A6ers,

This is my first thread so go easy on me. Today I purchased a 2003 a6 3.0 quattro with 148000 miles for $5500 from a private owner. The guy I bought it from was the first owner and he is probably in his late 60's. His main commute was highway everday and he has all the service records from Audi dealership. Car looks and drives really great. My question to you guys is did I just make a big mistake by buying this car with that many miles even though its been maintained and driven really well. It has no accidents and no major mechanical work done to it ever. The only reason I bought it was because it was maintained really well by this older guy. I plan on driving it for about 2.5 years and put on about 60k miles and getting rid of it and my commute is highway aswell everday. What do you think guys? Give me your opinion on how you think this car will last me.

Thanks in advance

 

Was all the major items done? Timing belt, WP, Brake fluid flushed, tranny fluid, etc? If so, then you have a good deal. You should be able to make it well into the 200's with little problems if you maintain it.

Welcome to the club!

 

I have 153k miles on my 00 and I expect it to make it to 200k before giving me any major problems. So no, I don't think it was a bad idea. Now if you can't afford the upkeep then yes.

x2 what Mideniteoyl said, find out about the timing belt.....

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your new car.

 

If you didn't get the service records with it give him a call and ask for them or at least ask him to tell you what has been done. Important things to find out from him are;

The last time Timing belt was changed.
Was it changed with the rollers, tensioner and water pump.
How long ago he replaced the coils.
Has the transmission ever been serviced. Oil /Filter change.

Everything else you will be able to see for yourself. You will definitely need to perform some maintenance on it but I would ask him while you can. Otherwise you have to replace it right away to protect yourself. If the belt breaks it will bend the valves. The timing belt should be replaced around every 60K or so.

 

Definitely ask him to request the service records for you. Make sure the timing belt was done, and done again around 170-180k. Change the oil regularly using =Mobil1 5W-30/40. I have 140k on my A6 and only failures were alternator, clutch+flywheel. Batterym suspension, steering, rest of engine is all original. Very solid and reliable car if treated right. Highway miles are the easiest on a car -- 150k on the highway is like 30k stop&go.

 

Just like any other car, if you treat this car right, then it will treat you really well. Welcome to the club.

 

Use your instincts. Do your research and develop a work list of the items that you think might cause you major grief in the future.

Right off the top I would do the timing belt and water pump, change all filters and fluids.

Get the A/C, Cooling system, Brakes checked by a good shop. Then do those items one job at a time every 2 months or so. In 6 months you should be relatively bulletproof.

When you do the brakes make sure to have the fluid purged and all new fluid put in.

If the car you bought has mostly all highway miles you may have gotten a really good deal out of it. Try to get all the records from the previous owner and go to the dealer(s) where the services were done.