I am in the same boat. Looking for something new in the same price range. I am also pretty tall so it limits me to the cars I would fit in comfortably.
I was all about the IS300, but heard they were underpowered in stock form. Did a little research, and a lot of people are putting on supercharger or turbo kits. Most of the kits put up some impressive numbers, but the more research it did, I found out people were having a lot of reliability problems.
I like the Audi S4. But again, I have heard stories about reliablity problems with these cars. Maybe someone else has more info on them.
If you like the S4, talk to Walter about his Audi. He has 2.8 A4 with the PES SC. I was very impressed with the performance this thing had. I know he had some some issues with injectors when he first got it, but after he figured that out I think it was running pretty well. I will let him chime in on that one.
I really do like the GTP’s as well. The luxury isnt’t what I would call top notch, but there are so many great features in those cars. I love the HUD, and do not know how I could possibly drive a car without it. They have good power, and are easily modded for more. I just hate the Auto. If GM could come up with a slightly smaller version, with the same features and a stick, I would be all over it.
The root of most of it’s problems are it’s tiny and overworked turbos that come stock.
A pair of turbos thrown on a stock S4 isn’t unheard of, it’s actually a pretty common practice, and it isn’t all that expensive either. It also leaves a much better flowing setup and gives you much more power (and a much wider powerband).
I used to own an A4 (1.8T, 1998.5) and i loved it, but there were some issues, but audi has a recall that takes care of half of them. For a quick daily driver, pop in a k04, clutch, exhaust, and ECU. That’s it.
If I had to do it all over I wouldn’t mind buying another A4, wagon this time tho. Same mods.
Eh… don’t compare a type r to a base integra until you drive it…
Tough decision w/ only 14k to spend… well… if youre looking at sport/luxary that is… because any sport/luxary car around that price probably has some decent miles on it… and will probably need some nice expensive repairs sooner than later…
