Opponauts - I Need Help: S6 Avant Edition

"New S4. Huskies. Party music." (mnuernberg)
10/07/2014 at 12:09 • Filed to: audi, s6 avant, avant

I'm relatively new to the community, and I'm looking for some much needed help/input. I currently own a B6 Passat 3.6L (91K miles) but desperately looking to get into a wagon. I've stumbled across this S6 Avant and would love some input into whether or not it's worth it to pursue purchasing it.

Highlights: $6K. Prior salvage. 208,xxx miles. BUT - direct from the post:

- Car has tons of maintenance which includes (all done at 192k): timing belt kit, water pump, thermostat, front main seal, cam seals, cam chain tensioner gaskets, valve cover gaskets, fuel filter, air filter, cabin air filter, spark plugs, transmission flush, transmission filter, rear differential flush, coolant flush, power steering flush, new battery, new windshield wipers.

- New in last 5000 miles: Full front control arm kit (uppers and lowers), front and rear sway bar links, front strut bushings and serpentine belt pulleys.

- New in last 1000 miles: Brakes front and rear, full synthetic oil change.

Any insight or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

DISCUSSION (15)

EL_ULY > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 12:16

Awesome car! I have a 99 A6 Avant Quattro. it is good that they did the front suspension kit on it. That is a common thing. I got mine for $150 with 3 year warranty (14 pcs. kit) Good to see that the central LCD is still working lol. Mine is getting dim on hot days. Headlining is starting to dip on mine. Trans and engine are great with juuust over 130K. Biggest job I had was the timing chain tensioner gaskets. I had to take the cams off for that thing. Besides that, the car is solid, better with with that motor on the S6

Chris Clarke > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 12:16

$4k might be worth it. Slushbox is boring. 4.2 is great, but a gas hog. Do you know why it was totalled?

Steve in Manhattan > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 12:25

Ask if the front end work included all 16 ball joints - that's thousands if needed. I'd be very careful and would pay an independent mechanic of your choice to go through the car top to bottom. If it needs 2K more work, you want to know that. Also, check with your insurance company to make sure they'll insure it.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 12:27

Between the salvage title and the high mileage? In my opinion, that's a big NOPE. This isn't a Land Cruiser, and as much as I love these cars, they are known for being iffy on reliability and costing a fortune to work on.

Cherry_man1 > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 12:32

few red flags IMO

The salvage title what happened to make it salvage

The miles that a shit ton. I would be sketched

KatzManDu > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 12:40

Transmissions on this era Audis can be weak links, since many were designated as "lifetime fluid." But, smart people DID get them regularly serviced, so you may have that going for you.

Steve in Manhattan > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
10/07/2014 at 12:52

Looked at the link - says the engine was "over-revved." How do you over-rev an engine in a modern car that certainly has a limiter? What else on the car was abused (I'd also ask).

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Steve in Manhattan
10/07/2014 at 13:05

I dunno but sellphones was looking at a V70R earlier that had the same thing.

Dsscats > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 13:08

Salvage and high mileage? HELL NO. The only less reliable thing could be a Jaguar. Pony up and get a nicer one. You'll save money in the long run

Saracen > New S4. Huskies. Party music.
10/07/2014 at 13:46

-It requires expensive parts and labor, but the Audi 4.2 is a very robust and reliable engine. Looks like this has had its motor refreshed from top to bottom. A compression test would be a good idea, just to be safe.

-An entirely new front control arm kit is a BIG plus. That is the other high maintenance item here.

-Torque converter condition, and the front brakes are the other important items to check.

-Check all the electricals.

Honestly, I think it sounds pretty good.

Saracen > Steve in Manhattan
10/07/2014 at 13:48

The ball joints in this era of Audi are not replaceable...that is why you must replace all of the control arms. My B6 Avant was the same way.

Steve in Manhattan > Saracen
10/07/2014 at 15:11

That's even worse - I knew somehow the front-end repairs were ridiculous on VWs/Audis.

Saracen > Steve in Manhattan
10/07/2014 at 15:52

Fortunately they last well over 100k miles, so he wouldn't have to worry about replacing them any time soon.

Steve in Manhattan > Saracen
10/07/2014 at 15:57

I want to say I recall a Car Talk call where the Passat in question had high 60s mileage, but driving styles, and once in a while a dud leaves the factory.

Steve in Manhattan > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
10/07/2014 at 15:59

I put this comment in the wrong place - talking about that R Volvo wagon a few cars back that needed an engine. Bad me.