Douglas D.

I'm looking at buying a 2012 Audi a6 with around 100k, I have heard a lot about high maintence costs but other than normal maintence are there any major problems or maintence issues that would be a lot? Is it worth buying or will I just have to put a lot of money into it? Let me know thanks

JRomulus

It all depends on how well it was maintained and driven
Check the maintenance log, don't buy blind...of course have it inspected by a knowledgeable mechanic.
Mine still rides like a dream.

Douglas D.

Ok thanks for the info, would you say that when properly maintained they are really reliable cars? And also is the a mileage limit that you would stay away from?

JRomulus

Can't generalize, although the C7 has been out long enough that issues are well known. There is definitely required maintenance.. for example, most people discover the motor mounts need to be replaced at or around 100K. Then there is the potential for carbon build-up....in the injectors (NO, correction, valves!) I believe around 100k...plenty of threads on both subjects on this forum. It's a great car, but that 3.0 turbo charged engine does need its maintenance. The 2012 being the first year out did have a few more issues than later models. If you got a good one with that kind of mileage for say under $8K, you could see 200k miles, but be prepared for regular maintenance...helps if you can do minor things like oil changes, plugs, filters, etc. I still have the original radiator hoses in mine...cant find ANY info on replacement mileage for those, so I'll be changing them shortly.
Be sure to get a full diagnostic and check maint records. I personally wouldn't consider one without lots of info just because major repairs on these vehicles do cost a fortune.
That said, I bought mine 6 years ago with the intent of keeping it going for 200K+.. do love the car more than the 2010 C6 I had.

Acuransx

JRomulus gave you a very good, measured response with which I agree. However, I think the real answer depends on what you are comparing the A6 to. Are they really reliable cars? Well, if I were to compare my /15 A6 3.0T to my old 2004 Acura TL (which I still have and use as a spare car when needed) with 171,000 miles on the clock, in a word, no. I've had more issues with my A6 in 3.5 years than with the old TL in 15 years. I admit I've had extraordinarily good luck with the TL. I am thankful for the 4 year/50K warranty on my A6. Everything has been addressed by the dealer. However, upper timing chain tensioners going bad at 3 years/27K miles shook my confidence a bit.

I know this is a generalization (for which I may catch some heat) but older German cars are generally not known for their reliability. The A6 is not a Honda or a Toyota. Much more complicated machine and IMHO not built to run trouble free for hundreds of thousands of miles with minimal attention like say, a Camry/Accord or my old TL. What you gain in driving joy in the A6 you will likely pay for by way of expensive maintenance and repairs north of 100K miles. It all depends on your risk tolerance. Assuming you follow the good advice from JRomulus and end up with a well maintained solid A6 I am of the view you are likely not going to have the type of ownership experience I've had with the old Acura. If you do that will be a huge stroke of luck.

Personally, I prefer not to own any German car beyond warranty expiration. That is why we leased my wife's /18 A4 Quattro. Having purchased my A6 I will keep it no longer than 6 years/65,000 miles. Who knows, my A6 may be flawless for the next 100,000 miles but I just don't have the appetite to take the risk. Price out what it costs to replace the MMI or a transmission in an or any other component/system of your choosing and that will give you an idea of whether you have the appetite to own/maintain/repair an older Audi. Obviously I don't know your circumstances but these days sedans don't command huge resale value and the depreciation on luxury German sedans is pretty breathtaking -- maybe wait a bit longer, save up a few more dollars and pick up a lower mileage, newer example with a full service history -- just a thought. Oh, and one more thing -- these cars call for a 10,000 oil change interval. If you can find a car owned by a nut job like me who is not comfortable with 10K oil change intervals and has changed oil every 5K miles that would be a very good thing IMHO.

Best of luck!

Jeff

KevinGary

John Simcox

You don't say where in the world you are, however one thing to check if you are buying a car with an automatic gearbox is that if it has either the Multitronic (used on non-Quattro cars of this age) or an S-Tronic (used mainly on the less powerful versions of the quattro cars) that it has had the transmission fluid changed religously at 38k miles or 4 years. If not then walk away. As I say location will be an issue as different markets have different specifications so you may need to do some investigation to confirm exactly which gearbox the car you are looking at has. Again depending on engine it may have a timing belt rather than a chain in which case at 100k miles and that age it should have had the belt changed and ideally the water pump at the same time.

As others have said, when buying a car that originally cost a lot of money later in its life maintenance and repair costs are still based on it being an expensive price and self repair and maintenance is not for the faint hearted. Likewise if you get a non-franchised mechaninc to do the work they should be knowledgable about Audis and have the right tools. Even something like changing the rear brake pads for the parking brake requires access to the VCDS software

Douglas D.

I live in the US but thanks for the info, if you were going to be buying a used luxury sport sedan then what would you go for?

John Simcox

I live in the UK so can't really advise on what would sensible in the US. No reason not to buy an Audi but just make sure it has been properly maintained and if you buy it without any sort or warranty put aside some cash in case it goes wrong. But basically that advice would be the same if you were buying any other premium car (eg MB or BMW)