The folks that have been following Avantturous know that I have a soft spot for the Audi’s B5 platform – the combination of the perfect size and simple (yet effective) design are the two things that drew my interest to these Avants. While the B5 RS4 may be the dream for many, the headache of getting them to our shore and federalized hinder a lot of folks from pursuing this dream. As a result, many seek for the next best thing that’s readily available stateside: B5 S4 Avant!
While the S4 doesn’t have the wider flares of the RS4, it shares the same basic powerplant as the RS4 (though S4 has smaller turbos and only rated at 250HP). Upgrading to Stage III is always an option for the brave souls that seek for more power! Since the goal for Em’s B5 S4 Avant was to turn his wagon into a reliable daily driver, upgrading to a Stage 2+ was deemed enough. The weak link tiptronic transmission was leveled up to a buffed up level 10 tiptronic transmission in order to handle this newly found power. Braking power was also upgraded and those Porsche calipers definitely mean business! After lowering, 17” BBS CH and sticky Yokohama ADVAN Apex V601 tires were hand-picked to complete the exterior department.
As the B5 platform reaches over 20 years old, finding clean ones out there is becoming quite the challenge. I am glad that we have dedicated folks like Em, who really takes great care of his. Prior to the photoshoot, Em meticulously spent two weeks detailing and tidying up the parts that need caring. Talk about being committed…!
Introduce Yourself:
HI, my names is Em, I’m from southern California, USA. but originally from Oxon Hills, Maryland. I have been in the medical field since i was 21 years old first as a medical coder, now a nurse for over 17 years specializing in patient care chronic hemodialysis. I have always been a car enthusiast, enjoy motoring and just talking about cars in general. I have always loved wagons as a child and that has never changed.
WHY A WAGON?
Why a wagon , very simple i grew up with a my uncle Ed who was a local mechanic in our small town in Maryland, Ed had a 88-89 Toyota corolla wagon, it was silver it was rusty but it was “reliable”, that wagon was a work horse we drove it down to Florida and as far up as Boston one time. Although it was front wheel drive and struggled through our winters it never let us down, it is one of my fondest memories growing up.
Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?
Yes, it was almost going to be a 2000 A4 Avant, my brother and I drove down to San Diego, we thought we had a deal with the owner, we had a meeting place and time and the owner never showed up, i texted and called no answer. I never did hear back from that guy every again so I don’t know if he changed his mind, or sold it to someone else, but it’s just faith and that was not the car for us.
What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?
The B5 S4 Avant was supposed to be my DAD Wagon, I did not want to drive a SUV or van, and always loved wagons and now it was my time to get what I’ve always wanted and that was to get my own “fast wagon”, but i figured if you’re going to do it might as well do it right. So, my brother and I looked long and hard for a good example, until we found this car through a family friend/relative who son got the car as a project, but it was too much for him as it needed a lot of work. So, we decided to make it our project and so it began. Yes, the plans soon changed as this Avant needed a lot of love, and I had to get another more “RELIABLE” wagon for daily use.
What style would you say best describes your car?
Style, I am from the JDM era of the late 90’s. But I was never the show neon lights body kit guy, I wanted to go fast, made sure the car handled well, most importantly stopped. These have always been my main objective before any build I have done. Always Function over Form. So this Avant is more on making the car perform better and mostly maintenance lots and lots of maintenance, that is why my brother took over the project from me, as I needed a more reliable “wagon” as my baby was about to be born the search for a more reliable wagon came but will leave that for another story time. But through this build our objective was to rebuild the S4 Avant back to its glory days with just tad of suttle touches that will make the car perform great or even better. I never planned a stage 3 monster, but to have great daily driver and usable wagon.
Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?
My brother and I, it was all our idea, but he is more mechanical then I will ever be and i would say more brave so he tackled a lot of things with the S4 as much as he could , worked on it as much as he can , sometimes I wish I could have been their more while he did a lot of things on this car, but working long hours really prevented that, but i knew the S4 was in good hands. Parts wise I searched long and hard for countless oem items some I got from Europe and Japan, I was very surprised that these cars lack a lot oem parts here in the states even though their only 20 years old. Aftermarket was easy 034 Motorsport, Rotor Lab, and ECS tuning still has a lot of love for the B5’s.
What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?
It is a B5 S4 Avant! that alone puts this wagon at the top of all time “go fast Avant’s” of its time. Its legendary the idea of building a wagon with a twin turbo v6 was crazy, but AUDI did it and I wish they still would bring more of their wagons here in the states. This old wagon still gets recognized today surprises me and the attention it attracts is unlike any other car i have ever owned. It just brings a smile to my face every time i drive it. I love that it can haul all my gear and still outperform many new cars on the road today.
What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?
At first we did not know much of the history of the car until we found some records from previous owners and past history of the Avant, it was actually purchased from Audi dealership in Rhode Island, and as an east coast car i feared rust was an issue but it must have been garage kept as there is no sign of rust anywhere, this particular car has a Level 10 Bullet Proof Transmission, from New Jersey, These Tip B5 where very problematic, and it appears this at least had a fully build transmission, and does not drive like the typical tip B5, which makes the overall driving experience much more satisfying. It’s what I enjoy the most because it stops all the “BS” talk when they find out it not an ordinary automatic.
If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?
It’s a 50/50 on this one, the one thing I’m still thinking of changing but also don’t want too., Is the Tip I have a full manual swap ready to go, but having the Level 10 transmission, I’m still on the fence about it. Why change something that is working well.
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?
The biggest obstacle has hopefully passed and resolved, when we first got the car the front axles almost fell off , another 10 min it may have been different story driving her home, it was leaking oil, coolant , power steering fluid, haldex fluid, man you name it but somehow we did get her home that in itself was an adventure. We went front to back with this vehicle replacing, changing everything we can, within 1 year it broke down several times as we kept fixing and adding parts as we went, but we never stopped, and it was fun getting her back to life. My brother was now in charge of the build has i needed a more dependable “wagon” so we pushed on as far as we can take the build.
What one word best describes your car?
One Word “FAMILY” I know that’s a cliché thing to say, its purpose was for my new baby and it brought my brother and I closer, and my wife was at first reluctant and hesitant of this purchase but she quickly realized how this meant so much more to me so much more to us.
What is your final goal with this car?
Final Goal is to keep her running, keep her going , keep the Avant in the family, to give to my daughter someday , to have her first drive with this car, we never really own these cars we just have are time with them, hopefully this one can run for as long as it can even after I’m gone. I want it to last forever I want it to be always part of my family in some way or form.
