Shaka

Good day, folks! I'm in the market for a 02-03 Audi S6 Avant and have a few questions for those of you who may own one. TIA for your help..

My ideal purchase would be an 03 Atlas Grey, with black leather. Ideally with sport seats, too. Beyond that, things like the 3-spoke steering wheel, paddles for shifting, and parking assist would be nice to have too.

For those of you with the comfort seats, are they good enough to satisfy you? OR do you wish you had held out for the sport seats?

I've found a black car, but fear keeping it clean from my past black car experiences. Do you folks think I'm better to get the grey?

From my hunting, I've got a good deal brewing on an 02 (not the 03 I want) but it doesnt have sport seats, park assist, or paddles even. It has the 4 spoke wheel, etc. I dont want to sell myself short, but price/mileage are good.

Thoughts or suggestions on what to look for, what to avoid, what options mean the most to you folks, etc... ??! .... thanks again!!

Boston Driver

hold out for the OEM sport seats...that is unless you are "wider" than average or have lower back issues. I have heard some folks complain that the sport seats are a bit too narrow (for the wide crowd), or are hard to get in and out of (for those with back issues).

For me, I love the sport seats, and it is worth holding out to find the right car.

That being said, Atlas Gray is beautiful, and if you can find one with the black alcantara & leather seating surfaces, even better!!!

Good luck!

Audi Escargot

..are suitably comfortable, though I would prefer sport. Not enough to make the swap, but prederred. Don't worry about it, if you find the right car.

If you do lots of city parking, then park assist is nice, but if not, don't worry. In my rural/suburban existence, I have used it zero times in the past month.

I'm happy with the 4-spoke wheel with shifting buttons. I would not want a 3-spoke without the audio controls.

I'd never buy a black car, but I ended up in a Ming Blue, which is black for all (im)practical purposes. Either buy the right car in the wrong color (my blue at least looks much prettier than black - to me) or do some research and make sure you aren't holding out for a color that was a rarity that will not be available to you.

Don't know any reasons to prefer an 03 over an 02 other than warranty expiration and typical mileage. (I know there must be a few differences, but others will have to recall them.)

Don't focus too much on price. Pay 10% more if that is what it takes to get the one you will love.

SouthboroAudiGuy

Finding sport seats can be a bear -- they're pretty much considered the holy grail of upgrades. I have 'em and could not imagine having the car without them. Most people that have tried them (have you?) and decide they want them hold out to buy a car that has them from the start.

Finding a three spooke steering wheel would probably be eaiser and cheaper if that is what you want.

FWIW, I love black A6es when they're all clean and shiney. But... in the words of a sage fellow-AWer, "If I owned a black car, I'd have to give up something big in order to keep the car clean. I'm takin' REALLY big... like sex. or time with my child." That's why I passed on the several black cars that came my way while I was shopping.

Good luck!

TeddyBGame

80+% of the S6's in the states will have sports seats....so this is kinda a moot point.

SouthboroAudiGuy

In 02, the sport suspension only came with the sport package. In 03, it was made standard.

Another reason to hold out for the sport seats (which are only available as part of the sports package) if you buy an 02.

One other point. I'd suggest focusing on getting lower mileage over newer year. I bought an 01 in February of this year because it only had 28k miles on it. Has worked out very well for me.

SouthboroAudiGuy

<Heh heh!> He said "moot!"

Boston Driver

in the last 6 months or so have been non-sport seat equipped...I recall more like 50/50 split. There was a nice S6 at Wellesley VW, but no sport seats, and a sport-seat equipped S6 at Clarke & White Lincoln Mercury, but it was in horrible condition. Those are gone now.

Currently, there are two available locally, and one has sport seats (Carmax), and one does not (Ira).

..but they all have that plush alcantara headliner ))

Shaka

CarMax.com doesnt show any S6 Avants tho.. you sure 'bout that?

TeddyBGame

1) very little difference between 02 and 03 model (passenger memory seats) etc. In 03 some late builds had the oem shark fin antenna (which would be nice if you wanted to upgrade to the oem sirius/xm tuner at a later time ...and the oem RNSE navigation unit).

2) comfort/sport seats really depends on the driver. I suggest driving a 4.2 A6/S6 with both so you know what you are getting. Very few S6's came with comfort seats and those that did were usually purchased specifically by the customer.

Most will agree that you want a car with the sport seats.

You can upgrade to the oem Recaro's and have them shipped from Germany...but plan on setting aside about $4K extra.

3) Exterior color is a personal preference...so that's entirely up to you.

4) Adding the three spoke sport wheel with tip paddles is very easy....so don't be deterred by a car with a four spoke wheel.

5) Park Assist is nice...but most will tell you that the sensors sometimes require constant cleaning to be accurrate. Others can comment here.

Good luck in your hunt. Keep us posted!!!

-Ted