I am looking at the Audi A6 as a car for my wife. It would be the family car. I have been seeing 98's go for $12k with AWD, and all the luxury options. Are they decent cars, or should I steer clear?

A good buddy of mine bought a 2002 A6 with all bells and whistles about 6 months ago, and he loves the hell out of it. After 6 months, he and his wife still just look for excuses to go for a drive. I drove it and I have to say I was VERY impressed. The tiptronic was a blast.

My buddy has an S4 that has been pretty reliable. Shops and dealers will rape you on a service for newer high end cars even though they don't need a lot. Other than a timing belt swap (not sure if this car has a belt or chain) a "full service" on most newer cars consists of fluids and checks of this and that.

I have a '99 A6 and am very happy with it. Not a lot of power so you have to use the gears if you want performance. I have owned several Audi 5000/turbo/100's over the years and always go back to them as the family sedan. They are expensive to repair but I think all German luxury cars are, probably domestics are too. But I haven't owned one of them since 1978.

Put it this way. When we travel, or even go to the store, the A6QA is my wife's car of choice. At least while the 911 awaits minor rust issues. Ours is a 95, and has just had a new tranny at 187K, which is the life span of that gen auto tranny. Tippers last a lot longer, so I hear, and sticks are even better. My choice would be a 95 S6 Avant (wagon), last of the 5 cylinder turbos. The Cap'n

My good friend has a 01 A6 with the 2.7 Twin turbo. Its pretty nice. Paid 23 for it late last year. Its fast, and smooth.

My Girlfriend has a 01 VW Passat, with the 1.8 turbo. Its almost as smooth, almost as fast and 10 grand less.

10 Grand buys alot of almost in my book.

After driving both of them, we caravaned together in a 1800 mile trip also, I'd buy the Passat.

The only flaw with both cars is the rear visability isn't what I'd call great. 1/2 assed is prolly being to kind.

Hawktel - what if you were 6'4" ? Does the A6 have some more Driver's legroom / headroom than the Passat? Or are they about the same? I have been thinking along those exact lines for my family sedan. I test drove an '01 Passat GLX V6 4Motion, and it was quite kick-ass, but I could have used a little more leg / head room. I haven't tested the A6, but the 2.7T Quattro was the one I was looking at.

I have been told by the mechanics who work on my Porsches and Audi that the 2.7 Turbo is very expensive to repair. Drive train needs removal for many repair operations. They said that the 2.7 was not particularly prone to problems but when they occur, bring money. I decided to go with the non turbo V6.

My friend had a 99 A6. Ha had no problems, other than a coolant leak. I agree on the rear visability, it basically sucked.

That's why you get the Avant ....................... The Cap'n

Kinda like a 914.

Did you lower the seat? VWs have a height adjustment.

Those 4Motion Passats are great deals. I see low mileage creampuffs going for $15K or so. They were $30K brand new a few years ago.

The Cap'n has it right On

The C5 chassi was a little bigger (roomier) and built a tad better then the current B4 chassi
I have to pry the keys of our 95.5 S6 Avant out of my wifes claws!

My vote is on 'money pit', especially a used one.

Here's the grudge match at work:

Person 'A' (not me) has a 914. Once a month he calls in to report he'll be late due to car troubles.

Person 'B' (also not me) has an A6. Every 2 months he calls in to say he'll be late because he's dropping the A6 off at the dealer to have yet another thing repaired. He'll also need a ride from the shop to work, and then back to the shop after work.

'B' hassles 'A' for his lame, unreliable 30 year old 914 turdpile. Yet 'B' loses more work time and puts more burden on his coworkers with his newer A6 turdpile. At one point 'B' couldn't get his A6 worked on because the shop had a 2 week backlog! That tells me that something isn't quite right in Audi land.

New VWs and Audis are beautiful cars, but they always seem to be in the shop for electrical or other gremlins.

Umm, I'm 6 10, 300 pounds. The Passat is the most comfortable car I've driven that wasn't a Lincoln or Crown Vic.

The Passat and A6 size is the same, but, at my insistance her Passat only has power windows and locks, and manual seats. Her seats have a much lower profile than his do, and give a alot more room.

Thanks for the info! I did lower the seats and such... I'll probably try out an A6 (why not, right? It's free to try!), but i'll try the Passat again before I buy anything.

I think the Passat and A4 are the same size. The A6 is a little larger than the A4 and more roomy. I have a 98 A6 with the 2.8 engine. Under powered but not a much as the 1.8 turbo. The quattro is great, especially in the snow. We have had zero problems. I would prefer the A6 for the extra leg room in the back. When I do get one it will be with the 4.2. With the 2.8 being barely enough for the A4 it sucks in the A6 (I commute over the Santa Cruz mountains). My personal preference is to steer clear of the turbos.

-Jeff

FWIW I love my S4 and have also driven several A6's which seemed like nice cars (except I was not fond of the FWD+Tip version at all). I think I would lean towards the 2.7T or 4.2 as the smaller NA engines seem to really work hard to haul all that weight around.

My car has had its share of planned and unplanned service expenses, but most of them were related to turbo plumbing kind of stuff i.e. leaking hoses etc. I don't doubt that the 1bar GIAC chip contributes to that a bit.

The water pump failed at a young age which I hear is not uncommon.

The dealer has been pretty good about service and actually covered several issues after my warranty expired because my car was low mileage and obviously they are trying to develop customer loyalty (they sell Porsches too so this may be a smart move on their part in the long run.)

In general we have been very happy with VAG products.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot, why are you not in the NBA?
seriously, how do you manage a 914?

I've not pulled tape on any passat or A6 chassis but they look identical. I'd swear Audi and VW get the basic chassis from the same place, or at least the same plan.

Chris I don't manage a 914, I sold it, cause I don't fit. Now I just live vicariously through you guys. I'm saving up for a Tail dragger, cause the proportions are a little more friendly.

Teeners are the bomb for what they are ... a stripped down "sports car".
But once you experiance BOOST in a quality german autobaun burner ...

Just now I was chatting with an RS6 owner at the local gas station. Damn, I love those cars. He said the production run was extended and so by waiting a bit he got it for $15K below sticker vs. the outrageous over-MSRP prices the stealers were trying to get originally.

If I find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in the next few months, it will be very hard to decide between a 997S and RS6. Having a real trunk and back seat is a real plus IMO for a daily driver.

I love watching Randy Pobst and Michael Galati pushing around the RS6's in the GT series. They are so heavy and powerful (550+ HP in race form IIRC) that they tend to always toast their tires in the first few laps, which makes for some interesting action later on.

While I love the Audi and VW cars for thier looks and fun.. I have owned many..
I did my time as a professional mechanic and If reliability and dependability are what you are after in a used car the Japanese are the way to go (Especially for a daily driver).

But if you value the aspects of these cars (looks, performance, etc..) that some of the Japanese cars lack and are aware of the costs involved in repairing them you can pick up a great car at a great price. Be realistic you will have to put some money into a used car (esp if is European in my experience).

My buddy has not been terribly impressed with the quality of his A4.. lots of little things since new... another friend whose S4 has had 2 head gasket issues (but covered by VAG).
Repairs can be expensive.. best if you can handle most of them your self. Anything with AWD usually means that repairs that require the removal of engine or tranny is going to hurt your wallet.

anything with a turbo is great fun to drive but usually will need more attention..

You said that this will be "the family car" The other factor here is does that mean it is the wifes car? If so I think a huge factor is who drives the car and that they love the car. I am willing to trade some dependability in my car for happiness. But when it comes to the wife she only cares that it works. So make sure everyone involved is onboard before buying it.