Thoughts on this Audi A6?

[Doug&Julie]

Totally not familiar with Audis...we're looking at another Subie but think this would be a nice addition (replacing Julie's Civic).

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=193388324&dealer_id=89096&car_year=1999&bkms=1134745737575&model=&lang=en&isp=y&start_year=1981&certified=&search_type=both&distance=50&make=AUDI&min_price=3500&sort_type=priceASC&address=45069&advanced=&end_year=2006&max_price=10500&cardist=24

Anybody have any thoughts on this on or on A6s in general? Should I worry about 100k miles?

Thanks!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Looks very nice, '99 should have the 30 valve V6, versus the old 12 valve. I think it's 200 Hp or so vs 170. Very nice cars, excellent build quality. The V6 is pretty well bulletproof, it's the 2.7T that sometimes has problems. Most of the problems that I have seen are electrical, various things that quit working. 100k shouldn't be a problem from a driveline perspective, they do have ball joints that wear out and require replacing the control arms, so that's something to check on. I'm not sure if the A6 had a recall on them or not. Overall I think they're pretty reliable cars, the build quality is just unreal. I had a '99 A4, and it was flawless, for what that's worth.

Browse www.audizine.com, www.audiworld.com, and www.fourtitude.com for more info on them, there's probably some A6 buying guides.

[kaisen]

Onewhipped has covered it. Ask LenDaddy about his wife's 2000 2.7T, he was asking $10000 which is a GREAT deal for that car.

E

[RallyJon]

On chronic problem with the 2.8 30V is that cam seals can leak, requiring a timing belt change and lots of labor.

[einreb]

You prepared to pay to maintain it? I just hear over and over with these cars that they are great to own while under warranty.

Whats da matter with the Civic? Add up the depreciation hits you've taken over time and then reevaluate...

We just picked up a 26k mile '02 LL Bean H6 Outback with an extended warranty... 55% of its original cost.

[RallyJon]

Well, the same advice for all older Audis:

1) Go to Audiworld and read the archives. Don't bother posting--they're all idiots there now. But pretty much anything that can go wrong with these cars has been discussed there.

2) Take the car to an independent shop that knows Audis specifically. This is SO critical. The dealers are worthless for a PPI.

3) Use the info you learned to beat them down to about $8k. Put the other $2k in the bank for when (not if) something breaks.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally posted by kaisen
Onewhipped has covered it. Ask LenDaddy about his wife's 2000 2.7T, he was asking $10000 which is a GREAT deal for that car.

E

$10,000!? Damn, that's a deal for a 2.7T. If it's had the turbos done, go after that! Julie will wonder why you always want to drive her car though, they're pretty potent.

Totally agree with Jon though, they're just like any other German car, when they're good they're great, when they're bad they're awful.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Do you have a link to that kaisen? I'm curious.

[kaisen]

Originally posted by onewhippedpuppy
Do you have a link to that kaisen? I'm curious.

Down to two wife-mobiles, help us decide today.

See lendaddy's post. A couple weeks he posted too.

E

[onewhippedpuppy]

I thought maybe he had posted a for sale thread that I missed.

[Doug&Julie]

Originally posted by einreb
You prepared to pay to maintain it? I just hear over and over with these cars that they are great to own while under warranty.

That's what I've heard, too. Audis are dependable more than reliable.

Originally posted by einreb Whats da matter with the Civic? Add up the depreciation hits you've taken over time and then reevaluate...

We just picked up a 26k mile '02 LL Bean H6 Outback with an extended warranty... 55% of its original cost.

Julie has been kicking herself ever since she sold her Forester. So we're changing car plans...again. I don't want her driving a used car, since she has to travel to school in the evenings while working full time. So she's going to drive "my" '05 Legacy with AWD and all of it's goodies. I'm looking for an under $10k car to serve as my daily driver. AWD is a must. A wagon or hauler would be ideal. The cheaper, the better, as long as it's reliable. The less I spend on this car, the more I can spend on the 911. (...haven't we all said that at some point?)

We almost bought a 2000 Forester last weekend, but the f_cktards at the dealership we hit gave us some BS line about financing cars with over 100k miles on them and how that's not easy. They wanted to charge us 13.9%!!!

We've got a couple of Subies lined up to look at this weekend, but I like the idea of a nice luxury car if possible. Looks like I have something to think about....

Thanks all!

[lendaddy]

If you are interested in the Audi just let me know. I can send you the info.

[einreb]

Originally posted by Doug&Julie
f_cktards

I love that word. Its one of my favorites.

Getting away from AWD will open up options. Do you really need it? They dont stop any quicker. A secend set of steelies and snow tires make most FWD cars great in the snow.


I've got a beater CRX now that I love.

[Doug&Julie]

Originally posted by einreb
Getting away from AWD will open up options. Do you really need it?

I'm too lazy...I gotta have AWD.

Besides, I'm not sure how much I want to open up my options...I have a hard enough time making decisions!

[gatotom]

at the price, its a good buy, the cam leak problem would have been fixed at that milage. The 2.8 motor is very silky smooth, my wife drives a 98 A4 2.8 and she loves it, it has 125k on it now.

My daily driver is a 2000 A4 1.8T with 57k on it.

Audi's before 2000 have some problems, timing belts for one, change at 75k to be on the safe side, otherwise it could toast the motor when it breaks $$$$. Front control arms where a problem but they where recalled. The best glitch is the abs controller, when it goes out your brakes still work but the abs system goes out. The dealer tells you the whole unit needs replacing and at 1200 bucks plus labor, ouch. There are a couple businesses that have new life due to the abs, they fix the bad solder job from bosch and charge you 250 bucks with a guarentee, problem solved. Audi will not recall the abs cuz its not a safety issue, brakes still work even thou a light stays on telling you the abs is not working.

At 100k this audi may have or may not have the abs system fixed, ask.

Hope this helps, enjoy, audi's can be real good or a pos, used ones tend to test your car picking abilities.