GovKov

Hi, like many of you may have done, I'm looking at an S6, M5 or E63 as a DD (there are some others as well). I want something fun to drive but do not want something that will be in the shop every other week. Obviously, there will be variances car to car and service history plays a role, but in general is an 09 S6 relatively reliable? Is the V10 too finicky? Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

canucks6

The S6, M5 or E63 are all expensive to maintain.

Do you need 4 wheel drive?

I have owned my 2008 S6 for 4 years now and maintenance is expensive. My has been relatively reliable. It has not been in the garage for extended periods so far.

The V10 is thirsty as are the others.

AndreNY

all 3 of those cars are very expensive to maintain so that's a lose lose right there. if you are looking at all of these cars in the '09 model with similar miles they will be pretty much evenly priced. If you live in the north east or area that does get a significant amount of snow the Audi should be your first choice. Both the M5 and E63 suck in the snow even with dedicated winter tires they are not "comfortable" to drive in the bad weather as the S6 is. If you are looking at speed then the S6 will be your last choice as its significantly slower then the M5 and especially E63. The S6 is quite expensive to maintain as is the M5 but the E63 is by far the most expensive of the bunch. Unlike the S6 and M5 the 63 has Air Suspension which does fail and is $$$ to repair, on top of that front rotors for a E63 are $1200 EACH and no one except the dealer makes them so a front brake job can run you easily close to $3000. Honestly asking anyone online about a certain opinion on cars is not the same as you driving all 3 of these and deciding for yourself.
Good Luck

s6_driver

Can't confirm this, staying in garage for replace front and rear brakes, including brake discs, brake pads and a general maintenance - billing was about 2.100 €, which is about 2,600 US$

s6_driver

Additional to your statement "V10 thirsty", my S6 can be driven with about 16 to 17 litres at 100 km

raj99

perhaps with a slight down hill, good tail wind, and cruising a 60 mph

Overall I think it's well known that owning the V10 ensure you will be filling up more often than the 'less thirsty' rides, but then again you knew that when you decided to purchase a 5.2L engine

AndreNY

i'm not sure to what your referring to for the Brake job the S6 or the Merc? you can do a complete S6 brake job pads+rotors for $1000 on the Merc its $3000. And as far as gas guzzling goes when driven "normal" the Audi will get much better mileage then the 63 or M5, on a recent trip from NYC to Boston cruising the whole way down (75mph) I was getting 22 MPG

canucks6

Sorry but I didn't buy the S6 so I could save gas.

So in 4 years of ownership I don't think I have ever got more than 13 MPG on average.

I am addicted to the roar coming out the rear end as I accelerate.

AndreNY

^^^ I agree 100 % who cares at how much MPG you get if your happy with the car, and as per my plates it can be seen that I don't really care about Gas

Korndog

When you compare our vintage S6 with the similar vintage M5 and E63 it stacks up fairly well, sure the others have more HP and are a bit quicker in a straight line, however the S6 is no slouch.
Check this out: 2007 Audi S6 vs. BMW M5, M-B E63 AMG ? Comparison Test ? Car and Driver
I've put about 55K on mine, showing 98K on the clock now, always in sport or manual, got to hear it roar, Mileage? If you care, don't buy this car; city only driving, 10-13 mpg, mixed, 17 mpg, 80 MPH highway 20 mpg. I would characterize the maintenance of any high end performance car as expensive, however this really depends on who's doing the work. Audi dealers charge a premium to work on any of their cars. My S6 was a CPO car, now, with warranty expired I've started doing my own work. Only basic maintenance, oil changes and brakes, and some VAG stuff so far. The slow rolling 2-1 hard downshifts in sport mode are my biggest concern, been doing this since I bought the car, and is the only real problem I've had. Dealer was never able/willing/cared to fix and didn't take the time to fight, my bad. Been doing a lot of research on this and this appears to be a common ZF problem, found some ZF dealers that are claiming that a rebuilt valve body will fix this problem, thinking of tackling this project next. $750 for the rebuilt valve body. Regardless of any issues this car puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Was thinking of replacing, however cant find a suitable replacement under $50K, so now I'm waiting for one of the current S6 or S7's to come off lease in a couple years.