30 Jul 2013

Speedmonkey Fleet - I'm going to sell the Audi S4

I'm going to sell the Audi S4 Avant.  I've only owned it 8 months but in my back-catalogue of cars that's not too bad.  The longest I've ever owned a car was 2 years and the shortest was 1 month.
I bought the car for £8000 and have spent £1,000 on a new alternator and £2,000 on a new clutch.  It's still worth £8,000 so I'll certainly lose money on it but you win some you lose some.  The S4 is a damn fine car.  It has oodles of space and oodles of power.  0-60 in 5 seconds is achievable all day every day with the permanent quattro four wheel drive, via Torsen differential.

I've covered thousands of miles on all sorts of trips from all day epics to the school run.  Aside from the alternator and clutch it's never missed a beat.  It's a fantastic car both in a straight line and between the hedges and can put a huge grin on your face.

So why the hell am I selling it?

Multiple reasons, but the main one is that I don't use it much any more.  Not because of the 23mpg economy but because I'm running press cars for at least 50% of the time.  And when I haven't got a press car I tend to use my 1986 Porsche 924S.  Sure, the S4 is much faster but the 924S retains the raw, distilled essence of driving.

But also because the S4 has become something of a glorified dog wagon.  Our 3 dogs need walking every day and we live near a main road so I have to drive them to nearby farmland for their walk.  

An Audi S4 Avant with its bellowing 4.2 litre V8 is a bit over the top for a dog wagon.  

That's why I'm selling it.  I will replace it, but with something much cheaper - maybe £2k.  I'll need an estate.  The two criteria are that it will not be front wheel drive and it will not be a diesel.  I'd rather have a digit removed than buy a front wheel drive diesel with my own money.

The current thinking is a 6-cylinder, BMW 3-series Touring.  The condition of the car will be more important than the engine, but it'll be minimum 2 litres.  Oh, and it won't be silver.  My last two cars have been silver.  I fancy a blue one.

Here's a link to the advert.

Matt