08 S4 Avant 6M - possibly for sale

[btek]

Hey Guys,

My lease on the S4 Avant is almost up and I'm trying to see whether to keep it or not.... If I don't keep it, I'd like to see what is the best way to sell it. It was my daily driver so I'm not going to lie and say it's in pristine condition. Exterior wise I would give it an 8 out of 10. Interior wise is probably a 9 out of 10 except for some wear in the hatch area from loading and unloading boxes and things. There are no issues mechanically.

I know this is a very hard to find car, especially in a manual...

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Here are the details:
2008 S4 Avant
Black/Black
fully loaded
6 Manual
mileage: 38200

[norcal]

what kind of suggestions are you looking for?

whether to keep it or not? I say keep it. There is nothing better for sale in the US right now

[S4URKRT]

If you are looking for selling suggestions I recommend posting it on some forums (Audi type) and within Craigslist as you will probably get a better price from an enthusiast compared to a dealer. I did a little searching and I could only find (1) other Avant (Tip) with 44K miles going for almost 41K. KBB has it at 35K but you could probably get quite a bit more.

I agree with norcal though, keep it!

[Type_Audi]

If you keep it, is a CPO warranty transferrable/available after your lease? If so, that would certainly make me want to keep it.

[dparm]

CPO does not transfer.

[btek]

thanks for the replies guys. I'm looking for the best way to sell it if I end up going that route. I've sold one car on ebay in the past but it wasn't as complicated as this one (lease company involved). I tried one dealer but they are obviously low balling me on the purchase.

The only other car I'm looking at is the new CTS-V wagon.... totally different car I know. A ton more power but also the payment is much more. My only issue is that if I keep it I'll end up modding it which at the end of the day, it will still not get close to the CTS-V wagon performance with the built-in warranty.

CPO I believe doesn't transfer. I'm sure the dealer will try to sell me an extended warranty....

[norcal]

haha, that's the only vehicle I was thinking could be mentioned in response to my "there is nothing better for sale in the US" statement.

nice choice

craiglist and/or major audi classified site like audizine, personally, I'd never screw around with ebay (I've sold 25+ cars in my life)

[Jorgen]

Is the buy out after lease that low that is it worth the hassle to buy and re-sell?

[btek]

Norcal,
yeah, I really dont want to go through the hassle of selling it myself but the dealers aren't being too helpful. I know if I walk into a caddy dealer and attempt to trade it in, they'll give me even less.

That caddy is stunning.... they are so rare that I can't find one to test drive.
Jorgen,
nothing crazy... but it's the only time I've ever exited a lease and actually been able to get some money back....

[s4peedster]

Norcal,
yeah, I really dont want to go through the hassle of selling it myself but the dealers aren't being too helpful. I know if I walk into a caddy dealer and attempt to trade it in, they'll give me even less.

That caddy is stunning.... they are so rare that I can't find one to test drive.
Jorgen,
nothing crazy... but it's the only time I've ever exited a lease and actually been able to get some money back....

Yours is THE car I was searching for before I bought my saloon this summer. Prior was an '08 Infiniti EX35 lease, & I could've made money if I had bought & sold it. Decided to simply give it back & move on. I've already dumped a bunch of aftermarket cash on my S4, otherwise I'd totally buy yours from you, in a heartbeat! Having had the experience of searching months & months for an S4 Avant MT, I can tell you that you will have NO TROUBLE finding a buyer who will pay you what you want for it! I did find ONE before buying my car, but it listed for ONE NIGHT on Autotrader, & when I called, I was #3 in line to buy it. It sold to the 1st caller. In ONE NIGHT !!!! Grrrr... Good Luck!

[Type_Audi]

Are most Avant's tiptronic's? I don't get that.

[s4peedster]

Are most Avant's tiptronic's? I don't get that.

Seems most cars are Tip. Dunno the actual ratio, but it seems all S4's are only maybe 10% MT. Just my perception when I was shopping for one. Sure made it hard to find a good one.

[btek]

S4 Speedster,
thanks for the info. I guess it may be worth to try and sell it myself. I'll try and list it on autotrader & a couple of the forums and see if anybody bites for the right price.

[CKS]

you will be amazed. That car is so hot, you should easily get dozens of offers. I wish mine was black....

[btek]

I ended up keeping it... As much as I like the new caddy wagon, I just cant get around the weight.

Let the modding begin

[Type_Audi]

Nice! I didn't know the caddy was so heavy (but am no surprised).

What's the 1st mod?

[btek]

I dont know yet. maybe you could give me an idea. This is my daily driver so I don't want to make it too loud or obnoxious. I've read countless threads about mods but I'm more confused than anything else.

[norcal]

2.5" catback, piggies (hollow precats) and jhm tune go very very well together

jhm lightweight crank pulley is also a easy power mod

[btek]

thanks norcal. how much would hp does one normally pick up by this? is it safe to say that you would pull away from a stock car with those mods?

[dparm]

Yes, it will be much much faster. The crank pulley also lets the motor rev super-fast.

Slap the JHM intake manifold & spacers on for even more power.

Here's their car with headers. Yours would not be quite this fast with stock downpipes, but it goes to show you how much power is waiting. Pay attention to the non-nitrous runs.

[btek]

thanks dparm. I remember seeing this video some time back. pretty sick.

I remember seeing a page over on the caddy forums where somebody broke down the cost/hp of mods. Does EA have something like that? it would be good for members to have an idea of what mods cost (ballpark) and what type of gains one should expect. Of course, all cars and conditions will vary but at least an average or assumption

[S4URKRT]

A good resource for comparison of mods is to look at 1/4 mile times at the top of this forum section.

[btek]

I'll check it out. thanks.

[s4peedster]

I ended up keeping it... As much as I like the new caddy wagon, I just cant get around the weight.

Let the modding begin

Good call. Even 3+ years later, there's no better wagon than a B7 S4 Avant 6MT. The caddy is nice... but, I'd feel like a soccer mom driving it. Besides, you've already taken a big hit on the Avant's depreciation. A new car would mean you'd be starting over again. And the caddy would probably lose even more in depreciation than the Avant. The Avant will hold its value better at this point, being high demand and rare. Better to spend a little more in mods (maybe <$10k) and it'd be like getting a new, improved car! (Maybe even faster than the caddy? I dunno. Someone else can chime in on this point.) I agree with everyone else.... JHM tune, piggies, lightweight crank pulley, intake manifold & spacers, FI exhaust. Add JHM short shifter. Oh, and don't forget some nice coilovers!

I'm looking forward to seeing your Avant progress & mature!

[btek]

s4speedster,
I'm looking forward to doing getting some mods done. I wish JHM was closer to me....

do you know of any videos of a stock vs a modded sedan/avant? I'm looking to see the comparison of stock exhaust vs a modified one.

[s4peedster]

s4speedster,
I'm looking forward to doing getting some mods done. I wish JHM was closer to me....

do you know of any videos of a stock vs a modded sedan/avant? I'm looking to see the comparison of stock exhaust vs a modified one.

You're not far from JHM at all. Just ask our East coast brothers! Or even the ones overseas!

Here's a B7 Sedan vs. stock B6 Avant,
B7 (MT6 LS Sedan; mods below) ran 13.07 @ 107.8
B6 (bone stock MT6 DG Avant) ran 13.8 @ 102
:


Haven't done my JHM upgrades yet, but I'm not looking for 1/4 times. More of a seat-of-my-pants improved feeling. I do HPDE track driving.

Oh, it's a RS6 Avant, but found you one of these (LOL):
Black Audi RS6 Avant Car Keychain Key Chain Ring Fob | eBay

[btek]

lol on the keychain!

i'm looking more to hear the difference between a stock exhaust vs one with a catback/full exhaust.

[s4peedster]

Hmm... here's a thought. FI (Fast Intentions) makes the suggested exhaust. Guess where they are?!!!
Fast Intentions
8725 Canby Ave
Northridge, CA 91325
Phone: 818-882-2788

Maybe you can hear an actual install in a car. Give 'em a call & see if they got anything in the shop you can check out!

[norcal]

Good call. Even 3+ years later, there's no better wagon than a B7 S4 Avant 6MT.

Ummmmmmm, B6 S4 Avant 6MT is better

[s4peedster]

Ummmmmmm, B6 S4 Avant 6MT is better

LOL I'd take a B6 Avant, as well !!!

[btek]

I'll have to give FI a call next week and see if any of they know of anyone in my area that would be willing to let me hear their exhaust. How do you like your dension integration? I have a shop near by that quoted me $250 for a DICE installation.

[s4peedster]

Go for the Dension. It's pretty sweet. At least when I did research 5 months back, it was the best integration I could find. Not as integrated as my Infiniti, but I can view the track names on my dash color LCD & change tracks using my wheel. Usage changing playlists, searching artists, etc, is a little odd at first, but I got it figured out now. I did the install myself. Pretty easy. Got it from Dension GW16AC1 Gateway 100 Audi12 Pin EnfigCarStereo.com

You'll also need the iPod cable kit IPO5DC9.
They've got some good install videos. But I'm getting the impression you're not quite a DIY guy?

[btek]

thanks for the info. I'll check into it.

I dont mind doing some of the install as I've done in the past with my other cars. My only issue is time. If I'm too busy, I rather pay someone else to do it which in turn allows me to make more money doing what I do.

[Type_Audi]

I'll have to give FI a call next week and see if any of they know of anyone in my area that would be willing to let me hear their exhaust. How do you like your dension integration? I have a shop near by that quoted me $250 for a DICE installation.

I tried dice, I couldn't get that out of my 06 fast enough, go with Denison

[s4peedster]

thanks for the info. I'll check into it.

I dont mind doing some of the install as I've done in the past with my other cars. My only issue is time. If I'm too busy, I rather pay someone else to do it which in turn allows me to make more money doing what I do.

True. Check out their install videos when you get a chance. It's totally plug&play. Very simple. Just need that tool they sell to remove the RNS-E. Prob took me just over an hour. And the joy of doing it myself, learning about my car & knowing someone didn't f* something up underneath it all... priceless. (Ok, getting off soapbox now.) Totally understand what you mean tho. I took mine in to the dealer yesterday to have them do a brake & coolant flush. Best use of my time, at the time. Good to have them look things over once in awhile. Yeah, I'll give them $249 once in awhile. But not $450 to do my driver's window regulator that went out the day I took it in! That I did myself today ($50 Amazon, 2 hours labor). What an incredibly poor design (& a major PITA!). I just know it's gonna go again at some point (I'm a smoker). But the real reason I decided to DIY that, was because if the driver's is going out, for sure the passenger's is dying soon, too. That'd have been ANOTHER $450! NO WAY IN HELL. So, better to learn how to do it now.

I tried dice, I couldn't get that out of my 06 fast enough, go with Denison

I hear they make great chili, too.

[btek]

You're right. The install looks dead simple. I'll just need to buy the keys to pull the head unit & cd changer.

what happens when you get a call? does it just mute the music like it normally does on the phone? Where did you run the ipod/iphone cable? I think I'd prefer to run mine into the center console. can you still control the music through your phone?

[s4peedster]

Yep, it just mutes the music. My cable is in the glovebox & runs right next to the RNS. You should be able to use iPod interface mode to control the music via iPhone. I only rarely use my iPhone to play music. I have a dedicated 60GB iPod that just sits in the glovebox at all times & acts as my jukebox. I used self-adhesive velcro on the Dension included plastic brackets to hold the 60. Here's some crappy iPhone pics of the install:


IMG_0437 by nvds4, on Flickr

IMG_0435 by nvds4, on Flickr

IMG_0436 by nvds4, on Flickr

[btek]

thanks for the pics Neil. This gives me ideas.


PS. I followed the links on Flickr to nvds4... very nice pics.

[s4peedster]

Btek, I just came across this (I think new?) Dice unit. Looks pretty cool, if it displays track info on the RNS screen, I may have to get it!
DICE Silverline DUO - iPod, iPhone, SIRIUS car integration kit DICE Electronics LLC - DRIVE | LIVE | ACCESSORIZE

BTW, how's the Avant coming along?

[95s52]

@4speedster Pretty cool drag vids. Nice to see a familiar local track!