Both fun cars. Just budget for new rod bearings for the M3.



I really do not like the front or rear bumpers on the M2 in pics- I think they could be designed so much more aggressively. However, they do look a lot better in person. My guess is that BMW will make the bumpers a lot more aggressively styled in the newer/hotter upcoming versions of the M2.

 

Well yeah, if you're looking for the phrase "over-styled", I'd have to agree with you.

But I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers.

 

Agreed, and the bumpers really do look better in person.

At least those are two of the easiest body panels to change on a car and they make a huge difference in how it looks if someone makes a more aggressive set. Kind of like how wheels can totally change the look of a car.

 

Any thoughts on the B8 and B8.5 S4?

Supercharged V6, AWD, 6MT

 

8.5 S4 / S5 are great with a few issues. A family member has an S5 and I love it but it's a 70k car with all the options. Also it hasn't exactly been reliable.

I don't know if i'd be comfortable buying a used one cause of the reliabliity.

 

If you don't mind my asking, what have they run into reliability wise?

 

+1

In my little bit of research, the DSG seems to be the biggest culprit, but that's a non issue for me.

2016 was the last year for the S4 (with 6mt). A CPO would have warranty through 2022/100,000. Original warranty of 4/50,000 + 2/50,000 CPO. These seem to be in my budget with relatively low miles.

 

Luckily nothing drivetrain related YET but we'll see.

It's mostly been stupid stuff, electrical issues.

- Day 1: none of the 12v sockets in the car worked, XM radio didn't work. Took back to dealer
- XM Fixed, worked for a week, back to the dealer
- XM "fixed again" worked for a little while, dosen't work anymore (we gave up on it)

The car has only less than 20k miles on it still so who knows what could go wrong later on.

There was something else that went wrong too but I can't remember now. It has extended audicare up to like 70k which is nice though. But this means we can't do any performace mods at all. Audi can tell if the ECU has been flashed even if it's been flashed back and will void the warranty.


I do think its a very nice upgrade from the G though. Handles great out of the box with the adaptive suspension and sports diff. (We did lower it though with H&R springs on the adaptive struts) The seats are amazing and there is lots of low end power compared to the G. The DSG is super fast and super smooth. Comfort mode softens up the car a lot for bumpy roads and sport mode tightens it up a LOT and makes the steering much faster and more responsive.

 

Sounds fairly promising . . . a lot more reliable than my G has been.

 

Really? My G has literally had 0 big issues in 10 years. Only thing notable is the ACC belt going at like 40k, which is expected.

 

Not bad cars. They are a good sleeper because they look almost exactly like an A4. They can be made relatively quick fairly easily, but they are not the best handling car with all the weight on the nose. I may be a little biased since I see so many of them at work that they seem overly common to me. I would root for an RS4- a lot more raw, but also a lot more problematic, not nearly as refined, and not really any faster.

 

And no 6mt

 

Frankly, I find that a bit tough to believe. Without turning this into a reliability thread, I'll just say that in the last 18 months alone my 2012 G37xS has run into the below problems with less than 39k miles on it and never once visited a track or drag strip. I'd like to get into an Audi but reliability stories always held me back. That said, how much worse could it get?

- Total transmission failure, left me stranded
- Replacement transmission malfunctions constantly
- Transfer case went bad, required replacing
- Wheel bearing went bad, required replacing
- Catalytic converters failed, required replacing
- Low tone horn failed, required replacing
- Cup holder cover wouldn't stay closed, required replacing
- Roof drains clogged and flooded driver footwell (thank god for WeatherTech)
- Driver side sill plate stopped illuminating, required replacement
- Trunk randomly pops open (still haven't figured this one out)
- Bluetooth doesn't play well with phones, constantly disconnects mid-call
- Remote start doesn't function correctly, I start backing out of the driveway and the car turns off in gear and rolls out in the street
- Front struts are shot, need to be replaced in the near future
- A/T shifter occasionally can't be slid into gear despite depressing the button, the assembly needs to be replaced.
- Rattles galore I'm still chasing
- The clear coat peeling off the bumper of a vehicle of this age is just complete BS

 

Dang. Lemon law invocation?

 

Bionicman, That is incredible. I have a 2009, trouble free, even the paint is still great. Did you buy this car new? Could it have been repainted?