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I've been reading up on this car as i am planning on purchasing a new car within the next month.  after taking in very little information on it, i was hooked.. this is my problem.  i have a 18k ceiling on my price.  so with that, you know that i'm looking used.  does anyone have information on costs of maintaining this vehicle, or any other worries with them.. or any other ideas for an AWD semi-sport/luxury car for around the same price.. mileage must be below 75k and newer than 2001.  thanks for any help.  

Hmm...Semi-sport luxury. I'd take a look at a Subaru Legacy GT. It's got nearly all the performance of the Impreza WRX, but in a more refined, comfortable package. I'm not sure if you can get one for $18k. That's going to limit you quite a bit. You could go with a used Passat 4Motion, but VW has had some quality issues. Approach with caution. You might be able to find a slightly older Audi A4 that fits your bill. I'd probably check out the Legacy first, if it were me.    Hope this helps.  

If you are really serious about a B5 S4 then there are few things you need to look for. One try to find one that someone has already upgraded the turbos. The S4s had a somehwat serious thermal handling issue with stock journal bearing turbos. If you drive the car hard, or live someplace where it is hot, they WILL fail. If you buy a car that still has the factory tubos, or they have been replaced with mor OE units, you will need to budget at least 5 grand to swap out the turbos. This is a must, there is no getting around it. The second big thing is the clutch. If you are buying a car with 60K+ you will be getting fairly close to a clutch, budget for that also.

Audi had a few issues with coilpacks, but they were replaced under a recall so that shouldn't be too big of an issue.

As stated above, a B5 A4 with the 1.8t may be a good option. You can pick up a nice B5 A4 from anywhere between 8-12K. With mods, you can get it as fast as a stock S4.