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**K Simmonds** · 27 July 2016, 19:38

I have an RS2 and a 3B and I actually find my S2 more fun, nothing wrong with a good 3B and I much prefer the five speed box to the six though it not as strong so I don't launch it in first.

I'd get one ASAP, in six months to a year their be even more expensive, you'll struggle to find a good one for 6K now.

Engines last well if maintained properly, seen plenty on 200K.

***Greg_S*** · 27 July 2016, 20:58

Taking them up to rs2 power levels is easier on later ABY engines as you don't need to change the head gasket.
Rs2 upgrade is bolt on of turbo, exhaust manifold, injectors and inter cooler and exhaust system. Add a remap and you're there, would recommend brakes and suspension before that. Or you can get a chip to 280hp on the stock setup

**macspring** · 27 July 2016, 23:00

Buy an S2 over a 3B for a myriad of reasons.

Start looking to buy one now so that when the right ABY S2 Coupe comes up you'll be ready to pounce. Don't wait a year.

Judging by what you've written, you'll need to buy a decent S2 as a bad one will cost you too much to pay to have brought up to the standard of your RS2.

If it was me I'd steer him to a S2 Avant.

Comments based on being on here since 2005, and being over 50.

Best wishes.

**naim22** · 27 July 2016, 23:40

Funds are an issue at the moment so can't buy one right now but he is looking, hopefully from about Christmas onwards it should be doable
All decent cars seem to be sky high. Originally looked at E36 M3's , they are rising rapidly yet the E46's haven't come down in the same way the E36's & E30's did.

The other sad thing is they never really replaced the S2 until the TTRS, so it's S2 or bust.
Just have to hope he gets lucky!

Thanks

**Cottis** · 28 July 2016, 06:36

Good luck but my tuppence worth is you might struggle at the turn of the year to find a good S2 for that money. They almost all.need some type of work with parts being hard to find sometimes and also sometimes costly.

If he is serious about S2 ownership, then my advice would be borrow some money at rock bottom interest rates (rumour says they will drop next week) and buy Johns RS2'd coupe on here. It isnt cheap but you get what you pay for with all the work having pretty much been done. It will not depreciate, will be fast enough and put a mahoosive smile on his face.

Ive lost count of the amount of time ive nearly picked up the phone to buy it haha but i promised myself i would not go back to Audi after their ******** approach to how they run their company. Trouble is, their old cars are brilliant nut brutally insupported by the very company that makes it current living off the back of previous successes.

Anyway, im going OT. IMO, 5k in half a year is gonna buy a car that needs work. Buy one that is already done and save time, aggro and possibly long term money.

I wouldnt discount a 3b at all. Whichever variant, just make sure its a good one. In fairness, you are probably more likely to find a decent ABY but for what money?

**naim22** · 28 July 2016, 09:37

It's a nice car for sure, but at that price he could get the E46 M3 which is his ideal choice. It's getting close to RS3 money even.
Yes RS2 bits have been a bit of hassle. Luckily not too much has gone wrong with mine thus far.

What's happened to these cars, I remember seeing a 44k ABY S2 Coupe for £7.5K not so long ago.

Why oh why Audi abandoned the inline 5 turbo for so long I will never know. Had they put that into the S4 then it would be problem solved.

**simon20vq** · 28 July 2016, 10:04

I agree with Kit (Simmonds) I preferred my 3b to the rs2 even just running with a homefry it felt better more focused. Don't get me wrong the rs2 is a great car BUT something was missing. 3B or aby just buy on condition and mods, better to buy a tidy sorted 3b than an a worn out aby with a whining first gear or other issues!! 3b 120Kg lighter than aby, aby had 230bhp 3b 220 not a lot in it.

mr2 turbo, had one of them years ago and was not sold on it.

**Error404** · 28 July 2016, 14:51

Originally posted by simon20vq View Post

I agree with Kit (Simmonds) I preferred my 3b to the rs2 even just running with a homefry it felt better more focused. Don't get me wrong the rs2 is a great car BUT something was missing. 3B or aby just buy on condition and mods, better to buy a tidy sorted 3b than an a worn out aby with a whining first gear or other issues!! 3b 120Kg lighter than aby, aby had 230bhp 3b 220 not a lot in it.

/\ Those that know will tell you the best S2 is a combination of 3B and ABY.
Really though, condition trumps all as to get a neglected car well sorted can easily swallow £6k. You will be extremely lucky to find a good car for £5k.

E46 M3 - nice car but with little character in my opinion, also I really dislike the interior but it's all subjective I guess.
B6 S4 is worth considering for £5k - a bit bland but an underrated car with a great soundtrack, lots of goodies and massive value for money.
Also famously (just) beat the M3 round Topgear's circuit in the dry.

**naim22** · 28 July 2016, 15:22

Doesn't the B6 S4 have a propensity to throw its timing chain at any point? I really don't rate the 4.2 V8 and I'm not a huge fan of the 2.7T. If Audi had developed a similar inline 5 for the S4/RS4 then it would be a no brainer

Audi 5 cylinder Turbo is head and shoulders IMO, tuneable , strong and sounds the best by a mile. The only rival is the BMW straight six.

I was having this discussion with a friend and we agreed there is a real lack of anything decent between 2000ish to 2008ish. The only exception was the E46 M3 and that's probably why it fetches so much

Audis efforts with the TT were admirable but I never really felt the 1.8T was a step forward from the 2.2T

What are golf R32s like? Not too tuneable I imagine
Likewise what sort of levels can a TT 225 be taken to?
Only thing is V6's and inline 4 sound absolutely terrible. Said he'd rather avoid them and just keep his BMW!

**Error404** · 28 July 2016, 15:28

Timing chain issues have been blow way out of proportion, much like BMW's Vanos problems.

**andy10v** · 28 July 2016, 22:41

If he gets a "cheap" S2 I would make sure he is prepared to re bush it, replace all the boost hoses etc, so have a good contingency fund.

If he can DIY they are pretty affordable to run, if paying for everything it can be expensive. Also I would not expect the same level of reliability compared to an e46 M3.

S2s prices have gone up a lot in the last few years, so there value for money has fallen compared to some more modern cars you can buy, but a lot of "better" cars are "better" but "meh" if that makes sense.

**Audi J** · 28 July 2016, 23:11

This one has been sitting around for a while, just out of interest

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-M-PLA...item3ac718fb08

**naim22** · 28 July 2016, 23:59

DIY is no problem, he looks after an XUD diesel and a BMW M50 at the moment.
I take the RS2 to Automark though

I've seen that car, it's just slightly at the wrong time but if it does hang around a bit longer I may have get him to have a look. Does anyone know who's it is? I do wonder why it's hung around tbh

Also I didn't think Avants were much cop performance wise hence the development of the RS2 in Avant only...
Coupe would be better though I guess its more take what you can find these days

There are 'better' cars out there but they all use engine setups/drivetrain setups he doesn't really like.
V6's are soon to be a thing of the past IMO, inline 6's and to an extent inline 5's are making a comeback and its no surprise really.
Likewise we both much prefer AWD/RWD.

He can get a Fiesta ST 200 from work discounted but who really wants that

**pasbogdan** · 29 July 2016, 01:21

That budget will not get you a good car.
They are old and all parts and bits get old.Hoses,bushing,wires.Suspension needs a sandblast,engine 90% of cases needs a full rebuild.

AC compressor dead,clutch pressure plate hard as rock,headlights and fog lights burned and chiped.
All doors rubber trims dead,all black plastic exterior parts burned and white grey collor instead of a nice black.

Seat heating elements burned,steering wheel leather cover old and cracked.

Exhaust rusty and almost gone,bonnet and rear hatch struts gone,n75 old,bypass valve old,maf old,etc etc etc.

You can avoid some of theese in 100-150000 km on dash.But that will not be 5-7k.With theese cars i found it is better to buy a cheap dead one(but without rust) or a perfect one.The middle price will get you in the end as much as the cheap one will get will all restored.And the good to almost perfect one will be 2/3 of the final price you will get with a restored cheap one.This is valid on all b4 and c4 chassis if you will think at c4 s4.

The only difference on 3b vs aby is the 01e gearbox that counts if you abuse the car.If not,01a is ok.
The mods as camshaft position sensor and coils instead distributor are not decisive when you choose bettween a god 3b and a dead aby.

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