Noob here, looking at a 2002 A6 3.0 Quattro. It has about 64,000 miles. Unfortunatley, it's not coming from an Audi dealer, but a Chevy dealer. It looks very clean, newer tires.

Any advice? I know little about these cars, except that I like them, and Quattro is a great thing.

What should I look for? Common issues? What about fuel mileage, and chiefly, fuel requirement? Will they run on regular, or is premium an absolute must?

Any help is great!

 

Color is a huge factor, make sure it is shiny! if not, dont buy. Ya they have some issues. Fuel mileage is better is best if you pour beer in the gas tank first. they require, correct me if im wrong, 3 beers per tank. No they run best on premium draft beer. Blinker fluid is expensive, muffler bearings tend to wear out frequently.. and if you cant bring yourself to search for your own answers, your audi repair bill will be huge. i'd buy it..

 

Thanks for so little. Must be nice to have the time to waste on such a useless reply.

 

I would not if I were you LP6000. If you are not a DIYer with a focus in German cars, that purchase could bite you right in the ***. I believe the A6 to be, overall, a reliable car if maintained properly. Certain years are better than others of course. The 2002 model's 3.0 engine is listed as having moderate engine issues. If the A6 you are looking at was well maintained you still have to look at higher cost of miantenance and yes, you should feed it ethanol free premium fuel.

If it was not maintained properly you could be looking at something that will nail your pocket, hard. My 2004 A6 had a warrently and complete service history. If it didn't, I would not have bought it...and 2004 is the most reliable year of C5 A6. 2002 is spotty in terms of reliability from what I have seen.

 

Some tools and a lil DIY experience are required to get the most value out of your Audi. Premium gas is a must 91-93 octane, if you want more bang for the gasoline buck look into an A4 or jetta/passat

 

...or if you want similar performance with a little more reliability you could look at a used subaru Legacy GT....should be able to get one for around the same price. Its not an Audi but performance wise its not bad.

 

i hear ALOT about tranny problems with a tiptronic, but that's just what i read on these forums. the A6 is advertised @ 24MPG (i believe.. too lazy to check my facts right now) highway. i average 19MPG and i drive spirited quite often. if i set the cruise @ 65MPH on a level ground, i'll get around 35MPG according to the info center.

don't be too put off by smart *** answers. every forum has a few. they, understandably, get irritated answering the same type of question over and over. i can understand the "if you want an honest answer about a car, ask someone who owns one" mentality, but to be fair, most of the questions you've asked can be answered with a simple Google search or a search of these forums.

 

Auditech79 does not like the 3.0 but many others do.

Ditto on the top gun reply - ansewring the same question over and over gets irritating after awhile... Did you do a search on 2002 or 3.0 problems to get an idea about the problems others are having?

ditto on DIY -- Older Audi's can push you into the poor house if you have the dealer do all the work and even a simple oil change at Juffy Lube can turn into a nightmare if your not careful

 

Read alot of the threads before you drive it. If you drive it your screwed and doomed with the rest of us. She will suck you right in.

It will need $2000 in maintenance parts alone within the next 40K. You will need to DIY or get a good warranty policy.

I like mine

 

Jack, you're right! I sat in it, started it, and fell in love. Something mesmerizing about the red dash illumination! I did not drive it though! Probably a good thing. I appreciate all the input. As much as I want one, I might at least hold off, or look at an A4 in the future.

Thanks much!