I want to talk about the C6 A6 Avant, too.

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
11/27/2019 at 18:08 • Filed to: extremely unncessary car shopping with the guy with the paseo wagon

After reading BarryDanger’s post regarding his 7-day trail with an A6 Avant supercharged, I did a little unnecessary car shopping for one myself. I don’t how I was completely unaware they were sold with the (surprisingly old) 3.0T (which means supercharged and not turbocharged because REASONS). The handful I’ve ever seen in the wild had the 3.2 badge for the N/A V6.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Here’s something amusing: I found three for sale locally the other day, and two of them sold sometime between then and I type this! So the last local example left is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! :

I blacked out my tail-lights so they yadda yadda

Oh yessssssssssssssssssssssssss

This seems tempting to me. A giant, luxurious (for the time), proper wagon, AWD, and 300+ hp.

And from what I’m gathering, the 3.0T doesn’t seem incredibly unreliable or spooky like the 4.2 (with the belt on the wrong side), the 2.0T, or even the 3.2... which the 3.0T is based off of, apparently. That said... They’re still a little scary for me. But I found this cool website that lists some of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Scariest one being that pre-2012 and oil consumption:

Yeah, I know it’s quite foolish to be drawn to a decade old luxury German car, with a supercharged and AWD, and also an Audi badge. We’ve been down this road before.

But I don’t know... Could work for a parallel version of me that actually had 12 grand to blow on a car and suffer the subsequent consequences?

Thank you for your time.

DISCUSSION (26)

NKato > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 18:10

Unpopular opinion: Audis are garbage.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 18:13

A friend in college had an S4 with a stick and the same engine, it was a hoot!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > NKato
11/27/2019 at 18:17

I kinda of agree but mostly on the same way a 12 year old with an Xbox says that Play Stations are garbage. I dislike Audi’s because I think BMWs are generally more appealing. And also I own one

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Snuze: Needs another Swede
11/27/2019 at 18:18

I thought the S4 of the gen got a V8

VincentMalamute-Kim > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 18:19

Are you elegant enough to be seen in that car?

bob and john > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/27/2019 at 18:40

nope. the B7 was the last one with the V8. that ended production in 08

Snuze: Needs another Swede > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
11/27/2019 at 18:44

Nope, the B8 S4 got the 3.0T (I had to google to be sure though).

Saracen > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 18:54

“ 4.2 (with the belt on the wrong side)“

C6 A6 4.2, like the B6 S4, and B7 S4/RS5, has a timing chain up against the firewall. A ny Audi 4.2 with a belt is facing the correct way.

The 3.0T is a pretty great engine overall. Address the minor issues and it’s quite reliable. A6 Avant 3.0T’s are badass.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 18:58

Indeed the 3.0 in the wagon body makes it a pretty rare high power family hauler. These were on my list of cars to try when I was looking. But one never popped up nearby. Everyone loves the 3.0 engine from what I’ve read.

Another overlooked gem from that era is the 535 wagon which could be had with a stick. But some people “know what they have” with those cars.

MM54 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 18:59

This is not a toyota

Saracen > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
11/27/2019 at 19:05

Yeah, the N54 is a great engine once you get past failed HPFP’s, failed turbos, failed VANOS solenoids, bad injectors..

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Saracen
11/27/2019 at 19:07

Well; that’s part of the reason I wanted a car with the n55 but still manual, 300hp, wagon is pretty cool.

Saracen > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
11/27/2019 at 19:12

Dude, my coworker (who already has an ‘16 M2) just got an X3 M Competition for his wife . Hilariously quick. What an engine.

Can’t believe they just came out and are getting over $10k knocked off of sticker..

CompactLuxuryFan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 19:15

That 3.0T gives N55 performance with fewer scares. Compare the downright legendary resale of the first gen SQ5 against a contemporary X3 35i. Or a B8 S4 against a contemporary 335i. I’m partial to the much cheaper BMWs but would gladly take a good A6 Avant or 535 Touring. The thrust will be in a different league compared to your IS. Finding a good example of either seems pretty hard, though. Blacked out tail lights = CP. Plus you already have a (much smaller, which is better in my book) wagon, so...

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 19:17

Audi gets a pass for blacked out tail lights. Without that, they're downright blinding at night

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 19:21

Dr. Zoidberg JKM7680

cberg > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 19:39

As much as I love the idea of what amounts to a supercharged VR6, it’s missing the ZF 8HP that would sell this thing to me without a second thought.

DipodomysDeserti > NKato
11/27/2019 at 19:57

That’s a fairly popular opinion among people who work on their own cars.

cberg > cberg
11/27/2019 at 20:00

I found one on CL in denver from that year for 18k, as far as fancy automatic cars go I’m more inclined to sacrifice ponies; even if I wouldn’t be getting a wagon, depreciation special S90 T5s cost 25k.

Hot take: I’d have an SQ5 over this for skiing & gearbox reasons.

Keylube > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 20:08

The S6 is worth your time and suffering, this isn’t.

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/27/2019 at 20:59

I’d rather a late run S211 for my game of Russian Roulette, or save up for an S212. Maybe even find the right S210 (but more of a gamble).

NKato > DipodomysDeserti
11/27/2019 at 22:28

Or among those who don't pay through the nose for maintenance.

John > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/28/2019 at 08:08

I have a 2006 Avant with 270 k miles on it, 3.2 engine . I probably spend about $1000 per year in maintenance and repairs. I love the car. It burns some oil and leaks a little. I carry a quart in the trunk and add a quart about 3-4k miles.

AlfaCorse > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/28/2019 at 17:41

My parents have had two of these A6 A vants. One with the 3.2 and one with the 3.0 Supercharged. Both were actually quite reliable over all. The 3.0 wa s slightly more reliable, the only major expense was the electric water pump going out around 110k or so without any other damage being done . The 3.2 had the timing chain stretch around 55k the head was replaced while it was still under warranty, but then was solid for 150k after that until it was sold a few months ago.

PlaysWellWithNOthers > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/28/2019 at 23:03

We bought a 3.0T Avant in February, put almost 20k miles on it since and have no regrets. I’ve owned a C6 A6 sedan with the 3.2 before and loved it , but the 3.0T is in a whole different league and I’ve always wanted the avant anyway.

Luckily we have a local shop that specializes in Audi and VW and their rates are reasonable. Also, I have access to the gigantic German used s pare parts market and get a lot of information and advice from German car forums. All that helps keep the cost down. When were we’re going to my parents’ in Germany for Christmas I’ll have a suitcase full of parts and accessories waiting for me to bring back stateside.

We lucked out and found a completely loaded Prestige that we bought from an older gmy about an hour away from us. It was serviced by an Audi dealership and came with complete service and repair records and a set of winter tires on Audi rims. (They are now for sale, because I bought a new set, in case anyone i s interested.)

Ash78, voting early and often > DipodomysDeserti
11/29/2019 at 08:48

Yes, owning a working VAG product: THIS IS THE GREATEST CAR EVER.

Your first DIY experience: THE NAZIS ARE STILL TRYING TO KILL US