OK convince me....

Scotty_b

Leon Cupra 300R
Jun 3, 2004
6,026
66
Hertfordshire
Well if we can sort a place out half way or even better near me then lets sort a day and time. Im free this weekend and next but thats it really as i move in to my new place on the 23rd
 

cpufreak

back in the UK
Nov 9, 2003
1,407
0
London, SW6
photo.ing.me.uk
Having had a B5 S4, so being qualified to comment on the issue I'll mention a few things.

Mine had arelatively moderate milage when I bought it (~50k), it was mint, had full service history, came with a warranty etc. - and I too had heard the stories how these cars go on for years without problems.

During the ~12 months I owned it I uprated the suspension (HR Comfort coilovers), brakes (porsche 993TT items), exhaust (miltek), software (revo), intercoolers (AWE) - all of which went from turning my mint, but standard car, into a fabulous sports saloon

One thing which was apparent from the offset, was parts for these cars are significantly costlier than for smaller cars. - so somethingto bear in mind :)

In addition to the upgrades, I had the car serviced twice, checked out by Audi as part of a local dealer's courtesy, and had a health check by MRC.

Anyway, in May last year both turbos blew. - The warranty did cover it...but only the first £1600. Turbos blowingon these cars is an engine out job, i.e. costly. - £3500 for K03 replacements, ~£4500 for K04s.

I'd been thinking about selling the car for a more trackday focused machine, so when this happened, I took the opportunity to sell the car to an aquaintenance who has since upgraded the car, and used it to show case his company's (MRC), skills in fast audi tuning.

The point I'm trying to make is, sure the big audis will go on for ever, and do hundreds of thousands of miles, but they'll cost you a bit along the way.

amusingly Doug's S4 (i.e. my old one) is probably faster than the CSL now...I don't regret for a second changing though :)
 

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,212
2
Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
Thanks mate I thought you'd had an S4 from memory. Yeah the thing that worries me about an S4 is they'll go on forever, if looked after. But you won't know that for sure. And the fact that changing ( or upgrading ) the turbos is an engine out job worries me. The prices you've just quoted there were the sort of prices I'd been told too.
 

Colonelk

Active Member
Nov 17, 2006
274
0
Hey Pete if you come to the herts meet or similar you can have a go in mine on smooth roads and the real bumpy versions. Mind you with my FK collies you may get put off as I think it’s a bit crashy.

Ow and you wont be able to get a go in Ruds old car as shes no more unfortunately

Ow and cheshunt seat have a silver LCR for 12k

Oi...hands off that one. I find out today whether Seat Listers Coventry have managed to acquire it for me ;)
 

Colonelk

Active Member
Nov 17, 2006
274
0
The missus wanted Silver. I wanted Platinum. But guess what, the missus has now said that she is coming around to the idea of a Plat LCR, right after I asked listers to get me that silver one....

Grrrrrr WOMEN !!!!
 

warren_cox

Back from the dead
O/t is she dead ?

My 53 plate was written off within 3 months of me selling it. Bloke who bought it was driving through Hudderfield and someone t-boned him from a side street into about 5 other cars, then drove back up a one way street to flee the scene of the accident. Witnesses didn't get a plate which was a shame.

Wasn't caught on CCTV but he was gutted as he bought it for his 40th birthday present (to himself).

Its a shame when a nicely specced car gets totalled, so I hope its OK.
 

Ruddmeister

Everything in Moderation
Jun 23, 2003
8,218
1
Weston-super-Mare
en.wikipedia.org
O/T?
Has andy not told you? Thought he had posted it up? Front ends is a bit shorter than it should be. Hes bought it back tho so she maybe back on the road. The retail price of items like the forge FMIC etc pushed it over to a write off

O/t = off topic

He has all the old stuff SMIC's pipework etc that he could use, didn't see a post maybe I missed it :( sad day
 

NeilC

Has left the fold...
Mar 23, 2004
336
0
somewhere else
Well I'm still waiting to be convinced that by spending ( for example ) £1k on suspension changes I can get the handling the R should have had from the factory.

I'd say no. Chassis dynamics have moved on and the mkiv chassis was a bit off the pace at the start.
Saying that for 13k you cant beat a remapped R + some coilovers for a fun fast car. You just have to accept that it's a family hatch and a bit understeery (better with an lsd tho). It's appeal is that it can be a hooligan or a cruiser at will, but if you only require one of these things you could get a more focused car, i'd think type R or that mg thing.

Is it just me that finds haldex s3/tt's a bit uninvolving? I'm sure they'd be great if you did a lot of miles as the interior's in another league to the R, but i actually quite liked the way the R could be provoked at lower speeds and the fear of it flying off the road at higher speeds!

Later shape 200sx + go to town?
 

Scotty_b

Leon Cupra 300R
Jun 3, 2004
6,026
66
Hertfordshire
O/t = off topic

He has all the old stuff SMIC's pipework etc that he could use, didn't see a post maybe I missed it :( sad day

Ah i see, i will search for his post and pm you the link. Yeah insurance company wrote it off as it was like for like, hes bought her back tho so fingers crossed.
 

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,212
2
Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
Is it just me that finds haldex s3/tt's a bit uninvolving? I'm sure they'd be great if you did a lot of miles as the interior's in another league to the R, but i actually quite liked the way the R could be provoked at lower speeds and the fear of it flying off the road at higher speeds!

Not now I've driven one.. Went to a place called Four Marks today. They always have a load of S3's on thier website so thought it was worth the drive. Except even their best one, £14k worth, was probably only just about passable. All the cars are fine on the outside but inside they're all crap. Leather that looks like it's done 3 times the mileage and all the buttons on the climate controls have the paint worn off, so the buttons are just white. So much for better Audi interior quality. To be fair they do feel a little higher quality inside, apart from the leather being of really poor quality and the dash controls, considering the £30k new price tag.

Anyway the drive wasn't quite what I expected, it felt a bit... well sterial. It was fast yeah, but not very involving as you say.

So I think based on today the S3 is out, if the leather is going to be so bad on cars described as "stunning" then I think the good ones will be way above my budget.



So I went to see a Platinum R I'd seen near Guildford, complete sh*tter :( £12k, 40,000 miles, and been washed every week with a wire brush :no: When I pointed this out to the salesman ( a full on Arther Daily complete with gold rings and sheep skin coat :ban: ) he said he'd not noticed, and then when I showed him said they'd machine polish out :-o A few had been badly touched up but were definately through to the metal. Plus the engine bay had never been cleaned. :runaway:

Emmer Green don't have any R's in, and SMC Windsor only have one in red, complete with full bald spare and every alloy curbed. And it wasnt cheap based on the trade in offer which would mean no cash to change the suspension etc And it's red, which I'm not keen on...

So 250 miles later I'm no closer to a new car :(

But at least it was sunny so I've had a decent day [B)]

Pete
 
Last edited:

Tallpaul

Full Member
Jul 2, 2005
821
0
Test drive a TT. I honestly thought, despite the feeling of claustrophobia, it was a very comfortable place to be. Contradictory, i know, but try it. It's a pleasent place to be. Much more so than any other VAG of the same era.
 

Feel

Veedubya 'velle
Jun 12, 2003
4,918
2
Midlands
Interesting comments about the leather - I've seen a few cars where the leathr has gone really saggy/creased and looks dire.

It's put me off leather interriors for good - at least cloth can be shampoo'd. Maybe it's just the "cheap" leather interiors.

What you want is a really cheap LCR that you can work you magic on :whistle:
 
Progressive Parts, performance parts and tuning specialists