Audi A6 vs. MBZ E550

[daepp]

Anyone have any experience with Audi these days? I have a personal friend who manages the local Audi dealership - he can give me $10K off MSRP on a v8 A6. I test drove one and it does seem very tight - good handling, lots of power, very nice interior.

Have been looking at the E Class for some time (he used to be Asst. GM at the MBZ dealer.) It appears to be due for a makeover in 09 - which means Sept of 08 - just a little over a year from now.

Any real world experience with either car? Thank you in advance!

David

[daepp]

No Audi fans out there? E Class haters?

[Tim Hancock]

No experience with the newer Audis, but my A6 2.7T is not DIY friendly at all. IOW, if you buy an Audi, just be sure to unload it prior to the warranty expiring.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
No experience with the newer Audis, but my A6 2.7T is not DIY friendly at all. IOW, if you buy an Audi, just be sure to unload it prior to the warranty expiring.

I have an '01 Audi that's out of warranty and been 100% trouble free. Can't compare it to the new ones though. Personally I don't think there are any/many new cars that are DIY friendly these days and most folks dropping $50k+ on a new car probably won't be under it changing oil

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by dmoolenaar
I have an '01 Audi that's out of warranty and been 100% trouble free. Can't compare it to the new ones though. Personally I don't think there are any/many new cars that are DIY friendly these days and most folks dropping $50k+ on a new car probably won't be under it changing oil

I agree that most folks buying new, will never be getting their hands dirty, but compared to my BMW, the 4 wheel drive, twin turbo charged, auto trans Audi is a bast@rd to work on. I bought the VAG COM diagnostics, so I can work on the car. My biggest b!tch is the fact that the whole front of the car (bumper, radiator, AC condensor, power steering cooler) has to come off to gain access to any items such as timing belt, power steering pump, alternator, AC compressor, water pump etc. The turbo chargers and the power steering rack are not even visible on a lift when the engine is installed

I bought mine with about 100k on the clock for a great low price from a fellow pelican and after fixing some initial squawks (control arm, shocks, leaking trans cooler, bad window clip, cv joint boot, trans oil & filter change, strip/repaint hood and front bumper) it has been trouble free and is a nice car to drive, but I will be in a world of hurt when the turbos take a duke!

[911 in SC]

I owned my Audi for 5 years and had no problems. I did the proper maintenance on it, and was trouble-free.

Tim, while I understand what you're saying about Audis being tough to work on, that doesn't necessarily mean they are 'bad' cars. Think about how tough '00 911 (chosen simply because that's the model of your A6) would be to service and maintain. I've read how tough a 993 can be just to replace spark plugs, and 'simple' tasks like that. That doesn't mean they are bad cars. We all know that. That just means they aren't as 'DIY' as earlier cars. It's a fact we can't deny - they aren't going to get an 'easier' to work on.

I drive a Miata as a daily driver, and have really been thinking of replacing it with something a little larger. I really miss my Audi, and have thought about buying another A4 (1.8T quattro) or an A8.

Later,
Mike

[kaisen]

I've got to defend Tim a little here. Yes, all cars are getting tough to work on. But there is no doubt that 00-04 Audis are/were not the best of the bunch. Just visit any Audi owner's forum and listen to the 'common' maladies that plague them and you'll see for yourself. My 2001.5 Audi A6 2.7T 6 speed had thousands in warranty work despite the best care I could give it. I'd be happy to discuss each and every issue, but Tim is NOT alone (and/or ask Lendaddy who was the PO of Tim's car).

Not that Mercedes have been much better....

[Jims5543]

I have a 2005 A6 with the 3.2 V6 in it on lease.

Take it out on the interstate or better yet, on the interstate in the rain and you'll understand why I love mine so much on road trips. Around town its just o.k.

[911 in SC]

Originally posted by kaisen
I've got to defend Tim a little here. Yes, all cars are getting tough to work on. But there is no doubt that 00-04 Audis are/were not the best of the bunch. Just visit any Audi owner's forum and listen to the 'common' maladies that plague them and you'll see for yourself. My 2001.5 Audi A6 2.7T 6 speed had thousands in warranty work despite the best care I could give it. I'd be happy to discuss each and every issue, but Tim is NOT alone (and/or ask Lendaddy who was the PO of Tim's car).

Not that Mercedes have been much better....

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was picking on Tim. I know he's had his share of 'issues' with his. We've discussed this in other threads.

You're right about the A6 2.7T. They most definitely have had their share of recalls and problems. I'm certainly no expert, but I think the A6 2.7T had more problems than the other models combined. There again, the S4 of the same years (same engine, of course) had their share of blown turbos, etc.

I still think they offer alot of 'bang for the buck' (no pun intended).

[kaisen]

Yep, mine had a turbo issue, power steering pump, then the other turbo, then the clutch (oil from turbo), then the transmission, then control arms....

But the most annoying issues were electrical. Example, the matrix information screen was replaced twice and never went very long without dropping a few pixels or having lines across it. And sunroof, and power windows, and radio, and little lights/backlights intermittently not working.

My fifth (and probably last) Audi. A complex car is a complex car, I guess. But VW/Audi must have cut corners to bang for less buck.

My Mercedes experiences were all pre-1996 so my anecdotes are probably irrelevent. They were complex too, but they were tanks and relatively reliable. I think if you believe the surveys, consumer mags, and forum anecdotes, modern MBs seem no better than Audi.

Get a great deal on a lease, however, and relieve a lot of your worries.

I'd buy the Benz unless you live where it regularly gets slippery. The rock-solid behavior of Quattro in snow is awe-inspiring.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by kaisen
The rock-solid behavior of Quattro in snow is awe-inspiring.

The d@mn things are like tanks in the snow for sure!