Old A6 a good idea?

[Duffelcoat]

Hi All,

Thinking of getting an old A6, 1996-97 ish, the first A6, is there one to recommend in terms of manual/auto engine etc?

Seen very few 1.9tdis which would probably be my choice, but as I do low miles a V6 or any petrol may be worth considering if it is going to be reliable, looking at ones around 100k miles, so thinking that V6 might have had an easier life.

Not really bothered by performance as long as it isnt to bad.

Is quattro worth having on these at all and are the auto's reliable? Anything else major to look out for other than the usual second hand car things?

Cheers

[towcestervag]

quattro is the best by far (S6) BUT THESE ARE DEAR STILL
i would go for either 2.8 quattro manual
or 2.5 inline 5 cylinder diesel and quattro if you can find one
the 1.9 is a little under powered so is the 1.8 and 2.0 petrols
2.6 is allright
good cars
anti roll bar rubbers go/strut top mount seize/dash pods suffer from dry soldered joints/steering arms seize/axle bushes on two wheel drive

[Duffelcoat]

Thanks for that, saw an interesting S4 (100 S4- S6) 2.2 turbo, looked nice, but a bit pricey as you say, and saw a 2.8 Quattro but auto but had all the toys including leather, not sure auto is my bag tbh, but sounds like I should wait for the right one, ideally an estate as well, so it could be worth seeking out the 2.5 tdi, I take it these dont suffer the same problems as the later V6 tdis?

[towcestervag]

the old 2.5 tdi was a pucker car
avant is the best but hold their money
2.8 manual quattro sounds good can get well spec,d versions of these
S4/S6s are the daddies but the early ones had very very expensive front brakes
im trying to find avant at right price will go for 2.6/2.8 myself and a quattro if one comes up at right price but not in hurry

[Duffelcoat]

Maybe I will look for 2.5tdi or 2.6 manual like you sounds the best options, maybe nice 2.8, dont want a fast car I have just had to sell my RS4 for house moving reasons so need something that is function over form, but not sure I want to take to massive a step down!!

How are the 2.5tdi s on high miles, ie 200k seen a lot of very high milers, may be okay, my old passat had 200k on it and was fine, Audi the same!

Sounds like we are after the same thing, always want an 100 early A6 in their day so looking forward to fulfilling a dream retrospectively!

Cheers

[towcestervag]

ive always wanted a RS4
drove loads when working for Amersham Audi as workshop controller
i always thought the RS2 was the animal
dont be put off by milage on these earlier cars

[Niall76]

I own a 2.8 quattro, manual, leather and all that.

Brilliant car! I was thinking about selling but I went and fitted a towbar for pulling the dirt bike so I'll be keeping a lot longer now.....

Get one.

[brighton123]

I had till recently a 2.5 TDI M reg SE Avant with leather seats 6 speed etc Fantastic car far far better than the troublesome V6 TDI that I changed it for. Mine had done 180K when I sold it and was still strong as an ox If you get a good one you will not go far wrong with it

[pete99]

I had till recently a 2.5 TDI M reg SE Avant with leather seats 6 speed etc Fantastic car far far better than the troublesome V6 TDI that I changed it for. Mine had done 180K when I sold it and was still strong as an ox If you get a good one you will not go far wrong with it
Bit like a Rover 90 huh ?.:approve:

[JohnF]

I've had my 1998 A6 2.8 auto for 6yrs and I still love it. If you can find one, go for it! The engine is a beautiful piece of engineering [5 valves per cylinder] from Gyor which feels just nicely run in at 100,000m. The ZF gearbox is the trouble free 5 HP 19 as fitted to loads of BMWs and Porsches of that era. The galvanised body is that of a voluptuous coupe with 4 doors [they've wrecked the appearance of the new A6 by lipping and chrome-stripping the boot]. The only rust I have dealt with was on the heads of the small phillips screws at the bottom of the front doors.
Autocar did a group test comparing it with virtually the same size/powered Merc E280 and BMW 528 'Three of a Wunderkind' 14 May 1997. The Merc will have rusted and the BMW will probably have cost a lot.....
Dont bother with carting the mechanics of the quattro around - turning the ASR off got me up all hills in the snow last winter.

[Duffelcoat]

Have seen a 1997 P reg 2.5 tdi, will this be a V6 engine or a 5 cyclinder jobby?

Didnt think the old A6's ever had the V6, but saw one (a different one) with a picture of the engine bay showing a V6 cover...

Does anyone know when they changed it, or is it just a case of looking at individual cars of this era..

Should I discount the V6 altogether? I have heard bad things about them!

[towcestervag]

this should be a 5 cylinder
the ones with v6 on covers were petrol 2.6/2.8

[Duffelcoat]

Got it!

Picked up today P reg 2.5tdi Quattro estate, very nice condition with the seven seats and leather all around. Full service history etc and 145k on the clock it feels very nice to drive.

Got 47mpg on the way back and I wasnt dawdling too much. Very impressed with the car and dare I say it I think I prefer it to my RS4.

So much bigger, more comfortable and nippy to the point that you don't struggle with it, but not so fast as to be tempted to do silly things!

Bonus was the car has just had four new pirelli tyres on it that still have the moulding strings, but car does need front brake pads and probably an oil change, although it was done only 7k ago I might get it done anyway.


Few very minor things to do, but basically needs a good clean and polish inside and out, very original car with the original stereo and even a very old cd changer!

Stereo is pants though, especially coming from a BOSE

Will post some pictures once I have had time to clean it up etc.

[pete99]

Got it!

Picked up today P reg 2.5tdi Quattro estate, very nice condition with the seven seats and leather all around. Full service history etc and 145k on the clock it feels very nice to drive.

Got 47mpg on the way back and I wasnt dawdling too much. Very impressed with the car and dare I say it I think I prefer it to my RS4.

So much bigger, more comfortable and nippy to the point that you don't struggle with it, but not so fast as to be tempted to do silly things!

Bonus was the car has just had four new pirelli tyres on it that still have the moulding strings, but car does need front brake pads and probably an oil change, although it was done only 7k ago I might get it done anyway.


Few very minor things to do, but basically needs a good clean and polish inside and out, very original car with the original stereo and even a very old cd changer!

Stereo is pants though, especially coming from a BOSE

Will post some pictures once I have had time to clean it up etc.

SO- whats the catch ?.

[towcestervag]

good luck hope you enjoy it
should be good for loads of miles and very reliable

[Duffelcoat]

Hopefully there isnt a catch, dealer hadnt had it long and had loads of calls on it even when I was there...

Paid £2100 for it, which I think is about right, hopefully I havent been stiched up, maybe that is the catch!

Taking it to my local audi specialist next week, so will find out anything else I dont know then!

[mhobson]

I would recommend the A6 2.5 tdi SE avant with the 140 bhp engine and 6 speed box, spacious unbelievably economical and reasonably fast, it was without doubt the best car I have ever owned, now have a later v6 2.5 tdi avant, despite being more powerful, the power curve seems to be much narrower and therefore does not seem so fast, uses much more fuel and there seem to be more issues with the engine. If you look at one make sure the mass air sensor is OK they are very dear to replace, look at the ancilliary drive belt tensioner at the top front of the engine which give up from time to time and check the front driveshafts by turning the steering from lock to lock and listening for clunks, also the tailgate can sometimes be prone to to leaks so look for damp or water in the spare wheel well and mould on the spare wheel cover board. I wish I had never sold mine. Good luck, Michael

[lonky]

if you go for an 1996/7 then you want a manual, as the older 4 speed auto will be a potential weakness, and was why I got rid of my old 1.8.

currently have a 1998 2.4 V6 with the 5H19 Auto, better unit, and doesn't have all the risks of the later multitronics.