thermostat housing failure,....and less common is a PVC valve failure. If one fails most people replace them all since the labor is nearly the same....roughly $1000 labor plus $700 in parts. This is usually a post 60k + mi occurrence, but some cars have failed within 20k mi....just be aware of it.

[Raubtier]

I drove one locally (my friend is out of state) without the sport differential which makes a big difference, from what I’ve read, and I liked the car. His car has the differential. So the only reservations are the interior is magma red and I am not quite sure about it but most likely can live with if not too bright; I do care for technology (CarPlay would be nice) and I see that I can relatively easily retrofit it which will make this car pretty much perfect; and it got 20” wheels as part of black optic plus package - hoping the ride is not too harsh. Really appreciate your detailed input it helps a lot!

[whts4]

Ok, if it has OE 20" wheels that is the Black optics plus package....it should also have black mirror caps. Your question about the ride is an astute one. With the ADS it can be marginal, but with std suspension it will be firm. Also if you need snow tires or all season tires there are extremely limited options should you live in snowy climate.

If the interior is leather vs Alcantara the is not as bright, but definitely not subtle.....depends on exterior color as to the overall look, IMO.

[Raubtier]

Leather and gray exterior, std suspension. The wheels can be changed if needed, but these look nice, no snow where I live.

[whts4]

That is a very nice color combo gray/red....sounds like a something you should buy.

[RLJ3]

Raubtier, if it makes you feel better, about 3 months ago I bought a 2013 S5 with 5k miles (A somewhat similar situation since it was a deal from a family member) and have absolutely loved the car. Did about $500 in preventative maintenance right after buying because the car had been sitting for a while and haven't had any issues in the short amount of time I have had it, fingers crossed. You will love tuning the car. Throw an ECU and TCU tune on it and it's a rocket ship. Go for it, you won't regret it.

[Raubtier]

I am one step closer now:) what tunes did you get for yours? Are there harmless tunes that are guaranteed not to do any damage? I am researching it now. I am a bit hesitant to tune it just because it is still basically new and I would hate to have any engine / transmission issues due to tuning. If it was a 50k mile car that I’d get for $20k it would be a different story.

[whts4]

While I chose not to tune mine, most everything I read indicated a tune only without pulley changes, is a safe way to get 400hp. The pulleys seemed to be the point where temps rise and can cause issues. Also, the DSG was not designed to handle high torque, so they can fail with a hp/torque tune.....an expensive repair.

[Mrads]

I am one step closer now:) what tunes did you get for yours? Are there harmless tunes that are guaranteed not to do any damage? I am researching it now. I am a bit hesitant to tune it just because it is still basically new and I would hate to have any engine / transmission issues due to tuning. If it was a 50k mile car that I’d get for $20k it would be a different story.

Any stage 1 tune will be fine. Frankly most stage 1+/2 tunes with SC pulley are fine. Yes, there are stories of issues but most of those I have seen/read about are self inflicted wounds by owners not doing their research and/or using the "it'll be fine" method. The DSG can handle the power of the Stage 1+/2 tunes.

I ran a Stage 2 '13 S4 for 4 years with ZERO problems. Sold it one of my staff and it is still going strong 5 years later.

Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk

[RLJ3]

I am one step closer now:) what tunes did you get for yours? Are there harmless tunes that are guaranteed not to do any damage? I am researching it now. I am a bit hesitant to tune it just because it is still basically new and I would hate to have any engine / transmission issues due to tuning. If it was a 50k mile car that I’d get for $20k it would be a different story.

I have a stage 1 ECU tune and a transmission tune from Integrated Engineering. I emailed them about reliability when I was about to purchase and they said that these tunes should not affect it negatively. The transmission tune increases the clutch pressure to help deal with some of that extra torque. However, I do follow the rs5 maintenance schedule just to be sure.