weeks530bwn said:
tho woudnt a quattro 2.6 be better than a 2.4?
?
No. The 2.6 was a much older design, with iron heads & 12 valves. Max output 150 bhp. Thirsty without being particularly smooth or powerful.
It was replaced circa 1997 (I think) by the 2.4, which had alloy heads, 30 valves and 165 bhp in the B5 models (later increased to 170 bhp for the B6). More power, more performance, more mpg and more smoothness.
The 2.8 12-valver had 170 bhp, but increased to 193 with the upgrade to 30-valves.
Like some of the others have said, you will always be able to modify the 1.8T much more than any of the V6s, and being a turbo, it has a punchy power delivery. On the other hand, the 30-valvers give a gorgeously smooth, and very linear, power delivery, but with higher running costs.
You have to decide which ones suits you best within your price range. To be honest, you can ask all the questions you like, and we can give you opinions all day long, but the only way to decide is to go out there and drive them.
Good luck. Hope you find what you're looking for.