mattjamaica

Hi all,

Just a quick question for opinions on my current dilemma.
I am looking to purchase either a 2005 A6 V6 3 Ltr @ 170,000kms or a 2006 A6 3 Ltr TDI Quattro with 300,000 kms.
Both owners claim the majority of miles are highway. Both vehicles appear to be in similar condition, both sedans, and both claim regular servicing and log books are in order. I am yet to inspect either as logistics is an issue at the moment for me. Both are of a similar price. Would you lean toward one or the other and why ?

Thanks.

beep-beep

in US the savings from diesel fuel cost are completely offset by the cost of the diesel based car and by extra maintenance it requires.
Even audi web site had comparison of diesel and petrol based cars with $6/year difference in complete cost of ownership.
But maybe it is different in places where they say "Petrol"

mattjamaica

Thanks Beep Beep, here in Australia Diesel is more expensive than gasolene. From the research I have done here and elsewhere, yes Diesel engines used to last longer and may have higher costs in maintenance, however with the advent of newer technology in diesel and gasolene engines, the gap has apparently narrowed considerably. So I am thinking it may no longer be worth the diesel engine, especially if I am comparing to a gasolene vehicle that has about 130,000kms more mileage. I will have to dig up the comparison in the Audi website, I didn't come accros it. Your fuel is much cheaper than ours, I drove a Ford expedition for a year in the US, and a GMC Silverado for almost two years in Canada, you guys have it good. Thanks for your input.

mattjamaica

- should be 130,000 kms less. -

beep-beep

Let say in US I drive 15000 mi year. The Diesel costs $3.40 and Audi consumes 50 mi / gal. we get $1020 in fuel cost
Same 15000 mi on gasoline at $3.00 and 25 mi/ gal gives $1800 / year.

no deduce the Diesel maintanance, add difference in milage. If you are CFA you might want to get NPV out of it as well.

KevinGary

Here is part of one of my posts on the C7 forum. You will see that based on actual numbers that the diesel pays for itself right off the show room floor and continues to save money on fuel all of the way through. In addition, I don't believe that there are any additional costs in maintaining the TDI. AudiCare and Audicare Plus are the same costs regardless of whether the car is gas or diesel. So at least for the first 75k miles they appear to have similar maintenance costs. Now on to my prior post:

THE RETAINED VALUE OF THE TDI IS GREATER THAN THE 3.0T ACCORDING TO KELLEY BLUE BOOK AND AGL

I went on Kelley Blue Book and compared the trade in value of two 2014 Prestige cars (they did not have information on 2015 and 2016) equipped exactly the same way except for the engine choices; both with 10,000 miles. The trade in value of the 3.0T was $48,645, while the trade in value of the TDI was $54,463, or $5,818 higher. Considering that the MSRP for the TDI is only $2,100 higher, the owner of a TDI has actually made $3,700 by buying a TDI instead of the 3.0T. In addition to Kelley Blue Book, I also consulted the ALG residual value calculator, which goes out as far as 60 months. ALG predicts that even after 5 years a comparably equipped TDI will still have a resale value of $2,600 more than the 3.0T. In this day and age it is quite impressive that the TDI engine retains more than 100% of the cost of the upgrade even after 5 years!

THE ENVIRONMENT

The EPA combined MPG number for the 3.0T is 24 mpg, requiring 625 gallons of fuel per year based on 15,000 miles per year and 3,125 gallons over 5 years.

The EPA combined MPG number for the TDI is 30 MPG, requiring 500 gallons of fuel per year based on 15,000 miles per year and 2,500 gallons over 5 years.

As a result, the TDI saves the environment 625 gallons of burned fuel over 5 years. In addition, according to Audi the CO2 emissions on the TDI are 12% less per gallon of burned fuel.

FUEL COST SAVINGS PER THE US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

According to the U.S Energy Information Administration, the national average price for Premium Gas for the last 5 years (2010-2015) was $3.73 per gallon, while diesel has averaged $3.71 during the same period. Based on 15,000 miles per year, as discussed above, the 3.0T would have used $11,656.25 in fuel during the last 5 years, while the TDI would have used only $9,275.00 in fuel. So after 5 years the TDI owner saved $2,381.25 in fuel costs. When combined with the $2,600 increase for 5 year resale value according to ALG, as discussed above, the TDI is paying economic dividends all through the ownership period.
U.S. Gasoline and Diesel Retail Prices