Advice on buying an A6 please

[duncanda]

Hi, I'm considering switching from a rusting 1999 Mercedes auto E240 and am interested in any advice on buying a used A6. I'm thinking of a 2000/2001 model and the 2.5TDI automatic saloon looks interesting. I'd appreciate advice on; is this much better than the 1.9TDI, is the "normal" auto better than the CVT, do they rust, what's the dealer service like and service costs? I've read reports that the handling is awful and that it's too harsh. Is this true? Will it be so different to the Merc? What about performance between 1.9 and 2.5? I want to keep it 5-6 years and will do about 10K miles per year. Any advice appreciated.

 

[duncanda]

My goodness, absolutely no-one has any opinions on buying a used Audi, which diesel, or CVT vs. normal auto etc. etc. Thank you.

 

[plampine]

I haven't got any experience with the 2.5, but as far as the multitronic (CVT) goes, I prefer it to the regular automatic. I don't know about the diesel's handling either (because mine's a 1.8T), but the higher engine weight might complicate matters. Regarding the harshness of the ride, I might not be able to be impartial, since I like a really tight ride.

I wouldn't worry about rust with a car of that age, all Audi's are fully treated with zinc coating.

 

[Jims5543]

When our A-6 Quattro was in for service we were given a A-6 FWD. I had read complaints about the handling of the A-6 being poor. I couldn't understand why people felt that way until I was no longer in my Quattro. Then I understood.

Having in my garage a Mini Cooper Works and a fully race prepped RX-7 I have found my Quattro to be a very well behaved car with sports car like handling.

I was told by a friend from London that my model is not offered in Europe. I have a 2.7 Litre Bi-Turbo and we are seeing 27MPG in the City and 35 on the highway traveling at speeds between 80-100 MPH.

 

[duncanda]

Many thanks to you all for your advice. Once I get the rust repaired by Mercedes, I'll take some test drives of A6's and see what part-exchange I can get for mine. Cheers.