buying a car with 189k on the clock

[jason61c]

I'm buying a 2.5 tdi quattro sport a6(180bhp) auto....

Its got a fsh new gearbox and turbo 2 years(40k) ago with reciepts for 6k there!!!!

its due a cambelt change, is this hard to do or how expensive is it?

The cars on a X with full leather/bose etc and £2000- don't think I could get more car for the money but what sort of milage will these do when looked after?

Is 35mpg possible?

[Tame Technician]

Cam belt is difficult and subsiquently exspensive (compared to the simple 4 cylinder engines), probably the most hatefull of all the Audi belts, about the same level as the old RS6. Think there about £500 fitted at the main dealer.

Turbo is about £1200 just for the parts, Gearbox £3000 ish, so with those out the way there is much less scope for failure, and easy to see how the previous owner had a £6k bill.

At £2000 its not like your investing £15k in an old allroad (where I would say 2.5TDi NOOOOOOOoooo.) At £2k you will just have to think of it as disposable if somthing major goes wrong. Camshaft wear and consiquential failure would be an ecconomical right off, should you be unlucky and have that at a later date, and Injection pump failure would be borderline. These are both faily common things, the new camshaft are completely different now and made propperly and not from chocolate like the factory fit ones.

Also dont forget the 2.5 TDI as Audi's attempt at 'active anti-corrosion'. Covers the underside of the car with engine oil to prevent rust. But unless its pooring out of everywhere just keep topping it up, they all leak some worse than others. An oil filter housing is the remedy if it gets out of hand.

35mpg is "posible" but depends how you drive, and you will loose 2 or 3 straight away cos its auto.
I'd expect to see 32mpg with mixed use, but 35+ on a steady 65-70mph cruise.

[jason61c]

I was under the impression the 180bhp model was an update of the 150..... rods/pistons/cams/turbo so didn't have the same cam issues?

[Dr G]

For 2 grand? Change the oil nice and often then drive it off a cliff when something expensive breaks

[GreatGranny]

I think £2k is alot for what is a complicated expensive to maintain car.

If it was £500 then fine, if it goes wrong bin it but you can get a hell of alot for around £2k.

I know these are all petrol but the 2.5 lump isn't that economical anyway. Any decent 2.0l petrol will be as ecomical.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...

Edited by GreatGranny on Monday 2nd November 15:50

[jason61c]

I wish I could get it for £500..... if you look at the price of high milage/well serviced big Audis you'd see its cheap!

[Seez]

Or you could go for the older A6 with the 5 pot 2.5tdi that is bomb proof but is basically a van engine and sounds like it!

Not sure what great granny is babbling on about with that load of rubbish he has picked for £2k!

[Tame Technician]

!Theres nothing wrong with that Legacy!

or if it must be a Diesel, hows about one of these

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...

[Tame Technician]

jason61c said:

I was under the impression the 180bhp model was an update of the 150..... rods/pistons/cams/turbo so didn't have the same cam issues?

I expect it was a major revision, but the cams from the factory are alloy with steel lobes pressed onto them,(which when really badly worn can break off) I did some on a 2001/2002 ish allroad fairly recently.

The modified cams apear to be billet steel items with the lobes machined and shaped. Just picking them up you can tell, about 4 times heavier.

Edited by Tame Technician on Tuesday 3rd November 19:59

[jason61c]

omega or A6 Quattro sport........... no question really!

[Tame Technician]

jason61c said:

omega or A6 Quattro sport........... no question really!

I get your point,

but my MV6 omega would make you (and a number of much faster cars) look very silly indeed at a set of trafic lights. and it cost £1600 3 years ago.........

Omega's dont usually have the active anticorrosion system or the chocolate camshafts of the 2.5TDI either.

............I would accept I may already be looking silly driving a Vauxhall Omega

[GreatGranny]

Seez said:

Or you could go for the older A6 with the 5 pot 2.5tdi that is bomb proof but is basically a van engine and sounds like it!

Not sure what great granny is babbling on about with that load of rubbish he has picked for £2k!

Oi! I do not babble

Just pointing out that for the same money you can get a newer, much lower mileage car equal to the A6.

Yes its an Audi but the engine is an old design, heavy, not that powerful and thirsty.

The 4WD system just adds weight for the limited benefit.

There is a danger of getting too hung up on the name and quattro badge and forgetting the negatives.

The legacy will be thirstier but it will drive better and last longer with less potential bills.

IMO.

[cptsideways]

GreatGranny said:

Seez said:

Or you could go for the older A6 with the 5 pot 2.5tdi that is bomb proof but is basically a van engine and sounds like it!

Not sure what great granny is babbling on about with that load of rubbish he has picked for £2k!

Oi! I do not babble

Just pointing out that for the same money you can get a newer, much lower mileage car equal to the A6.

Yes its an Audi but the engine is an old design, heavy, not that powerful and thirsty.

The 4WD system just adds weight for the limited benefit.

There is a danger of getting too hung up on the name and quattro badge and forgetting the negatives.

The legacy will be thirstier but it will drive better and last longer with less potential bills.

IMO.

Just avoid the auto legacy's with the chocolate gearboxes, otherwise great cars.

It's a real shame the Audi lumps are proving really unreliable in old age, they are/were great cars but the 2000 vintage cars are awful for going bang!

[jason61c]

I do like the MV6 but I couldn't afford to fuel it for my 80 mile round trip 4 times a week.