I really REALLY really REAAALLY like the way the Bimmer 330's look and drive (with the sport package, of course) but for the money I'm right in S4 territory? What to do? I'm mildly intrigued by the looks of the S4 but the performance potential is pretty ridiculous, so that's hard to deny. Never spent much time in an Audi. Do they hold up well? No rattles/creaks/squeaks? Those three things are the bane of my existence.
Part of me wants a used Viper RT/10 too. What the hell. I'm a confused individual.

 

Three words. Quattro, The Chip..

Anyways.. If you want to talk reliability.. I would think a NA car would be more reliable then a turbo car. But if you were to take care of the S4 I'm sure it would be reliable too.. but if performance is a big issue.. S4.. Its sick..

ZuM

 

That's the problem I have too.
S4 offers great performance, but the looks is just so so, like the A4, supposely before they said S4 is getting facelife to be more aggressive looking but I guess it was just all talk.
330 isn't fast compare to S4, but the BMW 3series is a serious good looking car.

I guess you can't have everything in one

 

The bimmer can only be an option if your talkin M3. If not you've got to get the S4. Simple mods can have it looking better than you ever thought. S4 is blindingly fast. You can't possibly want good looks over performance can you????


Dude S4 is not a bad looking car. I say go for it. Be one of the lucky to sit behind that wheel.

P.S: I dont think anyone will wanna mess with you off the line. QUATTRO!!! QUATTRO!!! QUATTRO!!!

 

I usually know acceleration figures for cars, but I can't say I do about the S4. How is it so "blindingly fast" with 250HP and the power-robbing Quattro system?

(I know Quattro makes for much better grip off the line, but once you're moving it's eating some of the power due to mechanical losses and weight.)

 

<b>TORQUE</b>

Stock, the motor produces peak torque at 1850 RPM and it stays flat all the way out to 4000 RPM. In stock form the car is fast: 0-60 MPH in 5.6 sec and 1/4 mile in 14.2 sec (E36 M3 territory).

A $600 ECU upgrade gets you 0-60 MPH in 5.0 and 1/4 mile in mid 13's.

Yeah you get driveline losses from the Quattro, but there is no substitute for launching off the line and out of corners.

Seth: the S4 has a very nice interior, and after one year no problems with rattles or squeaks. With 16.5K on the clock it's as solid as the day I got it last October. For me it was the right decision over the E36 M3. Yeah the S4 is softer edged than the BMW, but a new suspension fixes that easily.

 

I would not say it's blindly fast. Low14's stock is not THAT fast now days anymore. Quattro is nice but the 330xi is AWD as well.
Btw I take good looks over performance anyday To me this is natural, when you buy a car, first you gonna have to like the way it looks, then you worry about performance and etc. If I don't care how my ride looks, I would be in a Viper right now and smoke all you ***

 

had the S series wheels from the older Audis. Like the movie Ronan but a newer bodystyle. Very nice looking. Fits you??

 

I love the A8 looks. I am ok with A4 also, not a bad looking car at all, it's just that in my opinion the S4 should have a more sporty and aggressive look. The only Audi I hate is the A6, the *** is damn ugly

 

I'll get you an A2...

 

u want speed? S4 is the way to go

 

but in the range cars are covered with no-cost scheduled maintenance.

 

i have to say 330xi, it's the ultimate driving machine.

the after-market supporters are able to make this car look agressive, classy, or both btw.

 

[/I][/QUOTE]
I am not too sure about the free service still being valid once you BPU it

 

but s4 still has more baseline acceleration versus the 330xi.

i like to make wise choices with my limited funds although between the car it's the bmw.

 

k i'm getting lazy, sorry if someone said this before i didn't read all the replies. imo. get the s4 the beamer is not at all a reliable car we've had many in our family. it's a great car, however does put a hole in your wallet for the duration of your ownership of the car.

 

have your family owner too many Audi's also and it didn't cost much to keep them for a long time?
My point is: I am very aware BMW is not reliable compare to Japanese cars, but Audi hasn't proved to be much better yet either.

 

dunno hard choice, i like em both, both fast, both look good.

 

I saw the way you drive. You'd love the power of the TT.

Also, the S4 has 8 air bags for when you screw up!! haha

I rode in Rob Cheng's chipped S4, it is RIDICULOUS!!

Check insurance cost too before your decision, TT might cost?!

 

The 330xi looks great, and has awd like the S4, but lacks it's stock performance and tuneability. There is a pretty decent aftermarket for the 3-series, but not for the 330 as of yet. Can you wait for the parts, and when they are available, will they make up the deficiency it has against the S4? I dunno, time will tell.
The S4 is a roadburner out of the box, and is quite tuneable. However, some say it doesn't look quite as good as the 330. This can be easily fixed with the body mods available for the A4 chassis.
Personally, I'd go for the S4. They seem to be better sleepers because of the styling, and like others have said you can add just a chip and smoke most of the rides you'll come across.
Of course, you could just get an A4 1.8t and tune the heck outta it. Some can make more power than a stock S4.

 

That's not true for everybody ... after all, many of us bought a 2000 Maxima!

 

Heheh, I loooked at a 2K max to replace my '97 but chose the S4 instead .

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 2ndMAX
[I]The bimmer can only be an option if your talkin M3.

Do you realize that the waiting list for an M3 is 1 yr. That's a long time.

 

Atually when you think about it, if you are already over the $40k mark, might just go all out and get the E46 M3.
That thing will outperform stock S4 without a doubt, even a BPU'ed one prolly(4.8 0-60 and 13.3 in quarter). Looks great too, just a thought.

 

Not if you want a sedan.....

 

hehe.
ever read the sports sedan shhotout artical by C&D? they said: we define sedan not by the number of doors it has, but by how much leg room you do get in the rear
I have sat in the rear seats of a E36 M3, and I have sat in the back of the S4, I don't think S4 offers more room, the doors are just there so you can get in and out faster

 

I've seen the pics.....or are you talking about the last model?

 

e36 was the last editions.

 

Just get rid of those nasty looking Avus rims...

 

Best way to decide is to drive them both. If you love the feel of one car over the other then go with it.
I would get the S4 Quatro over the BMW 330ci, but the 330xi ... that's a harder decision. Yeah the BMW 330 looks better than the S4, but there are so many around that no body turns there head to look at them. Drive them both and see which is more comfortable, which handles better, and which car gives you the power that you want.

Go for the S4. If you buy the BMW, you'll just spend lots of money to make it as fast as the S4.

 

Adding my drop in the bucket: I was looking at the Subaru WRX as my next ride. But then they decided to mix in a Neon and Corolla into the gene-pool. When I saw what came out the muck, I started looking elsewhere, hense the S4. Staggering out the box performance, easily upgradeable, better build quality, and much better looking, IMHO, than the 2k max and the upcomming WRX. The downside is the price. But there are many used 2000 S4's for sale that have less than 5000 miles on them.

Lovejoy

 

I was talking about the new E46 M3, they are not out yet. The last gen E36 M3 offers the performance as S4 in stock trim, 14.2, of course S4 is easiler to mod.

 

I was at the Borders last night here in London, and there was a comparo between the E46 M3, Audi RS4 (380hp A4 wagon w/ huge flares), and Porsche 911 non-turbo in the latest Autocar. The M3 had them all beat hands down. Stock 18's up front and 19's in the back, with optional 19's all around- unbelievable. They said that the trick rear diff makes it a breeze to hang the tail out and control it. It apparently combines the raciness of the original M3 with the refinement of the E46 and a generous heap of power. Sorry this doesn't make the decision easier...

I didn't know BMW considered just dropping the M5 engine into the M3 at first.. They stayed with the I6 to preserve chassis dynamics. Imagine what a monster that would have been..

 

yeah they tried, I even saw a pic of a prototype E46 M3 with the M5 V8, but then it's gonna draw lots of M5 buyers that way, so they went for the higher rev lighter weight M3 coupe instead. Great car, if they can keep it under $50k loaded it will be big, however I doubt that but it will be big anyway I think Now days people seem to just pull money outta no where.