watercooler

I'm going to the dealership Friday to look at a 1995 Blue A6 2.8 Quattro. 5-Speed Manual, Cloth. That's all I could get out of him. The price is very low, sub 12k and that makes me a bit nervous. But 5-Speed Quattro's in Florida are somewhat rare to say the least. I'm going to have her recovered in Custom leather, anyone ever had problems with Katzkin and the like?

But more importantly, anything I should look for? Check for? It has 60k on the clock, Carfax says it's clean, Dealer says it's perfect but I don't trust him yet/at all. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Seattle Scott

97 A6 Quattro
Posted by BznProduce on 2001-01-25 19:30:12
Considering a one owner 97 A6 for 20K. Very clean car. Loaded but miles are near 70k.
Any concerns? Car is Audi assured, but that only covers for another 5K miles. Any input? First Audi.


Got my 97 A6 with 43,000 miles for $20,700 and that was a little high during December 2000 (more)
Posted by Seattle Scott on 2001-01-25 21:42:18
In Reply to: 97 A6 Quattro posted by BznProduce on 2001-01-25 19:30:12
Car has everything except Bose stereo and a phone.
It was leased by one person and maintained by Audi. I had a real "picky" mechanic preinspect the car He estimated $3000 worth of work was needed. I figure doing the brakes, oil cover gasket and sunroof adjustment myself will cost about $450. The rest of the work didn't need doing. In fairness, since he couldn't keep the car over night so had to $1100 head gasket job included.
You are paying a $2000?? for the Audi assured inspection and warranty. Run a Carfax check on the car; make sure it isn't from some bad place like Florida or New York. In my opinion the best cars are from Washington and Oregon because we have no road salt, few potholes and no California or East Coast emissions. You can get an unlimited, two month Carfax account at http://www.carfax.com
If you aren't mechanically inclined buy the car and quit reading now cause you may feel bad. If you are mechanically inclined don't buy that car. It's only worth $16,000 or $17,000 up here in Washington.
v Have someone start the car cold and look at the exhaust. Listen to the engine.
v Drive it around.
v Take your hands off the wheel and see if it tracks.
v Do a panic stop and see if the brakes are OK, pull, ABS works.
v Drive in very tight circles both left and right and see if it feels OK.
v Drive back to the dealer's, park the car and get out your flashlight. Look under the hood and under the car for fluid leaks.
v If you are happy, negotiate a price. Practice this several times on cars you won't buy.
v Take the car to a good mechanic and get an inspection.
v Use any new problems to negotiate a lower selling price.
v Always be ready to walk out, practice if you need too. I made an offer of $20,000 on a 97 A6 with 30,000 miles on it. I had the dealer down to $20,600. I would have crapped my pants if he had accepted the offer. The car was from Michigan (a little rusty on the bottom), had a leaky head gasket and the leather had been Amour Alled or something, it looked like vinyl.

v Hangout on the new older A6 forum to get advice on how to take car of your car.

A little info.....
Posted by Muhammad on 2001-01-25 23:24:01
In Reply to: 97 A6 Quattro posted by BznProduce on 2001-01-25 19:30:12

Basic Info:
The '97 A6 is built on the C4 platform (new style A6 is the C5) and has the 12v engine. The 12v is a solid engine but isn't extremely powerful, 174hp. The A6 came out in '95 as basically a 100 model with a new name and new trim pieces... basically the same car. So the design went from 1992 - 1997, and the Avant (wagon) was also sold in 1998.

I have two of these cars, a 1994 100CS FronTrak and a 1996 A6 Quattro... obviously I wouldn't have two if I didn't know they are great cars. Overall reliability has been good. The 100CS has been nearly flawless while the A6 has had a few minor but annoying and expensive problems. Most problems on Audis are expensive... even service is expensive. Be prepared and understand that about Audis before you buy one. Think over the cost to maintain the car...
Buy an extended warranty! You might hate your first Audi if you don't, because of the potential repair costs... and I'm talking about the small things. Power seat motor = $370 on my A6, and I have found that dash lights can get expensive if you have to replace gauges... little things that can fail on a used car w/70k miles, that are expensive and annoying if you don't fix them. I would not recommend buying any Audi without a warranty... there is no way I would own one without a warranty.
The price seems high; you can probably do better. I'm one to look long and hard and find a perfect car at a good price, though. Maybe $18k for that car would be possible if you weren't looking to spend a lot of time finding a better deal, and if it is perfect (needs nothing mechanically, condition is near new). I would offer $13k to get the ball rolling regardless. Check the values. You can get one for about $1,000-$2,000 over average wholesale, in good condition, possibly Audi Assured... in your case Audi Assured just means that the car is in good condition with required services done to bring it up to good condition, since the warranty isn't worth much, if anything.
Ask for previous service history from the dealer; they should be able to look up the VIN and see what service was done through Audi dealers. That will tell you if all was done as specified by AOA... that is, if it was done at a dealer, and isn't already in the service book.

As Scott said, do a Carfax report just to be sure... make sure it has a clean title, etc. I don't agree about avoiding cars from certain states... my A6 is from State College PA and minus a 1/2" surface scratch and one tiny flaw in the rear seat leather (you have to look to find both) the car was completely perfect. Have had the car 8 months now in ugly (weather) NY and I can promise anyone that once warm weather comes around and I can hand wash it again, it will be as good as new once again. It isn't where the car is from really, just who owned it and how it was cared for. Appearance will tell a lot about the history of the car, especially interior.
Drive the car a couple times; make sure everything works, especially electronics (the expensive stuff). Make sure the transmission shifts smoothly/properly, and the climate control works properly. As Scott said, take your hands off the wheel at various speeds and see where the car wants to go (on a straight, smooth, level road of course). Also at a stop, turn the wheel from right to left and listen for cracking sounds. Could need a suspension part or two if you hear some noise. The vibration while making sharp turns is normal... good old Quattro!
Look into the timing belt/water pump service history of the car. If it hasn't been done yet, it should be before warranty runs out (IMO, don't let that happen!) ... basically before 70k miles. If you have a timing belt failure, you're in trouble with bent valves... $thousands in repairs if not covered by warranty. The timing belt service is required at 90k but that is really pushing it... the service book doesn't really cover all the service the car needs, but it does list most...
Here is a listing of the semi-major/major services you can expect to do, and how often/expensive...

+ Oil change as often as you want. AOA says every 7,500 miles. I do them every 3-4k, or when the oil starts to get darkish. Use synthetic if you want, but you don't really have to. I have used both and regular oil has worked well for me changing every 3-4k, and almost all shops I talk to say regular oil is just fine (what they use in their cars).

+ Check brakes, transmission, exhaust, suspension, air filter and check OBD every 12months/15k miles. ($40-$100 in labor if no repairs needed)
+ Flush coolant, flush brake fluid, replace fuel filter, replace or clean air filter and replace spark plugs every24 months/30k miles. ($250-$400)
+ Replace automatic transmission fluid/filter every 45,000 miles. ($200-$300)
+ Replace timing belt, serpentine belt, water pump and timing belt tensioner pulley every 60-70kmiles. ($400-$1,200)
+ Replace oxygen sensors every 90k miles, or whenever they fail (they probably will). ($450-$600)

Of course, follow the service book with the car also. But a lot of things aren't listed there, like a coolant flush, fuel filter replacement or water pump replacement. Keep in mind that all of those items are not warranty services. As you can see, it is an expensive car to maintain.

The build quality is so high on this model... it still puts a smile on my face. Even after 7 years and 90k miles, the doors still clunk shut, and everything feels solid. You know that you're driving a great car.

The car has adequate power, and plenty from 20-100mph... I haven't ever needed more power, just wanted more power! (Insert stg III S6 here) The car rides great. You can either leave it stock and have a soft but firm ride, or do a suspension change to get a much firmer/sportier ride... for now mine are stock. Goes well with the automatic transmission (which I am growing to like, actually... it does the job). Steering is great at all speeds. Styling is unmatched in my book, really a classic design that I like more and more as time goes on.
The stock braking system leaves something to be desired... safe, secure, solid braking in my case. I did a pad/rotor upgrade and am very happy with the stopping power of the car now... remember with Quattro it is a 3600lb car, and at speeds you need the ability to stop. Do a search for Rofren brakes and you should see some posts of mine on my upgrade. Or I could post/e-mail details if you're interested.
Quattro is a nice feature, especially if you live where it snows. I don't really think it means a lot on dry roads, but in the snow it is very secure and safe... I'm running all season tires and have no problems at all. FWIW, I also ran all-seasons on my 100CS FrontTrak (FWD) in '98 and '99 during the winter. Car did fine in all situations... only had trouble in the driveway a couple times, but even Quattro has trouble in my driveway.

The interior of the car is great; you will find that all controls (once you figure them out) are placed well and designed well. The leather is simply the best you will find... it holds up well, also. The heated seats are great... so is the Bose audio system.

Whew, ok, that should get you started... sorry for not responding earlier, I had to drive.
---
Muhammad



Nice post Muhammad. I just got back from an errand, as far as states go.. ;-)
Posted by Seattle Scott on 2001-01-26 00:29:10
In Reply to: A little info..... posted by Muhammad on 2001-01-25 23:24:01
I'll swear I can see more rust on the under carriage of a car that has been in salt. I freely admit I've never seen an Audi with a rust problem that was under 20 years old. It may be of no concern, but given the choice I prefer a "non-salted" car. (I'm also amazed, thanks to Carfax, how many cars in Washington are from the East Coast and Midwest).

As far as the warranty, that's a crapshoot for a guy like me that works on his own cars. If I need to replace an engine or get a transmission rebuilt I loose, if I just need to fix the occasional seal, etc., I win. At least monetarily, not time wise.
If a person doesn't work on his or her own cars I'd recommend a warranty on the Audi. BznProduce, Muhammad is right, look long and hard, get to know the market. If your first Carfax subscription runs out before you buy a car have a friend get one and use it.
Muhammad describes the engine power correctly too, it's adequate.
Go test drive some A6's, practice and get to know the car.

When the car is cold pull the oil dipstick and look for foam, milky oil, really dirty oil.

Make sure you check all the electrical "stuff" out, mirrors, locks, lights (inside and out), stereo, windows, moon roof, seat motors, seat heaters, etc.

Make sure if the car has a CD changer in the trunk it is an Audi CD changer. Some dealers will try to pass after market players as a "viable" option. They are worth zero dollars in my book as most are Panasonic players that play "through" your FM radio. Search the forum for problems with after market CDs if you are curious. As far as I know from 1997 A6s and back you need an Audi CD changer ($500-$600) that costs more than the CD changer used in 1998 and later model Audi A6s.

Look carefully at the leather. It should be soft and supple with a "warm" glow. Not as soft as glove leather, the Audi leather is too thick. Mistreated leather may be hard and look like vinyl.

Open the trunk and sniff around. If you smell a musty, moldy odor something is wrong. If the trunk smells like air freshener something may be wrong. Look for rust or other water damage/flood symptoms. If you want a flood damaged car go here and see how good they look :

http://www.casmiami.com/

Get your inspection mechanic lined up, talk to some friends with German cars and find out whom they like. Look for a really picky, fastidious mechanic. You may not want to take your car there to get worked on but you want to take your car there for a pre-buy inspection.

Good Luck, once you have an Audi you will probably never go back.

Personal Experiences
Posted by Style12v on 2001-01-26 09:11:13
In Reply to: A little info..... posted by Muhammad on 2001-01-25 23:24:01
I have a 95 A6 Quattro. Same design as Muhammad's, except a little older.
I have had very much similar experiences to Muhammad. This is by far the most fun I have ever had owning a car. I can't find one flaw in the design, and even the lack of power (as people call it) is really not as bad as many people describe. While its expensive to do large modifications for power, there are cheap things you can do. For $100-300 and some elbow grease you can get a good 10-15hp gain, and I would say 200hp is plenty for any luxury sedan. As for it being 5 years old, it still drives, and looks like new. Besides a little wear in the leather, I have several times been congratulated on my new car after doing a good detail and waxing of it. (Obviously not Audi experts, but still). Compared to my previous car, a 94' Sports Explorer, which felt like it was in a constant state of heart attacks, I have never been more impressed.
Service is the only problem I have run into, and I am feeling it now, as going through the motions of simple 75k miles tune-up, my money is also floating out the window.
There is a CD-Rom out there from Bentley, that many people have that has instructions a lot more detailed than the service manual. For $100, this actually will end up saving you a lot more money if you can do basic/medium maintenance yourself (oil changes / coolant flush / brake flush / etc).
| 95 12v A6 | K&N Airfilter | Moddified Airbox with 3 intake hoses | Tornado Air Management System | Remote Start |

muhammadc

Sounds like a base model... no options (a lot of them were equipped with leather, sunroof, cold weather pk, bose audio, and more)... which decreases value a bit. Price the car on Edmunds.com and look to pay between wholesale and the "private party" figure... also check AutoTrader.com for similar vehicle and what they're selling for. $12k isn't that low for a stripped (as in not loaded) FronTrack 5-speed... but 60k is pretty low for a '95. Well, somewhat low anyway.

Check the post I liked to for some more information... check service history, electronics, transmission, for oil leaks, check suspension condition/performance, etc. FronTrack has less of a chance of suspension problems because of much less weight being put on the components, plus the rear suspension is different from quattro models. Look it over really carefully, and maybe have an independent inspector look at it before you buy.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/55700.phtml">https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/55700.phtml</a></li></ul>