Hi there, I'm a noobie to all this stuff, and I have to begin searching for a new car. I was looking for something fairly low-priced, not terribly worn in, cool-looking, classy, and something that the chicks would notice (and roomy enough for us in the backseat ). So, I have been keeping my eye on some A6 C5s. I came across some between $5500 and $9000 with 90,000 to 130,000 miles on it. Anyway, I have heard a wide-range of things about Audi's -- from being great cars that drive well and last a long time, to others saying they can breakdown suddenly requiring very expensive, proprietary parts, and service techs that are not terribly common.

I'm by no means a mechanic. Honestly, I know next to nothing about cars. My dad is fairly knowledgable, though. I also have a friend who works for a GM dealership as a mechanic. Since you guys seem to have some experience, what should I look for when I check these cars out? What should I tell my dad and friend to look out for? I really don't know what to look out for myself, so I was hoping you guys can give me some ideas; how to sort out what is regular wear-and-tear from what could be a major problem later, stuff like that. Thanks for reading, and your help will be greatly appreciated. Help make this noob become pro.

 

I have 78K on my 2000 A6 avant and have not had many problems yet - just tie rod ends that ran me about $300 to replace all said and done with parts and alignment. 90K to 130K is about the mileage range that many things start to go wrong and keep in mind the timing belt and misc other items need to be replaced around this mileage as well. That is not and easy job and will be costly if not already done. The other things that seem to go wrong are the CV joint boots crack causing the joints to fail if you don't catch it mediately $$.

With all that said I love this car and it drives like nothing ells, I have the 2.8 so its not afast car but the over all drive is very fun. Very comfortable for long drives.

I would say over all it has good reliability but nothing close to Honda or Toyota but then again those brands simply don't drive like the Audi.

So at the end of the day I think they are good cars, just make sure you have 2K budgeted for repairs when you need to fix it. The dealers are extremely expensive - you can find good shops that work on Audi's but I would never use somebody that doesn't know Audi.

Thats my 2 cents worth

Dan

 

You already know "great cars that drive well and last a long time, to others saying they can breakdown suddenly requiring very expensive, proprietary parts, and service techs that are not terribly common." They are great cars that last a long time so long as you have the money to fix expensive parts and know a good mechanic.

I feel you are probably too young (guessing your age at <25) to buy a European car. I think a good Japanese car would be the way to go for now. My first European car was a Saab 9000 and I think I was 19. That thing raped me. Now being almost 30, having years worth of car repair experience, it was a pretty average car on repairs. Not like the Nissan I had in high school that never needed a thing. My Prelude had a timing belt job done and that was it. That thing made it to 190k without a single (non routine) thing needing to be replaced. Our A6 has 130k miles on it now and had a folder filled with receipts, I probably will need to start using a second folder soon. Our A6 has been very reliable, but we also do all required and not so required maintenance. We believe you don't wait for it to break, you maintain your car and it should never leave you stranded. So far knock on wood, it has worked.

Jeff

 

They are great cars but they can be very expensive to maintain as they get older. For a first car,I would go witha Toyota or a Honda. You can spend the money you save on maintenance/repairs on girls. Just the advice of a 40 something with a 4.2.

 

Hey, if you like Audi, then go for it. My first set of wheels was a Land Rover, it was very expensive to maintain, but fun to be in the driving seat. I don't have tons of money to spend on car maintenance, but I am passionate about them. I will never buy a Honda, or a Toyota, neither their stylish brothers Acura and Lexus.

Audi is better than BMW, when compared the maintenance costs. It's notthat the parts and labour of Audi is any cheaper than a BMW, but it is because they are more reliable than Beamers. My uncle has two X5, and he is as frustrated as anyone can be. They are nice cars, but when they go to the dealer, the same can not be said. May be, because X5s are the only BMW series made in US.. Having said that, those are still less reliable than Audi.

Your first car doesn't have to be a Toyota or a Honda. Don't follow the crowd, do what you like. Because these are expensive cars, be double sure than you are getting a good deal and a good car with documented service history.

All the best for your first car. I hope, it's Audi.

 

what to look out for:
1) look under the oil cap if theres sludge, run away. if theres a film of oil youre fine.
2) check for any oil leaks, pull off the plastic engine cover and look around at the valve cover gaskets, gaskets are made out of rubber which over time may dry out leading to a little leak, this doesnt always happen but depending on the cars age (not necessarily mileage) it could happen
3) test driving it: bring it up to 40mph and see if it pulls to either side without restraining the steering wheel. make sure youre on a perfectly flat straight and even road. next is acceleration, simply floor it (once the engine's warmed up a little) and see how it accelerates there should be no engine hesitation.
4) check for body work. open up the doors and look on the edges for signs of being repainted. also go into the trunk and open the side compartments and look at the metal on the inside, it should look like it came from the factory, and have no dents or disfigurations.

5) last but not least, find out if the timing belt was replaced. this is very important, if it wasnt replaced that means you need to replace it immediately (if your over 85k miles) and that has a hefty cost ($1000+) for the a6 if its not replaced and it snaps, most of the time you will end up needing a new engine due to internal damage. If the timing belt's been done youre set for another 80-90k miles.

As for reliability, a well maintaned vehicle is a reliable one, most people cry about how unreliable our cars are when they come up to a costly repair due to negligence. Yes our cars are expensive german luxury cars, and yes parts can be costly, as in the above post, I would never drive a honda civic, or toyota or anything like that. Since im in my car so much I like to feel comfortable, heated leather seats, bose sound system, and the safety and performance of all wheel drive are just a few of the things i love about it... and they look real nice ;] I looked at plenty of cars before I bought mine, dont feel afraid to turn down a car, make sure its perfect for you, and if need be have it looked at by a mechainic or two, spend the 100$ to have it gone over, that $100 could save you alot more down the road. good luck

 

Actually, the X5, X3 and the Z4 are made in the US. If were speaking of personal experience of which is more reliable and not statistics, our 3 series has been the most reliable car we have ever owned. My Audi is lining itself up for being one of the most maintinence intensive cars I've owned. I think my 2nd 92 Saab 9000k would be the biggest expense I ever had. I still love my Audi, but if my partner had his way, I would be driving a 5 series wagon. BMW also doesn't have that pesky timing belt, the engines don't have bad oil seals and BMW pays for the first 5 years of maintinence.

My neighbors own a X3, and that thing is in the shop often. But since my Audi has a file folder filled with records and I think I need to start a new folder, the Audi loves the dealer just as much if not more than a BMW.

In the end, drive what you like. I like Audi

 

Well said Zebbin. Jeffla, you are right, but I guess cars are like girlfriends. Just because we all get German girfriends from the same familydoesn't mean all of them will be high maintenance. Two sisters can be different. I think of my friends 2002 4.2 A6, as he has got 165K miles on it and never had any problems.

 

If you have the chips to pay for repairs then get it, but with that many miles, I wouldnt get it.

 

I am selling my 96 black audi a6 quattro. It has 123,000 on it and runs like a charm. The windows are tinted and I have the 16 inch audi rims for it instead of the stock 15 inch rims. Just put new fusion tires on it. It also has a new Pioneer radio head with a 12 inch JL in the back.

PM me if you are interested.