I'm new to the forum. I'm getting my tax refund back and I was thinking of selling my 99 Camry for a 2002 A6 Wagon with 48K miles. I started looking up some ratings on edmunds.com and consumerreports.com and I have to say I was pretty shocked by how bad they are rated as a used car.
I'm willing to put up with some extra hassle if I can own such a beautiful car, but Christ, how bad are these cars? Most of the reviews I've read from owners have been pretty glowing, so who do I believe?
Also, is it possible to buy a proper extended warranty? Any advie would be appreciated.

 

I just bought one with 44k miles and love the thing. If you dig around on the net you can find all sorts of reliability ratings for the car good and bad. Get the car's VIN and have an Audi service guy look up all the warranty work tha's been done on it and you will know it's history. Get it checked out by Audi if it hasn't been already and then look around for an extended warranty. It's best to ask the service guys what's likely to go wrong on the car and be sure the contract you're buying includes those issues. It's a bit of a task, but you will get to know the car. I decided on Warranty Direct which is online. It's reviews are very good and the coverage quite complete.

 

I've had mine for about a year and have had it in for warranty work only. They are fun cars to drive too. I recommend the 4.2...

 

I was thinking about buying the car on ebay or from a small dealership. Can I still pay to get a report from an Audi dealership? Or should I just look up the records on carfax?
By the way, thatk you for the Warranty Direct suggestion. I just checked out the coverage, it will cost me $2000 for 4 years. I'm happy to pay that for the piece of mind.

 

Check JD Powers, they also do various ratings on reliability over numerous years.

 

I paid $22K at an Audi dealer for an absolutely mint 37k mile '01 A6Q Avant slightly over a year ago. It had seven months left on its factory warranty and an additional two years CPO warranty backed by Audi. At the time I felt really good about the peace of mind a factory backed car could provide. I highly recommend paying the little extra upfront and getting a factory-backed car. You can always buy an aftermarket warranty when the CPO warranty runs out.

That said, (and to answer your question) the car has been flawless, had no problems whatsoever, and has gone in only for service (all paid for by Audi up until the factory warranty ran out at the end of November).

 

I have a used 98, not major problems with it, nothing abnormal for an 8 year old car. It has its glitches same as any car and has been well worth the price I paid for it.

 

I bought my '99 with 45k miles for $20k back in '02. In the 4 years that have followed I've had to do the following:

* replace the water pump (failed at 54k), and since it's attached to the timing belt I took that opportunity to replace the t'belt, serpentine belt, roller, tensioner, and thermostat. ($1k)
* replace the rotors and pads ($900)
* replace the lower control arm on the right side ($250)
* replace the instrument cluster to repair a failing LCD display screen problem ($400)
* replace the coolant bottle ($100)
* replace a transmission seal that was leaking ($300)

Of course, on top of that I've:

* added a Phatbox ($160)
* tinted the windows ($250)
* set of used Mille Miglia Emotion SSLs with tires ($800)
* set of used Moven SP-10s with tires ($850)
* PSK rear sway bar ($100)
* Da'Lan hitch ($250)
* Eibach Pro-Kit/Bilstein Sports ($1000)
* smoked turnsignals ($20)

Wow. I gotta stop spending money on this car.

 

If you look for long enough, you'll find reports saying everything about anything - it's best to try and find one, and drive it for yourself. There are a lot of things you need to remember when you're reading those reports:
1. If the reviewer reviews cars for a living, they'll be used to driving the best of the best all the time, and never long enough to get used to them either. If you drive a Bugatti Veyron once, no car will ever feel fast again, and if you've sat in the back of a Maybach, no car will ever feel comfortable again.
2. People who are particularly partial to BMW or Mercedes (or even Lexus) love nothing more than sticking the boot in an Audi - if they're talking down an A6 and they drive a 535i, chances are they're a bit biased.
3. The average opinion people have of a car varies a lot based on what the driving culture where the reviewer's from - northern europeans think a lot more of Audi than southern europeans, southern europeans think a lot more of Seat than northern europeans. In Australia, a Holden Commodore is the last word in automotive excellence, in Norway, it'd be ridiculous to drive such a thing.
Really, you have to drive one yourself and see what you think - your own driving style might suit it, and it might not. If you're driving it and it feels solid, (and it comes with a warranty of some kind) I'd be inclined to trust it. Base your decision on the car's individual merits, consumer reports are far too personal.