Frustrated . . . do I stay with my A6?
 

You can see this still ongoing thread for more details: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2826238
,but I'm struggling with deciding what to do once my car ('06 3.2Q) is fixed (in a nutshell, it's probably the torque converter, which won't be cheap). I love my A6 (and Audi's in general). I've got 19" S4 wheels on it which make it look sharp (IMO).
I was a long-time Passat owner prior to this car. Do I keep my car (118k miles) once it's back in proper working order? Do I sell? If I sell, I'd love to get a 3.0T, but I'm wondering what the reliability is going to be like on these. When I buy a car, I usually try to avoid the first year of a redesign. 2009 wasn't a "new" model, but it was a new engine. Therefore I'd probably prefer a 2010 (though that logic could be misguided in this case, I don't know). I'd also prefer a much lower mileage car, but if I go with a 2010 Prestige model with relatively modest (less than 50k or so) miles it'll probably come at a pretty price. I'm not sure I want to spend over $30k right now. I did see an '08 Prestige that's basically identical to my car except it has a back-up camera, but they were asking around $32-33k. Do I want to spend that much on a car that's basically my EXACT car, but with only a little over 30k miles?
Prepare yourself: I've briefly thought about a 3-series diesel (great torque and fuel mileage), but I prefer Audi over BMW. Then just today I thought about even going back to VW with a CC.
I don't know. I just felt the urge to put my thoughts down. If this rambling post is annoying . . . sorry. :)

I don't think your thought of a BMW is that radical. I think a lot of us have appreciated what those cars can do, (although a 3 series is going to be A LOT smaller than your A6). I would stick with your A6 unless you know there are other problems. VW CC is gorgeous, but reliability is, I think, objectively worse than the Audi.

Good luck!

Thanks. Yeah, if they had a 5-series diesel I'd be MUCH more tempted.
I'm just wondering if I will get hit with various, annoying bills now that I'm over 100k miles.

If you like the size and style of the A6, stick with it. Model year means nothing as far as reliability, German cars are over engineered pieces of sh!t. I love my A6 as far as driving dynamics and style, but it is on par with my Vega from many years ago in the number of trips to the dealer it has required. Yet I'll get another, it's a love affair that makes no sense.

for what it's worth, i saw an 09 A6 3.0T Prestige package, with 35k miles and CPO for $32k last month in Southern California when i was shopping for a car.

sure, it is the first year of the 3.0T on the A6, but man, that engine is very impressive for a V6. did i mention it is Supercharged?? if you're concerned about price:package:performance ratio, which it sounds like you are - a deal like that is pretty darn good.

now to your question of reliability.. well, it's an 09 and for that specific vehicle was a CPO, so essentially a no-brainer, imho.

short answer - sell the 06, spend the extra cash to pickup newer A6 that is 2009 and newer WITH CPO.

good luck with whatever you choose to decide. and yes, the CCs are 'sexy'.


and if you were wondering if i bought the A6, no, i didn't buy that great deal of a car. but i did buy an S6, that's $5k more with 2k less miles. i'm happy. :)

What are you basing your decisions on? Purely financial? Apples to apples, you should consider another passat or 5 series.

The 3.0t is a proven engine and so is the A6..the only shortcommings..Audi is still dragging their feet and not bringing the 3.0 TDI A6 that refined beast. :)

The transmission is built by ZF and if the replacement is a BMW, the chances are that its transmission will be ZF as well. I do not see this as an Audi issue.

I'm in the same situation...I love the car but do I get a new A6 and possibly deal with the same problems or just get a toyota/honda and call it a day. I just feel that over 100k I'm going to have more headaches than it's worth.

I bought into the theory of Japanese cars being trouble free, safe, reliable but boring daily drivers. I bought a Nissan Murano figuring that it would be one less thing to worry about when we had our first kid. In reality, it was none of those things. Not only was it awful to drive, it was the least reliable car I've ever owned (and I've owned a Chrysler, a Saturn and a Renault). The thing left me stranded repeatedly, chewed through a transmission and a transfer case, had an alarming amount of rust on the undercarriage and was constantly in the shop for everything under the sun. At 85k, the engine began to show signs of needing a rebuild so I cut my losses and bought an A6. The lesson I learned is that there is no such thing as a "sure thing" Any make and model, even Japanese, can have severe problems so you might as well get something that you like (love) to drive and accept it, potential problems and all.*


*Within reason. Don't buy a 1970s Alfa Romeo or something.