Buying advice

[tgreer]

Hi Folks

Long time reader, first time poster.

I'm about to be in the market for a c6 rs6 avant, which ideally has MMI 3G (so I can do the RSNAV upgrade). There seems to be a complete oddball mix of vehicles on the market just now, some older with the MMI 3G and some newer with the 2G (lacking the joystick). Was it optional on the newer (09/10) models?

The other question I had was age vs milage. Is there any benefit to picking up a later (say 10 plate) model (70-80k on the clocks) vs an older 08/09 with 40-50k on the clocks?

I had a look and I could see lots of optional extras added, but the only main thing I could see added was the MMI 3G.

Any pointers appreciated.

Cheers!

[Jim Haseltine]

Old stock/new stock. It was an expensive car with a small base of potential customers so some cars that weren't special orders could have sat unregistered in dealers. Same thing would have happened if a customer cancelled their order late. Facelift cars (externally all you'll notice are the rear lights) might have 3G but they weren't introduced at exactly the same time and the lights are a plug'n'play retrofit anyway. Break a rear light and/or got milky centre lights and there's not much cost penalty in going for the later lights.
Mileage doesn't really matter - it's servicing and condition that counts, things like the oil seal and coolant pipes being done on a higher mileage car more than offset the cache of lower miles. Worse, you're not going to like paying 5K more for a 40K car only to be faced with a bill of the same sort to have those jobs done - 30 hours labour for the engine out at dealer rates is something I'd not be happy having to fund.
I wanted black with black leather, carbon trim and keyless with ACC and soft close doors as 'nice to have' options. Took best part of a year but I found a car well inside my budget without the options.
3 years later and despite the hassle I've had dealing with the seal, pipes and turbos I wouldn't change it for another modern car. Even if money was no problem I'd keep the RS and buy something stupidly impractical - or 8.

[don0301]

Facelift cars (externally all you'll notice are the rear lights) might have 3G but they weren't introduced at exactly the same time

No idea why you said that.

AFAIK ALL Facelift cars have 3G.

The C6 RS6 saloon was introduced at the time of the facelift, and ALL also have 3G.

Some pre-facelift Avant cars were late registered so are 09 reg but not facelift.

Also, some pre-facelift Avants have "some" of the items that came with the facelift ie 200mph speedo not 210mph.


To the OP, I would have thought at this stage a cars condition/history much more important than its age per se.

The facelift didn't bring much really, so it's personal choice if 3G is something you really want.

[tgreer]

Thanks both for the advice, I guess I'll keep an eye out for facelift avants and then just dive into their history to see.

Is there any big works needing done at a certain milage that I might be better off going for a higher milage model if means the work's been done?

[don0301]

If it's stock, it could have "Long Life" service intervals or "normal" if it's Audi serviced. Do your own research.

If it's stage 2, MRC recommend annual servicing 10k and 20k intervals, the main difference being plugs at 20k. Also, gearbox oil change every 20k miles (stage 2), I did mine the first year of ownership. Noticeably smoother gear changes.

The only 2 main jobs "design faults" that I know of are drivers side coolant pipes and the oil pump seal (search here to find out about them)

I've had the coolant pipes repaired, and to a "spec" that should outlast the car, some people have had the originals replaced (no idea why personally)

Regarding the oil pump seal I add Forte seal conditioner (do your own research) to my annual oil change and "lose" 0-250ml a year (0 or 1 top up a year), I happily live with that rather than getting the job done.

Most seem to need/have "some" front suspension parts changed at this age (It's a heavy performance car) I got the Meyle suspension service kit for £147 from Amazon (BARGAIN)

Other than that, in 5 years of ownership I've only had some niggly jobs. New rear wiper (they sag due to the "grip" wearing), new third tail brake light (water can get in), spurious engine fault diagnosed and fixed by MRC, front suspension "serviced". That's about it I think.

Mines been stage 2 for most of ownership, 770ps 1100+Nm. Stage 2 is like a new car, ballistically fast.

I would highly recommend Pheaton brake "mod" (search on here), H&R antil roll bars, brake braided lines and upgraded brake fluid, especially if stage 1/2. Consider brake upgrades as/when but I've done what I've said here and brakes are fine, but I would consider BBK when these disks are worn out.

I bought mine 5 years ago with 67k (I think?) now just passed 90k.

Bear in mind, at the end of the day, things go wrong it's a £85k car with £85k car parts and bills.

I use a local trusted mechanic for things to keep costs down, and MRC for "history", servicing and/or anything I deem needs more specialist attention.

It's a bonkers car, doubt there will ever be anything like it again, good luck with your search.

[Jim Haseltine]

Facelift cars (externally all you'll notice are the rear lights) might have 3G but they weren't introduced at exactly the same time

No idea why you said that.

Over 20 years experience of owning and maintaining low-volume Audis has shown me that what Audi's documentation says about model year breaks usually isn't actually the case. Not worth arguing the point anyway. Yes, facelift cars should be 3G. Thing is, as the external differences are down to the rear lights which can be changed easily, you can find pre-facelift with later lights - like mine though it's on a 08 plate but on a private plate who'd know? There's always the possibility of 3G cars with early style lights if somebody decided to cheap out on repairs or didn't know the difference.

In 3 years I've had a split DRC hose and a broken spring, similarly I've replaced the duff 3rd brake light and rear wiper arm. As to the bigger jobs I did the coolant pipes and recently the oil seal while I rebuilt the turbos during which job I also had to replace the PCV unit, duff breather non-return valves, a corroded inter cooler and a split brake servo pipe.

[c3nturi0n]

+1.

Only point to add is that it's super practical all rounder with very little that go wrong with them. However, as suggested it had a hefty price tag and so are repairs should anything major was to go pear shaped (mainly towards labour costs).

As don alluded to, this car is part of motoring history and will remain so for years to come... so do not hesitate to jump on it while prices are still moderate.

All the best!

[tgreer]

All feedback taken on board. I've from from R35 GT-R, F10 M5... so I'm well aware of pricey car pricey repairs. Day 4 of the GT-R I was new disks and pads on the front (after a day at Donnington). General service/wear/tear is neither here nor there, its the oil seal and the coolant pipes mentioned that are the sort of pointers I was looking for to see if they'd been done or not.

I'm not that fussed about its age or even it's mileage to an extent.

I've always had a want for a fast estate, and I test drove some B7 RS4s and wasn't that happy with the 'comfort' side of things.
I've driven a variety of RS6s (C6 and C7) and found them to be more than comfortable.

I'm not too far from MRC, so I suspect it will spend some time there over the course of my ownership. My aim is for a MRC stage 2 setup at some point if the one I end up buying isn't already there.

[don0301]

My best is 8.9 mpg from a full tank.

Something for you to aim for

[tgreer]

My best is 8.9 mpg from a full tank.

Something for you to aim for

I'll pass on that 'high' score thanks!

[don0301]

0-60 2.9s
0-100 6.3s

You will get used to the petrol station

[Jim Haseltine]

I've done much the same distance every week for the last few years. Using my daughter's Yaris I put around 30l in every 8 days. With the RS I put 70l+ in the tank every 6 days on average.
I really didn't see 140 on the speedo when joining a motorway one night.... Honestly.