Did I mess up buying a 270K mike driven 2001 Audi S4 from my brother n law?

I don't think it's that big of a deal, but it depends wholly on the condition of the car and what's already been done/what's already failed.

Like for example: is it still running on original turbochargers? Because at that mileage range, it'd be pretty miraculous...but extremely expensive to replace when they inevitably go. If it's already had a new set of turbos installed, that's fine. They'll probably outlast the rest of the car if you treat them right.

How thoroughly did you check for oil leaks and do you know anything about the condition of the piston rings and compression, etc? There's a lot to go wrong with that motor. But there's a lot to go right too...if it's in good shape. Though 270k miles is a pretty huge number tbh.

I think the whole stigma around those S4s is kinda overblown in some respects. A lot of elements aren't really any worse than your typical German sports sedan. They really are an absolute nightmare to work on in many respects though, because anything in the engine bay is absurdly cramped and difficult to access. And the engine itself has a bunch of weird unnecessary overcomplications to it's design that can get very expensive if you want everything to be "perfect".

I think the biggest thing, is that you have to ask yourself honestly, how good are you at diagnosing problems? How willing are you to occasionally do that when stuff isn't functioning correctly? It's not a Toyota Camry. It's not a car for people who aren't comfortable popping the hood and investigating/troubleshooting for themselves, and comfortable turning a wrench.

/r/cars Thread