Hi to all, I'm new here. Considering purchasing a Quattro Audi to use as my daily driver. A little about what I am after before the questions;

I live in the mountains above Denver, CO, commuting to Denver daily, about 150 miles round trip. A car that performs 100% in winter driving conditions is tops on the list for this decision. Reliability and driving pleasure are also on the list. I have a beat down Subaru that I'm currently commuting with. It has never let me down in any driving conditions or left me stranded. I just do not care for driving it, and as it approaches 300k miles it is time to retire it from commuter duty. I will keep it as a back up.

Having owned a few MB's and Land Rover's, I'm no stranger to euro cars. I understand the need for increased attention to maintenance, but I cannot financially tolerate a car that is constantly requiring expensive repairs. I do most of my own work though I may choose to have somebody else work on my car if my work/family schedule does not allow me to make the repairs. I feel I'm a fairly competent backyard mechanic having performed engine swaps, clutch, timing belts, etc on modern cars.

I'm currently looking at A6's and A8's in the sub $10k range. Most of the A8's within my budget have been trashed so I'm concentrating on A6's. A4's are out as I need a backseat wide enough for three car seats.

The car currently at the top of my list is a 1999 A6. It is a 2.8, auto, Quattro. Has just under 90k miles on it. It is in amazing condition for a car this age. Everything works other then a few dead pixels in the center dash display. One local owner with complete service records from a local Audi dealer.

My questions; Is this a car I could rely on to commute with for a few years, hopefully putting 200k more miles on it? If I purchase, any immediate areas I should address before I throw it into commuter duty? One thing I thought was concerning in the maintenance records; the timing belt, etc was replaced at 38k miles. I'm thinking it broke? It has not been replaced since. Other maintenance includes complete and proper oil change records, two transmission services, spark plugs and a handful of sensors. Any inherent issues I should be aware of in this model and year of car?

If you guys do not think this is a good car for my intended purpose, any recommendations and advice would be appreciated. I could always buy another Subaru, but I prefer to drive a euro car.

 

Hi Yat

Let me summarize my recent purchase of a A6 Avant 2.8L C5

- Ours was a write off from an accident here in Canada
- Minor read bumper and hatch damage
- Car was imported from the USA about 2 years ago
- 120k Miles
- Purchased for $3K CDN
- Spent 3K on various repairs, no regrets btw.
- Replaced all valve cover gaskets, cam gaskets etc
- timing was done at 117K
- New brake flex hoses for front
- Tranny Flush
- Two oil changes
- The model, like mine, you are looking at has very common gasket failures on the engine.

Take a look here for how to identify and replace

Audi Valve Cover Gasket Kit - Audi Cam Tensioner Gasket Replacement - Blauparts
Audi A6 Oil Leak - Audi A6 Oil Leaks - Audi A6 Oil Burning Smell

Really to sum it up, How much is the A6 and are you ready to drop up to 2-3k in repairs?

What transmission servicing did it have? Just fluids or something else?

That is part of the catch with used cars of any nature. Be mindfull of the car history, get a Vagcom scanner and see if there are any codes that come up AFTER you drive it for an hour or two.

If you can do most of the repairs yourself, like me, you will save money and keep your repair costs down.

Anyways, I bought the Audi for my wife and we both love it, no regrets at all. But that is also because I bought it for cheap

Hope this helps