Just bought a high mileage 4.2 Quattro (A6)
Discussion
Have I made a mistake!
Yesterday I put a deposit on a V plate A6 4.2 Quattro (Sport Tiptronic). I've had various Quattro models in the past and I love the way this A6 drives and looks. My only concern is that its got 148k on the clock!
The good news is its only had 2 owners from new and has full Audi history, the car looks and feels genuine enough. Apart from a couple of niggles (audio controls on the steering wheel don't work, wheels need a refurb brakes are rough - probably the pads/disks are low - coolant is low too) that the dealer is sorting out she looks well cared for.
My question is; has anyone had any experience of running one of these beasts into mega miles and what do I need to look out for, apart from the obvious?
The garage is asking £5450 for the Audi and I've managed to squeeze £3k out of them for my high mileage Alfa so the deal seems pretty fair. But frankly if its going to cost me a fortune to run I'd rather walk away and lose my deposit.
Any comments welcome.
Yesterday I put a deposit on a V plate A6 4.2 Quattro (Sport Tiptronic). I've had various Quattro models in the past and I love the way this A6 drives and looks. My only concern is that its got 148k on the clock!
The good news is its only had 2 owners from new and has full Audi history, the car looks and feels genuine enough. Apart from a couple of niggles (audio controls on the steering wheel don't work, wheels need a refurb brakes are rough - probably the pads/disks are low - coolant is low too) that the dealer is sorting out she looks well cared for.
My question is; has anyone had any experience of running one of these beasts into mega miles and what do I need to look out for, apart from the obvious?
The garage is asking £5450 for the Audi and I've managed to squeeze £3k out of them for my high mileage Alfa so the deal seems pretty fair. But frankly if its going to cost me a fortune to run I'd rather walk away and lose my deposit.
Any comments welcome.
Sometimes a full audi service history is not always a great thing to have as some indepenant folk can do a much better job than the dealership.
Look for plenty of receipts, regular oil changes and general maintenance of the car throughout. Just remember, these engines if looked after properly can last a very long time indeed and will give you absolutely no problems.
However, if the engine has been poorly maintained it could possibly go wrong and a V8 is never cheap to repair once it has gone wrong!
Make sure you check the car out thoroughly and if in doubt walk away. If its in good health and well maintained dont worry about the mileage and enjoy your car!
Look for plenty of receipts, regular oil changes and general maintenance of the car throughout. Just remember, these engines if looked after properly can last a very long time indeed and will give you absolutely no problems.
However, if the engine has been poorly maintained it could possibly go wrong and a V8 is never cheap to repair once it has gone wrong!
Make sure you check the car out thoroughly and if in doubt walk away. If its in good health and well maintained dont worry about the mileage and enjoy your car!
I would not worry too much about the high miles as long as its been looked after and serviced properly. Where in the country are you? I know of a very good quattro specialist that looks after my Ur-quattro and A4 TDi and he would be an excellent chap to look your car over and probably do the subseqquent maintenance.
I had an S6 for 2 years, sold it a year ago with 98,000 miles on it. During my ownership I replaced the MAF sensor, the rear lower suspension arms (not as expensive as they sound - the bushes are what had gone and they're integral to the arms, and different on the V8 A6s to the smaller engined versions where the bushes alone can be replaced, but take much longer to do). Also replaced both cylinder heads because the valve guides had worn excessively and it was using a lot of oil (would drop to min over the course of a 250 mile journey, and blow noticeable smoke out of the exhaust).
I bought it at 78k miles and the cambelt was replaced when I purchased - though I wasn't aware that it was sensible to replace the water pump at the same time so had that done later. At 148k miles, it's coming up for a second cambelt replacement, so make sure that's done, along with the water pump and tensioner.
Mine had the gearshift buttons on the steering wheel - presumably this one has the 4-spoker if it's got radio controls?
Great car, anyway. Bit pricey to run (depreciation shouldn't be an issue on a £5k car though).
I bought it at 78k miles and the cambelt was replaced when I purchased - though I wasn't aware that it was sensible to replace the water pump at the same time so had that done later. At 148k miles, it's coming up for a second cambelt replacement, so make sure that's done, along with the water pump and tensioner.
Mine had the gearshift buttons on the steering wheel - presumably this one has the 4-spoker if it's got radio controls?
Great car, anyway. Bit pricey to run (depreciation shouldn't be an issue on a £5k car though).
You mention the low water level, and my worry would be where has that coolant gone. Is it a small leak, or are we looking at head gaskets.
How much extra would a lower mileage (80k?) cost?
What sort of mileage will you add to the car during your ownership?
IMHO, unless the saving is massive, I would be reluctant to buy this(says I having just bought a 130k corrado).
If you add average mileage over say 3 years, we are looking at 180k. Will you be confident that you'll be able to re-sell it?
Also, regardless of maintenance, engines and gearboxes still wear, suspension components still deteriorate, and this isn't cheap to repair if anything goes wrong.
You should be entitled to your deposit back also.
How much extra would a lower mileage (80k?) cost?
What sort of mileage will you add to the car during your ownership?
IMHO, unless the saving is massive, I would be reluctant to buy this(says I having just bought a 130k corrado).
If you add average mileage over say 3 years, we are looking at 180k. Will you be confident that you'll be able to re-sell it?
Also, regardless of maintenance, engines and gearboxes still wear, suspension components still deteriorate, and this isn't cheap to repair if anything goes wrong.
You should be entitled to your deposit back also.
Edited by tino on Friday 9th March 15:00
tino said:
You mention the low water level, and my worry would be where has that coolant gone. Is it a small leak, or are we looking at head gaskets.
How much extra would a lower mileage (80k?) cost?
What sort of mileage will you add to the car during your ownership?
IMHO, unless the saving is massive, I would be reluctant to buy this(says I having just bought a 130k corrado).
If you add average mileage over say 3 years, we are looking at 180k. Will you be confident that you'll be able to re-sell it?
Also, regardless of maintenance, engines and gearboxes still wear, suspension components still deteriorate, and this isn't cheap to repair if anything goes wrong.
You should be entitled to your deposit back also.
How much extra would a lower mileage (80k?) cost?
What sort of mileage will you add to the car during your ownership?
IMHO, unless the saving is massive, I would be reluctant to buy this(says I having just bought a 130k corrado).
If you add average mileage over say 3 years, we are looking at 180k. Will you be confident that you'll be able to re-sell it?
Also, regardless of maintenance, engines and gearboxes still wear, suspension components still deteriorate, and this isn't cheap to repair if anything goes wrong.
You should be entitled to your deposit back also.
Edited by tino on Friday 9th March 15:00
An 80k car would be £3k more I guess. I have to admit the low water level is the most worrying thing from my point of view too. I had a nightmare of a problem with losing water from my 2.8 A4 Quattro. I only do about 10k per year so you're bang on with the 180k. I guess I'd virtually have to give it away after 3 years. I ran a 740i up to 120k and it cost me £000's in faults and servicing over the 3 years I had it. I really don't want to repeat that experience with the A6.
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