Want a little sport in your daily commute? There are many cars that you can buy that will spice up your life, but few things will remove you more quickly from the grind than a 6-speed V8-engined daily driver. The automotive equivalent of “Calgon, take me away!”, these sedans will rocket you to your next location with plenty of style, luxury and speed. While there are a few German V8s that can be had for less than the models I’m reviewing today, there aren’t too many that offer the sportiness, manual 6 speed, and level of luxury that these three combine. I had to get a little liberal with your budget to pull it off so afford me a little slack, but here’s your 10K Friday Face-off for V8 Week – 2003 BMW 540i Sport 6 speed v. 2004 Audi S4. Let’s start with the 540i:
Year: 2003
Model: 540i Sport
Engine: 4.4 liter V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 99,447 mi
Price: $10,997 Buy It Now
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 BMW 540i Sedan on eBay
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS TITANIUM SILVER METALLIC 2003 BMW 540i WITH BMW M SPORT PACKAGE WITH 99,447 MILES, 3 PREVIOUS OWNERS, AND HAS A CLEAN CARFAX REPORT. THIS 2003 BMW 540i COMES EQUIPPED WITH A 4.4L V8 ENGINE, 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, GRAY LEATHER INTERIOR, POWER AND MEMORY SEATS, WOOD DASH TRIM, STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS, M STEERING WHEEL, M WHEELS, SUNROOF, AUTO DIM REAR VIEW MIRROR, HID PROJECTOR HEAD LIGHTS, FOG LIGHTS, DUAL ZONE CLIMATE CONTROL, DSC, REAR LIP SPOILER, KEYLESS ENTRY, POWER WINDOWS, POWER MIRRORS, GARAGE DOOR OPENER, AM/FM RADIO, CD PLAYER, CRUISE CONTROL, AND MUCH MORE! MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OF THE IMAGES IN OUR GALLERY TO SEE HOW THIS IS THE PERFECT BMW 540i FOR YOU! ATTENTION! AS A HIGH VOLUME DEALERSHIP, MANY OF OUR VEHICLES SELL VERY QUICKLY. PLEASE CALL US FOR AVAILABILITY AND EXPLANATION OF INTERNET PRICING.
These cars are one of our favorites here at GCFSB.com. Sure, it’s not an M5, but you can’t buy an E39 M5 for 10K, now can you? This car offers 90% plus of the M5 experience for about half the asking price of most examples. The silver on grey combination may not be the wildest combo out there, but it’s classic and understated, still looking fresh (unlike some of those mint green 540s….remember them?). The M-Parallels are without a doubt one of the best looking wheels ever put on a BMW out of the box, and fit the car perfectly. This car is really a perfect Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde daily driver that you could take to dinner at a high class restaurant after your trip to the track, and it would be welcome at both. While it’s certainly a solid and fun daily driver, maybe you want a little more flare in your trip to work? Red your thing? Then I have the car for you:
Year: 2004
Model: S4
Engine: 4.2 liter V8
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 116,179 mi
Price: $11,998 Buy It Now
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2004 Audi S4 on eBay
Very Clean! 6 Speed Manual! 100% Clean Carfax! Runs and Drives Great! Power Sunroof! Heated Seats! and More! – OVER 200 CARS AT OUR FACILITY! REMEMBER THE PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCE!! NO PREP FEES! NO DELIVERY FEES! AND OUR PRICES DO NOT NEED TO REFLECT A TRADE IN VALUE OR DOWN PAYMENT! DON’T BE SCAMMED BY OTHERS FINEPRINT! You do NOT need to finance to get this price! A price should be exactly that, A PRICE!
340 silky smooth horsepower channeled through quattro all wheel drive with 4 door practicality makes a great package. It looks as if it had an enthusiastic owner prior to the current sale, judging by the size of the exhaust and the very much not-my-favorite wheels. Not to worry, though, as on eBay I was able to track down a reasonably priced set of OEM wheels – the auction is linked through the wheel photo.
So that fixes the outside look of the car and I bet that exhaust sounds great. This car is really the opposite of the 540i, not being understated at all. Flashy and loud, this one will shout to everyone “I DON’T BELONG HERE EVEN THOUGH I COULDN’T AFFORD THIS CAR UNLESS I WORKED FOR YOU”. Maybe that’s the message you’d like to send? Well, even if not, this car is still a lot of car for the money. In fact, both of these cars are. Which one would you have?
-Carter
no-brainer. . . S4 all day. I do totally agree that the Bimmer sits on a great looking pair of wheels especially when looked at next to the ones the S4 is wearing.
From CAPTAIN CAPS LOCK, the seller of the S4 wheels: “WHEELS ARE A LITTLE BEAT UP DUE TO MY WIFE HITTING THE CURB A LOT.”
I have the same OEM S4 wheels on my A6 Avant, and unfortunately, my wife hits the curb (and potholes, and whatever else she can find) a lot too. Good looking wheels, but they do bend rather easily, and don’t hold up to New England roads very well.
While the BMW is – in my opinion at least – the better looking car, I’d go with the S4. Because quattro + V8 = year-round fun.
I rarely even notice Audis. The fact that I haven’t lived in a town with an Audi dealer in it for over 20 years probably has something to do with it. Plus, AWD isn’t that big of a deal to those of us living in the Southeastern United States. I’d be more likely to choose the BMW based on the above and because I really like E39s.
i guess with my name..I’m obligated to go for the 540i or an M5 “lite”…
nice 6spd…the ride will be better than the S4….the maintenance on the M60 is not oppressive and 282hp moves this car nicely…..and it ain’t red.
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The HP rating for the final year of the 540i was 290HP, but the reality is that they make a lot more than that. They also have a ton of low end torque. Both are great cars here, but these Audis understeer badly (personally, I would rather have the Avant for slightly better weight balance).
BMW is the pick for handling, ride, looks, and class. If you want an Audi S that has nice neutral handling, you have to find them from 2007 or newer to get the torque vectoring differential. The older ones just keep pushing.