A6 (C6) avant - S6 or v8 4.2?
Discussion
Longtime lurker, returning to the car owning and operating fold after several years.
I am looking at an Audi estate, 2006-2008 vintage - seem to be settling on the A6 for the increased size.
Not expecting to clock many miles and I am keen to enjoy the rumble of a V8 or V10 for the occassional weekend excursion while we still can!
Budgeting 7-10k, the cars available in this range of are of the more 'seasoned' variety...
So, I ask the sages of PH, is it worth holding out for a well-treated S6 (and maybe increasing budget somewhat) or is the 4.2 hitting the sweetspot of performance/running costs? Any options that you consider to be a necessity?
Thanks!
I am looking at an Audi estate, 2006-2008 vintage - seem to be settling on the A6 for the increased size.
Not expecting to clock many miles and I am keen to enjoy the rumble of a V8 or V10 for the occassional weekend excursion while we still can!
Budgeting 7-10k, the cars available in this range of are of the more 'seasoned' variety...
So, I ask the sages of PH, is it worth holding out for a well-treated S6 (and maybe increasing budget somewhat) or is the 4.2 hitting the sweetspot of performance/running costs? Any options that you consider to be a necessity?
Thanks!
I had a 4.2 C6 Avant a few years ago. I had it for about a year.
It was not particularly quick really and averaged 19mpg over the year about about 10k miles.
It was a nice car to be fair, but not very "special" really.
If I was looking again I'd skip the V8 and just go for the V10 S6 (but not the RS6 as the running costs are mental). The interior is much nicer and the performance is definitely there.
It was not particularly quick really and averaged 19mpg over the year about about 10k miles.
It was a nice car to be fair, but not very "special" really.
If I was looking again I'd skip the V8 and just go for the V10 S6 (but not the RS6 as the running costs are mental). The interior is much nicer and the performance is definitely there.
I’ve owned my S6 Avant for around 3 years now. It’s been a great car that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Mines still on a standard exhaust and is fantastically subtle. Get the exhaust nice and warm and it’s very sonorous if a little quiet.
I waited a while and found a one owner car that had a great history, so I’m only the second owner. Ive done some preventative maintenance including carbon clean and gearbox service so id advise you look for something similar being done on any with similar mileage (80k or so for gearbox). Had some typically VAG faults that panicked me for a bit, all turned out to be minor items - coilpack, relay and brake switch.
They are also heavy on front suspension so check wear. I had a full refresh on it around a year ago. Expect around £1200 - £2k for this. I can’t see it being much different for the V8 version though.
Tyres - around a grand for a decent set of MPS4S. Again they do wear heavily as it’s such a big heavy car.
I’ve got a readers ride thread about somewhere that documented a lot of my initial experiences!
Happy to answer any questions you may have on one. I’d suggest 10ish would get you a decent one - they don’t seem to have dropped much value since I bought 3 years ago. Although mines not for sale yet, I am debating it and moving to a model 3 as a company car. I just can’t quite bring myself to give up the V10!
If you want to save a bit the 3.0 supercharged V6 will be just as fast after a remap… you miss some of the nice S6 bits though, and the noise! As such I’d probably recommend you either go S6 or 3.0. The V8 seems a little pointless to me as V8 noise aside the other 2 are better in most ways.
I waited a while and found a one owner car that had a great history, so I’m only the second owner. Ive done some preventative maintenance including carbon clean and gearbox service so id advise you look for something similar being done on any with similar mileage (80k or so for gearbox). Had some typically VAG faults that panicked me for a bit, all turned out to be minor items - coilpack, relay and brake switch.
They are also heavy on front suspension so check wear. I had a full refresh on it around a year ago. Expect around £1200 - £2k for this. I can’t see it being much different for the V8 version though.
Tyres - around a grand for a decent set of MPS4S. Again they do wear heavily as it’s such a big heavy car.
I’ve got a readers ride thread about somewhere that documented a lot of my initial experiences!
Happy to answer any questions you may have on one. I’d suggest 10ish would get you a decent one - they don’t seem to have dropped much value since I bought 3 years ago. Although mines not for sale yet, I am debating it and moving to a model 3 as a company car. I just can’t quite bring myself to give up the V10!
If you want to save a bit the 3.0 supercharged V6 will be just as fast after a remap… you miss some of the nice S6 bits though, and the noise! As such I’d probably recommend you either go S6 or 3.0. The V8 seems a little pointless to me as V8 noise aside the other 2 are better in most ways.
a7x88 I had been reading your posts for the past few weeks as I weighed up my options! The price has probably remained stable because everyone has been sold on them based on your very enthusiastic feedback 
Very much enjoyed reading them, thanks.
Appreciate the input regarding big ticket items to look out for - I had been looking through MOT histories on some of the cars on the market and had been struck by the frequency of suspension issues (and knackered tires!).
Please give me a nudge if yours is being put on the market!
Dr G - thanks and yes it seems to be a bit of a minefield looking for the right car in this age/performance category. I think yours in the voice of reason regarding the more efficient motor though I am wary of superchargers in older cars. I'll be keeping an eye out though - not a great deal to choose from at the moment so perhaps need to cast the net wider.
Very much enjoyed reading them, thanks.
Appreciate the input regarding big ticket items to look out for - I had been looking through MOT histories on some of the cars on the market and had been struck by the frequency of suspension issues (and knackered tires!).
Please give me a nudge if yours is being put on the market!
Dr G - thanks and yes it seems to be a bit of a minefield looking for the right car in this age/performance category. I think yours in the voice of reason regarding the more efficient motor though I am wary of superchargers in older cars. I'll be keeping an eye out though - not a great deal to choose from at the moment so perhaps need to cast the net wider.
That's just age/rarity - keep looking very closely and be ready to jump when something solid comes to market. People who love C6s really love them and good ones go quickly. Last truly excellent one I sold I got several messages telling me it was far too expensive, but it still sold easily at its asking price.
Don't worry overly about suspension/tyres, multi-link setup and the bushes do age. All fixable and not silly money. 90% of people have no clue what tyres are on their car or what state they're in.
I wouldn't be put off by a fundamentally sound, well-maintained car that needed some remedial work. Pretty much any car of this age will.
Charger on the 3.0 TFSI is stout, Audi don't schedule an oil change for it and I'm not aware of any failing, but pulling it off for new fluid could well be a good bit of preventative maintenance. They can suffer coolant leaks that often need a bit of labour to sort as inevitably they're underneath the supercharger itself.
Don't worry overly about suspension/tyres, multi-link setup and the bushes do age. All fixable and not silly money. 90% of people have no clue what tyres are on their car or what state they're in.
I wouldn't be put off by a fundamentally sound, well-maintained car that needed some remedial work. Pretty much any car of this age will.
Charger on the 3.0 TFSI is stout, Audi don't schedule an oil change for it and I'm not aware of any failing, but pulling it off for new fluid could well be a good bit of preventative maintenance. They can suffer coolant leaks that often need a bit of labour to sort as inevitably they're underneath the supercharger itself.
Bought a 2007 S6 Avant last month: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Pro:
- Awesome mid-range power. It just goes.
- Quick throttle response.
- Unique howl soundtrack when pushed
Contra:
- Very light steering, would like to have more road feel when you give it the beans on B-roads.
- Too quiet when not pushed.
Neutral:
- Aged MMI without any Aux input, but I listen to music off my phone with a FM transmitter anyway, so no problem there.
Pro:
- Awesome mid-range power. It just goes.
- Quick throttle response.
- Unique howl soundtrack when pushed
Contra:
- Very light steering, would like to have more road feel when you give it the beans on B-roads.
- Too quiet when not pushed.
Neutral:
- Aged MMI without any Aux input, but I listen to music off my phone with a FM transmitter anyway, so no problem there.
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