Used Audi RS4: generations and what to check

The Audi RS4 is Audi's fast estate, the car that carries the family during the week and takes its revs on a Sunday. On the used market, three generations can realistically be found in French-speaking Switzerland, and they have almost nothing in common under the bonnet. Before booking a test drive, it pays to know which engine, which gearbox and which wear items sit behind each listing. This guide follows the same thread as our RS Q3 and R8 guides: generations, equipment, the test drive, wear, paperwork, financing.

Three generations, three very different mechanics

The RS4 has always been offered as an Avant. The B7 also existed as a saloon and a cabriolet. From the B8 onwards, the estate is the only body in the catalogue. The very first RS4, the B5 from the early 2000s with its twin-turbo V6, is now a collector's car: it is not the subject here.

That leaves three accessible generations: B7, B8 and B9. The logic of this article is simple. Each generation has its own engine and gearbox. So each one has its own test protocol and its own wear items. Reading an RS4 listing without knowing which generation you are dealing with is reading it halfway. For the basics that apply to any used car, we have already explained how to read a listing and check a used car. Here, we only cover what is specific to the RS4.

B7 (2006-2008): naturally aspirated V8 and manual gearbox

The B7 is the purist's RS4. A naturally aspirated 4.2 FSI V8 that revs very high, and a six-speed manual gearbox, the only one offered on this generation as far as we know. Check the exact version and the year on the registration document, not in the title of the listing.

It is also a car approaching or passing twenty years of age. Owners frequently report three points, to listen for and document rather than fear:

• carbon build-up on the intake valves, linked to direct injection, which shows up as an uneven idle or a loss of smoothness at low revs, and whose cleaning should appear on an invoice;
• the DRC suspension and its leaks, which give themselves away through a body that rolls more on one side than the other;
• the clutch, whose lifespan depends more on the previous driver than on the mileage.

On a B7, the service book and invoices matter more than the odometer. A high-mileage car with an unbroken history is worth more than a low-mileage car nobody can account for over the last ten years.

B8 (2012-2015): 4.2 FSI V8 and S tronic

The 4.2 FSI V8 remains naturally aspirated, in a more powerful evolution of the same family, and the gearbox moves to the seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic. This is the RS4 that keeps the V8 soundtrack with a gearbox you can use every day.

Several options change how you read a listing: the sport differential at the rear, DRC or sport suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes, and the pack that raises the top speed. Two B8s at the same price can therefore be two very different cars. Check that each option is actually present on the car, since the list copied into the listing is often the model's, not this particular example's.

What to watch: the behaviour of the S tronic at low revs and when manoeuvring (jerks, hesitation, noise when engaging reverse), and above all the gearbox servicing. The mechatronics oil change must appear in the service book or on an invoice. Valve carbon build-up, as on the B7, is frequently reported by owners.

B9 (since 2017): 2.9 twin-turbo V6 and tiptronic

The B9 changes its nature: the V8 gives way to a 2.9 TFSI twin-turbo V6, and the S tronic to an eight-speed tiptronic, which is a torque-converter automatic, not a dual-clutch. A facelift arrived around 2019-2020, with a redesigned front end, a larger central screen and revised instruments, followed by late Competition versions. On a B9, date the car from the registration document and the equipment actually fitted, not from the year written in the listing: between two close model years, the differences in value are real.

For a buyer coming from a V8, the change in character is clear. Torque arrives low down, the car is quicker in real-world use, but the soundtrack steps back and the engine no longer asks to be revved out. On the everyday side, fuel consumption and taxation are no longer those of a 4.2, with vehicle tax calculated on criteria that vary from one canton to another. This is the RS4 you can still find under warranty, and that is often what decides it.

Which generation for which use

There is no absolute hierarchy, only profiles.

• The B7 for the mechanics and the manual gearbox, with the maintenance budget of a car over fifteen years old and the acceptance that something unexpected will come up.
• The B8 for the V8 with the comfort of an automatic gearbox every day, provided you have the S tronic history in hand.
• The B9 for daily use, the family, driver assistance systems and a warranty that is still possible, with a more discreet character.

The age of the car also affects how you pay for it. A lease on a recent B9 has nothing in common with buying a B7 outright. We have compared cash, credit or leasing for a used car according to how long you plan to keep it and the reserve you want to hold on to.

The equipment to spot in the listing

An RS4 is negotiated as much on its options as on its mileage. The rule: everything is checked on the car, not on the spec sheet.

• Suspension: DRC, sport or adaptive depending on the generation. A mode button is not enough, you need to feel the difference on the test drive.
• Sport differential: fitted or not, it changes the behaviour on corner exit and the resale value.
• Brakes: steel or carbon-ceramic. A ceramic disc is recognisable by eye, and replacing one is not in the same order of magnitude.
• RS exhaust and dynamic pack.
• 19 or 20 inch wheels, and their condition.
• Headlights: xenon, LED or Matrix depending on the generation. A faulty Matrix module is expensive to repair.
• Virtual Cockpit on the B9, to be cycled through all its modes.
• RS seats, panoramic roof, tow bar.
• A second set of winter wheels, with the tyres that go on them.

Each of these items weighs on resale because it matches what the next buyer will in turn be looking for. An RS estate without winter wheels, without a tow bar and with scuffed rims sells more slowly, it is as simple as that.

On the test drive: what to listen for and what to look at

Insist on a cold start. If the car is already warm when you arrive, come back another day. On a V8, you listen to the first few seconds: timing chain rattle, lifter noise, smoke from the exhaust. On the twin-turbo V6, you listen for an abnormal whistle from the turbos and look for bluish smoke when the throttle is reapplied.

Then let the oil temperature come up before asking anything of the car. After that, depending on the gearbox:

• manual (B7): clutch bite point, pedal weight, synchros on a quick downshift from third to second;
• S tronic (B8): jerks at low revs, hesitation when manoeuvring, full-load shifts without a jolt or a dashboard message;
• tiptronic (B9): smoothness of the shifts, downshifts in manual mode, no slipping from the converter.

In corners, a leaking DRC suspension can be felt: the body does not settle properly, one side responds more than the other. Brake hard in a straight line on a clear road and check that the car stays straight, with no vibration through the wheel. Go through the Drive Select modes one by one, and read every warning light and every message, including the ones that disappear on the second start.

A test drive is done with an insured car and plates in order. We have detailed who is insured during a pre-purchase test drive, and what needs to be settled before you take the wheel.

Tyres, wheels, brakes: the wear items to cost out

An RS4 wears out quickly whatever connects it to the road. Before negotiating, these items are costed on the car itself. We do not give amounts here: they depend too much on the generation and the options.

• Tyres: large sizes, so high cost. Read the DOT date on each sidewall. Uneven wear, more pronounced on the inner edge, points to alignment that needs redoing or tired suspension components.
• Wheels: kerbed or buckled on a pothole. A buckled rim can be felt through the steering wheel at a steady speed.
• Discs and pads: a steel set and a carbon-ceramic set are not budgeted the same way, and the gap is counted in multiples.
• Clutch on the B7, S tronic servicing on the B8, if they are not documented.
• Winter wheels: essential in Switzerland on a car of this power, and quickly forgotten in the calculation if they are missing.

These items are estimated before discussing the price, because they then become factual arguments, not an impression. For what falls under cosmetics, we have explained when to refurbish and when to replace in wheels, headlights, plastics: refurbish or replace.

Paperwork: service book, digital history, inspection, warranty

On an RS4, the file is often worth more than the visible condition.

• Service book and invoices: an unbroken chain, at the same workshop or not. A two-year gap on a B8 costs you.
• Audi digital service history: ask the seller to show it, work carried out within the network appears there.
• Inspection: the date of the last cantonal inspection and its report, not just the word "inspected". We have described what the cantonal inspection checks, including the case of an imported or modified car.
• Number of previous keepers: ask the seller and cross-check against the service book, the invoices and the first registration date on the registration document.
• Origin: delivered new in Switzerland or imported. In the second case, ask for the customs clearance documents.
• Warranty: it depends on who signs as the seller, the garage in its own name or the owner. For a car sold on consignment, we have detailed who signs as the seller and what the warranty is worth.

On modifications, a single rule: anything that affects the vehicle's type approval (exhaust, suspension, wheels and tyres outside the original sizes, power output) must be entered on the registration document or covered by an approval document. A non-approved exhaust or set of springs can block the inspection and weigh on resale.

Financing, insuring, protecting

Leasing remains possible on a used RS4, depending on the age and mileage of the vehicle. The criteria belong to the finance company, and no threshold can be promised in advance. You can simulate a monthly payment to get your bearings, without that amounting to approval.

Under a lease, the finance company will in practice require fully comprehensive cover. Even when buying outright, the premium on an RS4 follows its power: ask your insurer for a quote before you sign, not after.

Finally, the front end of a fast car takes stone chips head-on, especially on mountain roads. A protective film preserves the original paint, which counts on the day you sell. We explain how to protect the front end with PPF.

See the vehicles available

We have already sold an RS4, and we know what buyers look at first on this model. You can see the vehicles available right now and the vehicles already sold by the garage to get an idea of what passes through the showroom. Every car we put up for sale goes through a pre-sale inspection that covers the points in this article.

If the RS4 you are looking for is not in stock, describe the generation, the gearbox and the options that matter to you: you can ask us to source an RS4.