PDX-Boy[hermit mode]

I've done some searching on google and such, but I wanted to go to the source, my grandfather is looking to get a new car in April. He's been driving a Lexus ES300 (a troublefree, but not an Audi) type car. He drove 2 Audi's before he picked that up. A '85 5000 and a '91 100. He loved the way they drove and the turning radius was impeccable. (of course.)

Anyhoo, I'm trying to convince him to go back to Audi for another go-round.
The Portland Auto show is later this month, and I want some cold hard facts to present to him why he should get an A6.

Couple of run downs on what he'll be doing with the car:
<b>- Transporting older family members who will need a car that is low enough to get into regularly and has enough back seat space.
- Go to and from the Oregon coast on Hwy 101 during all times of the year.
- Needs to be a safe, reliable car (ie are there problems with the eletrical system that YOU guys know about that I can forwarn him about?)
- Should he get the Quattro or the CVT? Advantages or disadvantages of both?
- Large trunk space?
- What is the going price range of a 2000-2002? milage? etc
- Are the doors wide enough to fit large objects in without hassle?
</b>

Those are just some of the things he's looking for in his next car.

Web sites that you don't have to subscribe to would be greatly apperciated, plus first hand knowledge would be great.

Email me if you can or reply in this post:
ahockett4@attbi.com

Thanks for your time!
-Aaron-

dtwleungnyc

1) can't answer that myself, as most of my family members are still quite young.
2) Don't know, I live on the east coast. But to make you feel better, I drove thru 7 inches of snow on a unplowed road on Christmas day at 40 mph with no problem.
3) No problems in 8 months of ownership so far. (knock on wood) 8)
4) Quattro all the way, IMHO.
5) Sedan, trunk is large, in Avant form, lots of cargo space.
6) Depending on color, miles and equipment level, from $23k - $30k, roughly.
7) The doors on my Avant opens really wild, the door swings out to roughly at 70 degrees arc. But I have an Avant, putting large objects (up to certain size of course) is not a problem.

Good luck.

TheBrit

Transporting family members: The A6 is fairly well appointed for rear passenger space, although three adults on the rear seat can be 'cosy'. Leg room is OK, better than the old and new A4 by some margin. Entry and exit is OK (my wife's 82 year old grandad can get in and out of the RS6, no problem!).

Oregon coast during all times of year: Well, quattro would be an advantage in poor weather driving, but any A6 is stable - My Audis have all been great all-weather high-speed cruisers.

Safe, reliable: I've never had major problems with any Audi. There's nothing that I know of on the A6 that's a problem - it's old enough to have had most of the wrinkles ironed out.

Quattro or CVT: I'd say quattro with Tip. The CVT is a nice gearbox and very smooth, but the Tip isn't all that bad, especially for a gentler driver. The 2002+ Tip is improved over the previous generations too, much smoother and responsive.

Large trunk space: Yes, the trunk's a good size and the rear seats split 60/40 as well. Plenty of room for golfing gear or a weekend's luggage.

Price: Sorry, can't help you there.

Fitting large objects through the doors: No problem, I bought home a boxed up 21" TV from the store on the back seat. In my Avant days, I could bring home a 28" widescreen and all the speakers, but that's a different story... ;-)

Have you considered an A8? Because the new A8 is due out, there may be some bargains to be had. I'd say that the criteria of a comfortable, reliable, safe long-distance machine with lots of trunk space are met perfectly by the A8, and the A8L just takes that even further.

Potomac-Greg

If you take quattro out of the equation, then the Lexus starts to look like a similar or better choice. Audi is unlikely to match the swiss-watch reliability of the Lexus, so you will want a local dealer to make repairs convenient. Let's face it, though. Just about any car these days is 10X more reliable than cars were 20 years ago.

HPH

Agreed. An Audi without quattro is like...hmm...maybe we should have a contest.

GIACUser

comfortable for older folks. I find my A6 to tight for hauling people in. Everytime we put people in the back we have to adjust seats etc.
Wouldn't have to do that in an A8.

Everytime my Dad (age 78) gets in the car it looks like quite a chore and he is in excellent shape. A car with larger doors and more room is what you are looking for. The A6 really does not sound like the car you are describing. The A8 however does sound like the car in all respects. I bet you can easily find a nice used one.

Potomac-Greg

Like Oreos without the middle.