For $8,500, UR An S4 Owner

Audi's badge is four interlocking rings, which represent the quartet of makes that combined to form the Auto Union. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe S4 may not carry that badge on its nose, but is it also saddled with a price that will make it hard for the seller to lock up a deal?

If your interests lean towards Teutonic sedans with all-wheel drive, you have many an option, and all of the big four – VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, and now even Porsche – offer such fare. But if you want all wheels turning in your German sedan, but also require an engine that hangs over the fronts like a pendulous pudendum then you're pretty much limited to the wares of Audi, and their Quattros.

We had an S4 here a few months back, however that ruby Tuesday car was mostly stock and carried a bargain basement price reflecting its age, wear and tear, and potential for future wallet obliteration. In contrast, today's 1993 ur S4, while far from perfect, has had a lot of the wear replaced with were-wolf, and carries a commensurately higher, but still descending price tag.

Check that earlier NPOCP for a quick review of where the S4 fits in the Audi hegemony, or for more info on the company's rabid transit products you can wiki up your pedia. Needless to say, the ur (or original) S4 is a C4-based Quattro sedan with Audi's 2.2-litre 20-valve five cylinder – denn vier ist zu wenig, und sechs sind zu viel – and all the accouterments demanded of a luxury Autobahn-stormer.

This S4 takes that Audi engineering and multiplies it exponentially, call it an S4- cubed. The ad includes a litany of replaced, and/or upgraded parts that have gone into the diminutive five cylinder to boost output to what is claimed to be 400 ponies at the wheels, which unfortunately is not substantiated by a dyno sheet.

In addition to the turbo the size a blue whale's cajones, this S4 rocks front brakes off a Porsche 993, a later 5-speed gearbox (the seller thinks it's a '95), newer Konis and a Southbend Stage Four clutch – which should withstand the claimed engine output while not requiring both legs operating the pedal. There's also an intercooler sitting prominently below the front bumper – the automotive equivalent of the under-boob.

That's much of the good, however there's also some bad that comes along for the ride. Remember that old saying about taking the good with the bad? – well, here the less desirable aspects are paint that in places is kind of shitty, and blackout Ronals that look a little beat up. Also, the seller admits to a bad sub-frame bushing, a faulty sunroof, and the fact that the car as a whole has over 200k on its clock, a lot for an Audi that hasn't been cash for clunkered.

This one looks not to be a clunker, even with the nose bleed odo reading. In fact the interior belies the miles, the leather and wall-to-wall looking pretty good. The A-pillar gauge pack is totally unexpected here, making it the car's twist, and the upgraded stereo head unit does both bluetooth and Pandora, according to the ad.

The big question is, for the now $8,500 asking price, is this S4 also a Pandora's box full of not music but financial woe? Sure, there's a common admonition about buying someone else's project, but come on, take a peek under that hood and tell me you're not harboring a major jones for this Audi. The seller did have the car listed at eleven grand back in November, however, unlike Spinal Tap's amps, apparently Audi buyers don't go that high.

Now the car comes with that $8,500 price tag and it's up to us to help this selelr determine if that's a sweet spot for this sweet Audi, or if he needs to drop the price even further to grab a sale. What do you think, is that a price that should make someone say this is the S4 me? Or, like a Christmas tree, does that price need trimming?

You decide!

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