Why do you own a B6?

[Pops848]

I'm curious, what is it that makes you own a B6?

The reason I say this is because whilst my car had a misfire the Mrs gets in my earhole about buying a newer car as I've had "so many problems" (as she puts it). I've actually had two, a misfire and a coolant leak, which I don't consider that bad, especially as new cars aren't built to last!

When I finished repairing my car I put my finger on why I prefer older cars rather than newer cars, it's the satisfaction it brings, I prefer the raw driving feel, not all this new age stuff (it's great and I love it but I don't feel connected to the car).
I also love working on cars, why pay a garage when I can do it myself? I wouldn't with a new car because I'd want a service stamp to keep value, but on a car that's over 10 years old, does anyone care about a stamp?

I love my old cars, I'll continue with them and all the whilst there are enthusiasts out there, these old cars will continue to live a long and happy life!

 

[DieselJake]

I was looking at the pd130 lump in Passat's, Bora's, A4's, Golf's and all sort's but decided I liked the look of the Audi most and because of this I wouldn't need to modify it (... um... yeah... that didn't work out; spent more money in parts than what the car's worth now). I'd of probably got a b7 but they were all 115bhp unless you go 2.0tdi and I didn't trust that motor.

 

[adamss24]

To be honest it's one of the longest running platforms to date and with well trusted mechanicals and quite good dynamics. I do like the pd130 engine however the Quattro models are built quite weak compared with the larger engines (hollow props, weaker gearboxes and clutches, weaker rear diffs) however overall is a very, very good platform and the pd lumps are very reliable and easy to get power out of them ! The b7 is bringing cross flow engines and the 2.0 tdi 140 Bhp is quite a reliable lump IF you get a later gear driven balancer shaft and do the longer hex shaft upgrade ! Better still, buy one with a failed BUL engine and slap a golf engine in it and swap all ancillaries over- no more balancer shaft and much more reliable overal ! With a map, bv43a turbo upgrade, EGR delete they will do 230 Bhp or thereabouts and transform the way they drive ! Best thing the fuel economy remains similar than in non tuned state ! The avant is better looking however I like the b6 rear a bit more- personal taste really !

 

[Davyb]

It ages gracefully and to a certain extent are a tank. I got a 1.9 tdi and am still in love with her. Might give her a little cosmetic surgery this year.

 

[joinerman]

I had a 3.0 Tdi B7 with the bullet proof v6, bullet proof my ****, cost me £5500 in a year in repairers, while it was off the road i bought a B6 quottro with the PD 130 lump & had it mapped, much preferred the B6 & sold the B7

 

[Dannyboolahlah]

Because it was too cheap to say no to, and I couldn't face another winter in a leaky MR2!
And because it's got a 3.0 V6 and AWD

Never thought I'd own a sensible, German saloon at all, and was planning on selling it in spring... now the MR2 is up for sale cos I've fallen for the A4!
Maybe I'm just getting old haha

 

[Retroman]

Some of the slightly older German cars had extremely good build quality – better than today. In some respects, they were almost “over-engineered”, this is certainly true of BMW and probably the same for Audi as well. The race to combat emissions, increase fuel economy and to produce lighter cars made from recycled materials etc., may have ticked the box in political and green terms but has not improved either reliability or build quality. Your 2.4 V6, whilst possibly not the most economical, has a reputation for being smooth, reliable and bullet proof.

Yours is a soft-top. I have a soft spot for soft-tops. They tend to age better than their hardtop counterparts as there is not much that can be done to redesign a soft top roof. This means that with a few strategic upgrades to things like exterior lights, the car can be modernised quite easily. Once the Spring comes, soft top motoring adds a whole, new and very enjoyable dimension to driving.

A good one, in my opinion, is well worth hanging onto and doing some extensive servicing and renovation – which you seem to be doing.

 

[mattyboyc]

I bought mine 10 years ago now and did so purely on the strength of its looks, it's been a great labour of love over the time and much has been done to her. I now have a two year old Mercedes A class as my daily driver but kept the B6 after a sale fell through and have to say it still looks good on the drive although it's not used much now.

 

[Pops848]

Your 2.4 V6, whilst possibly not the most economical, has a reputation for being smooth, reliable and bullet proof.

Economical it is not, you're right on that front! I also do 500 miles a week but I like big engines and oh my gosh is it smooth, you could balance a pound coin on that engine even on full chat!

Yours is a soft-top. I have a soft spot for soft-tops. They tend to age better than their hardtop counterparts as there is not much that can be done to redesign a soft top roof. This means that with a few strategic upgrades to things like exterior lights, the car can be modernised quite easily. Once the Spring comes, soft top motoring adds a whole, new and very enjoyable dimension to driving.

Good point about soft tops, yes lots have metal folding roofs now, but soft tops have changed very little in terms of mechanisms, and yes, I cannot wait for spring, all I need is a wind deflector!

A good one, in my opinion, is well worth hanging onto and doing some extensive servicing and renovation – which you seem to be doing.

Yeah, I'll be doing a few renovations, just bringing her up to a more modern feel, such as ICE white LED's etc. I'm also going to try and get any nicks repaired, but as it's just been repainted she looks great! Also has loads of service history, it's proof if these cars are looked after then they'll last a life time
Plus I love working on it, Audi's are great to work on IMO and it keeps me out of trouble, Possibly looking to go for an S4 / S4 Cab later this year.

 

[Pops848]

I bought mine 10 years ago now and did so purely on the strength of its looks, it's been a great labour of love over the time and much has been done to her. I now have a two year old Mercedes A class as my daily driver but kept the B6 after a sale fell through and have to say it still looks good on the drive although it's not used much now.

Between me and the mrs we have the A4 and a 2013 Focus, the focus is a great car, but I just prefer the A4, it's kind of known as the b***h car because it does all the miles haha

 

[Baka]

I originally got my (very similar) B7 because I need light steering and a comfortable seat due to my health. So I had to give up my usual BMW's.

But these cars have really gotten under my skin and I'm on my second. They just do everything so well. Fast, practical, dynamically excellent and easy on the eye.

 

[norris_309]

I get the same ear ache from my mrs when the car is playing up (in December had 2 faults, alternator pulley & turbo hose split)
She's always on about newer cars.. blah blah, but the more I read about newer cars the more unreliable they sound.
We did nearly get the B7 but having 2 young kids that would trash it & the price difference I went with the 1.9 130 tdi sport avant.

Having owned a 2002 pd 130 golf since 2007 (still got that too) I was quite confident it'd be a more reliable choice over a slightly newer b7 2.0tdi (oil pump!)

If I wanted to spend more, maybe I'd have got a newer b7, what age do they not suffer the oil pump failure??..

The Golf has been brilliant over the years (bought on 84k now on 159k) the audi I've had for 3 years ish it's on 140k, the thing that is really annoying the hell out of me is the front end suspension related knocking... I've changed the drop links that fixed the knocking, only to get more knocking after 2 months that I can't resolve...that make me want a newer car!!! lol, it's so expensive to change all the control arms etc..

 

[Colin Anderton3]

I have had my b6 avant 2.5tdi 163bhp since 2011 and have intention of swaping it for another car, I love now as I did when I first got apart from getting the local independent Audi dealer to do the cambelt I do all my own servicing just replaced the front wipers and also done a change on the rear wiper motor because it had the usual water ingress which is a common fault might get the wheels refurbed or get some bigger ones but in no hurry at the mo, cheers from Colin

 

[Jonni3]

I've always liked the B6 shape & was lusting after S4's, then I researched the running/maintenance costs .
For me it's all about the driving pleasure with mine, it's an S-line but it's by no means an out & out sports car which is a pleasant change for me, it's smooth, relaxing & is perfect for dragging me around in. It's my first soft top car & yes I felt a bit self-conscious at first with the roof down, think that lasted about a week.
And for a 12 year old car it still looks better than a lot of newer convertibles in it's class. I've done a few minor mods to it but they were to get it how I want it & there will be a few more done this year.

 

[DrStrange]

My story is that I was always a 'loyal' Mercedes fan as the brand has been in my family for years and they have always kept their end of the bargain..in terms of the Pre 2001 versions as have no owner experience with anything past that.

But then, I suddenly came to realise that Mercedes where no longer doing it for me with the affordability/tuning crossover. What i mean by this, is that I became a total 'turbo' convert and went from saying I would have Naturally Aspirated car my whole life (some stupid purist view) to instantly wanting a turbo'd car with the intention of tuning it bit by bit affordably. After reading massive performance gains to be had from a lot of Turbo'd cars I quickly realised it was going to be VAG all the way.

With the help of you guys (in general) I came to realise that the 1.8T was the platform for me. Now, I just needed a car that ticked all my boxes;
1. Looks 2. Reliabiltiy 3. Affordability 4. Tuning Potential.
It seemed the B6 had all of these.

Like Jonni above, I've never had a convertible and must say (however ridiculous) that when the weather is warm and I've got the roof down, there is almost no better feeling (bar at least 10 other things haha) .

To conclude, I love my car and simply do not care how much I've pumped into it. The common misconception is that something must be wrong with it??! Actually NO, I just love most things to do with Automotive wizardry and will continue to be.

Dan.

 

[technics100]

I'm on my 4th B6, great motors are getting cheaper by the year.. I always stay within the VAG stable.. agreed as above, they will always look classy and with subtle led light upgrades etc they can look more modern.. better built than the newer ones too!!

 

[DrStrange]

I'm on my 4th B6, great motors are getting cheaper by the year.. I always stay within the VAG stable.. agreed as above, they will always look classy and with subtle led light upgrades etc they can look more modern.. better built than the newer ones too!!

Simply amazing you're on your 4th B6 !!

 

[technics100]

Simply amazing you're on your 4th B6 !!

I'm such a vag tart.. it started many years ago something like this.. everything from 3 banger A2's to V8 S6's..

1996 Audi B5 A4 2.6
2001 Audi A4 B6 1.9 Tdi 130bhp
2003 VW Bora 1.8T sport
2001 Audi A4 B6 avant 1.9 tdi sport
2000 Audi S6 C5 4.2 V8
2003 Audi A4 B6 2.0 sport
2003 Audi A2 1.4 TDi
2005 VW bora 1.9 tdi highline 130bhp
1995 Mk3 golf gti 2.0 16v 150bhp
2000 Skoda octavia Tdi 90bhp
2002 Skoda Superb 1.9 tdi 100 bhp
2003 Skoda Octavia VRS 1.8T
2004 Audi A4 1.8T cab sport

 

[Andy9]

I bought my 2004 1.9 b6 quattro last year after running my b5 for 15 yrs (still got it and looks great, ming blue, autostyle bodykit,1.8 20v, 150,000mls, fsh) i love these cars, like you my missus moans about getting newer cars but it just dosent interest me, had a few probs with various things on the b6 but i love repairing em!!, i bought the b6 because the b5 will outlast me!!,break my heart to sell these cars