Would You Get a C5 RS6? (4.2 V8 biturbo)
Discussion
Great motor when running fine but a potential money pit if you need to replace the poor DRC and gearbox. They make running my M5 seem cheap put it that way.
Warranty direct rated as the least reliable car on the road and I think that is because they agreed to cover it and ended up paying out on DRC jobs all the time. They eat MAFs's, EGT's and CO2's all the time too so make sure you have a good few K on the side for running costs. No one is likely to warranty one now so you need to go into this with the attitude that if the box goes it might be as cheap to break the car, sell the parts and start again!
Warranty direct rated as the least reliable car on the road and I think that is because they agreed to cover it and ended up paying out on DRC jobs all the time. They eat MAFs's, EGT's and CO2's all the time too so make sure you have a good few K on the side for running costs. No one is likely to warranty one now so you need to go into this with the attitude that if the box goes it might be as cheap to break the car, sell the parts and start again!
I'd buy one in a heart beat if I had the money. I currently have an S6 (same V8 but no turbos) and really like it.
They are definitely a car you need to do your research on. I would only buy a car thats already had its DRC replaced with coilovers and preferably one that has recently had its gearbox pop and replaced.
The gearbox can be reliable if its oil is changed at regular intervals. The problem is that Audi stamped it as "filled for life" meaning its maintenance free so many have gone without.
Latest price I've seen for a gearbox is £3K +VAT for a warranted reconditioned box and £6220 inc VAT for a brand New one. Both fitted from AMD Essex.
http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/news-latest-offers/17...
They are definitely a car you need to do your research on. I would only buy a car thats already had its DRC replaced with coilovers and preferably one that has recently had its gearbox pop and replaced.
The gearbox can be reliable if its oil is changed at regular intervals. The problem is that Audi stamped it as "filled for life" meaning its maintenance free so many have gone without.
Latest price I've seen for a gearbox is £3K +VAT for a warranted reconditioned box and £6220 inc VAT for a brand New one. Both fitted from AMD Essex.
http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/news-latest-offers/17...
JordanTurbo said:
They are definitely a car you need to do your research on. I would only buy a car thats already had its DRC replaced with coilovers and preferably one that has recently had its gearbox pop and replaced.
I'm facing a dilemma at the moment as to whether I'd be better off swapping out or not. I queried the same over on rs246 and the suggestion made was to keep my own particular car stock oem hence the use of my warranty as above. It may mean I take a marginal hit when I come to sell her but at least I know she is original plus spec. 
GolfSupplierAU said:
Some really tempting examples of the C5 RS6 for sale on PistonHeads under the 10 grand bracket, but I've heard horror stories of replacement gearboxes costing 12 grand?
Good question, and one I've been asking myself. (I should state up front, I'm not an expert, I've never even driven a C5 RS6, but I've done a good bit of reading on various forums over the past couple of months)
From what I've read, you have to go in with your eyes open - it will cost a lot to run - there are loads of threads of RS246.com, but general consensus seems to be to budget £2k a year to run it.
And as with so many complex cars, you (almost always) get what you pay for - I've seen a few cheap cars in the classified which haven't had proper maintenance over the last 1-2 years+, so you'd be likely taking on a big initial bill to get the car up to scratch.
There are a few cars for sale now which have had the gearbox replaced, so I'd probably go for one of those.
As mentioned previously, the suspension can also be a problem, so I'd also want a car that has been changed to coil-overs - I think there are 2-3 different options, all of are bork-free compared to the original.
£12-15k seems to get you into a very well maintained car with a new gearbox (or at least one where the owner has changed the gearbox oil regularly), but I sense even if you buy well, there are big running costs...
From reading owners' reviews, though, if you buy one you will love it - you just need to be prepared to lavish more cash on it to keep it great!
[devil on shoulder]: go on, you know you want to - it'll be awesome...
[angel on other shoulder]: no way, £2k a year to keep a £10k car running, don't waste your money..
The problem now is that the longer they are around this price level, the more rough or unserviced examples will be around as people buy them thinking its a cheap route into this level of performance then off load them when the first four figure repair/service bill comes in.
You have to remember the saying that gets posted around these forums a lot when these type of threads pop up
"Running costs DON'T deprecate when the car does"
You have to remember the saying that gets posted around these forums a lot when these type of threads pop up
"Running costs DON'T deprecate when the car does"
I've had a C5 RS6.
They are incredibly quick, comfortable and an all round awesome car. However you CANNOT run it on a shoestring budget like some performance cars. It comes with super car costs and you won't enjoy the car if you penny pinch. Pads and discs will set you back £1,000 and if you thrash it she will eat them. Seem to recall standard tyres are low profile 19", so they're getting on for £200 a corner. The DRC suspension (if not done already), will want replacing with a decent coil over setup at some point. I've seen this done for £2-3K but there's lots of different options. The gearboxes are a weak spot and generally last 70-100K miles. My local specialist charges £4K for a refurb last time I looked on the list. Like anything you can shop around.
While the box breaking will always come as a nasty surprise, most RS6's will have been thrashed from day one and that box is dealing with 400hp+, so it's actually pretty strong and durable. Frequent fluid changes will increase lifespan, as will driving it carefully.
Best to look out for an RS6 that's had its suspension replaced. Many have. Look for regular service history, good upkeep and previous evidence of repair. If it's CAT C or D, you want photographic evidence of what was damaged.
One other thing to consider - and ultimately why I got rid of mine - they are a favourite for theft.
Otherwise they are very robust cars, usual Audi quality, good stereo, good seats, not much goes wrong but when it does it's dear. MPG is pretty irrelevant.
If an RS6 is comfortably in your budget then go for it. If you're looking and thinking "if I sold my Playstation I'd just have enough for the cheapest one on eBay" - don't go there!
While it's not in the same league, I eventually settled with an C5 S6 and haven't moved away since. It has the looks of the RS6, 330bhp, flared body, all the toys and half the running costs. As I say though it's not an RS6 and doesn't have the "oh-my-god-how-fast-is-this-thing-we're-doing-140-already"!
They are incredibly quick, comfortable and an all round awesome car. However you CANNOT run it on a shoestring budget like some performance cars. It comes with super car costs and you won't enjoy the car if you penny pinch. Pads and discs will set you back £1,000 and if you thrash it she will eat them. Seem to recall standard tyres are low profile 19", so they're getting on for £200 a corner. The DRC suspension (if not done already), will want replacing with a decent coil over setup at some point. I've seen this done for £2-3K but there's lots of different options. The gearboxes are a weak spot and generally last 70-100K miles. My local specialist charges £4K for a refurb last time I looked on the list. Like anything you can shop around.
While the box breaking will always come as a nasty surprise, most RS6's will have been thrashed from day one and that box is dealing with 400hp+, so it's actually pretty strong and durable. Frequent fluid changes will increase lifespan, as will driving it carefully.
Best to look out for an RS6 that's had its suspension replaced. Many have. Look for regular service history, good upkeep and previous evidence of repair. If it's CAT C or D, you want photographic evidence of what was damaged.
One other thing to consider - and ultimately why I got rid of mine - they are a favourite for theft.
Otherwise they are very robust cars, usual Audi quality, good stereo, good seats, not much goes wrong but when it does it's dear. MPG is pretty irrelevant.
If an RS6 is comfortably in your budget then go for it. If you're looking and thinking "if I sold my Playstation I'd just have enough for the cheapest one on eBay" - don't go there!
While it's not in the same league, I eventually settled with an C5 S6 and haven't moved away since. It has the looks of the RS6, 330bhp, flared body, all the toys and half the running costs. As I say though it's not an RS6 and doesn't have the "oh-my-god-how-fast-is-this-thing-we're-doing-140-already"!
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