Please educate me on this car. I am thinking about getting one in the next year or so, once my Porsche is gone and things settle down in my personal life. Tell me everything about it: likes, dislikes, Mods that you would do and must have, and those that you wouldn't do, and your comparison of this to other cars of its caliber.

Thanks.

 

Raiff - What do you want to know? I owned one for a couple of years. They are EXCELLENT cars. I really miss mine. It was my daily for the entire time - summer, snow, rain, pollen, everything. It never missed a beat, sounded amazing, and was the perfect daily driver.

I really never felt the need to mod it. I liked everything - the only dislike was that the leather seemed to wear a little prematurely, but then mysteriously stopped wearing so fast. Who knows? As far as colors go, I had Avus Silver, which is a bluish silver kind of like the old Porsche Polar Silver. The only other color I'd buy for it would be Misano Red (esp. with the Titanium package).

I love the stock wheels - I loved them so much I bought a second set for summer/winter tires. Speaking of tires, I had EXCELLENT tire wear since you can rotate front/back (though not side/side with directional tires). These were Pirelli PZero Rossos.

Easily one of the best cars I've ever owned. My wife always reminds me that I shouldn't have sold it.... If you find some during your search that are in great shape that you don't end up buying, please let me know. Maybe I need to get another one.

 

Okay, I have a few questions...

1-throttle response? I understand that they have the same engine as the R8 (not the R8V10), and are very quick.
2-stopping power? I know they have huge brakes, but what was your impression of the brakes overall?
3-suspension? I like to do canyon runs, and I know the RS4's are supposed to have an amazing suspension.
4-Well, you already answered the tire question.
5-What year was yours? I am looking to get a '07 or '08. I won't be paying $75k+ for a new one.

I will be looking for an all-black or a silver/charcoal gray model. And of course, I will be going MANUAL this time, and this one will be paid off quickly, as I will be keeping it.

 

Driven the avant a few times, feels like a bulletproof car. Love the steering, brakes & engine of course.. The car I'd get if I had a small family! Only mod I'd do would be an exhaust.

 

We also owned several RS4s, and I only can agree with Chris.
It is a really good daily driver and everybody I know who owned or owns one is really satisfied with it. Just a great car.
The early models had some issues with the overworking of the valves, causing of the direct injection and too much city traffic driving. Also there has been a relatively high oil consumption - you should check this before buying one. Due to the overworking of the valves, some didn't reach their actual horsepower - but as I said these where the early models. I know of about 3 cars which got a new engine, but they all got changed through warranty.

The gearbox shifts really well, the clutch is a bit hard and tricky if you're not used to it, but once you drove some miles you will love it.
It sounds very nice but in my opinion a bit too silent, a nice exhaust is worth a thought
It is standardly equiped with a Sport Button which opens a valve in the exhaust to make it sound a bit more agressive and in case you have the RS bucket seats, the cheeks of the driver seat will get a bit more tight then. I also think that the throttle response gets a bit more direct after pushing the button.

Regards

 

My good friend and track bud bought one about two months ago after having (and totaling) two e46 M3s. He is very happy with the car and while he admits that it isn't as hardcore as his former M3s, it is still a very capable car. Plus, the AWD keeps him from getting out of sorts like he would in the M3s. Oh and they sound incredible in stock trim. Whenever he comes by the house I think its a V8 R8.

 

Have driven a few RS4s, and its one of my favorite cars. If I could afford it I would own one. Its one of the few cars I'd leave stock and be happy with. Everything on the car fits so well.

 

I had one for about a month years back and loved the driving dynamics of the car but they do have a few issues...

due to the direct injection they have carbon buildup and is something that should be cleaned yearly.. the other issue is that since its an audi its prone to random electrical issues like random bulbs being burnt out( i had this issue both on the rs4 and s4)
-other then that, car just needs routine maintenance

 

1) Throttle response is very sharp. It has an S mode that quickens the response even more and opens the exhaust valves sooner. However, the R8 V8 has slightly better throttle response due to it having twin (smaller) throttle bodies vs. one big one on the RS4.

2) Having driven it briefly, I can say they have more than adequate stopping power (8 piston, 365mm brakes up front) for the street. However, if you plan on tracking the car, you should look into changing your brake fluid (RBF600) and a set of track pads at the very least. The RS4 is a heavy car to begin with and is nose heavy (bad for braking).

3) Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) has known to be crap. Tons of cars have had their dampers leak. Most owners got fed up and went with coilovers. Much better choice anyways especially if you plan to track it.

4) One serious thing to keep an eye on is the carbon buildup that this engine tremendously suffers from (due to the inherent nature of the FSI system). You are guaranteed to get some buildup at some point in time -- this is aggravated if your commutes consist of short trips. A lot of people consider it as routine maintenance and clean their intake valves every 10k miles (6-8 hr job). A car with heavy carbon buildup can be up to 40-50hp down on power compared to a healthy RS4. There are hundreds of threads and plenty of documentation on this. Audi will fix this issue with you only when you start having misfires (which is what happens when your intake runners are loaded with carbon deposits).

Other than that, the car is bullet proof and has an amazing build quality. I'm sure Chris can vouch for that. They don't make cars like that anymore (I'm known to obsess about the quality of materials, and you won't be disappointed with the RS4). Everything about it feels solid.

I would recommend to look for 08 cars with the Titanium package (blacked out grill, titanium finish rims, tips and mirror caps). Most came with Audi exclusive interiors too (two tone leather and piano black trim)
Let me know if you have additional questions.

 

Next car on my list.