Trading up....too soon?
 

I'm beginning to see why people either don't mod, or mod insanely and keep their car forever.

I've calculated that to get my A4 to where I'd like it to be, it'll be roughly $10,000. I'm wondering if that's better spent on trading up to S4. But I'm sure I'll still wanna do things to the S4, and that'll probly cost even more in the books. :crazy: On the other hand, not sure I really need the power (want is a different story) of an S-car. Maybe I should put that money towards something with more returns?

OR...and this is a big or. What about getting a beater track car I can work on and play with. ...or am I opening a can of worms here?


What to do....?

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

Well its simple..

You say you have calulated whereyou want your A4 to be. Now do a bit of homework and find where a S4 would get you and see if you woul dbe happy going that route. Put them on your brain scale and see which one out weighs the other.. And go that route.

To be honest, there is no member here that can tell you what to do with your money.. Its a matter of you figuring out what you want and going for it.. If you only want to spend about 10G as you say, and you think it will cost you more getting into a S4, then don't temp yourself to go into more debt.

The biggest mistake a I ever made was investing a crap load of money into a car. It put me in way over my head in debt and when i sold it, I got like 25% of what I invested into it. I lost out big time.

Just remember, no matter what you put into a car, you will not get it back!

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

What engine do you have now?
I do not blame you if you have 1.8 or 2.0. Go for S4 after all your satisfaction is important and if you like what you have you will find the way to make more money.

On the other hand if you have 3.0 or 2.8 engine you could be very disappointed with S4 as the performance difference is very slight. S4 outraces me at the rate of 2 meters per 3 seconds, so it takes 6 seconds to pass me on my 2.8 liter engine.

There is a difference in horsepower but remember it applies only if towing something or going uphill.

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

^^I'm pretty sure he has a 2.0T A4.

Or, he could be the first ever B8 A4 owner to do a 1.8T swap, since he lives in North America.

Ryan,

The S4 is a fantastic car. Truly special. It's also about $60,000. If it makes any financial sense, sure get one.

Otherwise, why not drive your A4...get it tuned...and just chill out with it for 2 years more...then buy a used 2011 S4. It'll be less of a hit.

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

It's a 2.0T. It's chipped and lowered, but that's about it. I highly doubt I'll ever tow anything with this, and since I also get a company car, it's not my daily anymore.

I'm at that threshold where I can just chill for a couple more years...or go nuts on the mods. I'm itching to do stuff to it...but there are things like the lack of sport/S-line package (so I have crappy seats, no paddles while also being not manual - also a consideration), which makes me think it's not a good base to mod from. In essence, if I'm modding from it, it's a handicapped start where there are things I should've gotten from the beginning that I'm now trying to mend aftermarket. And that's more costly.

So the only way it's financially worthwhile to wait a couple more years is if I actually don't put more money into it, is that what you're saying? I figured as much....but that's such a fun-killing choice. :|

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

Wait a year or two Ryan, then go for the S4. Right on time for the facelift.

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

^ Thanks Alex. That's a very good point too.

Alright then, I'm shelving this thought for at least a year.

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

haha, ive been there, man! i had a B5.5 passat, and i really did like the car, but it was FWD and tiptronic, so after some smaller mods (chip, dv, rims, intake, etc), i finally decided to part with it before putting anymore money into a car that was not really the right platform for me to mod with (and, being an old audi guy, i really wanted to get myself back into a quattro), so i sold it and got an A4 Q with a manual tranny, and now feel like my money isnt wasted anymore. do what you feel though, man, but i feel like it is a waste dumping time and money into a tiptronic.

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

i think most of us here has had the same thought as you :)

My 97 a4 is where i wanted it to be in terms of mods. Sure it's an auto and not bt. But it's fun to drive and it's done. Then the a5 comes along and tempt the hell out of me. I gave up the thought of getting an a5 because 1) i have to start all over again with modding. 2) modding is not cheap. 3) there is no return (investment wise) in modding.

So i use the money as downpayment and bought a house instead with my gf lol. Looking back at it, i'm glad i didn't buy the a5. Because now i can start looking into getting a used one maybe next year, and i'll still have my a4 as a winter beater and more importantly i now have a nice garage to park it in :)

Re: Trading up....too soon?
 

With all the money I've spent on mods and fixes and such I could own another house! but such is life with car OCD. Just as long as you acknowledge the fact that your never going to get it back you'll never be disappointed and life is good. Keep driving, keep fixing, stay happy :)