recently i have become enamored with a 2006 a6 avant. love the cambridge green exterior color and the light colored ash inlay is just stunning with beige leather. 73K so it is way past the oem warranty. consumer reports says 2005-2007 are above average reliability, but.....

i have read loads about the older audis and most folks say shy away from them due to electrical and mechanical problems. but i already own a 98 vw passat wagon with 230K owned since new. can it really be any worse? i have the scheduled maintenance done and pay attention to the vehicle so i catch little problems before they become big problems.

am i staring at a gorgeous high maintenance woman?

 

Hiya

My wife and I are two days away from buying a 2001 A6 2.8L Wagon. I too wondered if it is going to be a high maintenance woman too.

Here are the facts that look at.

1) Mileage, lots or little?
2) Services History - was work done at the specific intervals?
3) Condition, that can speak for itself
4) How much did you pay for it? That is a big factor

The wagon we are going to get has a rebuild status. The ONLY thing that was damaged was the lower right hand corner of the bumper (saw accident photos) 200000 KM (127000 Miles) Our provincial regulated insurance cleared the wagon with flying colours.

We are paying $3000 CDN for this wagon, which is WAY under its actual worth. So if we have to drop 2k into the vehicle before the end of the year, we are still ahead of the curve.

Yes a car can be a money pit, but even if you spend 2-3K a year on a vehicle that has a higher resale vale you than what you spend, it is still cheaper than leasing or financing something.

My wife and I are the cash sort of folks. We pay for everything with cash, no credit.

I have a 20 year Mazda MX6 that I go from my grandmother four years ago. That year I put 3K into it. New suspension, headlights, timing belt, CV Boots, HO alternator etc. The car runs/drives like a dream and has never had a serious issue. And it looks like a showroom car. If you look at my car on the forums, being an automatic, it gets blasted for having the most unreliable automatic box. I have had zero problems, and if it goes, I pay 1K to swap to a mtx.

Going back to the audi. If we, god for bid, for a repair estimate that exceeded the value of the vehicle, then we get ride of it. If it one year, tranny goes, and we do a rebuild @ $2K, next year timing belt, fuel pump and a top end rebuild is required. Still worth keeping in my books.

If your adept at mechanical work yourself, you will save money. If you are smart with your money and do the regular maintenance you can have a great car. I know there are exceptions to this rule and there are true lemons.

Hope this helps