Buying A6 Advice

[mikeyallen]

Hi All, First post so be gentle

I currently have an BMW E46 which I am now thinking of changing & I must admit I do like the new A6.
I have been torn between changing to a 5 series or the A6 & to be honest it seems you get a lot more for your money with the audi when looking on the ******** website at the used car section.

My budget is approx 23K & the A6 would have to have SAT NAV & Phone prep as my BMW currently has these fitted & I have got used to having them, especially as I am up & down the country.

So, some questions if you would be so kind to answer.

1) All all the sat nav systems the same in all the A6 cars? are some CD or DVD based? Any info on this what to look out for.

2) I have noticed that some say GSM phone prep. Is this similar to the bmw where you just plug your phone into a cradle & it loads it up onto the headunit?

3) As I have not had time to go to a dealer (nearest one being 45mile away) I am going only by the Audi website so what I would also like to know is are there any steering wheel buttons? for phone etc etc

4) as I am looking for 2006/2007 models are these the latest or is there a face lift due at any point? I always have a habbit of buying & then something new/better comes out

5) I also want an auto gearbox but I have norticed the site says Automatic/Tiptronic/multitronic what is the difference?

6) The cars I have seen & intrested in is the 2.0TDi S-LIne models, I take it this is ample power for a big car?

Sorry for all the questions but best to ask those who drive these cars everyday.

Thank in advanve
Mike

[brido]

hope this helps...

1) Go for the DVD satnav version...this comes with the bigger & full colour MMI screen & gives you goodies like TMC ....see...

http://www.rds-tmc.co.uk/

New satnav DVDs are released each year @ crazy prices from dealers ( over £200 )..cheat..get a hold of the latest DVDs & just copy them on a pc.

2) I think all new A6 models come with phone prep..you need to buy a cradle( about £100 or try ebay for a bargain ) to match your mobile & installs inside the front armrest. The phone is managed through the MMI or steering wheel. Bluetooth prep is great but not cheap.

3) Steering wheel buttons...yes it's got them..to manage volume & mute..to select radio & cd tracks & to manage the phone...I like the phone functions a lot.

4)don't know about any pending facelift...the current s line was facelifted toward the middle of 2006 & got some gorgeous front spoiler & roof spolier on the avant...

5) Can be used as a regular auto..or you can slect tip which lets you nudge up & down the gears with the gear stick or paddles if fitted ( option ? ) either way it's a great gearbox & super smooth on the 2.0 TDI

6) I have a 55 plate 2.0 TDI Avant S Line & power is not a problem..& returns good mileage...the standard 140 BHP output can be chipped to 180 BHP by your Audi dealer for around £500 which will cover warranty also.

one last thing...it is a big car & would strongly recommend that you seek a model with the full front & rear Audi parking system as it's invaluable when trying to park