Quote Originally Posted by tony
Makes sense, I dont have much of a history with Audi's. I would hope that the problems the RS4's have (I've heard rumors) are fixed in the 08 and 09's, if what you're saying is true then getting one used wouldn't be worth the hassle.
Tony: I will say this, the RS4 is solidly put together and designed to withstand quite a lot of abuse if properly maintained. That being said, many people in this country do not share the manufacturer's idea of "properly maintained." or understand that this often means spending quite a bit of money on a car with nothing wrong with it, to prevent the possibility of spending multiple times that amount of money when something goes wrong. 1.8t engines are notorious for snapping timing belts, which on an A4 like I have is a 1000-1400 dollar job. Of course a new engine for it (What you'll need after the belt snaps and smashes all 20 valves to bits) is a good chunk of change more. When you hit the four-digit maintenance cost numbers people get sticker shock and go bananas. The RS4 has significantly fewer problems than is let on, and trust me when I tell you that if you search online for problems, you will find them. Lots of them. Search online for B5 A4 problems. There's dumptrucks full and it had a relatively high quality rating. The same can even be said about most models of Lexus, which is absurd considering they consistently have some of the highest quality ratings of any manufacturer.

People who don't have problems don't go online (or anywhere else) and post that they didn't have problems. The Internet, as usual, is a place for people to kvetch.


Edit: Oh, and the regular routine maintenance on the RS4 is indeed an arm and a leg. Labor is ridiculously high. A large amount of the maintenance work requires removing the front bumper/diffuser and putting the radiator int a service position or removing it entirely so you can access the front. This is standard for most A4's all the way back to the first generation, it's simply the way they are designed with everything stuffed between the front bumper and the transaxle that powers the front wheels. Everything has to fit inside a space that really should have fit a transversely mounted 4 cylinder. Hurray German ingenuity.