RS2 or S4 Avant.....switching from a Boxster S

[young_pup]

Greetings dudes,

Looking to switch from a Boxster S to a more practical Q-car.

Read some of the threads here concerning the RS2 and am seriously tempted. Although the prices seem to be more than a 2000 S4 Avant...even including a remap from AMD.

Has anyone driven both? I deal in expensive hifi equipment and the Porker doesnt offer the same..ahem...practicality! I'd imagine the RS2 would smoke the Boxster in a straight line but how about on the twisties?

Anyone have an RS2 around staffordshire?

Thanks...off to bed now having soaked my dose of christmas brandy!

Richard

[Krusty]

Would it not be worth considering a used RS4? You'd be looking at the same sort of money as your 3.2 and would notice more of a difference. You must remember that the RS2 is a 10 year old car now and although there are some nice ones around (see JeremyC's) most are high mileage and would need to be treated such.

[Cyclone1]

Go for the S4 Avant. Take it to AmD or MRC Tuning and get it mapped upto 330bhp+ and 380lb/ft torque, this should give it more than enough grunt to match an RS4 at less than half the price. Suspension can easily be upgraded to get it close if not better than the Boxster.

Have a look at this site www.rs246.com

[clubsport]

Not an easy decision as the RS2 is an icon, for daily driving I would go with the B5 S4 as the RS2 has a little too much..........................lag for me.
Also the build quality and interior of the S4 seem slightly ahead to me, if you want a car to keep and cherish though, remember Porsche had a big hand in making the RS2 what it is.

[jeremyc]

Try them both and see which you prefer.

The RS2 is signicantly over-engineered, so if you can find one that has been properly maintained high mileage shouldn't be an issue.

I suspect the RS2 might smoke your Boxster around the twisties as well as the straight bits (five up, carrying a wardrobe and labrador).

[Plotloss]

RHD RS2s are starting to be tricky to find without high miles and in good nick. As Clubsport says the lag is verging on comical but they are utterly utterly utterly wonderful cars.

I'd perhaps suggest, if you cant find a good RS2, an S4 with the RS4 turbos/aftermarket exhaust and map and the obligatory brake upgrade, there are a number out there with the big reds a la RS2

[deanrufleg]

I had an RS2 for two and a half years, then sold it for an S4 Avant.After only 10 months I am back with another RS2......
Both were modded/mapped. Rs had 360 bhp, the S4 330bhp.The Rs was still quicker. The S4 is a hell of a lot more modern and the interior is a nice place to be in, especially with the Recaro option. It is a cracking car for the money, but they are getting ever cheaper- I paid £12k for mine and was happy to get £9.9k fo it S4 is a very easy/effortless car to drive, and because of this it,IMO, became a bit too everyday to me......

So now I am back driving a RS2, in RS blue. Completely standard ( other than factory brake upgrade)at the moment, only had the one owner from new. It just has that bit more of a character to it, and is a special car.....

If you have not already take a look over on www.Rs246.com for more info on both the S4 and Rs2, and www.s2forum.com for more info on the S2/Rs2

Try and have a look and drive of both, you may find that coming from a newer car that the spec of the S4 suits you better


>> Edited by deanrufleg on Wednesday 28th December 10:37

[JonRB]

I'm very tempted by a modded S4 myself, preferably an unmolested lowish-mileage example that I can then take to a well-known modder and be sure of the provenance rather than an already modded example.

Obviously would prefer an RS4, but when you consider that the RS4 is around double the price of an equivalent S4, the sums just don't add up.

[young_pup]

Hi guys,

Many thanks for such a swift response.

I'm going to check out both cars in ernest over the next few months. I have made my mind up to switch to a more practical car...also wanting to reap some capital out of my Boxster sale, hence not being interested in the lastest rs4 offering.

The RS2 looks like such a Q-car..in fact both do. What do you think of this list of pros and cons:

RS2:

+ve stock car is very quick, standard brakes and suspension are already uprated compared to the S4. RS2 resists depreciation better and rarer (this is a -ve too)

-ve: rare in rhd and therefore harder to find good'ns, may need more 'bits' replacing than the s4, less modern cabin and fineries. poor fuel economy?

S4 Avant:

+ve: more space? more modern cabin, more reliable?, cheap to uprate to 310hp, easier to find

-ve: seems to be depreciating past the RS2, modded cars seem to be less sought after, even if i remap the engine the suspension and brakes may need doing too to take it near the standard of the RS2.

How much of the Audi 80 Quattro Avant is in the RS2? If something goes wrong could i get parts easily?

I dont mind an older ride..my shopping car is an old mk3 golf and i love tanking that around bouncing like a blomange on corners.

Does anyone know if AMD uprates the RS2 also?

How is the S4 Avant and RS2 in the handling stakes?

Thanks for all the advice...keep it coming!

Richard

[agent006]

young_pup said:

How much of the Audi 80 Quattro Avant is in the RS2? If something goes wrong could i get parts easily?

Most of it is shared with either the base 80 avant, or the S2 and S4 of the same era. The only things that you'll struggle with will be the bespoke parts like the suspension and brakes, rear bumper (with the 'plate in), and the occasional engine bit. The engine is basically the AAN fron the S2/S4 with a different turbo, manifolds and injectors and assorted other bits.
All the things that will break should be widely available.

[JonRB]

young_pup said:

...also wanting to reap some capital out of my Boxster sale, hence not being interested in the lastest rs4 offering.

Sorry, I thought we were talking about the previous generation S4 and RS4, the ones that both shared a 2.7L Twin-Turbo V6, not the latest 4.2L Naturally-Aspirated V8.

>> Edited by JonRB on Wednesday 28th December 16:20

[deanrufleg]

It is a 2.7 tt that is being mentioned is it?

Oddly, whether it makes a difference or not, my RS2 wa mapped by AMD, my S4 was running an MTM map, but the S4 was a lot heavier on fuel than the RS was. In terms of handling my previous RS had H&R lowering springs, I had new Koni springs, bushes and Michelin pilot sports on it, and to me it was nervous,twitchy and never really felt "planted" somehow......The new one is completely standard( othyer than running Pilot sports again) and is awesome. I would not change anything and just renew things stock as replacements.

The S4 had H&R coilover kit on it, that really did handle well. Standard brakes are apparently not up to much and various options are available. Mine were upgraded to stock RS4 spec front and back.
If I was to buy another S4,IMO, I would definately try and buy a modded one. With the price you can get a standard car for,if you went for say H&R kit, decent brake kit, upgraded turbos, intercoolers,,shortshift kit, etc, you could find it costs more than the cost of the car.
As an example, there was a Noggy blue S4 avant on a forum and the Autotrader the other week with a suuposed 420 bhp, it was ~the £11k mark, although the brakes I gather were standard

[Fat Audi 80]

deanrufleg said:

It is a 2.7 tt that is being mentioned is it? Oddly, whether it makes a difference or not, my RS2 wa mapped by AMD, my S4 was running an MTM map, but the S4 was a lot heavier on fuel than the RS was. In terms of handling my previous RS had H&R lowering springs, I had new Koni springs, bushes and Michelin pilot sports on it, and to me it was nervous,twitchy and never really felt "planted" somehow......The new one is completely standard( othyer than running Pilot sports again) and is awesome. I would not change anything and just renew things stock as replacements. The S4 had H&R coilover kit on it, that really did handle well. Standard brakes are apparently not up to much and various options are available. Mine were upgraded to stock RS4 spec front and back. If I was to buy another S4,IMO, I would definately try and buy a modded one. With the price you can get a standard car for,if you went for say H&R kit, decent brake kit, upgraded turbos, intercoolers,,shortshift kit, etc, you could find it costs more than the cost of the car. As an example, there was a Noggy blue S4 avant on a forum and the Autotrader the other week with a suuposed 420 bhp, it was ~the £11k mark, although the brakes I gather were standard

Hi Dean!

Didn't know you were over here too!

Cheers,

Steve

[deanrufleg]

Hi Steve I get about, been here a few years

[young_pup]

Hey thanks guys...been away on bwizniss so couldnt respond.

Yes i was on about the 2.7 TT version...my mistake i think i got confused with the still pricey rs4 of the same model.

Going to look out for an S4 Avant and RS2 and have a drive. Will wait until spring though as selling prices for boxsters are NOT good at this time of year!!!

Thanks for all the advice.

R

[steveurq]

Late input but having had rs2, s4 (urS4 and V6) and RS4 I can honestly say that the RS2 is the only one that I would buy with the heart, I wish I had never sold mine, <100k original RS Blue RHD, lovely. If the new owner wanted to resell I will take it back. Mechanically wise the I5 engine is a corker, turbo tires and head could do with refresh at 100k ish but other than that shouldnt be a problem assuming it has been treated to regular servicing from new. Simple rebuild.... top end, with 3 angle seats, porting and manifold matching, garret turbo with a few other breathing mods and it achieved 340HP (approx obviously due to calculated losses) on standard ECU, 380-390 easy with no bottom end upgrades (MTM do over 400 on standard crank/rods). RS2 uses porsche PCD setup (5x130) so wheels/discs are specific/expensive, big red upgrade worth it if you get it but not worth seeking out.
I do not think a V6 will ever have the appeal of the I5, sure it will give power but will never give the sound. With RS2 you are buying a slice of quattro history, with S4 you are buying an Audi.If you want modernism choose S4, if you want a real classic that you will want to use as well as keep.......

[young_pup]

Thanks Steve that was well appreciated. We have decided to relocate to Strasbourg, France. So the Boxster definitely has to go..and left hand drive RS2's are more common than the rhd breathren. So it looks like i may get one of those! Looking forward to gunning it through france full of wine and fois gras!

Richard

[anonymous-user]

young_pup said:

Has anyone driven both? I deal in expensive hifi equipment and the Porker doesnt offer the same..ahem...practicality! I'd imagine the RS2 would smoke the Boxster in a straight line but how about on the twisties?

a modded s4 will take a boxter apart in a straight line and on the twisties too. infact you'd need a 996tt to get close to some.