Hi guys....I am new to the forum and hopefully new to Audi....I am considering a 2000 A6 Avant Quattro 2.8 V6 with 38,000 miles on.....the price seems right and if my other car comes back totaled from the insurance thats the ride I would love to have....

A simple question that I have still unasked is how reliable is the car on the long run? I was reading people reviews on different sites and I saw a good chunk of bad reviews....since the warranty from what I've read around should be gone (4years 40k miles) I am triyng to avoid surprises....

Any help will be greatly appreciated.....

Thank you

 

Can't really give you any advice yet myself, since I've only had my '00 A6 Avant 2.8 for about 3 weeks. Mine's got 68,000 on it, but I got it fairly cheap. Maybe we can go through this learning curve together. BTW, I'm in auto insurance claims. Anything I can help you with on your (possible) total loss? What area are you in?

 

I'm in the Philly area....should get an answer from my insurance company today....The ca was a 2000 Infiniti G20T, damage suffered: hood, passenger side corner lights and fog lights, front bumper, passenger side fender, roof got crushed in due to sunroof which also beed to be changed, possibly damage to the roof frame, windshield......looks a mess...very possible they are going to total it...

What are your first impression on the car? how cheap you manage to get it (if I am not asking too much)? I should be able to get mine for 18k....

 

I'm in Orange County Calif, myself. Sounds like your G20T's a goner for sure. Do the following to make sure you get the full value on your total loss:
1) Note down ALL the equipment the vehicle has. Make sure your insurance company is evaluating it as a 'T' model.
2) Note down the overall condition of each of these areas; Engine/Trans; Paint; Body/Glass; Interior. Insurance company will use ratings like 'excellent'; 'dealer-ready'; 'average'; 'fair'; 'poor'. The 'excellent' rating is usually reserved for an older car that is almost like brand-new. Most late model stuff should fall into the dealer-ready, or average ratings. Be objective in your ratings.
3) Start doing a 'market search' - looking for vehicles like yours. use year newer / year older if you have to to get a good sample (youu'll have to 'adjust' the values based on year / different equipment / mileage / condition, etc. Finding about 4 or 5 should give you a general idea of the market value of your vehicle. The insurance company will try to settle at a "private party" value - the value YOU would expect to get if you had put your vehicle up for sale instead of it being in an accident. What you are trying to get is a "dealer take price" - the price that a dealer would sell your car for if he had it on his lot. One's at the low end of the market range; one's at the other end.
- use your local paper, etc. and Auto Trader.com to get your comparables.
4) When your ins. company makes the offer, ask to see a copy of their evaluation - check it for errors - equipment / condition ratings, etc. if you find any errors, ask them to re-evaluate it.
5) A total loss settlement is open to negotiation (within reason - I wouldn't expect $10k for my 'original' AMC pacer).
6) Remember - information is power.
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I found my Avant at the local Mitsubishi dealer - he'd had it on his lot for almost 2 months. The big tag in the window had $ 23k on it. it was on the internet for $ 16,995. I gave them $ 14k + t/l. The $ 18k on yours sounds like a real good deal. Suggestion - is the car at a non-Audi dealer like mine was? Have they had it long? if it's been on their lot a long time, they may be willing to give it away at a loss. You can maybe 'guesstimate' the amount the dealer has in it - should be somewhere shy of wholesale book - probably at least 500.

 

Thanks for the help I really appreciate it....I had a chit chat with my insurance today to try and find out the status of the car and seems like they are trying to save it...the damage seems to be in the 5/6 thousand range and the car is valued at 12300 according to KBB and Nada. I should have a final response on friday....then I guess I will have to trade mine in to get the A6....and as a trade in value is valued at $8900 kbb and $11370 by Nada....let's see what happens...

The car isn't at an Audi dealer, is on a used car lot and I trust them since I got tmy G there and was great....I don't know how long has been there because I wasn't really shopping for a car since I got the crashed one last December...but now I am on the market and I would love to stay on the Audi side be it an A6 or an A4...even if the 6 is my first choice...

 

That estimate sounds a bit low based on the damage you described. After a shop takes it apart, they will for sure need more $$. What kind of shop is it at? Look at some of the other cars they are repairing. is the shop fairly clean and organized? Can they handle major repairs involving roof damage? (Body shops may have 1 car out of 100 that has roof damage) Do you have prior experience with the shop? If you don't know anything about the shop, and some of my ?? are causing red flags, beware. If possible get a referral from a friend or relative to a qualified shop. Look for one that has a sign up "IICAR GOLD CLASS" or "ASE" Also, if you have a major-name insurance company, and they have what is called in the industry a "Direct Repair Program", don't be afraid to use it. Participating shops usually give a lifetime warranty on the work, and the ins. co. stands behind it as well.
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Oh, about my car......
Still getting used to it. I would like a bit more instant response away from a stoplight. Seems to be a bit of a 'dead spot' just off idle. Nothing too severe, though. I've seen some indication in other posts that this is a common complaint. It rides very smooth and quiet. I would like it to have a bit more stiffness in the suspension - will have to take care of that down the road. The Tiptronic is fun. If you get yours, watch out for parking space curbs - lower front valance is very low, and I hear the the corners of the lower splash shields at the front of the wheel openings catch on the curbs as well. One guy posted that he backed up and ripped his whole front bumper cover off.

 

Thank you very much for your help....now comes the silly question...if the Progressive is going to tell me friday that they are triyng to save the car, what are my chances to convince them to change their mind? I have a feeling they will be close to 0 but trying doesn't cost nothing. Also an accident is going to be in the Vehicle History Report correct? That will also affect me financially in case I decide to change the car anyway, should that be part of the "condition prior to the accident" when the car is being evaluated? Because I believe that if I take the car to a dealership he will not give me just as much when he finds out about the accident....

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Yeah I've read a couple f guys ripping off their front bumper, seems like baking up could be a solution.....couple of time my G got stuck on those parking curbs but the bumper didn't suffered. Well how the things are going doesn't look like I will get one anytime soon, I will loose to much money on the trade considering I still owe to the bank for this one, and if I go for a trade the loss could be 3 or 4 thousands...

 

You need to make sure they are considering ALL the damage. I've seen many cases where the car is worth, say 10,000, with a 2,000 salvage value (that means that they can spend about 8,000 to fix it). The original estimate is for about 6,500, so the insurance company decides to fix the car. The shop gets well into the repairs and surprise! Hits the insurance company with a $ 2,000 supplement - the repairs are too far along to stop them, so a vehicle that should have been totalled (if had been estimated correctly in the first place) gets repaired.

As to the crash appearing on the vehicle history report - yes it porbably would.

What you're referring to regarding the decrease in value of your vehicle just because it's been in an accident, is called "dimuition of value". If you are going through your own insurance company (1st party claim), your policy doesn't cover it. If you are CLAIMANT against the other guy's insurance company, it could be considered as a part of your settlement. You would have to be able to prove the decrease in value, though.

Your best bet is to try to get Progressive to total the vehicle.
Hints:
-Make them aware that you will be 'difficult' when it comes to accepting anything less than the vehicle being restored PERFECTLY to it's pre-accident condition.
-Examine the estimate closely. If you can get a copy, scan it, and E-mail it to me, i'll be glad to look it over. Does the estimate call for "aftermarket" parts, or are they using original Infiniti parts?
-Does the estimate consider possible, or 'open' damage (damage that's suspected, but not visible yet)?

 

Hey guys, I am new to Audi as well with my 99 A6 Quattro 2.8 sedan. Just so you know, that bumper that you are referring to is a factory recall. Before I purchased mine, Audi did the replacement for me at no charge! You really should check into that. They replace it and paint it like new(because it is a new bumper) that doesn't hang as low.

Trev

 

Can't find anything about a factory recall on the front bumper. It appears that Audi changed the bumper design slightly on the 00's - possibly due to this problem. I didn't buy mine from an Audi dealer, so I'm on my own.
Marshall