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I posted this in the new member section but no one replied so I figured I’d post it here since it’s applicable:
Hello!
Just wanted to say hi to the forum. I'm in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, and I'm new to the Audi community. I guess, I'm still not technically a part of I as I have yet to actually purchase one, but I'm narrowing down my search. I've been a Ford guy pretty much all my life (brainwashed as a child), but now I'm branching out and I've decided Audi will be my new home.
For the past decade or so I've pretty much only driven Lightnings, and I'm currently driving a Harley Davidson F150. They are really fun to drive and the HD is a nice ride, but they get **** for gas mileage and I don't really use it as a truck as much as I used to. We just had a daughter recently, so I bought the four-door HD to fit her car seat, but we really only ever drive my wife's SUV. Meanwhile I'm driving about 70 miles a day in a truck that gets about 14 mpg (if you're driving downhill, wind at your back, no A/c etc). I've literally been having to budget about $100 per week in gas, which is just absurd
All those things add up to me trying to find something I enjoy driving every day, but that still has a decent amount of power. I've been looking mostly at used A6's, preferrebly with at 3.0, but I did drive my first 2.0 and I was pleased with how it felt; just enough pep to keep me interested. I'm hoping to find a good deal on a 2012-2015ish model but with lower miles and in good shape. I want to save money on gas, but don't want to replace savings in gas money with a high car payment.
So now that you see where I am (if you read this long boring story), I thought it would be a good time to join an Audi community, as I've always gotten great advice and help in the Lightning/HD community from forums. I'm interested in learning.....what I don't know. What kinds of things should I be looking for with these A6's? What have you guys found to be high mileage, either with that style or those motors? Is there anything or any year to avoid or look for? Is there anything you wish you’d known before you puschased an A6 or any reason you wish you got something else? Any info you guys/gals can give me to find the best car for me will be much appreciated!
Thanks again for taking the time to read this! I'd love to hear from you all, and.... if you know anyone interested in buying a 2003 Harley Davidson F150, let me know!
I'll share my experience with my '12 A6 3.0t Prestige.
Selection Criteria:
When i was looking for A6 i made sure i will only buy Prestige package with Full LED option, HUD, adaptive cruise control (ACC) and preferably not gray. There are 3 trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. All trim levels have optional packages like: Sport, Winter, Technology, etc. I chose Prestige trim as the only option because of 4-zone climate control, heated and cooled seats(opposed to only heated), different bumper appearance, full LED headlights are only available in Prestige as well as 3.0t quattro. I didnt care for Sport package at all, considering this is a boat, nor for tiny bit lower and harder suspension, hated 3-spoke steering wheel that comes with it, but wished for paddle shifters.
What to look for:
Plenty of threads about it, but what i wish i knew before buying:
Cold start rattle noise - the biggest concern, mine had it before i bought it. Now Stage 2 dual pulley (DP) setup and 50K miles later still no issues
Engine mounts - will go bad and will shake you better than a massage chair
Wheel bearing - will go bad, possible often. Not hard to replace
Alignment - if you get car with ACC or Lane Keep Assist be prepared for $800 alignment bill because of sensors, i've got away with regular $100 alignment before
Other than that, just minor things that are easy to fix or, in my case, easy to live with. You can't look for nor diagnose is Intake Valve Carbon Build Up, not hard to clean either. Overall i'm happy with my car, despite few issues. Knowing then, when buying, all the issues i went through now, i would still buy this car in a heartbeat.
Awesome feedback, man! Exactly what i was looking for. I had read about the carbon buildup but not the lane assist. Is the carbon buildup something you can just do yourself every...10-20k miles?
Awesome feedback, man! Exactly what i was looking for. I had read about the carbon buildup but not the lane assist. Is the carbon buildup something you can just do yourself every...10-20k miles?
Audi has a lot of options, some are even hidden. Because my car has HUD and ACC, but didnt have technology package (i think) i didnt have lane keep assist (semi-self steering feature and lane departure warning thing) i was able to activate it with OBDeleven. OBDeleven is a must in my opinion. It is cheap, reliable and easy to use for all kinds of coding. There are tons of options that are available and adjustable; some are safety like emergency brake light flashing, lane keep assist(certain packages), lights for turns, DRLs front and rear, some are just convenience like seat belt chimes, beeps on un/locking, extended radio play. Some are supercool: like Video In Motion (VIM), ability to rip CDs into harddrive, needle sweep on start like S6, and my personal favorite - recoding taillights to light up in different pattern.
Back to your question - carbon build up. It is not hard if you have heated garage, i dont anymore. I'll probably do it again in the summer, i've had quite a lot of it at around 80K, but i believe it was the first cleaning ever. You can check out some maintenance i've done to my car at audizine, not everything is there but major stuff is except exhaust. My cats clogged up really bad, but it was a combination of bad pressure release valve that was notorious in 2012s A6s, high output with Stage 2 and just overall older vehicle. Solution was easy, $500 straight pipes instead of cats, resonators replacement with straight piped exhaust(cool thing), now my car flash traction light until 3rd gear.
Welcome. If you are concerned about economy, think about a TDI. In summer I am up around 40 mpg on the highway. Right now mid 30’s highway and 30 with a bit more in town miles. Torque is addictive! Definitely find a Prestige model. Other options to your taste. While it would be nice to have HUD, I don’t really need it. I think the xenon’s do well but haven’t seen the other lighting options in action so can’t comment. ACC is nice until you realize how bad everyone else drives and you are always stabbing the gas to get back up to speed. Comfort is decent. Size is ok in the back for adults. I am in between car seat stages of life so no help with that question. I have an independent VAG mechanic in town who is reasonably priced, but haven’t needed for anything but oil changes (20k for me but now at 75k), but be prepared as nothing is cheap for these cars. Wife has a Q5 and the A6 has a bit more room inside, but the TDI still gets 30-35 highway. You will love whatever you end up with.
Welcome. If you are concerned about economy, think about a TDI.
I hadn't thought about that but an excellent idea! There was a recent thread from a gentleman that bought a brand new TDI, I think it was a 2016 but I am not sure, but he had said he got it for a super good price. That would be a good thing to look into for sure. I think that people who have the TDI engine just love them.
Awesome feedback, guys! I am concerned with fuel economy, but considering I've never driven anything that gets...16 mpg even on the interstate, having a combined 22 or so mpg will be like driving a Prius! I've done the math and the savings on gas will be well over $200 a month with an A6.
The only one close to at a reasonable price is a 2015 with 70k and it's a 2.0. I would consider 70k pretty high mileage and I'll be putting on close to 17k a year, I need to start off with something closer to 50k. And, I really think I want that 3.0. One of the main reasons I like this car is it's nice, but can make some serious power, and I need that in my life!
Thanks again for the feedback and please keep it coming. Here's a question that someone.....may or may not have an answer to: has anyone notice some states, areas having better pricing than others? For example, for the things I'm looking for, I cant find ANYTHING under 20k in our area, and we're in a fairly large area (Hampton Roads). But up in NOVA, near DC, Pennsylvania, NY, NJ and even in Atlanta, I find more cars under the 20k price point, and down in GA, some have been 2-3k less than anything around here. I'm sure it has to do with supply and demand and those being larger cities with more options, but, I just didn't know if anyone noticed anything like that when they were looking for their car?
Yeah, I love mine. Racecar? No. But passing someone? 40-80 before you can react almost. Looking forward to a tune one of these days. New will be hard to find, but low miles should be pretty easy. Depreciation on anything but an RS is pretty rapid so my 4 year old car was >50% off new sticker and should have another 300k left in it, assuming I want to keep up the other repairs for that long, but I have had good luck with my VAG products so will hope for the best.
Yep, regionality as I think of it is often vivid. My town, Wilmington NC is about 140 miles from Raleigh and 175 from Charlotte and luxury car dealers here are oh-so-aware of that isolation and I guess presume many people won't travel. So over two BMW 335's and the current A6, one came from Charlotte, another was moved from deep in GA somewhere and the A6 came from Fresno California no less (was transported) because I'd waited months and just couldn't find the car I wanted with color / wheels / options etc so paid for some shipping and still beat the local in town price by $5K I expect. Lots of options these days to pluck a vehicle from distance (can entail limited cost risks of course) but I got a thorough report and sent them out in CA to do an intricate mult-multi photo scrutiny before I committed to moving cost of mine and it still had a years' factory warranty at purchase for actual mechanical reassurance. DC always looked pretty price competitive to me during searches and I'd have actually gone that far myself but the need never arose. Good luck with the search.
Thanks for the reply, Mike. I'm glad it's not just me. I swear I've looked at so many of these things, I'm going nuts! But, I know it will all be worth it in the end.
01-15-2019, 09:24 PM
Questions from a newb
