Which Avant Wagon should I get--B5 or B6? Assume miles are equal.
Is the 1.8T the same on both of these cars?
Which one has a better tranny---both manual and Auto?

Which one easier to work on?
Other reasons to buy or to avoid either model?

We just got a B7 Sedan and I love it, I am currently driving a Jetta 1.8T Auto wagon and would now like to upgrade, plus I spend 40 days a year in the mtns snowboarding --so the Quattro would help but not sure which one is better.

 

I vote B6.....

 

Me too, B6. I bought my wife a 2003 A4 Avant recently, and it's a very sweet ride. Can't speak to the difference between the 1.8T engines, though. Ours has the 3.0.

 

wagons are ghey......

As for the engines, thats going to depend greatly on the exact year you get. Earlier B5's with the AEB are quite a bit different than a B6; different head, different internals, etc. The AWM in my car, however, is very similar to what's in a B6.

Don't know much about B6 trannys, except to STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THE CVT. Any front wheel drive B6 with an automagic transmission has this. They are a disaster waiting to happen. To my knowledge, as long as you stick with Quattro you should be able to avoid it though.

 

The B5 and B6 Tiptronic auto tranny's are the same. At least from 1998 on, I believe. I looked it up once to see what I would need to change the filter & fluid on my wife's B6 Avant, and it's the same as my 1999.5 tranny.

 

Chris is right. The CVT came in the B6, and I think early B7, FronTrak automagic A4's. But they were only on the FronTrak (read: FronTfail) cars.

 

B6 S4 Avant!!

 

Do what I'm doing and get a cheap Silverado as a DD and then get an Audi as a show or race car.