View Poll Results: Which car would you choose?
Cruise with the S4
21
14.48%
GIMME the EVO and the CASH!
117
80.69%
Neither car...get a station wagon
7
4.83%
Voters: 145. You may not vote on this poll
Modded EVO or new S4
If you are young and have the cash to burn, the S4 is a very nice car. I test drove it before I bought a Evo. But, do not plan on keeping it beyond the 4 year ( I think) free service period. As a current owner of a an A4 (my wife’s) I can tell you Audis are very expensive to maintain. And, with that big engine squeezed into the engine bay, any work on the engine will be difficult and labor will be very high.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: Mississauga
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: NYC
I'm sorry, but Audi's aren't nearly as reliable as the preppie snobs that drive them give 'em credit for. I worked at an Audi dealer for a good while and saw nothing but electrical nightmares and brand new audis coming back on flatbeds on a daily basis. I'd say go EVO or STI over Audi anyday. 
S4 has a poorly made engine. You will definately see issues with the new V8 engine once you start modding. Not to say that the stock Audi vehicles are great, but once you tinker with anything expect headaches.
Evolved Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 574
Likes: 0
From: New Bedford, MA
As someone who's looking at the S4 as well as the Evolution, and having actually driven the S4, these are two veeeeerry different beasts.
I think you have the same reserve I have, with the Evolution being a bit too hardcore to live with every single day.
The S4 has an engine note as pure as a fairly recent Ferrari and the power just pours on and never really seems to end until you're nearing 7K on the tach. The 6-speed is improved, and it handles well despite ticking it at 2 tons with the driver. It's wonderfully comfortable, despite some magazines' complaints about a stiff ride. I hit a pothole in which my Eclipse would've pounded its bump stops, and the Audi made me think I grazed it. Best interior for the price, bar none, save for the cupholder which really needs to be implemented better, and a few other interface quibbles.
Yet, just as with the Mitsu, find a good dealer. There's a dealer around here with service so bad that Porsche revoked their license for sale/service, and Audi nearly did the same. Yet go 30 miles in either direction and you'll find folks that'll bend over backwards for every little thing.
As for Audis, I know a few owners, including the last-gen S4. Expect dumb little things to go wrong, and remember that the price of Audi OEM parts are brutal, especially if they're rebranded Bosch parts or the like.
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Yet, the S4 is no Evolution, for better and for worse. The Evolution is simply a no-frills pure performance package that seems to make the older Camaros look comfortable. With the S4 you're paying for power, some fairly impressive technology, and all the creature comforts that go with it. This can be expected, as you can get an Evolution equipped for under $30K, but the S4 very easily hits $50K.
I don't think you can make a bad choice with either one, you're just comparing apples and vodka, as they're both good in completely different ways.
I think you have the same reserve I have, with the Evolution being a bit too hardcore to live with every single day.
The S4 has an engine note as pure as a fairly recent Ferrari and the power just pours on and never really seems to end until you're nearing 7K on the tach. The 6-speed is improved, and it handles well despite ticking it at 2 tons with the driver. It's wonderfully comfortable, despite some magazines' complaints about a stiff ride. I hit a pothole in which my Eclipse would've pounded its bump stops, and the Audi made me think I grazed it. Best interior for the price, bar none, save for the cupholder which really needs to be implemented better, and a few other interface quibbles.
Yet, just as with the Mitsu, find a good dealer. There's a dealer around here with service so bad that Porsche revoked their license for sale/service, and Audi nearly did the same. Yet go 30 miles in either direction and you'll find folks that'll bend over backwards for every little thing.
As for Audis, I know a few owners, including the last-gen S4. Expect dumb little things to go wrong, and remember that the price of Audi OEM parts are brutal, especially if they're rebranded Bosch parts or the like.
----- -----
Yet, the S4 is no Evolution, for better and for worse. The Evolution is simply a no-frills pure performance package that seems to make the older Camaros look comfortable. With the S4 you're paying for power, some fairly impressive technology, and all the creature comforts that go with it. This can be expected, as you can get an Evolution equipped for under $30K, but the S4 very easily hits $50K.
I don't think you can make a bad choice with either one, you're just comparing apples and vodka, as they're both good in completely different ways.
Evolving Member
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 312
Likes: 0
do you race or are you just biased, because unless you track/road course race you are not very smart to take a stock wrx over a loaded up s4 
Originally posted by Noize
No S4/Audi love here. I'd take a stock 2002 WRX over a loaded to the gills S4.
No S4/Audi love here. I'd take a stock 2002 WRX over a loaded to the gills S4.
