New here, hi all!!! I called my self big rig dew to the 06 Chevy 2500 duramax I drive everyday. I/we are looking for a car to replace my wife's Envoy. She loved her 98 grand prix gt, but needs a 4 door w/ awd. Ding, ding, ding Audi comes to mind! We are going to try to stay @ or below the $10k mark so I think Im looking at 01-03 A6 with 75k miles on them...

A few questions, is there a timeline on the cars somewhere on the site? What I'm looking for is a list of when changes were made to body lines/power plants ect...

Also, I've heard the biturbo a6 is faster that the 4.2? How much $$$ to replace the turbo's on the bi? (if I do the labor)

Are the manual trans much more reliable than the auto's???
(I need a reason to justify it over the auto my wife wants)

Thanks a ton

BR

 

right out of the box the 4.2 and 2.7t are both about the same in speed. 4.2 tends to be a little more reliable in my personal experience. Once you get into mods, the 2.7t has much more out there for it.

if you are looking at cars wit around 75k miles, try and get the previous owner to do the timing belt/water pump job as these are pricey and critical to Audis.

I would say that the trasmission choice is up to you....manual might be a little cheaper over the long run but initially probably now(conisdering a clutch replacement etc that might be due).

 

If you read back through 5-6 screens of posts, you can learn a lot about the differences between the cars. These types of questions have been asked and debated many times.

For calibration, I have an '03 that I bought with 37k miles and now have 128k. Replaced alternator, clutch, and flywheel. I attribute the latter two to the original owner towing and then I chipped and ran it hard. I suspect that if I did not go with preformance parts, I could have replaced both for around $2k which is less than an automatic rebuild/replace.

If you're looking for an A6 with about 75k, you'll be facing a timing belt change within 5-10k miles. Plan on $1000 at an indie shop and $1500+ from a dealer. Turbos -- replacing K03s (OEM) are probably $400-500 per turbo plus pulling the front of the car off, just like is needed for the TB change. Couple grand total is my guess. Now, if you elect to go with performance K04s, I've seen estimates of $4-5k which includes intakes, fuel injectors, reflashed ECU, etc. I'm still waiting for someone else to do this and provide a cookbook and costs. It would be my plan to take this approach if my OEM turbos fail.

The 4.2l V8 is probably more reliable (no turbos), very powerful (330hp), but a gas hog. The 2.7T has the risk of turbo issues, stock is 250hp but can be chipped to 318hp and built beyond 500hp), and can be better on gas. It's all the other crap in an A6 that cause grief, from suspension to all the cabin accessories. They are not a super reliable car, but treated right they can be relatively problem free. People tend to post problems on this forum, so it's tough to tell how many Audis are out there without issues. And parts are not cheap....it is imported.

 

Thanks for the info...i have spent some time in snowmobile forum and know what you mean when people only report the problems. I have been through a few pages of reading but I got impatient! I also tend to do all my own mantance and work, can the tb and wp be done at home?

Thanks

BR

 

Check Blauparts for TB info -- They supply the complete kit and will rent you the tools.

I said kit because you NEVER just do the TB -once your in there you do the pullies, seals, waterpump, and t-stat.