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I have always LOVED the way they look but at they a money pit and headache to own?
Is a 2003ish Audi A4 or A6 a bad idea?
- Thread starter Stopsign32v
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Before all the internet racers and self proclaimed car experts come flying in here saying they are shit because of what they read online. Coming from someone who has owned an A4, I loved the car, as solid as any mercedes or bmw, I actually prefer audi over its german rivals. Only reason I sold it is because I got offered a good amount for it on a trade in. Obviously, a high end car such as an Audi is going to have some kinks and hiccups like any car, repairs can be expensive. That being said, the cars are generally rock solid, make sure to get maintenance records and if you can an extend warranty. Test drive them, talk to owns, shop around before pulling the trigger on one. Good luck with any car you get. I think you'll like the Audis.
I have numerous friends who own/have owned Audi's.. I LOVE them to death, but one never own one in a million years that wasn't under warranty.. I have seen the craziest shit go wrong with them and repairs are insane.. They are beautiful inside and honestly my favorite foreign brand, but don't buy it unless you can get a warranty or have a few thousand dollars set aside at all times for when shit hits the fan.. Because it will
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*sigh*
I own a 2001 A6 2.8 Quattro. If you do your own wrenching the cost of ownership isn't terrible. This is my second Audi and I love the quality of the cars. I have 150,000 miles on my car and absolutely nothing in the interior creaks or feels cheap. The car was made to last...it still has the original struts on it and they still ride great.
As with any car, they do have some common problems. You can usually find them really cheap right around the 100k miles mark because at 105k is a timing belt replacement that needs to happen. If this belt breaks, the motor is lunched, and the belt needs to be replaced every 105k miles. The process of replacing it is 6-8 hours...so the dealership charges a couple thousand dollars for the job...and people start selling their cars for cheap. If you can take on the task yourself you can get a deal.
The 2.7 TT motor can be turned into a monster, but the automatic transmission in the cars is known to be a little sluggish at shifting and a weak point in the drivetrain. I was told at the time I was looking for my car that a manual A6 did not exist...but found out later that they do exist, but not many people purchased them. In retrospect I wish I would have known because I would be driving a 2.7TT manual A6 right now.
If you want to avoid the timing belt issue, I know for sure the V8 used in the 2004+ cars has a timing chain that does not need to be replaced like the belts do. I am unsure if the V8 used prior to 2004 had a belt or a chain, you might want to research that.
My quattro system rocks in the snow or on a gravel road or in mud (not that I drive in gravel a mud much, but have on occasion). There is never a lack of traction. On snowy days on the drive to work, when cars are doing 30-40 mph on the highway, the audi feels perfectly stable at 60 mph.
I love the cars.
As with any car, they do have some common problems. You can usually find them really cheap right around the 100k miles mark because at 105k is a timing belt replacement that needs to happen. If this belt breaks, the motor is lunched, and the belt needs to be replaced every 105k miles. The process of replacing it is 6-8 hours...so the dealership charges a couple thousand dollars for the job...and people start selling their cars for cheap. If you can take on the task yourself you can get a deal.
The 2.7 TT motor can be turned into a monster, but the automatic transmission in the cars is known to be a little sluggish at shifting and a weak point in the drivetrain. I was told at the time I was looking for my car that a manual A6 did not exist...but found out later that they do exist, but not many people purchased them. In retrospect I wish I would have known because I would be driving a 2.7TT manual A6 right now.
If you want to avoid the timing belt issue, I know for sure the V8 used in the 2004+ cars has a timing chain that does not need to be replaced like the belts do. I am unsure if the V8 used prior to 2004 had a belt or a chain, you might want to research that.
My quattro system rocks in the snow or on a gravel road or in mud (not that I drive in gravel a mud much, but have on occasion). There is never a lack of traction. On snowy days on the drive to work, when cars are doing 30-40 mph on the highway, the audi feels perfectly stable at 60 mph.
I love the cars.
LOL..the ONLY mid 2000's A6 I ever drove for an extended period of time was a manual.
I'd avoid any car (especially a foreign luxo) 9 years out of production
I have had two friends with an a6 and a4, both had electrical fires and were totaled. Same buddy w/ the a6 got another one and the transmission is f'd in his second one. I would never get one...
we've had two....wont make that mistake again
On the plus side.....my A6 handles great, is very comfortable, gets decent fuel economy, roomy, looks good, cheap to insure, is decently fast for what it is.
On the negative side. IF you don't know where to look parts can get a bit pricey. Mods are retarded expensive unless you have a hook up or can do the work yourself- (for my 4.2 the TS SC kit starts at $12k, the TT kit is 8k).
We have done 90% of the work ourselves on our car. Stealership prices usually start at 110+ per hr for LABOR. So spending a day in a garage is well worth it for basic stuff like brakes, exhaust, plugs etc..... If you maintain the car properly and ensure you use quality products it's no problem. My car is now completely sorted. Since replacing the stock exhaust, brakes and suspension it's a lot lighter and got a slight bump in HP, it gets better fuel economy and the drilled slotted brakes stops it on a dime. Will it out perform a Z06 or even an M3 for that matter- no way. But I'd rather go on a road trip or a long drive in it over any of those cars to include any stangs I've owned. It performs in ALL weather conditions due to AWD.
So IMO if you can find one that is cared for, not beat on or neglected. Go for it. If it's from some punk late teens kid who got their dads S4 as a hand me down I'd avoid it like the plague because it's probably been beat on.
That's my .02 and experience. Not gonna lie- if something major goes wrong it WILL cost you. But if you do some research and can do some/all the work yourself it's all good.
On the negative side. IF you don't know where to look parts can get a bit pricey. Mods are retarded expensive unless you have a hook up or can do the work yourself- (for my 4.2 the TS SC kit starts at $12k, the TT kit is 8k).
We have done 90% of the work ourselves on our car. Stealership prices usually start at 110+ per hr for LABOR. So spending a day in a garage is well worth it for basic stuff like brakes, exhaust, plugs etc..... If you maintain the car properly and ensure you use quality products it's no problem. My car is now completely sorted. Since replacing the stock exhaust, brakes and suspension it's a lot lighter and got a slight bump in HP, it gets better fuel economy and the drilled slotted brakes stops it on a dime. Will it out perform a Z06 or even an M3 for that matter- no way. But I'd rather go on a road trip or a long drive in it over any of those cars to include any stangs I've owned. It performs in ALL weather conditions due to AWD.
So IMO if you can find one that is cared for, not beat on or neglected. Go for it. If it's from some punk late teens kid who got their dads S4 as a hand me down I'd avoid it like the plague because it's probably been beat on.
That's my .02 and experience. Not gonna lie- if something major goes wrong it WILL cost you. But if you do some research and can do some/all the work yourself it's all good.
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owned a 2000 manual a6 2.7tt (tuned for 5k miles and exhaust), absolutely loved the car, but hated how unbelievably unreliable it was, the stock k03 turbos are absolute crap, don't buy one with over 60k miles. The interior, transmission, handling, were excellent, just that 2.7tt motor is extremely unreliable in stock form. BUT the 2.7tt motor can be built into monsters, which I originally planned to do but the audi tax was just to high for me at the time. ( I was 17 when i bought it)
In summary like everyone else is saying GO FOR IT, as long as you can get a good warranty
In summary like everyone else is saying GO FOR IT, as long as you can get a good warranty
This post is right on the money!
A timing belt job on this era Audi will taint the love affair for sure.
My understanding is that a timing belt job on one of these cars, is one of the most difficult, trouble some, ridiculously over involved and suicide inducing tasks ever to be required on an automobile.:nonono::dw:
Grain of salt:
However I personally have not ever worked on one and on the other hand my 04 SVT Focus right axle is kicking my ass right now and it should definitely not be! :nonono::dw:
buddy just traded in his 04 a6 2.7t..... needed a 3 grand worth of work because of an oil leak... had the car for a year.... enjoy!
that is probably the same thing that happened to mine and why I sold it... The reason timing belts suck and these oil leak fixes are so expensive is you have to take apart the whole front of the car to get to anything
this!
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