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leased 2
I owned a 2001 S4, back in 2003, and then leased a 2006 S4 in the fall of 2005. We loved those cars. For 2 years, my wife and I were both driving S4s. They were our first introduction to the luxury car segment. At that time, unlike now, I could drive around Indy all week and maybe see one other S car. They had some nice novelty factor. Now, I see more of those than M3s and probably the same as 335s. As an aside, unlike the 335i xdrive, they felt built from the ground up around being AWD. I was pretty sure I couldn't like a car more. I was paying $905 per month lease for that 06 back then on a $55g car. The residual and the money factors were awful and there was no "dealing" on the sticker.
When the 06 went off of lease we test drove a 335 to replace it. It was a cold reception at first, but the BMW was around the same price tag, so it was worth a look. The car felt like it had less torque due to no V8, but felt lighter and actually faster. After a lengthy test drive the whole BMW picture started to become clear. Every dial, knob, button, latch was near perfect. Everything felt deliberate and solid. The driving experience took hold and, unlike the S4, everything was smoother. The S4s just could not match the caliber of build, fit, finish, performance. Started the drive being BMW haters and finished huge fans.
Take that back to the dealership and for a car that cost $56,500 was $799/mo - three years after my lease of the S4. The choice was simple.
The sticker on the S4 might compare or be less, but the cost is not. Awesome cars, but they are not BMWs.
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