hello everyone,

Looking for a midsize four door car on Craigslist and found a 2003 2.7T A6 with auto/quattro and it looks nice from the ad though I've yet to look at it in person. Wasn't necessarily for or opposed to VWs even though my only experience with the brand were with friends 90s Jettas who seemed super prone to electrical gremlins and window regulator failures Mileage is 97k and seller is asking $7700 which seems like a fair price.

Timing belt is fresh according to the seller but I'll want to double check. is it possible to verify this in his driveway without too much trouble? also, I read the FAQs at the top and it seems like the turbos like to take a dump around 100k and that a K04 is a direct replacement for the K03.

I've done stuff like basic maintenance, tranny swap and installed lifts in my Jeep days. would turbo/timing replacement be something I need a mechanic for?

thanks everyone
matt

 

I just purchased a 04 6-speed for 7500 with 105 on the clock. IF TB and water pump are already done then you should be good for now. but according to everything ive seen, these cars are prone to problems. and your turbos shouldnt be going bad anytime soon unless the car has been beaten on its whole life, same goes for the tranny. basically if you can afford foreseeable problems, then i would grab it. its a very fun car and is very comfortable with good power to boot.

 

price sounds high I don't think it will sell fast at that price. These cars can be expensive so buy it as low as you can. I love my '02 though. You might see if you can look at the receipts and see if they did a complete job when doing the belt, tensioner, water pumps, thermostat.... if they just threw on a new belt you may be back in there soon. Check around for oil leaks, cam seals and valve covers are common leak points.

 

I purchased a 01 a6 for 6400. Dealer gave me a stack of papers half an inch thick of all the work he did for it including timing belt and wp. I love the car, hate that it is automatic. I have only owned 1 automatic before (a 93 ford taurus, lol) and this is great compared to it, but I still would much rather have a stick shift. The tip tronic shifting is eh. I dont really bother with it too much. I am impressed with the 2.7t motor though. The k03's arent too bad. Im at 126k and they are holding up pretty well.

I have a lot of gremlins with the interior. I dont know why but certain parts are beat to ****. Aside from that, it runs smooth!

 

Regardless of brand, it's an 8 year old car with ~100k miles. Have it checked out by someone who knows Audis and negotiate down whatever you find. You yourself need to test every accessory and button - radio, windows, heated seats, heat, cold, headlight washers, etc. There are a lot of extras on these cars that can fail. Test drive it for at least 50 miles to give CELs a chance to pop. Turbos can indeed be pricey to fix, but if the car has been maintained and not abused there is no reason they cannot last a long time. I'm at 216k with oem turbos and other than minor leaking, they are fine. And that's with a chip at 80k.

 

I second the notion that around 7700 is a little on the high side for a 03 2.7T. I would try to knock a grand off of that figure.

I have a 2003 A6 2.7T with about 127,000 miles on it and it runs strong, but there have been a few of the "normal" issues popping up that have already been mentioned. I did my timing belt, water pump, tensioner, thermostat last year. I'm doing my valve covers right now, and I have a leak on the rear output shaft seal as well as a slow leak from the rear differential from the output seals.

Things I would check:

- To verify if the timing belt was done (If no documentation is provided) I would look at the allen bolts securing the timing covers. They have paint over them from the factory. If they paint is missing / looks like it's been chipped away, chances are the timing belt has been changed. There's not a whole lot you can see to verify the TB has been done.

- Check to see if the valve covers need to be changed. Look around the edges of the valve covers (especially towards the bottom of both driver's side and passenger's side) to see if oil is seeping out. This will be rather obvious as there will be dirt and grime all over the place. After running the cur for a few minutes you will also be able to smell burning oil on more severe leaks. If the current owner lets you, quickly pull out a few random coil packs and see if there is oil on them. If there is, this is most likely caused by a failing inner valve cover gasket.

- Test heat and AC. I have heard of a few unlucky people who have had heater cores crack around 100k. They're a real pain to fix.

- Check for gear oil on the driver's side cat. This will indicate a leaking rear output shaft seal on your transmission. (Like my car has)

This list should be a good start. I'm sure other members will add their check lists / must haves as time goes on. The 2.7T is a very fun car to drive. If this car is in good shape and you can talk him down to around 6500 or 7000, it'll be worth while.

Good luck!