And this is why you don’t trade a perfectly reliable, recent model-year Japanese car, for a 15 year old high-strung German sedan. My brother, the genius that he is, swapped his ND2 Mazda Miata for a B7 Audi RS4. The latter of which is currently in the repair shop, because the high-pressure fuel pump failed, and there’s leaks in the engine oil cooling circuit. If you think that during this time my brother is without transportation to work, you would be correct. Counting on a German car made in 2008 for daily-driving duties is kind of taunting the gods.
I completely understand the want for a naturally-aspirated German machine that revs to the heavens. Once upon a time, I too traded in a Mazda Miata (ND1) for a 991.1 Porsche 911 GT3. Like brother, like brother. The big difference in my case is: I didn’t need the 911 to commute. The GT3 also had a certified preowned warranty, so anything that can go wrong is fixed for free at the dealership. (The circulation fan of the HVAC system failed during my ownership of the car.)
Again, if you need something dependable for commuting, an old, out-of-warranty German car is not it!
A lot of the issues with my brother’s RS4 is caused by the car having largely sat for a whole year by the previous owner. High performance cars (of any nationality) are meant to be driven. Hard. Getting the mechanical bits up to proper temperature, and the various fluids circulating freely throughout, is really good for longevity. Sort of like exercising for humans. The only downside is the fuel bill. I (still) don’t commute with my current BMW M2, but you can bet it gets driven spiritedly on the weekends.
One million dollars.