I've seen a view topics regarding this but wanted to get some input specific to my situation. I found an A6 2.7L quattro on craigslist and the advertisement read this:

"2000 Audi A6 2.8L Quattro is for sale. Mileage is 150,600. In good condition. .looks and drives great! Asking $4900. Only cash! . The inspection is good till 3/13. Just had the timing belt changed. Recent oil change, new rotors an brake pads. New all season tires .

Priced less than the kbb good value.

Options:
Tan colored leather seats
Sun Roof Sliding
Power Seats and Mirrors
Cassette player & Single CD"

The pictures looked fine as well. However, the gas mileage is scary high and wondering it would be a huge liability. Also, what are some to look for when I test the car tomorrow?

 

Not sure what you mean by " the gas mileage is scary high" ? My 01 2.7t gets around 24mpg, and for a performance luxury car, I think that's great...
If it's been taken care of, 150K is nothing - mine has 217K. New timing belt is good; did they also change the water pump, thermostat and seals at the same time? See if the owner has full maintenance records on the car.
Audi's are great, but they cost money to keep up. If you can do the work yourself, it won't break the bank. But if you aren't handy with tools, and willing to research and learn a lot about these cars, you will spend a lot with your mechanic...
Jim

 

I am assuming you are referring to the 2.8 V6 which is normally aspirated vs the 2.7 which turbocharged. If it's the turbocharged engine, I would check to see if they've been replaced.

Adding to eejimm's comments, has the serpentine belt been replaced as well? You may want to check out the front cv boots to see if they need replacing. Gas mileage isn't going to be real great on either one due to the AWD. Expect 17-24 mpg.

 

Yeah, if gas mileage is your big concern, buy a Prius...
Jim

 

24mpg??? How??? My 2.7 barely averages 19 that's with grandma style driving. Is this mostly highway?? Also calculated or just going off the mpg instrument cluster? My cluster says I get 21 but it's always 2 mpg off.

Also OP if the car in question has a 2.8 not the 2.7 then I say go for it. The 2.8 gives way better fuel economy than the 2.7. The 2.8 is also the slowest engine made in the c5 but it is also the most reliable. 150k for the 2.8 is not a lot. There are people who have close to 250k on original tranny and engines on the 2.8.

 

I agree with all of the above

@budhani:
I've got the 4.2 2002 and with grandma style driving I can get around 20mpg out of it (mixed driving) and 24 with Highway only. It really gets bad if I drive like a maniac - it goes down to 16. the 2.7t should get slightly better mileage then my v8. So maybe you should check into a few things (o2, maf, spark plugs, coil packs, fuel system cleanup)

 

Don't know what to tell you - that's calculated (miles driven / gallons pumped in the tank) in mixed driving, and I believe it's chipped - it will run right up to 18psi at WOT (came that way - I've only had it since January). It is a 6 speed, everything looks stock, dealer maintained by the same dealer up through 200K miles (217K now). I am up at 5000 feet (Denver) but that should make things worse, not better...
Jim

 

The 6 speed does give better MPG than the auto. Also have heard that chipping the car actually helps with MPG if the car is kept out of boost.

are they original turbos?

 

My car is at 175,000 miles on original engine, tranny, and turbos (2001 A6 2.7T) Actually it even has the same original exhaust system. Anything new in it i put in myself as the second owner when i received it at around 160,000. Car is a champ and drives like new but as a maintenance measure i have replaced the secondary air box, both o2 sensors, egt sensors, coolant system, and timing belt as well as accesories in the area while changing the belt. over the two years this has cost me around 5,000 but in my opinion is worth it as my car is a beast and in top shape. also some of the work i couldnt do myself so i had a shop do them and /hr is high in Boston. Just giving u a heads up on what its like having our car with high mileage. O yea and my turbos are still good, i just changed my trans filter and fluid and there werent any signs of heavy wear so i think my car is good on the maintenance side for another 40,000. Like the other guys say, if you are willing to do a lot of simple-moderate stuff on your own its not bad at all but if you have the shop do everything it will break the bank. Vag-Com is your best friend and if you know someone with one in your area borrow it to check the car out for things you might not see during a test drive.

 

I'm a pubie under 206k and replaced the alternator, clutch, flywheel, and cats in almost 170k miles of ownership. Have an excellent indie shop do all the required maintenance plus (e.g., change tranny and diffy fluids every 60k). It's still throwing occasional CELs for the cats and recently for the SAI, but runs great. Calculated mileage has consistently been 18-20 around town and 23-25 on the highway (better towards 60mph; worse towards 80 mph). I intend to get at least 2 years and 250k out of her. PS - Original turbos, shocks, battery.