Buying an RS6 a bad idea ?
Discussion
I've posted this message on a RS6 forum, but the replies I got are somewhat (obviously) biased. Whats your opinion ??
After months of deliberating which all-purpose car to buy to meet the demands of my new family, I finally decided on the RS6 Avant. With a budget of about £35,000 I should be able to pick up a 2003 model with 20,000 miles. However, after trawling through every forum and every post imaginable trying to learn as much as I can about the car, I am now having serious second doubts.
Why ? RUNNING COSTS & DEPRECIATION.
Okay, let’s start with running costs …..
1. Fuel … realistically, I’m looking at 15mpg (I have a heavy right foot). I do about 5000 miles a year, so this equates to approx. £1350 a year. This is double what I pay now but not wholly unreasonable.
2. Insurance …. £1200 a year I have been quoted. Reasonable.
3. Servicing/Maintenance …. I am budgeting £2000 a year for servicing and general wear and tear (like brakes + tyres). This is based on a car that has already covered 20-30k miles. Getting unreasonable.
4. Warranty … after reading some shocking stories of how much gearboxes and engines cost to repair, it would be complete madness not to buy extended warranty on a car like this. So far, the only real solution is an Audi warranty, as aftermarket warranties are capped at low limits and do not provide as comprehensive cover. So that is £1500 per year. Unreasonable but really no choice.
So total yearly cost …. £6000 !!! Ouch. £1.20 per mile. Have I done my calculations wrong ??? Please discuss.
Okay, let’s now talk about depreciation.
Car cost £60,000 new. Three years on, and now about to go out of warranty, RS6s prices are looking increasingly vulnerable. One look at autotrader and you will see what I mean. Considering there were only a few hundred examples sold in the UK, there seem to be a lot for sale all of a sudden. £28,000 is the cheapest saloon, and £30,000 is the cheapest Avant. Then look at Ebay … I have seen 5 advertised this month, with a saloon starting bid of £22,000 and even an absolutely mint 2004 Avant with very low mileage failing to achieve more than £34,000. On Pistonheads, a Daytonna 2003 28,000 miler recently sold for £31,500. Then look at how many RS6s Audi dealers have in stock and how long they have had them for. I have been to see two dealer cars, and both were extremely eager to discount the cars (before I even mentioned prices!). Furthermore, over the past month, most of the 2003 cars have been reduced by approx. £2000. Non-franchised dealers cars are even cheaper too! A trader friend of mine also told me that RS6s are not selling at auctions, rarely meeting reserves. So to my point … With the running costs above, and cars now going out of warranty, will RS6 prices continue to tumble to a point where they are as cheap as RS4s for example? Take BMWs, there is no real premium in an M5 over an M3 these days. If I buy a £35,000 mint 2003 Avant, how much do people here think they will be worth in 1 year and 2 years from now ???? Please discuss.
Anyway, that’s my rant and dilemma over. I love the car, the power, the build quality, the practicality, but financially it seems a disastrous proposition. Do I go with my head or with my heart?
After months of deliberating which all-purpose car to buy to meet the demands of my new family, I finally decided on the RS6 Avant. With a budget of about £35,000 I should be able to pick up a 2003 model with 20,000 miles. However, after trawling through every forum and every post imaginable trying to learn as much as I can about the car, I am now having serious second doubts.
Why ? RUNNING COSTS & DEPRECIATION.
Okay, let’s start with running costs …..
1. Fuel … realistically, I’m looking at 15mpg (I have a heavy right foot). I do about 5000 miles a year, so this equates to approx. £1350 a year. This is double what I pay now but not wholly unreasonable.
2. Insurance …. £1200 a year I have been quoted. Reasonable.
3. Servicing/Maintenance …. I am budgeting £2000 a year for servicing and general wear and tear (like brakes + tyres). This is based on a car that has already covered 20-30k miles. Getting unreasonable.
4. Warranty … after reading some shocking stories of how much gearboxes and engines cost to repair, it would be complete madness not to buy extended warranty on a car like this. So far, the only real solution is an Audi warranty, as aftermarket warranties are capped at low limits and do not provide as comprehensive cover. So that is £1500 per year. Unreasonable but really no choice.
So total yearly cost …. £6000 !!! Ouch. £1.20 per mile. Have I done my calculations wrong ??? Please discuss.
Okay, let’s now talk about depreciation.
Car cost £60,000 new. Three years on, and now about to go out of warranty, RS6s prices are looking increasingly vulnerable. One look at autotrader and you will see what I mean. Considering there were only a few hundred examples sold in the UK, there seem to be a lot for sale all of a sudden. £28,000 is the cheapest saloon, and £30,000 is the cheapest Avant. Then look at Ebay … I have seen 5 advertised this month, with a saloon starting bid of £22,000 and even an absolutely mint 2004 Avant with very low mileage failing to achieve more than £34,000. On Pistonheads, a Daytonna 2003 28,000 miler recently sold for £31,500. Then look at how many RS6s Audi dealers have in stock and how long they have had them for. I have been to see two dealer cars, and both were extremely eager to discount the cars (before I even mentioned prices!). Furthermore, over the past month, most of the 2003 cars have been reduced by approx. £2000. Non-franchised dealers cars are even cheaper too! A trader friend of mine also told me that RS6s are not selling at auctions, rarely meeting reserves. So to my point … With the running costs above, and cars now going out of warranty, will RS6 prices continue to tumble to a point where they are as cheap as RS4s for example? Take BMWs, there is no real premium in an M5 over an M3 these days. If I buy a £35,000 mint 2003 Avant, how much do people here think they will be worth in 1 year and 2 years from now ???? Please discuss.
Anyway, that’s my rant and dilemma over. I love the car, the power, the build quality, the practicality, but financially it seems a disastrous proposition. Do I go with my head or with my heart?
Buy an RS2 instead, & forget about depreacation!
You have to assume that RS6 prices will continue to tumble, most family folk will just buy a standard avant or allroad for 10-15k. You have to really want the 450 bhp to tolerate the extra initial purchase costs & general running expenses.
You have to assume that RS6 prices will continue to tumble, most family folk will just buy a standard avant or allroad for 10-15k. You have to really want the 450 bhp to tolerate the extra initial purchase costs & general running expenses.
A very wise post thirtysomething.
It all comes down to head over heart really, and I suppose if you can afford to lose a fair amount on the depreciation then buying an RS6 is a good idea. Put those comments with a negative slant then it doesn't seem so much of a good plan.
An RS6 is a fantastic car, rubbing the old crystal ball a bit, I reckon it will depreciate a heck of a lot.
It all comes down to head over heart really, and I suppose if you can afford to lose a fair amount on the depreciation then buying an RS6 is a good idea. Put those comments with a negative slant then it doesn't seem so much of a good plan.
An RS6 is a fantastic car, rubbing the old crystal ball a bit, I reckon it will depreciate a heck of a lot.
I was reading an interesting article in EVO Mag about one of the long-term fleet cars, The Ferari 550. Last month the gearbox went pop .... cost £10,000 to fit a replacement one. Luckily, covered under warranty which cost £2300 annually. Total running cost over the year was about £6000. Basically, the RS6 seems to have almost equivalent running costs.
Some good points there. With ref to your points:
1. Around town, I'm lucky to better 13mpg
2. Insurance - I pay £570 with protected no claims - so shop around!
3. My 20k service was just over £400, although this will be more at 40k (belt changes)
Tyres will last much longer than 1 year if you're only doing 5k per annum.
Reckon on around £1k for front discs fitted - mine goes in today for this
4. Warranty … see other thread on this - no brainer, I reckon...
HTH
Ross
1. Around town, I'm lucky to better 13mpg
2. Insurance - I pay £570 with protected no claims - so shop around!
3. My 20k service was just over £400, although this will be more at 40k (belt changes)
Tyres will last much longer than 1 year if you're only doing 5k per annum.
Reckon on around £1k for front discs fitted - mine goes in today for this
4. Warranty … see other thread on this - no brainer, I reckon...
HTH
Ross
rossybee said:
Reckon on around £1k for front discs fitted - mine goes in today for this
Thats a crazy amount to pay for 2 discs ! 2 circles of steel or even if they are composite... 5 bolts on each wheel/quick removal of calliper and install new disc... is it really £1k for this and parts ?
Fat Audi 80 said:
RS2, S2 Avant, S4 (any shape inc older ones) are all much cheaper altenatives and a great drive too. I hope I am not teaching you to suck eggs,, I guess it all boils down to how much you really love your cars and how much you can afford to spend...
Cheers,
Steve
That is true but my urS4 did seem a little archaic after having had a try of a "new" (ie just gone) S6, the V8 one. That said, the driving experience in the older car was sharper, the car felt leaner and more "toned". It manages acceleration comparable to the newer car and returns an average of 22mpg in all conditions. It's proven utterly reliable having let me down just twice in nearly ten years of ownership. It's now nudging 150,000 and feels and looks almost new. So I've shalved my plans to change.
Having said all that, how durable are the RS6s turning out to be? Do they eat gearboxes and do engines blow up? When I was first looking for an urQuattro people kept saying things like "Oooh, stay away, complicated, turbocharged, lots to go wrong, etc" Even the dealer when I bought my first 100 quattro talked me into an expensive warranty on the same basis. But in fact the things people predicted would go wrong, haven't. If an RS6 is as reliable as my urQuattro, which is a 175000 mile, clocked, abused, basket case, then I'd have no worries about buying one whatsoever.
Be good to have some reliablity commments from RS owners.
I'm approaching 60k miles in mine which I've had from new. Average on the trip computer is around 19.8mpg over the last 20000 miles, only reliability issues have been a new ECU (under warranty) and a leaking front shock absorber (replaced under warranty last week). Oh, and the lumber support went in the drivers seat (warranty).
Other than being on the third set of front discs and pads, and second set of rear discs (third set of pads) it's been superb. No rattles or squeeks and other than a few stone chips looks as good as when it was new. It's three years old in March so I'll put another years warranty on it, do the same in another 12 months and then get out of it when it's about to turn 100k miles.
Other than being on the third set of front discs and pads, and second set of rear discs (third set of pads) it's been superb. No rattles or squeeks and other than a few stone chips looks as good as when it was new. It's three years old in March so I'll put another years warranty on it, do the same in another 12 months and then get out of it when it's about to turn 100k miles.
993rsr said:
I'm approaching 60k miles in mine which I've had from new. Average on the trip computer is around 19.8mpg over the last 20000 miles, only reliability issues have been a new ECU (under warranty) and a leaking front shock absorber (replaced under warranty last week). Oh, and the lumber support went in the drivers seat (warranty).
Other than being on the third set of front discs and pads, and second set of rear discs (third set of pads) it's been superb. No rattles or squeeks and other than a few stone chips looks as good as when it was new. It's three years old in March so I'll put another years warranty on it, do the same in another 12 months and then get out of it when it's about to turn 100k miles.
Mine is much the same. Bought in March 03, 48K miles on the clock, averages 19.3mpg, on my second set of discs and pads, but other than that it has been totally reliable. I will be selling it this march I suspect.
I had one from new for 1 year on 2003, superb car. Fantastic torque and oozed class, leagues ahead of new M5 that I test drove last week. Paid £61k and sold it 12 months on for £57k due to demand for the car. Diffrent story now. Too many manufactured, hence poor residuals. New S6 Avant a better bet if you can strech to it IMO.
Owned RS6 salooon since Nov 2004.
1. Fuel … around 18/19 mph average - not bad for a V8 with two turbos.
2. Insurance … £700 (Bell Direct)
3. Servicing/Maintenance … £300 in 11,000 miles/14 months plus £800 for 4 tyres.
4. Warranty... - The only thing that has failed has been a rear parking sensor. I doubt I'd pay £1500 to extend warranty, seems fairly solid. I'd rather pay to get something fixed in the rare chance that it fails, than possibly waste £1500. How many RS6's have had new gearboxes? Not many that I know of or any other major failures.
Btw, RS models do a much better job than most marques at holding their value. A used one represents good value IMO. I think anyone that has driven one, will agree.
If want a cheap as chips car to run, buy a Ford Fiesta 1.1
1. Fuel … around 18/19 mph average - not bad for a V8 with two turbos.
2. Insurance … £700 (Bell Direct)
3. Servicing/Maintenance … £300 in 11,000 miles/14 months plus £800 for 4 tyres.
4. Warranty... - The only thing that has failed has been a rear parking sensor. I doubt I'd pay £1500 to extend warranty, seems fairly solid. I'd rather pay to get something fixed in the rare chance that it fails, than possibly waste £1500. How many RS6's have had new gearboxes? Not many that I know of or any other major failures.
Btw, RS models do a much better job than most marques at holding their value. A used one represents good value IMO. I think anyone that has driven one, will agree.
If want a cheap as chips car to run, buy a Ford Fiesta 1.1
I'm not sure that you are thinking about this the right way. You either want a high performance large estate car or you don't. In no particular order:
-The design of this car is very old but £35k is well down on the new price. Bear in mind though that you can get a nearly new S4 Avant for that price;
-At 5000 miles pa, fuel costs are irrelevant;
-The RS6 does not book in Glass's as it is highly specialised so will always have a high dealer margin. It has fallen a lot recently because everything does three times a year - 1 Jan, 1 Mar, 1 Sept. Also it is normal for lots of examples of high performance cars to be for sale as people move on quickly to get the next 'fix';
-Maintenance will be hit and miss. At 5000 miles a year if you keep it three years, you may only spend £2000 all up if you are lucky which is the most likely outcome. Sure you have a small chance of ending up with a bill of a few grand for something. If that bothers you then shell out the £1000ish pa for an extend warranty but I wouldn't;
-With this in mind try and buy a car with a few months of the three year warranty remaining and get an Audi dealer to inspect with a promise of them getting any warranty work they can find. Otherwise buy from an Audi dealer and get a 12 month warranty; and
-It all depends where you are coming from (previous cars etc) and how much performance you want. Bear in mind that a nice nearly new 3.2 litre current shape A6 Avant is c£35k.
Whatever you go for, fast Audi estates are great. Best of luck.
-The design of this car is very old but £35k is well down on the new price. Bear in mind though that you can get a nearly new S4 Avant for that price;
-At 5000 miles pa, fuel costs are irrelevant;
-The RS6 does not book in Glass's as it is highly specialised so will always have a high dealer margin. It has fallen a lot recently because everything does three times a year - 1 Jan, 1 Mar, 1 Sept. Also it is normal for lots of examples of high performance cars to be for sale as people move on quickly to get the next 'fix';
-Maintenance will be hit and miss. At 5000 miles a year if you keep it three years, you may only spend £2000 all up if you are lucky which is the most likely outcome. Sure you have a small chance of ending up with a bill of a few grand for something. If that bothers you then shell out the £1000ish pa for an extend warranty but I wouldn't;
-With this in mind try and buy a car with a few months of the three year warranty remaining and get an Audi dealer to inspect with a promise of them getting any warranty work they can find. Otherwise buy from an Audi dealer and get a 12 month warranty; and
-It all depends where you are coming from (previous cars etc) and how much performance you want. Bear in mind that a nice nearly new 3.2 litre current shape A6 Avant is c£35k.
Whatever you go for, fast Audi estates are great. Best of luck.
Apparently the front discs (floating) & calipers (8 pot) are as fitted to the Lambo Gallardo....
Not had mine done yet, they didn't have the pads in stock
Plus, my rear parking sensors are on the blink (awaiting fitting at the same time as the discs)
So I get a double warning "bong" every f***ing time I start up, in fact, treble, cos I need to fill up
Love the car to bits tho
Not had mine done yet, they didn't have the pads in stock
Plus, my rear parking sensors are on the blink (awaiting fitting at the same time as the discs)
So I get a double warning "bong" every f***ing time I start up, in fact, treble, cos I need to fill up
Love the car to bits tho
Hi Just read over the threads - saw a sad sight today at a liquidation auction in Bristol today - RS6 Avant '52 plate in a very sad state . Flat tyres , various dents , unlocked , covered in muck (been sitting for months by the look of it )interior filthy with head cloth down resting on headrests and wires galore hanging everywhere . It was blue ( ming blue I think ) with grey leather piped in navy . If I didnt care about cars it wouldnt have mattered but cant understand how such a unique car could possibly end up in such a state and only after being on the road for three years - a sad sad sight - There has to be a bigger story to this one ...
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