Newbie Here - Question regarding RS6 purchase - Need Help!!

[aliusa]

Hi guys,
This is my first post on here. I recently sold my '04 M3 since it was getting little unpractical with a new baby and it was a pain to take the child seat in and out in a coupe. Anyhow, I am looking to get a 4 door car now. I test drove an '05 S4 few days ago and immediately fell in love with it. It definitely feels a lot heavier than the M3 but I loved the handling, the quality, etc. I am also working with a dealer who can take me to an auction and I can buy any car I want and he will charge me a flat rate of $500 as his comission.

There is a local car auction (pretty big one) happening here (in Northern Virginia, U.S) tomorrow where BMW Financials, Mercedes Credit, Audi Financials, and VW Credit are there. So I was at the auction site today (pre-auction inspection day) where you can check out the cars and start the engine etc.

I never really paid attention to a 2003 RS6 until today (Don't get to see them much on the road) and did some research on specs etc. and pretty impressed by it. One thing I am not too happy about is the claimed 0-60mph on this car (read it's 4.7secs 0 - 60mph). With all the HP and torque it has, I would expect this car to reach 60mph in 4.5 seconds or less.

Anyhow, I am not posting here to bash on RS6. I think it's a great car. My question to you guys is - how's the reliability and maintenance on this vehicle. The car they have at the auction is in light silver / blueish color with light cream interior and the previous owner didn't really clean the leather. The exterior is spotless. The car has Navi, BOSE, rear shades, rear heated seats, front heated seats, PDC. The mileage is 53,000. I checked the CARFAX and it's a one owner car. My dealer told me that RS6 with 50K miles or so are going for about $38K at the auction.

So I am thinking if I should try to win that car tomorrow or not. Personally that color is kinda dull for such a beauty but it's still doable.

Since the car has passed the 50K mile mark it is currently out of warranty. Anyone here has purchased after market warranty for their RS6 in the U.S? I'm just scared to buy German cars when they are out of warranty since there is always something going on in these cars :)

Will I get atleast 15mpg in normal city driving? or is the gas mileage really bad on this car (with normal driving)?

Any help or suggestion would be highly appreciated.

Thanks guys and happy driving :incar:

[S6LANA]

[QUOTE=aliusa;90398]Hi guys,

FWIW, here's my input. You've posed a number of questions, so I'll go step by step.

I recently sold my '04 M3 since it was getting little unpractical with a new baby and it was a pain to take the child seat in and out in a coupe. Anyhow, I am looking to get a 4 door car now.

The RS6 is awesome for families. A true sports sedan with power and comfort. The back seat swallows the baby seat for my son. Very accommodating! :thumb:

I am also working with a dealer who can take me to an auction and I can buy any car I want and he will charge me a flat rate of $500 as his comission.

Great dealer! :thumb:

One thing I am not too happy about is the claimed 0-60mph on this car (read it's 4.7secs 0 - 60mph). With all the HP and torque it has, I would expect this car to reach 60mph in 4.5 seconds or less.

You have to remember that this is a 4000lb cruiser. I think it's remarkably agile for its size and more powerful than any other car I've driven. Probably, you're used to the lighter M3. :thumb:

My question to you guys is - how's the reliability and maintenance on this vehicle.

Most people don't have too many issues. Ask your dealer about DRC failure or search the forum, because some (I think I have it) on this forum suffered mightily from it. It's not too bad if you can find a dealer to fix it or afford to rip it out for PSS9s :thumb:


The mileage is 53,000. I checked the CARFAX and it's a one owner car. My dealer told me that RS6 with 50K miles or so are going for about $38K at the auction.

That price is pretty good. Seems a steal compared to the $65k I paid for a 36k Misano beast last May :thumb:

Since the car has passed the 50K mile mark it is currently out of warranty. Anyone here has purchased after market warranty for their RS6 in the U.S? I'm just scared to buy German cars when they are out of warranty since there is always something going on in these cars :)

To me this is your biggest question. How comfy are you with risk. I would see if your dealer can CPO it. If not, you've got to make sure you have the money for expensive fixes that come along (e.g., turbo failure, DRC, etc.) FWIW, I would not own this car out of warranty, but others would.

Will I get atleast 15mpg in normal city driving? or is the gas mileage really bad on this car (with normal driving)?

I guestimate I get between 12-15 miles city driving. Remember, it's a V8 that begs to have the hammer put down. It takes some self control to drive this car slowly all the time. Every time I drive it there are several occasions when I floor it just to hear the V8 growl and the turbos whine. MPG goes out the window to enjoyment. :thumb:

Any help or suggestion would be highly appreciated.

I hope this helps. My conclusion is to see if you can get the car CPOd or buy a comprehensive aftermarket warranty, then you should be protected. Let us know what you do. Good luck. You will definitely love the car. :thumb:

[aliusa]

S6LANA - Thank you so much for your response in detail. Because the car is at the auction I cannot get it checked by the dealer, and since it has over 50k miles, I don't think they can CPO it. My dealer friend told me that he sells factory warranties for around $1000 to $1,500.

Since the auction is today, I have asked him to bid no higher than $38,500. He will call me once the auction ends by 2pm. I have also asked him to bid on a 2004 E55 AMG for me. So let's see what happens. I will you know.

Thanks again! :thumb:

Cheers


[quote=aliusa;90398]Hi guys,

FWIW, here's my input. You've posed a number of questions, so I'll go step by step.

I recently sold my '04 M3 since it was getting little unpractical with a new baby and it was a pain to take the child seat in and out in a coupe. Anyhow, I am looking to get a 4 door car now.

The RS6 is awesome for families. A true sports sedan with power and comfort. The back seat swallows the baby seat for my son. Very accommodating! :thumb:

I am also working with a dealer who can take me to an auction and I can buy any car I want and he will charge me a flat rate of $500 as his comission.

Great dealer! :thumb:

One thing I am not too happy about is the claimed 0-60mph on this car (read it's 4.7secs 0 - 60mph). With all the HP and torque it has, I would expect this car to reach 60mph in 4.5 seconds or less.

You have to remember that this is a 4000lb cruiser. I think it's remarkably agile for its size and more powerful than any other car I've driven. Probably, you're used to the lighter M3. :thumb:

My question to you guys is - how's the reliability and maintenance on this vehicle.

Most people don't have too many issues. Ask your dealer about DRC failure or search the forum, because some (I think I have it) on this forum suffered mightily from it. It's not too bad if you can find a dealer to fix it or afford to rip it out for PSS9s :thumb:


The mileage is 53,000. I checked the CARFAX and it's a one owner car. My dealer told me that RS6 with 50K miles or so are going for about $38K at the auction.

That price is pretty good. Seems a steal compared to the $65k I paid for a 36k Misano beast last May :thumb:

Since the car has passed the 50K mile mark it is currently out of warranty. Anyone here has purchased after market warranty for their RS6 in the U.S? I'm just scared to buy German cars when they are out of warranty since there is always something going on in these cars :)

To me this is your biggest question. How comfy are you with risk. I would see if your dealer can CPO it. If not, you've got to make sure you have the money for expensive fixes that come along (e.g., turbo failure, DRC, etc.) FWIW, I would not own this car out of warranty, but others would.

Will I get atleast 15mpg in normal city driving? or is the gas mileage really bad on this car (with normal driving)?

I guestimate I get between 12-15 miles city driving. Remember, it's a V8 that begs to have the hammer put down. It takes some self control to drive this car slowly all the time. Every time I drive it there are several occasions when I floor it just to hear the V8 growl and the turbos whine. MPG goes out the window to enjoyment. :thumb:

Any help or suggestion would be highly appreciated.

I hope this helps. My conclusion is to see if you can get the car CPOd or buy a comprehensive aftermarket warranty, then you should be protected. Let us know what you do. Good luck. You will definitely love the car. :thumb:

[S6LANA]

My pleasure. Good luck! That would be a fine price indeed. :)

[skiwi]

a great car. you won't regret it, but get the warranty.

[aliusa]

OK, I didn't win the car. RS6 went out for $38,900 and the '04 E55 AMG went out for $51k (AMG was fully loaded with every single option blk on blk).
I am going to the Manheim auction tomorrow in Pennsylvania and I saw the listing and there is an RS6 coming there as well. It's an '03 with 18,720 miles. I'm sure this one will go for $43k or so but depends how the condition is.

I'll keep you guys posted. :thumb:

[rr1910]

This dealer has no business taking anyone to the auction that is not a dealer. That aside the dealer selling the car Thurs was looking for upper 40's or low 50's last time it was there. It ran out of steam around 45k.

[aliusa]

I don't understand what you're saying. If I understand correctly, your first question is if my dealer friend can take anyone at the auction who is not a dealer?? The answer is 'Yes.' I don't understand the latter part of your post.


This dealer has no business taking anyone to the
auction that is not a dealer. That aside the dealer selling the car Thurs was looking for upper 40's or low 50's last time it was there. It ran out of steam around 45k.

[andrewket]

Since you're in northern VA, HBL has a used w/CPO blue RS6 on the lot. Not sure what they are asking, mileage, etc, but I suspect you can find it on their website.

-A

[rr1910]

Non dealers are not allowed at the auction. He shouldn't be taking you at all. If he was any good at what he did he wouldnt have to take a retail customer with him and work for $500 on a 40k car. Since he is taking you I am telling you what it did a few weeks ago.

[aliusa]

I've seen the car in person and it's in pretty worn out condition. The front bumper has scrapes and plenty of chips. The body has scratches on it. I was so turned off by its condition that I didn't even bother asking them how much they're selling it for.


Since you're in northern VA, HBL has a used w/CPO blue RS6 on the lot. Not sure what they are asking, mileage, etc, but I suspect you can find it on their website.

-A

This guy is apparently doing pretty well. He's in this business for the past 10yrs and lives in a $800K home, which shows he is doing something right in his business. He told me that he will take me so I am taking his word that he'll get my inside.

"Since he is taking you I am telling you what it did a few weeks ago" <-- what are you trying to say?


Non dealers are not allowed at the auction. He shouldn't be taking you at all. If he was any good at what he did he wouldnt have to take a retail customer with him and work for $500 on a 40k car. Since he is taking you I am telling you what it did a few weeks ago.

[Benman]

rr1910,

No need to tell someone what they can and can't do, especially if they are already doing it. Yes, as my father has his dealer's license, I am also aware that taking retail customers to auctions is a no no (a common pratice out here is to just get info upfront and then buy it for the customer over the phone), but to each their own.

S6LANA, excellent feedbeack to which I would add:

Keep in mind that despite a car selling at the auction for $39K (or real world prices much higher) this is still a $100K OTD car when brand new. My point? It will have $100K car running costs all its life. New tranny? Hmm...$8K-$10K+ range. Major service (35K, 75K) $3K+ range. New engine? Haha... $30K+ range... etc...

These are not great out of warranty cars (as S6LANA already mentioned) and are not for those without some faith. Me, I will be keeping mine for good barring any major accident. But then, I'm not expecting it to be cheap.

Best of Luck,

Ben:addict:

[rr1910]

What is so hard to understand? You think the car is worth $43k. I am telling you I watched the car run at Manheim a few weeks ago and he truned down $45k. He was looking to get around $50k somewhere. He may have dropped his sights a bit but I would guess he still wants upper 40's for the car.

[aliusa]

What he told me is that we'll go tomorrow and we'll have the list of cars and he'll have the information handy as to whether the car has any frame damage, paint work, etc.. He told me that as cars will come in the lane I will be able to see the car and tell him how much I want to pay for it and he'll bid (he might be wrong, he might be right about me coming inside where the lanes are - I guess I'll find out tomorrow) :)

I understand the high maintenance costs with these cars and that's why I prefer to buy them when they're under warranty. I usually don't keep cars for more than 1 1/2 to 2yrs so I am not too worried about long term issues. But I hear what you are saying and thanks for all the input :thumb:


rr1910,

No need to tell someone what they can and can't do, especially if they are already doing it. Yes, as my father has his dealer's license, I am also aware that taking retail customers to auctions is a no no (a common pratice out here is to just get info upfront and then buy it for the customer over the phone), but to each their own.

S6LANA, excellent feedbeack to which I would add:

Keep in mind that despite a car selling at the auction for $39K (or real world prices much higher) this is still a $100K OTD car when brand new. My point? It will have $100K car running costs all its life. New tranny? Hmm...$8K-$10K+ range. Major service (35K, 75K) $3K+ range. New engine? Haha... $30K+ range... etc...

These are not great out of warranty cars (as S6LANA already mentioned) and are not for those without some faith. Me, I will be keeping mine for good barring any major accident. But then, I'm not expecting it to be cheap.

Best of Luck,

Ben:addict:

Now I understand what you meant. You're saying that the seller wants to sell the car for close to $50k and the car never went higher than $45k...gottcha :thumb:


What is so hard to understand? You think the car is worth $43k. I am telling you I watched the car run at Manheim a few weeks ago and he truned down $45k. He was looking to get around $50k somewhere. He may have dropped his sights a bit but I would guess he still wants upper 40's for the car.

[JAXRS6]

An Audi dealer told me recently that dealers can CPO cars up to 60K mi, but after that they cannot be CPO'd.

[IP4ME]

I don't need to tell you that parts (and labor) on these cars can be expensive (check out the recent thread from Audiworld's RS6 forum describing RS6 sunvisor prices varying between $500 and $700). :doh:

Cars with about 5-10k miles (or 6 mos to a year) left on the factory warranty and the CPO'd for 2 more years (up to 100k miles) can now be had from Audi dealers for prices in the mid-to-upper 40s. This = uber sedan with ~3 year warranty!

Another way of getting the car with a good warranty for less $$ is to buy from an owner that had the car CPO'd when he bought it, then just transfer the CPO warranty for a $150 fee. For example (without endorsing eBay or any particular car), there is a CPO'd mugello blue over silver RS6 w/50k miles for sale by owner on eBay with a buy it now price of $41,900!

Anyway, best of luck with your search. Whatever route you choose, the RS6 is an incredible car!

[aliusa]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I really appreciate it. I ended up buying a 2005 S4 - blk on blk with all options except for Nav.. I saw the grey RS6 over there but the condition was not that great to bid close to $50k for it.

I'm loving the handling of the S4...coming from an '04 M3 this car feels very heavy and sophisticated in driving - smooth shifting not a choppy ride - very soft clutch. This car has power to jump but it doesn't go crazy like the M3 - they both are very different cars.

:thumb:

[+44 Dave]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I really appreciate it. I ended up buying a 2005 S4 - blk on blk with all options except for Nav.. I saw the grey RS6 over there but the condition was not that great to bid close to $50k for it.

I'm loving the handling of the S4...coming from an '04 M3 this car feels very heavy and sophisticated in driving - smooth shifting not a choppy ride - very soft clutch. This car has power to jump but it doesn't go crazy like the M3 - they both are very different cars.

:thumb:

Lets see some pictures please ? Sounds Nice !

[aliusa]

Sure...here you go. Washed the car today and then took some pics. I am very impressed with the handling - the car just does not want to leave the road....I can only imagine how fun the RS6 must be.



Lets see some pictures please ? Sounds Nice !

[aliusa]

and some more :thumb:

Does anyone know here if the B6 version can be chipped like the B5? If yes, what's the best make and how much improvement am I looking at?

[LU-RS6]

That is such a nice and discreet car, I love it. Congrats and have a LOT of fun with it! :0:

[rr1910]

Nice S4! Not the same kind of power as the rs6 but alot less expensive to maintain. Chipping this car is a waste of money you are better off doing an exhaust and mabe an intake. What did they want for the silver rs? I saw the red one sold for 46k. Good luck..

[aliusa]

Thanks man :thumb:


That is such a nice and discreet car, I love it. Congrats and have a LOT of fun with it! :0:

I saw the red one too (Red with tan interior). Are you sure this one got sold? I am not seeing it in the post auction sale list.

I didn't follow the silver one as I was checking out the BMW 545i's (there was none with the sport package so I didn't bid on any). I did see the silver RS6 though and started the engine and it was pretty tight - much better than the one I saw at the local auction here with 53k miles.

So you go there every month? I loved the auction with Lambos, Ferraris, Rolls Royce's, etc. A very nice 1998 F355 Spider with F1 tranny with 15k miles went for $72k :drool:


Nice S4! Not the same kind of power as the rs6 but alot less expensive to maintain. Chipping this car is a waste of money you are better off doing an exhaust and mabe an intake. What did they want for the silver rs? I saw the red one sold for 46k. Good luck..

[rr1910]

I am there every week. We whole sale 100's of cars a month. It is quite impressive the first time you go to Manheim. Glad you found somthing. I saw the red car on post sale results yesterday.