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Well the time has come to leave the RS6 fold - I had the beast for just under 2 years, and had an absolute blast. I will never forget the savagery of the acceleration, or the sound of the Miltek at full chat. A change in circumstance means I no longer need a mile muncher, and I've always fancied a soft top, so I've changed to a TVR Chimaera 450. It's a totally different kettle of fish to the Audi, they're like chalk and cheese, but already it's well and truly gotten under my skin in a way I must admit the RS6 didn't. I have utmost respect for the Audi, it is a monumental achievement to build a car like that, and it was a priviledge to own one, but while I miss it like mad I'm also fairly confident I've made the right choice - and who knows, later down the line there's always the option to pick up another quattro mofo.

While I had the RS6 I did just under 19,000 miles, burnt 4,360l of V-bastard, and paid Mr Shell £5,802.01 for the priviledge. Maintenance and upgrades came to £10,000 and included:

Bilstein PSS9s
Miltek Cat-Back
Re-con intercoolers
Cam-belt
Gear box health check and new sump (old one was corroded, lucky it was caught - I'd highly recommend a gearbox service if you've not had it done already)
2x new MAFs
4x new tyres
Alternator due to failure
New engine ECU due to failure
Unti 20 Stage 1 remap of engine and gearbox

All of the above work was carried out by Unit 20, and I have to say they were a big plus point in RS6 ownership - you can't put a price on knowledgable efficient and friendly service.

I got the car with issues, and having addressed the big expensive bits (and recently had the remap done) I suppose it would have made sense to keep the car for longer and enjoy the good condition it was in, but a) I'm a bit impulsive and b) I've learned you can never tell when the next big bill is going to come your way with an RS6, so the time to change felt right.

It's been great reading all the posts on here over the years, and I'm sure I'll keep lurking around to see if Badmans has anymore irresistable bargains on offer, but for now, that's me RS-less.

Let the TVR/canoe digs commence!

Nice right up, iam currently 5 months into ownership of a 6. And can't ever seem me parting with it. But one day I guess it must come. Maybe it might be a newer rs4 or 6 if you return?
Where did you sell the car, did it go to a forum member? Its nice to think that these cars are being looked after for many years to come with the respect they deserve.

You wimp Fitzmo ........piccies or it hasn't happened!!!! Good luck with your new car and keep staying around badman may appear at anytime

Good luck with the kit car you'll need it

And you thought maintenant was bad on an RS6

OMG what a shock move ....

A tvr ... Brave move mate .....

As they sang in film George of the jungle; "Watch out for that tree...."

Enjoy the TVR, a mad move but clearly one that needed to be made.

I would love a cerbra but would need another car aswell cause they brake down more than alfa's

The strange thing is while there's a ropey reliability reputation, a little digging on forums would suggest that actually overall the Chimera (400 and 450, not so much the 500) are pretty good so long as they're well looked after and driven quite regularly. Ok, every now and then one will catch fire, and there is always the possibility of spannering it into a tree/lamp post/large crowd of astounded onlookers, but that's all part of lifes rich tapestry. Erm...

Early TVRs were trouble, and the later models with the inhouse straight 6 engine also need a hell of a lot of looking after, but there was a short period where they got the balance pretty much right, and the Chimaera is bang in the middle of that.

I'll try and get some piccies up when I get back on dry land - collected the car on the Monday, left for 3 weeks on an oil rig on Tuesday. I'm currently sat out here looking longingly at he horizon and kidding myself that a chopper will come and rescue me any day now.

Sadly the RS6 didn't go the a forum member, it was traded for the TVR - I didn't fancy the hassle of trying to sell it privately, I'm sure it would sell due to the pile of history and condition, but it could take time finding the right buyer, and the TVR popped up at just the right time (although a little too close to work..).

Amanda - you'll definately be able to hear me turning up for my Sunday lunch when you're over at The Wheatsheaf now!

Good luck with the Chim, had a Griff for 3.5 years/40k miles, still regret selling it. It was utterly reliable. Best thing I ever did to it was a proper suspension set up. They only break down if a) you don't look after it b) don't use it.

BTW I reckon the RS6 is a bit more expensive to run, just a bit!

Cheers
Grant

gingertoss wrote:Good luck with the Chim, had a Griff for 3.5 years/40k miles, still regret selling it. It was utterly reliable. Best thing I ever did to it was a proper suspension set up. They only break down if a) you don't look after it b) don't use it.

BTW I reckon the RS6 is a bit more expensive to run, just a bit!

Cheers
Grant

+1
Had a '97 Chim 500 for 9 years and it never let me down once! Enjoy!

TechNick wrote: Had a '97 Chim 500 for 9 years and it never let me down once! Enjoy!

How many times then?

Shoppinit wrote:

TechNick wrote: Had a '97 Chim 500 for 9 years and it never let me down once! Enjoy!

How many times then?

Lost count!
Nah, in all seriousness, I should probably rephrase that to say it never broke down on me (as there were a few occasions over the winters where I didn't drive it frequently enough to keep the battery topped up, despite otherwise using it regularly) . Was very well looked after though.
And yes, do miss it and regret selling it... as with all my cars.