2004 A6 or VW Passat?

[paul b]

To be honest, the first thing I do with cars of this age is get the cam belt, pulleys, tensioners and the pump done, regardless of what the history says. I'd rather spend £400 on my £5k investment and sleep easy for a few years!

I'll second the above.

I bought my A6 on 34k, absolutely no need for a cam belt change you would think, but yes I changed it. Its for peace of mind, you never know if the car has been clocked.

Cost me about £170 for the timing belt kit parts and water pump, as I changed it myself. Well worth the investment.

[SW TDi]

I don't suppose you will need convincing, but a mate of mine got himself a nice A4 Avant TDi (68k on the clock, "full" Audi service history) from a trader. It was a main dealer trade-in and all checked out out fine, but the previous owner had scrimped on the cam belt service before he shifted the car on and didn't get the pump done at the same time. The service book obviously showed a cam belt change at the correct interval, so my mate was happy that everything was in order. Imagine his delight when 10k miles later the pump failed, fell on its side and knackered his otherwise healthy engine.

[peterweedon]

Well, curiosity got the better of me and I went for a drive in 140 BHP Octavia. The performance was superb and much better than anticipated.

I think the car would be great for a single person or couple with one child. But for a couple with two boys (12 and 8) and dog, I can hear the whining about inadequate back seat room now. Even a roof box would not rectify that.

Anyone else driven one?

Peter

[ellaguru2u]

Well, curiosity got the better of me and I went for a drive in 140 BHP Octavia. The performance was superb and much better than anticipated.
...
Anyone else driven one?

Peter

I borrowed an Octavia 4x4 estate (cant remember which engine) and I was very impressed with power & roadholding but again it feels such a small car and the cargo area looks small....Its probably the same as an A6 but it just feels small.

[Naseem]

I had the same decision, Passat or A6. I tried a couple of A6's and Passats. As mentioned earlier, the build in the A6 is much more refined. My expectant wife found the seats in the A6 much more comfortable.

Is it just me or do the leather seats feel much more better put together than a Passat. Like most other cars though, could do with better lumber support, nothing ever feels right for my bad back.

[adamss24]

Is it just me or do the leather seats feel much more better put together than a Passat. Like most other cars though, could do with better lumber support, nothing ever feels right for my bad back.

The seats are better than the passats as the a6 have hard plastic backs where the passat has vinil backs ! Overall, the a6 is a much better car and it does handle really well for such a big car. Find a quattro and you will be smiling all the time.

[SW TDi]

Agree about the handling - my A6 Avant SE has far superior handling to my Passat Sport.

[Clinterous]

And the A6 dash is laid out much nicer and is more stylish.

[clonmult]

Agree about the handling - my A6 Avant SE has far superior handling to my Passat Sport.

I don't think I'd ever say that my A6 TDi Avant particularly handles well, but it does have an incredibly good ride. As my partner has commented after the abortion that I owned with the name "Laguna".

[Col]

I've had both and they handle the same.

Reason being, they have exactly the same suspension. As I've said above though, the A6 insulates you from the outside world better.