by "E90M3" (e90m3)
Published 11/13/2017 at 08:22
by "E90M3" (e90m3)
Published 11/13/2017 at 08:22
Tags: unnecessary car shopping with E90M3
STARS: 2
I don’t know what it is about Audis, but I have never really been a fan; the RS4 is an exception. I would spend my own money to acquire one. I was thinking about going to look at this one while I was at my parents house this weekend. It’s one of those cars I’ve been wondering what it’s like to drive. Although, last time I was wondering what a Porsche was like to drive , I might have gotten bit by the Porsche bug; I’m going to need a 911 at some point.
I didn’t go drive it, while I’m still at my parents house, I’m headed for Tuscaloosa Alabama in a couple hours. If it’s still there in a couple weeks, I might have to go check it out.
Now, the $25k RS4 got me thinking, would you rather have that or a $25k E90 M3? While you can get a DCT E9X M3 for a decent price, the manuals seemed to have held their value pretty well. Although this 2008 M3 can be picked up for less than the RS4. So what would you choose? My answer is obvious, when I had the money to acquire one of these, I picked the M3.
"Tripper" (tripe46)
11/13/2017 at 08:36, STARS: 1
Having already owned the M3, I’d take the Audi. I’ve driven one and like everything but the plasticky clutch feel.
"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
11/13/2017 at 08:38, STARS: 2
I’ve never driven the RS4, but most reviewers who have loved it. That said, I might be a little disappointed if I did. Amazingly enough, my S3 was only 0.1 second slower than the RS4 at VIR during C&D’s Lightning Lap.
"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei)
11/13/2017 at 08:42, STARS: 1
You can have all the disappointment of going to the service department with your Audi and getting a gigantic bill with a standard S4.
I’d get an IS F for the same money. Less likely to go wrong in fantastically expensive ways, and it’s before Lexus decided to put that grille on that looks like a vacuum cleaner that ran into a cheese grater.
"boredalways" (boredalway666)
11/13/2017 at 08:45, STARS: 0
ahem...you do realize it’s Monday morning and you’re playing with people’s emotions right now, don’t you!?
/s
I think the RS engine has that weird timing belt issue but you only live once, right?
"E92M3" (E46M3)
11/13/2017 at 08:53, STARS: 0
I’ve always liked the RS4 too. It’s the perfect size sedan, perfect proportions. They way I look at it, it’s a great alternative to the E9X M3 if you can only have one car, and you live somewhere that AWD is a big advantage in winter.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:01, STARS: 0
I prefer the E9X M3, but then again I’ve lived in GA/AZ/TX my whole life so I don’t really do winter. When I thought I might have a job with an oil company in Colorado, I was shopping for S5s. I feel like the RS4 would be fun, they just sold in such small numbers finding a good one might be difficult.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:02, STARS: 0
Also the carbon build up issue.
"e36Jeff now drives a ZHP" (e36jeff)
11/13/2017 at 09:07, STARS: 1
In all reality though, AWD is not that much of a game changer in winter. 4 good snow tires will get you pretty damn far. About the only thing that’s stopped me is snow deep enough that the car high-centers(I didn’t get stuck, I just didn’t drive in it), and AWD is only going to get you a bit further down the road before you get stuck in that scenario. I’ve been driving exclusively RWD w/snow tires for the last 19 years in the NE and have never gotten stuck.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:11, STARS: 1
If I’m going to get the gigantic bill anyways, might as well do it big and get the full on RS.
Never really been a fan of the IS F, don’t know what it is. Other than the throttle position actuators, the M3 hasn’t been horrible to own.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:11, STARS: 0
I think it’s all about feel. I’ve driven an F82 M3, and while it is much much faster than my E90, I greatly prefer my E90.
"BeaterGT" (beatergt)
11/13/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 0
I don’t know if that is too amazing considering the cars are 8 years apart. Interesting to see how far we’ve come. I wonder what the gap is to the present RS4.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:13, STARS: 0
BMW seems to be the only one that has the clutch feel I like. Porsche was way to heavy and all the Japanese cars I’ve driven have been way to light. It was hard to tell where the clutch was biting. I’m going to Alabama today to visit a friend, he’s got a 2012 Civic Si, maybe I’ll have a different impression with more than a 5 minute test drive.
"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei)
11/13/2017 at 09:19, STARS: 0
There’s gigantic bills (Replacing throttle position actuators), and then there are gigantic bills (Pulling the engine because of the timing chain guides asploding [along with your head when you see the labor charge], or [if B5 RS4] because it needs turbos).
I mean, not even once. Not even once.
"Tripper" (tripe46)
11/13/2017 at 09:25, STARS: 0
I love the clutch in just about every 911 I’ve driven. Especially the super snappy cable clutches in older ones. I like the clutch in just about any M car I’ve driven except one particular E39 that had been beat on. However the shifter in most BMW’s is rubber city. It’s the first thing I switched out on both M3's
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:45, STARS: 0
I hated the clutch in the 997 Carrera 4 I drove, it was way too heavy. I didn’t pay attention enough in the 996 turbo, cause top down and boost.
I found the shifter in the 997 to be worse than my E9Xs. I was surprised, I was expecting perfection. It was pretty sloppy. I do remember when I got my E90, the shifting was very sloppy and loose. I took it in for an alignment and I guess the tech noticed something wasn’t right, because when I got the car back the shifting was so much smoother, it went right into gear. I don’t know if he tightened up the linkage or something, but it felt so crisp.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:47, STARS: 0
The throttle position actuators weren’t actually too bad, when you consider how much anything on an M car costs.
I would hate to have to pay for something like that on an RS car, if I can afford to get another fast German car, I think I might go AMG.
"boredalways" (boredalway666)
11/13/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 1
Ouch!
"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
11/13/2017 at 09:53, STARS: 2
Not sure what state you live in but Audi are awesome in the snow. I’ve had Torsen and Haldex model quattro and they’ve all had excellent bad weather handling. I prefer the Torsen system but the Haldex doesn’t get enough creds for doing a fair job and delivering better mpg. Have also driven Subaru, Benz and BMW AWD models that are also very capable but I’ve still prefered the Audi. When it comes to 90% of the repairs I do my own work, so any naysayers that say they are expensive to maintain and own are usually the guys who can’t DIY and are afraid of any dirt under their fingernails.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 09:59, STARS: 1
I live near the coast in Georgia, so I don’t really see snow. Before that I was living in south Texas.
I would be more worried about carbon build up in these, which is a job that I certainly couldn’t tackle myself. I plan on working on my M3 in the future for things like brakes. I’m probably going to change the coils and spark plugs on the 3 in the near future myself.
"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
11/13/2017 at 10:35, STARS: 0
The really interesting thing is that the RS4 has 420hp and the S3 only 292. I’m guessing chassis and weight are the two main reasons it’s nearly identical in performance.
"BeaterGT" (beatergt)
11/13/2017 at 10:40, STARS: 0
I always thought the S3 to be more nimble? Does it feel nimble? A quick googling shows the RS4 500 lbs up on the S3.
"Arrivederci" (arrividerci)
11/13/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 0
It is rather nimble. Once I upgraded the wheels/tires, the grip is unbelievable.
"BeaterGT" (beatergt)
11/13/2017 at 11:08, STARS: 0
I longed after a S4/RS4 for so long, I feel like I need to drive the S3 too. And upgrading wheels and tires just makes me more excited for my C5Z plans next spring...
"awmaster10" (awmaster10)
11/13/2017 at 11:20, STARS: 0
My understanding from driving some audis and hearing about others is that normal audis are an absolute snooze compared to something like a 328i but the “special” ones are great. I’ve driven a b5 and b8 s4 and they are much much better than the old b5 2.8 a4 my brother had. The appeal really comes from the all weather driveability if you live up north
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
11/13/2017 at 12:05, STARS: 0
It’s all about the service history. If it’s got a complete one, then, sure go for it. I was between one of these and the B8 S4 when I settled on the S4, figuring I could tune it to more power than the RS4s if I desired. The engines are notorious for carbon build up on the intake valves, but that and the timing chain guides are the only real issues I’ve heard of. I loved my S4 for the 3 years I owned it. Also a 6-speed car. I would’ve kept it if it were a bit bigger. Traded up for a S8.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
11/13/2017 at 12:13, STARS: 1
Honda cable clutches before they switched to hydraulic were pretty much perfect.
You might want to replace your 328i’s clutch delay valve. The non-M E9x cars have a delay valve that’s supposed to smooth out clutch engagement but it can make for herky jerky shifts. The M3 has a pass-through delay valve that’s not actually a valve. It’s an empty valve housing that fits in the place of the valve. There are instructions out there for removing the internals of the non-M valve, or you can buy this one from Burger Motorsports.
(I have the BMS one and a 335is clutch. It shifts niiiiice.)
"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
11/13/2017 at 12:59, STARS: 0
The main benefits you’d notice from a quattro would be less sliding around in wet weather and insane grip with summer tires on dry surfaces.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/13/2017 at 23:58, STARS: 0
Now that you mention it, the 3 can be very jerky in the morning. I thought it was the clutch itself, but it’s probably the delay valve. I guess I should look into deleting that.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/14/2017 at 00:01, STARS: 0
The same could be said for almost any car about service history. My M3 was a one owner car with good history and it’s been great apart from he throttle position actuators, which are a known fault. I would be leery about the carbon build up, it’s the reason i don’t have a 335d, those also have carbon build up issues.