Any time one of our readers sends in a car, I try hard to take notice. It’s not always easy, as we get a lot of emails and as this is really a spare time endeavor, it can be exceedingly hard to stay on top of replying to everyone. However, there was not just one reader who sent this car in. There were three. Almost as if they colluded, my inbox pinged earlier this week with the subject line “S4”. Though they’re getting harder to come across, it’s still relatively simple to find a C4 Audi today. Amazing as it may seem, a lovely black ’95 S6 merged into morning traffic right next to me just yesterday. They’re out there, and while they’re rare, they aren’t unseen completely thanks to religiously devoted followers, stout build quality, and unprecedented longevity. But the reason that three readers sent this car in was that it wasn’t just any C4 Audi – this might be the best one for sale in recent memory:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 Audi S4 on quattroworld.com
Year: 1993
Model: S4
Engine: 2.2 liter turbocharged inline-5
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 123,000 mi
Price: $13,000
1993 Audi S4 Sedan
123,060 miles
VIN WAUHR84A7PN026535
Exterior: Pearl White Metallic Tricoat L0A9
Interior: Black N1U/CK
Transmission: Manual 5-speed 01E CBD
Colorado car since new. Complete, painstaking service history all the way from sale on 12-27-93. Original sales materials and window sticker from Prestige Audi of Lakewood, CO. Described as “close to museum quality” and “by far the cleanest we’ve worked on” by experts at Autosport Werks in Broomfield, CO.
Second owner. Museum professional and preservationist. First owner for 118k miles is engineer Jerry Scott of CO and AZ. (His RS2 exhaust manifold installation procedure is included in the FAQ; his fuel-rail pressure gauge install is on AudiWorld; plenty of his fine contributions out there.) I’ve kept in touch with him and the next owner can also if desired. He took such good care of this car. My wife and I just welcomed our first baby to the family; I’m now ready to sell.
Zero issues with powertrain. Holds steady 22 psi boost at full throttle. Rated 285HP with Stage 2 kit from Hoppen Motorsports (OE RS2 exhaust manifold + MTM chip). Outstanding mechanical and electrical condition. Cold a/c and hot heat. Push-button locking rear diff is working smoothly. Silent steering rack with no leaks. Engine bay light, trunk light, license plate lights all working. Headlight washers, IR keyless locks, four-position driver’s seat memory still working. Passenger side mirror still tilts downward in reverse. No rounded bolts, no discount parts. Never abused, always enjoyed.
Solvent-based L0A9 “urPearl” paint in great shape, silver hue still shines. Frequent washes and microfiber wipe-downs after almost every drive. Original exhaust system lets the motor sing. Original fuchs 16×8 alloys are powder coated and true. No cracks on the original center caps, no cracks on the belly pan. Philips xenon HIDs. Under 4k miles on Continental Control Contact Sport AS tires. Perfect alignment. No rain tray / drain issues. Cowl drain checked regularly.
Gorgeous interior. Excellent leather, next-to-zero bolster wear on driver’s seat. Headliner like new. Carbon fiber trim in stellar condition. Time-capsule touches such as original cupholder inserts, factory floor mats, carphone in armrest, original cell phone mast all intact. Flawless glass, mirrors, door trim and rubber. All dash lights / instrument cluster bulbs matching and working. A-pillar boost gauge matches dashboard lighting and typeface exactly. Original bose speakers and head unit (anti-theft code included, clean tape deck). No warped vents.
More than sixty significant maintenance and repair records. Every fill-up logged for more than 20 years. Maintenance highlights: Fuel line recall service conducted by dealer at 44,132; OEM timing belt and water pump service at 71,248 (*and* 118,200); HVAC servo motor at 74,713; new driver’s-side POS unit at 87,230; OE LUK clutch and flywheel, new slave cylinder, throw out bearing, pilot bearing at 95,087; OE Girling G60 rear brake calipers, OEM rear brake pads and rotors, BOGE steering stabilizer, new windshield, headlight lenses, and OEM diverter valve at 118,677; Bilstein front and rear struts at 120,984; OE ZF power steering pump at 122,162; OE serp belt tensioner and 034 street density transmission mounts at 122,600; OE rack-to-pump high pressure power steering hose at 123,036. Fresh valve cover gasket set, fuel filter and OEM coolant expansion tank. Currently inop: cruise control, rear seat heaters.
Extras include custom all-season mats, set of summer tires, Mann 06A 115 561B oil filter, winter wiper blades, matching touch-up paint from SVE Auto Body (never used). Spares include lower intercooler hose, OE serp belt, serp belt tensioner assembly, x plugs and gaskets, original slow-blow ecu fuses, headlight lenses, cluster bulbs, seat heater switches, ignition switch, washer pump grommets, air filter. Owner’s manual included.
A time machine to 1993. No expense spared. All questions, inquiries, and offers welcome. john.eding [at] sbcglobal.net $13,000 OBO.
As several comments noted on quattroworld, this is exactly how to sell a car. It’s well documented, well photographed, and in impeccable condition. When I was looking to buy my M3, there was no documentation and no description – just some pretty good photos and low reported miles. As a result, I had to take a leap of faith that when I arrived to see the car after flying several hundred miles, it was going to be as promised by a seller who was quite hard to pull any information out of other than an address in a place I’d never been.
While that particular story worked out in my favor, going back a further decade in history means there are that many more problems that could arise. This is where the seller’s disclosure, documented history and excellent photo journal put fears at ease. But it should come as no surprise that documentation would come at a price, and the price here is admittedly steep for a C4 chassis car. A similar looking, similar mile car was for sale close to me recently for only around 20% of the $13,000 asking price here – but was it in this condition with this documentation? No. And consequently, if you want a turn key, near perfect condition S4, this is the price you’re going to pay. You don’t need to worry about expensive future mechanical overhauls. You don’t need to worry about the deteriorating exterior. You don’t have to source and restore the original Fuchs. You don’t need to overlook badly worn bolsters, even. This is just simply about as nice as you can expect one of these C4 cars to come to market in the U.S..
And, judged in the context of E34 M5 or W124 E500 pricing, it’s still pretty affordable. Granted, out of the box this car didn’t challenge those in a straight line – but it’s more than capable of doing so upon request with the right chip, which conveniently this car has. Are there any disappointments? For some reason, I think it would look better in Tornado Red this time around. And to some it would be more desirable as a ’92. But otherwise? As with my M3, it won’t get cheaper to buy a perfect condition car in the future and it will certainly be harder to restore a poor example to this level.
Just shut up and pay the man.
Thanks to our readers Daniel, Scott and John for alerting me on this listing!
-Carter