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A few weeks ago, Paul wrote up a low mile 1995 740i, always a favorite of ours here at GCFSB. Also a favorite is the D2 S8. Together, they represent in our minds the pinnacle of large executive designs – fast, comfortable, quiet, and with enough presence to draw respectful looks without being overstated, showy or brash. We also think that these two executive sedans are better looking than the multiple generations that have replaced them. While performance and luxury have increased in both BMW and Audi, in our opinion both of these cars are the high-water marks for their respective brands. So, which would you rather have? Let’s start with the S8:
It was just a few days ago that we saw the last Audi C4 grace these pages, that time a Emerald Green S6. That car sure looked quite nice but was a little suspect given the lack of information regarding maintenance and was certainly well overpriced. Most of these sleeper super sedans fall in the $3,000 to $6,000 range, and while they’re not spring chickens they offer a tremendous amount of performance for that investment. Considering what that amount buys you in the Audi 4000 market these days, these S4 and S6 sedans are a downright bargain. If you’re willing to forgo looking for a low mileage example that is 100% pristine and instead focus on a solid driver that has been maintained, there are even more options that are affordable than just about any competition. Today’s first year 1992 S4 is no exception to this rule, with a strong history of recent maintenance and a desirable 01E S4 6-speed swapped in place of the original 5-speed:
The Audi S6. Long considered the weakest of the super-sedans of the early to mid 1990s, the quattro has since created a legend of its own for the way it can shrug off miles that would bury other cars, the way it can handle supercar levels of power from a seemingly too-small displacement turbo motor, and the subdued fury with which it rolls down the road. Like the M5 and 500E, the S6 and it’s older brother S4 have presence that few other cars can achieve. Long one of our favorites at GCFSB, the S6 is also one of the best values currently in classic German motoring with most available for well under $10,000. Today, thanks to our reader John, we have a roundup of S6s in various states of tune and condition as well as color – which would be your choice?
In general, the C5 Audi S6 gets overlooked by enthusiasts who dismiss it as a soft, automatic-only fragile replacement for the legendary C4 S6. That’s a shame, because the C5 is a solid car and performer and one that the owners who have experienced them seem to love. What those who aren’t in the know seem to want is a 6-speed manual variant of the S6, though few have undertaken the swap. We have seen a few though, most recently a 6-speed converted S6 that was questionably modified but sported the all-important manual. No one jumped on that car despite the seemingly reversible modifications, so perhaps today’s more original example will make some converts?
I’ve not made it much of a secret that I have a bit of a crush on the 2001-2003 Audi S8, and while it’s not…