Double Take – Sprint Two: 2007 Audi S4 and S6

For a few reasons, I found yesterday’s S4 Avant a bit lacking. The B7 S4 Avant isn’t my favorite of the S Avants to begin with, and truth told I think I’d take a S-Line 2.0T Titanium before I jumped into a S4. The high price these have retained also is a bit of a turnoff; you can get the same car, for nearly all intents and purposes, in the B6 for a lot less. But the killer, at least for me, was the color. I just find newer silver and gray Audis predictable, cliche, and boring in general. They lack imagination. And when Audi had such brilliant colors available in the color pallet, I don’t look upon the more conservative and prevalent with envy.

But what about something wild, like LZ5F Sprint Blue Pearl Effect? Yeah, that gets the blood boiling and draws the eyes in pretty much every situation. But today I didn’t have a SBPE Avant; instead, to make up for that, I’ve got two examples of the color on S sedans from the same dealer. Strange? Even more strange is that this is the same dealer that I previously looked at a special order Sprint Blue A4. Does this dealer have some special source of smurf blue Audis?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2007 Audi S4 on eBay

Year: 2007
Model: S4
Engine: 4.2 liter V8
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Mileage: 174,301 mi
Price: $7,995 Buy It Now

Vehicle Description
2007 *Audi* *S4*, Clean Title And CARFAX Certified, **** 1 OWNER ***, RECARO Factory Leather Seats, V8, 4.2 Liter, Quattro AWD, Stability Control, ABS (4-Wheel), Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Cruise Control, Power Steering, Telescoping Wheel, Dual Air Bags, Side Air Bags, Dual Power Seats, Moon Roof, BOSE Sound System, Premium Wheels With Like New Tires, CLEAN IN AND OUT, MUST SEE, TRADES ARE WELCOME, FINANCING IS AVAILABLE, WE TRADE UP OR DOWN – HAVE A CAR OR TRUCK OF GREATER VALUE WE CAN HELP, RATES AS LOW AS 2.49 OAC, GOOD OR BAD CREDIT WE CAN HELP.www.LOT99LLC.com 503-305-8186… bmw z4 Mercedes clk sl cl 911 993 996 999 turbo m3 crossfire saleen cobra Camaro SUBARU STI WRX IMPREZA BMW M3 M5 M6 MERCEDES E55 S55 S63 E63 LEXUS ISF A4 A6 A8 TT rs6 e55 e63 540i 545i 550i Volvo xc70 cross country saab Mercedes bmw 328i 330i 335i 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

I’ll admit that there are several reasons this S4 sedan is not as desirable as the Avant. First, it’s obviously lacking the hatch and a fair chuck of the Audiphiles have already tuned out. Second, got more miles – a lot more miles, to the tune of almost 100,000 more than yesterday’s example. If that weren’t enough to rattle your chains (pun intended), it’s also a Tiptronic model. Not enough to turn you off? There’s no history offered outside of one interesting thing – it’s claimed to be a single owner car.

So while there are some strikes against it, there are also some reasons to pay attention. The condition of this car, for having the best part of 200,000 miles, is outstanding. I’d say that it shows like it has half that amount, and that wouldn’t be hyperbole. From what the pictures depict, I think it shows better than yesterday’s Avant. Outside of some expected texturing of the front bumper cover, there’s little evidence that this car has accrued so many miles. And the color combination is great, with the light interior both complimenting the brilliant exterior and also opening up the notoriously cloistered B6/B7 cabin. But the best part is the price; at $8,000, this may not be the ideal S4, but it could be a fantastic commuter.

Of course, you’re still stuck with a problem – or, at the very least, the potential of a big BBK-chain guide problem, one that could end up eating all the asking price then again in maintenance. So what other options do you have?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2007 Audi S6 on eBay

Year: 2007
Model: S6
Engine: 5.2 liter V10
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Mileage: 186,480 mi
Price: $9,995 Buy It Now

Vehicle Description
2007 *Audi* *S6*, Clean Title And CARFAX Certified, **** 1 OWNER ***, RECARO Factory Leather Seats, V10, 5.2 Liter, Quattro AWD, Navigation, Backup CAMERA, Stability Control, ABS (4-Wheel), Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Cruise Control, Power Steering, Telescoping Wheel, Dual Air Bags, Side Air Bags, Dual Power Seats, Moon Roof, BOSE Sound System, Premium Wheels With Like New Tires, CLEAN IN AND OUT, MUST SEE, TRADES ARE WELCOME, FINANCING IS AVAILABLE, WE TRADE UP OR DOWN – HAVE A CAR OR TRUCK OF GREATER VALUE WE CAN HELP, RATES AS LOW AS 2.49 OAC, GOOD OR BAD CREDIT WE CAN HELP.www.LOT99LLC.com 503-305-8186… bmw z4 Mercedes clk sl cl 911 993 996 999 turbo m3 crossfire saleen cobra Camaro SUBARU STI WRX IMPREZA BMW M3 M5 M6 MERCEDES E55 S55 S63 E63 LEXUS ISF A4 A6 A8 TT rs6 e55 e63 540i 545i 550i Volvo xc70 cross country saab Mercedes bmw 328i 330i 335i 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Holy moly. Sprint Blue was one of only two colors that weren’t the standard gray-scale German offerings on the C6, and it looks impressive. It’s also even more rare to spy on the large chassis compared to the small chassis. Moving up to the C6, of course, gives you even more power and more cylinders too, as you’ve got the 5.2 V10 under the hood good for about 430 horsepower and 400 lb.ft of torque. Take that, BBK! Plus you get the tech involved with the S6; Audi’s introduction of the MMI system gave lots information available to the driver at the twist of a dial.

Now, that said – I lived with an A6 of this generation for a little bit, and I was really, really, really not impressed. Compared to the equivalent E61 we own – a car that was introduced with a huge amount of tech in the iDrive and the one that likely caused the Audi move to MMI, and certainly not without it’s problems – the Audi’s control units were overly complicated, not intuitive at all, and very difficult to operate. For example, I could find no way to easily locate a radio station. The Navigation system was even more difficult to use. And the heater controls left me baffled (and often turning on the seat heaters instead) more than once, since each knob – of which there are many – operates multiple different functions depending on what you’re doing. I’m sure it’s something you can get used to, in the same way that I’ve mostly figured out how to use the turn signals in the BMW after a year and half. Couple that with a ride that was too stiff, steering that was too over-boosted and an all-or-nothing throttle pedal, and I wasn’t massively impressed with the jump from the refined C5 to the over-wrought C6. Maybe the 430 horsepower would be enough to overlook the problems though?

Again we have what is claimed to be a single-owner example. And again it’s in a wild color combination. All of the C6s on offer here had the Tiptronic transmission, if you’re still looking you won’t be disappointed there. The interior is a bit of a let-down, though – just a sea of dark tones makes it feel oppressive compared to the outside. Mileage is shockingly even higher than the S4, and here it shows a bit more, especially on the front end. Still, you’re looking at a sub-$10,000 V10. And if there was one thing that impressed me about my time with the C6, it was that every single electronic function still operated and that example had mileage similar to what we see here. There have also been a few post-200,000 mile S8s I’ve seen kicking around, and they still apparently drove well and had never been apart.

In either case, it’s a roll of the dice in a way. You’re getting a cheap example of either Audi, but you’d also need to go in with eyes wide open that there could be a massive repair bill in the not-too-distant future.

-Carter