like the title says, im looking into buying my first Audi. specifically 2001 A6 2.7T AWD auto, with 134 000 km on it. i love the look and for the price of 5000 canadian seems like an awesome deal. all the reviews i read on the car say they are very nice looking, great handling and awesome performance. however im worried about the reliability of the car. everything i have been reading say performance is great but you cant keep them out of the shop due to breaking down constantly, not to mention the price of repairs. im wondering if this is true. are audis garbage when it come to reliability or what?

 

I wouldn't worry about the reliability of the Audi - it doesn't have any. There is a reason the car is a "great deal".

Good luck,

Bob

 

Audis have a heck of a lot of accessories and gizmos that can go wrong, especially over time. You're looking at a 10 year old car for Cn$5k that probably sold for Cn$40-45k new. The reason it is so cheap,, besides age, is that more and more things wear out and need replacing. If you are a DIYer, it's not as bad. If you have to take it to a dealer, you need deep pockets. If you have access to a reliable indie shop, then it is bearable (my course of action). I suggest you read back a few dozen pages for issues that other forum members have, request service records, test drive the car thoroughly and check every accessory, and pay for an independent inspection by someone who knows Audis. Then...caveat emptor.

PS - I bought mine with 37k miles and now have 184k. That's 300k km. Replaced alternator, clutch, flywheel, one upper control arm. Minor issues with failed headlight washers and automatic headlight adjustment. Still on original shocks and battery. Two TB jobs, two brake jobs, and one turbo has a slight leak. Love the car.

 

When you test-drive it make sure the car shifts like butter. Any hesitation, thuds or delay in pick-up should be unacceptable. I would also shift manually through all the gears.
There are so many Audis with automatic transmission problems (just check the forum if you're skeptic).
As the leading transmission provider for the car industry, ZF is for sure very reputable. However, they certainly didn't acquire their status via the automatic transmissions that fit the Audis...
I would rather look up a 2.7T with manual transmission. It is much simpler and cheaper to repair.
Good luck with the Audi hunting, nevertheless.