Opinions wanted on A6

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I was looking at the Audi A6 and I like the aesthetics of the exterior and interior. Is the 3.0t and the auto trans a relaible combo? Even though I always said I would never buy a European car after my wifes 15 year old Saab always needed something or other . . . My Jeep Liberty has been pretty good to me overall, I like that the parts are cheap.

If my Jeep ever dies would a 5 year old Audi be a terrible decision? I can do small and medium maintenance / repairs, nothing real complicated like swapping engine transmission or differentials.
 
Yes, many on here say Audi (VW) stuff is junk. Don't buy it etc, they CHEATED..... My take, buy what you want. It's your money, many on here are Toyota, Subaru and Honda fanboys and are to short sighted to consider anything that is outside their comfort zone or have no experience with. Yes, every manufacturer makes a lemon once in a while. .
 
BMWs are my area of expertise, but hopefully someone who has actual experience with the marque will chime in. More than likely you will only see posts from people parroting fifth hand hearsay(and who have never even sat in a vehicle from Ingolstadt).

I'd suggest checking the Audizine and VW Vortex forums.
 
It will definitely not be as reliable as some cars out there. If that higher maintenance is worth it is up to you.
 
I have been an Audi owner/fan since the mid '90s. I am not a "fan boy." There are some good years/models, and some bad. Are you talking new, or what vintage?

I am also a fan of their aesthetics. I think they've had the consistently best looking cars for the last 20 years, with some of the most pleasant interiors. I am now more a Lexus/Toyota driver because of reliability (they are not superb on that). If it's out of warranty, and you don't LIKE to wrench (I do), you will be frustrated or pay for the service.

But, before we bloviate on, what year are you looking at?
 
A 2012 Audi A6 is pretty sharp.

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That 2012 looks really good, that's pretty much what I had in mind. I'd be looking for one of those with the 3.0t engine. I've been doing some reading and actually that model may be pretty reliable believe it or not. Consumer Reports says Audi is better than average for reliability now. The Audi forums says biggest problems is fuel pump failing, some reports of oil consumption, and thermostat replacement is a 6 hour job, otherwise pretty solid. Compared to Jeep, less room in engine bay, Audi requires bumper removal for many services, and parts cost is roughly double. All in all might be worth a look when the time comes.

I did take a look at jeep grand cherokees and those do look good too. Right now with a growing family my wife and I are thinking she gets a three row suv next, which means I could potentially get a sedan for commuting. I'll hold off until another promotion or whatnot down the line and this will give me something to look forward to.
 
If you get a VW/ Audi, BMW or Mercedes Benz. GET VEHICLE SERVICE RECORDS! To many people put [censored] oil in these cars. I've witnessed it first hand, quite a few times.

People come into walmart tle, and they leave with 5w-30 quaker state. Then there car dies. Who do they blame? VW/ Audi.
 
Relative is on his third A6. Always leases, three years. By year three it needs a few warranty issues. He is hard on cars. Apparently a lot of Audi owners are. Think bmw driver but even bigger jerk. Lol.

Friend bought one with 100K on the clock. Biggest POS ever. The suspension, Quattro system and electrics.
 
Wife has a Q5 with that 3.0 engine. All in all, it's a nice powerplant and trans combo. So far it has not had any issues, but long term reliability is TBD. We do have an extended warranty plan on it. If it's anything like her previous MB, the extended warranty will pay for itself many times over before you get to 100k miles.
 
Get a Certified Used Audi from the dealership. 5 years old or less. They only accept premium units and fix anything before they're offered for sale. Free Carquest report. They come with a warranty (typically 3 years) and you can add coverage if you want.

Audi makes some of the best designed cars in the business ... the interiors are outstanding, even compared to other premium marques.
 
Quattro versions always used to have the ZF autobox.

FWD did have troublesome CVT boxes for many years, don't know if they ever went over to DSG autoboxes in the A6.

I find the A6 bland much like all Audis.

Though at least with low fuel costs you can ignore the diesels.
 
I've never personally owned an Audi, but we've had a handful in my family. The A series and the Q series seem to do pretty well. I would definitely steer clear of the Allroad and anything with air suspension.
 
Audi does some of the prettiest, most tightly constructed interiors in the business. I have owned several, at the moment I have too many kids in college so I am not comfortable spending the money to own one so I have a "wannabe Audi" Jetta that is a great little car so far.

My personal feeling is if you can wrap your head around the notion that German cars aren't appliances, and will demand more interaction with a service writer than a Lexus would, you'll enjoy the car. Good maintenance by the previous owner, and you will be key, along with being in-tune with the car...if you hear a weird noise, address it. If you let things fester they snowball into big, nasty, expensive problems and ruin the whole ownership and driving experience.
 
Your going to get a lot of hate for a VW/Audi on this forum but the truth is when taken car of properly they can be very reliable. You don't see Audi dealers in Germany with their parking lots (or roads) littered with so many broken cars the mechanics cant keep up.
The problem many times is more to do with the owner and maintenance, not you cant run 0w20, PYB, VWB and a cheap filter, Prestone AMM coolant, Supertech ATF and Prestone or Valvoline PS fluid from Wally's, brake pads and rotors from AA and expect it to be fine, it wont be, you can etch that in stone the car will just get worse by the day.

Quality fluid from a company like Pentosin, filters from Mann or Mahle and Castrol 0w40 or Mobil 1 0w40 will go a long way in keeping the drive train in good condition. Use OE or known high quality aftermarket part, like ATE, Textar, Padgid, Mintex, Zimmerman rotors, etc with ATE or Pentosin DOT 4 fluid every 2 years.
Maintenance isn't overly expensive but you need to be conscientious about it.
Remember one cheap cheesy part can negatively effect many others and cause untold grief. I have run some VW/Audi cars over 200K with not much more than a brake job, plugs and wiper blades and routine maintenance.

If you buy one ask before buying parts and fluid if you have questions on how do something with maintenance ask. Bleeding the cooling system is a good example, you hear many folks complaining , calling the car junk and all sorts of stuff because they cant get the air out.
A $79 vacuum tool (that can be used on almost any car also) will do the job for you with no air in a couple of minute, no stress and no bother.
 
You've generated a wealth of excellent responses to your post. The naysayers have a point - to a point. A neglected Audi is closer to death than almost any neglected Toyota. German cars - in general - and also in my limited exposure with my 13 year old Passat - are built to provide performance that goes closer to the sharp edge of reliability vs longevity than is typical for most GM/Ford/FCA(not including Fiat) Toyota/Honda/Nissan/etc products.

North Americans - not BITOG'r members - are often guilty of not reading the owners manual for anything, and cars in particular. The mindset of German car makers ( I work for a German company and have been there often) is that everyone will read the manual and obey all warnings!

So go ahead and do your research into this beautiful car, read the manual, confirm the compliance to all VAG recommended fluids and filters, and remind yourself that you are not going to get brake pads or coolant at NAPA or WM for this car, ist Verboten!
 
They are good, reliable cars. Keep up with the maintenance and it will reward you with safe and pleasant driving. You can expect to drive it 200k+ miles.

Neglect it and it will deteriorate just like any other vehicle would. But because it's an upscale car, repairs will naturally be worthy of its class. You can't spend $50k+ on a car and expect maintenance costs of a $20k car.
 
I gotta chime in. I posted about a neighbor's 2001 Audi A4 with the 3.0l V-6 a while back

I HAVE to remind people that they came to me because the car smoked HORRIBLY. I drained 11 quarts of oil from the car. I cleared it out by driving the car for a month and reset the CEL at an ever diminishing rate. Finally, one day, the CEL stayed off and passed NJ inspection.

The car was excellent to drive and the owner offered it to me a while later. I was warned by everyone here that a reasonably neglected Audi WAS NOT what I wanted for a hobby car. Alas, I didn't know she was going to dump it for $500. Actually, I never got as far as talking price.

One thing I can tell you is that the V-6 IN NO WAY belonged in that car. The engine bay was beyond cramped. Audi added a stacked oil cooler to the filter's landing such that the filter lived within 1/2" of the radiator and had only a thread or two purchase. Truly an accommodation to the stupid American car buying public which thinks 4 cylinder engines are bad.

I went to a nearby Audi dealer's service building (Fair Lawn, NJ) and luckily met a bunch of friendly mechanics who implored me not to buy the car. They told me to get one with the 4 or even the turbo 4. 2.0 I think.

'Twas my first time filling a transmission with a pump from below. I don't know the word for that.

And the smoke....her husband said to me, "I keep adding oil and it still smokes". True story.
 
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