G37x vs s4? Car people?

Any car people in here? My g37x just got declared a total loss so I'm car shopping and I'm not sure if i want to upgrade to an s4 or not. I loved my g37 but the upgradeability is basically nonexistent without spending 8k on a turbo or supercharger, whereas an s4 is already faster and can hit 450+hp with just a tune and a couple bolt ons.

The awd in the s4 is also much better in snow and i live in the midwest. But the way the g37x awd only kicks in with slippage would also make it more fun in snow. I had a rwd g35 before and that was very fun in snow so the g37x is kind of a middle ground between the two.

My only hesitation is maintenance costs and reliability. It's like a 5x difference in maintenence for the s4 with a couple potential big expenses to worry about (timing chain, mechatronic on the dsg) whereas with the g37 there's not much big to worry about as long as its not an early model with the gallery gasket issue and maintenance is much cheaper.

When i bought the g37 it came down to these two options and i went with the g for the reliability and cheaper maintenance but i kind of regretted it. Now that I'm faced with the same decision again I'm not sure what to do.

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Docdon23 · M

go electric--faster and less maintenance--and cheaper to run (put solar panels on your house)

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wildbill83 · 41-45, M

@Docdon23 what state you live in?

Docdon23 · M

@wildbill83 I live in Connecticut and my girlfriend lives in New Jersey. I also got rebates when I put in my charger and solar. I would never go back to gas. Even a hybrid. No thank you. The sun is free.

wildbill83 · 41-45, M

@Docdon23 aka, flat terrain/low elevation

In my county alone, the elevation ranges from 2,500ft to 5,800ft asl

solar next to useless with all the fog in the morning and shade in the afternoon/evening from trees/mountains; let alone fall and winter months where overcast skies are frequent.

wildbill83 · 41-45, M

owned an '07 and later a '13 S4, both manuals (I hate dsgs); never had any problems with either as long as they're properly maintained. Some argue that timing chain guides wear out, but they're probably ragging the shit out of them (running hard before engine/oil up to temp).

were better in the snow than most pickups (mechanical torsen's are hard to beat), I've plowed snow over top of hood in them...

I lost interest in VW/Audi when everything went automatics and mexican production...

Anon066 · 36-40, M

@wildbill83 id love a manual but i let other people drive my cars way too much to do that lol. The dsg seems amazing coming from the dogshit 7 speed in the g37 lol

There's one that's like 2.5hrs away that's a B8.5 stage 2 with a zf8 swap with only 116k on it for only 10k lol. I might have to grab that one.

wildbill83 · 41-45, M

@Anon066 I wouldn't mind having an older audi /w 2.3 20v if I could find one reasonable (can build the shit out of them, and they sound good...)

Anon066 · 36-40, M

@wildbill83 after doing more research im definitely going with an s4. theres a b8 2.5 hours from me that has the sports diff, is stage 2 tuned and has had all the maintenance done that id be worried about. timing chain, pcv valve, water pump, thermostat, coil packs and injectors, fuels pumps and module, even new fuel lines and rails and recently blasted valves. coolant flush and oil change just done too. i think its the only one ive seen with the sports diff. it even has the black and red interior which looks sick lol.

im gonna message the dude tomorrow after i make the appointment to sign my title over to the insurance company and get the check. theres one other option a bit closer thats almost the same, also stage 2 and has all the same maintenance done plus the dsg service, but no sports diff, so im gonna aim for the first one to start.

black4white · 56-60, M

AMG GLE43 or X4. The GLE are fricken a blast to run as are the BMW’s

Anon066 · 36-40, M

@black4white eh, im a car guy. my friend has an x5 he loves though.

thisguy20 · 46-50, M

In light of my very bad experiences (bad catalytic converter, fried motherboard in the transmission, power windows which didn't want to close, turn-signal stalk with broke off in my hand...I could go on) with an A6, I won't touch a WV product.

Go for something where the manufacturer was unwilling to accept anything less than a perfect product: Vickers era Rolls Royce or Bentley; MB W-100, W-116, W-123, W-124, W-126, W-140; BMW E39; AM General M-35; Ford panther-platform cars; pretty much any Checker. If you're willing to put up with more substantial / difficult maintenance (i.e. getting parts can be challenging): Daimler DS420; pre-1970 Cadillac; Packard, 1990s generation Toyota Century...

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