Coming over from Audi

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by LukeM15

I came from an Audi S4. I do not miss that car at all it’s night and day when compared to the M. Congrats & welcome!!

That's because the S4 no longer is a competitor in the M3 segment. The S4 lies in the 340i price and performance segment.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

That's because the S4 no longer is a competitor in the M3 segment. The S4 lies in the 340i price and performance segment.

Was it ever a competitor?

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Was it ever a competitor?

Yes it was.

Up to the B7, before they introduced the RS4 in 2007. The 2003 B6 S4 had 340hp and offered similar performance at a similar price point to the E46 M3. It came very well appointed (better so than the E46 M3) and even won a few comparos against the E46. The B5 S4 was also positioned against the E36 M3 with similar prices and performance (at least here in the North American market).

https://www.caranddriver.com/compari...mparison-tests

It is only with the arrival of the B7 RS4 that the B8 S4 was pushed down in market segment, where the "RS" were now made as the ///M competitors.

[Baylorguy]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

When using the forum, never bring up:

* Transmission choice
* Exhaust note
* Lighting

Haha! I made a mental note. It is ok to bring up the Genny zone though, right?

[Vectors2final]

[Baylorguy]

Originally Posted by Vectors2final

Oh, nice... Father-in-law lives in the Terrell Hills area.


I'm actually an Air Traffic Controller.

Very cool. KAUS?

I am an aviation nut... Grew up in Houston going to KIAH and watching the heavies land. It was always cool seeing British Airways and Lufthansa 747-400s coming in.

[Vectors2final]

Originally Posted by Baylorguy

Very cool. KAUS?

I am an aviation nut... Grew up in Houston going to KIAH and watching the heavies land. It was always cool seeing British Airways and Lufthansa 747-400s coming in.

No, I ended up not going FAA... My finances are too good for me to just pack up and move away at their mercy.

I spent ten years active duty as a controller in the military, but I'm in the Guard now.

It's somewhat sad that I don't really run a lot of traffic anymore, but life is good and I can't complain.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Yes it was.

Up to the B7, before they introduced the RS4 in 2007. The 2003 B6 S4 had 340hp and offered similar performance at a similar price point to the E46 M3

Yeah, I had that B6 S4 with the V8 ... downpipes, exhaust, chipped, intake, e-codes, winter B5 S4 reps with nokians .... that thing was awesome. Living in a snowy climate seemed like the thing to have.

When the RS4 came out and then with the B7, that's when I switched to BMW. The RS4 didn't seem quite worth it and B7 was boring and underpowered compared to the E9x's V8 .... and that BMW V8 ...

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Yeah, I had that B6 S4 with the V8 ... downpipes, exhaust, chipped, intake, e-codes, winter B5 S4 reps with nokians .... that thing was awesome. Living in a snowy climate seemed like the thing to have.

When the RS4 came out and then with the B7, that's when I switched to BMW. The RS4 didn't seem quite worth it and B7 was boring and underpowered compared to the E9x's V8 .... and that BMW V8 ...

You probably mean the B8, the supercharged one.

The B7 was simply a facelifted B6 with the big grill. It also got a 60:40 split center diff on 6MT cars (instead of the B6's 50:50).

I had also considered the RS4 when it came out, but at $115k CAD base MRRP, it was E60 M5 money in 2007, and not worth it IMO. I decided to hold onto my E46 for one more year and get an E92.

Our now gone B7 2006 S4 :

[Laoschris]

Congrats and welcome to the M world! I actually traded my S3 in for my M3 and would never go back.

The S3 was a great car and fun car (had downpipe, tune), but it doesn't compare to the F80. From the looks, to the feel, to the drive, you'll love it more every time you drive it. At least that's how I feel.

[Baylorguy]

Good morning -

I went into panic mode last night after reading so many poor reviews of the dealership this is at. I went through Vroom, which previously acquired Texas Auto Direct in Houston. The car is in Houston at Texas Auto Direct.

I'd like some honest opinions please as to what everyone thinks. This price seems really good for the car. It has a clean record and one owner, but was sold at an auction. The research I have done thus far indicates it was at one time priced at around 70K but has since been reduced down to the current price of $60,980 (of course thoughts such as why has it been sitting for that long come to mind).

Here is the listing:

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/WBS8...ntent=pdpthumb

Any thoughts?

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Yes it was.

Up to the B7, before they introduced the RS4 in 2007. The 2003 B6 S4 had 340hp and offered similar performance at a similar price point to the E46 M3. It came very well appointed (better so than the E46 M3) and even won a few comparos against the E46. The B5 S4 was also positioned against the E36 M3 with similar prices and performance (at least here in the North American market).

https://www.caranddriver.com/compari...mparison-tests

It is only with the arrival of the B7 RS4 that the B8 S4 was pushed down in market segment, where the "RS" were now made as the ///M competitors.

In the UK we've had RS cars since 1994 the RS2 and the B5 RS4 in 2000.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by Wills2

In the UK we've had RS cars since 1994 the RS2 and the B5 RS4 in 2000.

IIRC, in those days, the RS series were sold in rather limited numbers from short production runs from the small custom Quattro division. They were also quite pricier, more powerful, and more exclusive than ///M models. It is with the avenue of the RS6 and RS4 in the mid-2000 that Audi made the RS series more mainstreem and positioned to compete with ///M instead of the S-series that was pushed down in market segment.

[snowmuch]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

That's because the S4 no longer is a competitor in the M3 segment. The S4 lies in the 340i price and performance segment.

To be fair I did test drive the RS5 as well. It sounds pretty good and that's about it

[Vectors2final]

Originally Posted by Baylorguy

Good morning -

I went into panic mode last night after reading so many poor reviews of the dealership this is at. I went through Vroom, which previously acquired Texas Auto Direct in Houston. The car is in Houston at Texas Auto Direct.

I'd like some honest opinions please as to what everyone thinks. This price seems really good for the car. It has a clean record and one owner, but was sold at an auction. The research I have done thus far indicates it was at one time priced at around 70K but has since been reduced down to the current price of $60,980 (of course thoughts such as why has it been sitting for that long come to mind).

Here is the listing:

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/WBS8...ntent=pdpthumb

Any thoughts?

Does it have all the options you want? Pull a VIN report and verify it has everything you want. I'm assuming you don't want any type of CPO or things of that nature?

If I'd have to guess, it's going to need a good detail. Paint correction and your preferred sealant/coating/LSP. The leather looks a bit greasy, so that'll need to be treated unless you like that look.

[Habber]

I too come from a long line of S4's etc and switched to BMW.

You can't go wrong with either product but M3/M4 feels more of a drivers' car.

Have fun!

[Baylorguy]

Originally Posted by Vectors2final

Does it have all the options you want? Pull a VIN report and verify it has everything you want. I'm assuming you don't want any type of CPO or things of that nature?

If I'd have to guess, it's going to need a good detail. Paint correction and your preferred sealant/coating/LSP. The leather looks a bit greasy, so that'll need to be treated unless you like that look.

Yeah thinking I will take it to a detail shop to get the swirls out and will likely do Xpel on the front.

I have done all the research I know to do including tracing it back to auction. Things seem fine, so I am going to move forward with it tomorrow.

[Vectors2final]

Congrats!

I'd also take a look at Suntek Ultra... looks better on the paint. You can't go wrong either way, though.

[EvilMiyagi]

Originally Posted by Baylorguy

Yeah thinking I will take it to a detail shop to get the swirls out and will likely do Xpel on the front.

I have done all the research I know to do including tracing it back to auction. Things seem fine, so I am going to move forward with it tomorrow.

Welcome to the ///M club I joined from a tuned A5 3.0 V6 TDI.

The other thing to check is the service and warranty history..

Service history is easy to do through iDrive but warranty is a little more difficult and will require the dealer to get that for you. That being said, if the car has had no issues and doesn't have any current issues, they'll gladly provide you with the detail.

EM

[Baylorguy]

Thanks everyone! Packing the S3 for the drive to Houston... I will try to post pics of the M tonight. I will miss the S3... it was a great car, but I have always wanted an M!

[M3SemiSlow]

I did the swap from a S4 to the M3 2 weeks ago.
No regrets after driving it off the lot.

Your gunna luv it, enjoy.

[Baylorguy]

Well... I LOVE the M. Thoughts of the RS3 are a distant memory now. The bonus is the car came with even more than I realize... it also has the M rear splitter and the M front aero kit (both carbon fiber). Car is in excellent condition... it needs a bit of TLC, so I am going to take it to the detailer here to do paint correction and get the obnoxious sticker off of the back by the license plate.

Also, this thing pulls like a freight train. I could not believe the pull it had even at speeds such as 60 mph... my stage 2 S3 would have been walked.

Anyway, looking forward to years of enjoyment.