Audi A6 - anyone have one?

[Icemaster]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

Definite yes x 2. Used car resale is terrible so it's a buyers market - especially for a 4dr sedan. Go private party lower mile car and stick to your price.

Best advice so far....

Go lower on the miles and get the remainder of the factory bumper to bumper, then let the CPO kick in. We took this approach, the car just went out of factory and is now in CPO warranty. THey way she drives, it's a safe bet it'll be under warranty for the duration of the time we own it. Interesting thing about last winter, it handled better than my Outback wagon in the snow, it would go through damn near anything.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by Icemaster

Best advice so far....

Go lower on the miles and get the remainder of the factory bumper to bumper, then let the CPO kick in. We took this approach, the car just went out of factory and is now in CPO warranty. THey way she drives, it's a safe bet it'll be under warranty for the duration of the time we own it. Interesting thing about last winter, it handled better than my Outback wagon in the snow, it would go through damn near anything.

Amazing in the snow, hands down winner, of course I can raise the suspension level from a switch on the dashboard.

[peritus]

Originally Posted by Icemaster

Best advice so far....

Go lower on the miles and get the remainder of the factory bumper to bumper, then let the CPO kick in

What is the difference between the bumper to bumper and Certified Pre-Owned warranty?

[Wickd89]

I am an Audi fan, and I am on my second A6.

Since I know Audi (and VWs) pretty well, I also recommend getting one with a warranty just for peace of mind. I did find some CPO cars, but ended up picking the best car I could find regardless of the warranty.
I ended up finding one in Santa Barbara, at a small dealership who had received it and it was in great shape.

I went to the Audi dealership near my office in Orange County and found out what warranties they support. I ended up buying a 3yr-36K warranty from a third party but that the dealership was very familiar with. Cost me ~2,,500 but still the best deal even adding the separate cost.

In the end, I have had no issues. One tiny leak to a propeller shaft and one noisy front bearing.

The 2.7T is a great engine. So much fun to drive. Love it when the thrust kicks in and the car feels so light and nimble. I got it with BBS rims and I added a RS6 rear spoiler, tinted windows, s-line badge, ipod adapter, and I am done.

I did drive a couple of 2.7T Allroads. Although very nice, they were rather slow and did not have the thrill that the sedan has ( I guess the extra 400 pounds make a difference). Also one Allroad I saw had a leak in the air suspension and I think it would have cost over $4,500 to fix (crazy).

Good deal on some BMW 535 (new body style) these days, but still quite a bit more than the 2.7T.

Stay away from 1999 or 2000 models. Tons of issues, but up in 2001.

Keep us posted; with pics as well........

[peritus]

Originally Posted by Wickd89

Keep us posted; with pics as well........

oops, sorry. couldn't help myself. All this talk about Audis was making Ruby jealous. She's been feeling under-appreciated of late.

[slow&rusty]

I have tried to like Audis and I just cannot....I have seen too many friends that had their Audis nickel and dime them.

Case 1: I just helped a friend of mine pull the 32V heads off his A8 after the timing belt broke and he bent pretty much ALL the valves. This is his wifes car, and as she likes it so much he is inclined to fix it and keep it. It was plain agony to do this, the entire front end of the car has to be removed!

Case 2: Another friend of mine sold his ultra reliable '82 Datsun 280ZX Turbo to buy a '05 A4 Wagon and it has electric gremlins as Jim C mentioned, now he regret's selling the ZX.

Case 3: A friend of mine brings her TT over to take a look at something weird, this car has only 25K on it! Well the "weird" thing was that seat warmer switches on the dash is so stupidly designed that as you end up pushing it on and off, over time the switch sinks into the dash - talk about a stupid design, there is no support behind the switch! I fix it for her but it takes literally hours and I made an aluminum backing plate to prevent this from occuring again.

As you are in Toronto, which has simply awful winters and expensive fuel costs....my choice if you want reliability, power and 4WD:



Yasin

[Wickd89]

Ruby's a babe!

OK, I'll bite. Here is one of the Wickd one.......

Originally Posted by peritus

oops, sorry. couldn't help myself. All this talk about Audis was making Ruby jealous. She's been feeling under-appreciated of late.

[Wickd89]

Yasin,
I agree, I have always heard " I have a friend who has had terrible trouble with his/her Audi" but I actually have never "met any of these people."

These are not Fiats, or Skodas or French built coaches.

How about the 2003 Mercedes E class. I think tons got recalled under the Lemon law - no greater issue than this, and no one says anything.

I have also heard that it is possible that, and only rumorred but not a reflection of the great company that it is (verbage used to avoid issues and please note this is my personal opinion of things I have heard and not a documented issue - is that safe enough to avoid the wrath of Motor Works)BMW has had issues with their 335i and the ONLY way they would fix things was to REQUIRE owners have to sign forms that that they won't talk or post anything. (ask around at car shows).
I would not be surprised if this is how a few of my friends got their "battery draining issues fixed on their new Bimmers over the last 5-10 years.....

If you want complete reliability, "yous gottas ta go japaneeeese."

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

I have tried to like Audis and I just cannot....I have seen too many friends that had their Audis nickel and dime them.

Case 1: I just helped a friend of mine pull the 32V heads off his A8 after the timing belt broke and he bent pretty much ALL the valves. This is his wifes car, and as she likes it so much he is inclined to fix it and keep it. It was plain agony to do this, the entire front end of the car has to be removed!

Case 2: Another friend of mine sold his ultra reliable '82 Datsun 280ZX Turbo to buy a '05 A4 Wagon and it has electric gremlins as Jim C mentioned, now he regret's selling the ZX.

Case 3: A friend of mine brings her TT over to take a look at something weird, this car has only 25K on it! Well the "weird" thing was that seat warmer switches on the dash is so stupidly designed that as you end up pushing it on and off, over time the switch sinks into the dash - talk about a stupid design, there is no support behind the switch! I fix it for her but it takes literally hours and I made an aluminum backing plate to prevent this from occuring again.



Yasin

[JavaBrewer]

Karma baby. I just posted about a trouble free run and this morning my wife comes home with the TT and I notice the 3 brake lights are on. Go through the whole arm/disarm alarm, lock, un-lock, start, drive around the block, stop, lock dance. No dice, the brake lights are glowing. No time this weekend to address the issue so I'll make the appointment and temporarily disconnect the ground battery cable. Doh!

[peritus]

Well folks, I spent my day in Ruby driving around and testing A6's. The ones that are in my price range (high teens, low 20s) are a bit rough around the edges. I drove an A6 Sport Edition and it was very nice to drive, but the interior was falling apart in some places.

Then, I found a Jag. Man, do those ever depreciate fast... I drove an X-Type 3.0L AWD and loved it. It's 5 grand less than the A6 with higher mileage. As much as I want a sporty German car, I'll definitely get way more bang for my buck...

I'll keep you posted!

from bad to worse

[Icemaster]

Step away from the edge there cowboy....

[Jims5543]

Do the words, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" mean anything to you?

Jaguar makes Audi look like a Honda reliability wise. Turn and run!!

[Wickd89]

If you are willing to look for a car at a distance, there are tons of A6s in the SF Bay area. Go to craigslist and try the bay area.

[Cornpanzer]

I have a 2000 A6 4.2 Sport. It is both the best and the worst car that I have owned.

Best - This car is an incredible touring car. More comfortable than anything I have ever driven on long drives. Gobs of power and still quite economical. I averaged 75mph on my last trip to Fla and got 24 mpg. It is built like a tank - my wife has several times commented on how much more safe she feels than in other cars we have owned. Plus, the Quattro system makes the car incredibly sure footed, even in snow with wide performance tires.
Interior materials are unmatched.

Worst - I bought the car used with a CPO. Before I bought it, the transmission and radiator had been replaced. After I bought it, the automatic steering column adjusting system had to be replaced. It turned on a fault code for an "out of time" fault resulting in a three week stay at the dealer where the had the engine out and the heads off. Never did get a straight answer on that one. Most of my heartburn came from crummy dealer service.

Last week another fault came up and it appears that I have a burnt valve. this repair is being addressed by an independant since it is out of warranty (76,000 miles). I am hoping that we find a socket in the exhaust port from when the dealer worked on it! While we are in there, we are addressing some coolant hoses, the cam belt and any other major service items, so I am likely looking at $3000.00.

That being said, if I can get another couple years out of it, I will be fine. In the back of my mind is the transmission because when that goes, it is basically game over. Also, the A6 has a silly number of joints in the front suspension which can get rather salty to replace.

The Audi is a great driving car. I tell my friends who ask about it that the smart man buys a Lexus, but a car guy buys the Audi and plans for the expenses! My friends at the independant repair shops in the area all tell me to buy a 5 series BMW next time. (the old body style). Not as roomy and teh interior is not as nice, but they are cheaper to buy parts for.

[Wickd89]

Originally Posted by Cornpanzer

I have a 2000 A6 4.2 Sport. It is both the best and the worst car that I have owned.

Worst - I bought the car used with a CPO. Before I bought it, the transmission and radiator had been replaced. After I bought it, the automatic steering column adjusting system had to be replaced. It turned on a fault code for an "out of time" fault resulting in a three week stay at the dealer where the had the engine out and the heads off. Never did get a straight answer on that one. Most of my heartburn came from crummy dealer service.

Tough one. The fact that the transmission was replaced was a major hint "prior to your purchase."
Before waiting for a clean 2.7t, I almost (and way to close to buying) a 2004 A6 3.0 with a CVT. It had 60K miles left on the extended factory warranty and was a great color combination. Then, all of a sudden I remembered hearing that CVTs might (and more likely than not) have issues, and it turned out I was right.
The girl said she was selling it for a smaller Audi, but admitted that the transmission was brand new. -FLAG. FLAG. FLAG....
So glad I did not get the car.

Its just like marriage. If you find out the history, you only have yourself to blame, even if she makes a fantastic omlette..

[Cornpanzer]

I know what you are saying, but lets look at it from the other perspective. The early cars had known transmission issues which supposedly were later addressed. The fact that this one had been replaced was a bonus in my eyes. If it hadnt been replaced, then I would REALLY be worried.

Same with a large # of Honda's and Acuras a few years back. They ALL had transmission woes. The dealers wouldnt even question it - just fix it.

That being said, its is irrelevent to topic if I made a bad decision. The poster is asking for our experiences and that is mine. Let me be clear that I still love the car. I am in no hurry to sell it, but I would be remiss if I recommended it without sharing the downsides. Most people dont appreciate the driving enjoyment to the same extent that I do and would not consider the Audi a good value.

[peritus]

Originally Posted by Jim Cesiro

Do the words, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" mean anything to you?

Jaguar makes Audi look like a Honda reliability wise. Turn and run!!

But they're all Fords now!! I grew up with my dad restoring E-Types and XJ6s and XJ 12s. Now those were pieces of 5hit!

Do late model Jags still have reliability issues ??

[Cornpanzer]

I have found the owners surveys at www.edmunds.com to be educational and occasionally eye opening. The site is difficult to navigate, but worthwhile info there.

[peritus]

Since the 911 in my garage gives me the driving fix at the track and on weekends, I really just want a nice, comfortable, reliable and PRACTICAL AWD car. Sporty isn't the foremost concern. Cost, reliability and comfort is...