Seriously Considering '03 RS6 Purchase

[fastdaddy]

Hello everyone,

I've been reading many threads on this forum and I liked the general attitude and depth of knowledge shown by the members and thought this might be just the place to seek some input on my decision to buy a pre-owned 2003 RS6. The cars I can readily afford are in the $35-$40k range and most of these seem to have about 40-50K miles on them.

What are some areas of concern in cars in the price/milage description above?

I've read about several failures of the DSC suspension system. How do you properly inspect this?

I have a prospect car in my sights as I type this, but I really don't have any in depth knowledge of this car, but I do love everything I have read about them and the performace per dollar for a 4 door sedan seems awesome and I like the way it looks too!

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Scott

[DuckWingDuck]

Search is your friend!! Haha.

Okay, to answer your questions...

The RS6 is a finicky car, but not more so than others in its price bracket. As long as the previous owner has done all the maintenance scheduled, you should be fine.

The easiest way to check if the DRC is broken is to drive around 75 to 80 and jerk your steering to see if how it behaves. Another way is to take off the wheels and check if the shocks are leaking oil.

[fastdaddy]

Thanks for the quick reply DWD. When you say "finicky" are you saying that in regard to anything specific? I'm looking for information on the most obvious trouble areas to look out for in regard to a used RS6. So far it appears (from reading earlier threads) that the DRC and the transmission are the weak links on these cars. Anything else come to mind are wear prone or trouble areas on cars with 40+K miles?

Thanks.

[DuckWingDuck]

DRC, transmission, turbo, these are all perishable items that'll go. I suppose finicky isn't 100% the right word...

At 40k+, you should have the timing belt swapped out but I think that's done at the 35k service?

Overall, as I said, it's no more troublesome than its competitors in the same price bracket.

[Ritsuke]

Something else which could help is looking out for someone from your region. You can then ask the person if he'd like to come with you. ;)

[alexo]

Thanks will definitely drive it when it arrives. I just hope I dont get a lemon.

[BLITZEN]

Keep reading posts here and you'll learn everything. The RS6 is a great car and you'll love owning one!

All I have to add is that ownership of an RS6 is not for the faint of finance. Milage sucks, I get 12-13 MPG. And repairs and maintenance alone can be more costly than some people spend on their cars altogether. But, if you want to keep close or beside a Porsche Turbo, you'd better be ready to spend what they spend. :)

[Bigglezworth]

And repairs and maintenance alone can be more costly than some people spend on their cars altogether.
This is entirely dependent on whether you get the car built on the Monday or the one built on the Friday. It also depends on whether you enjoy/have the knowledge to turn wrenchs and repair mechanical items regardless of their complexity.

[fastdaddy]

This is entirely dependent on whether you get the car built on the Monday or the one built on the Friday. It also depends on whether you enjoy/have the knowledge to turn wrenchs and repair mechanical items regardless of their complexity.

Agreed. I don't mind getting dirty and have enjoyed doing my own mechanical maintenance on all my vehicles since high school. :mech: That would certainly keep some ownership costs down. My only worry in acquiring a used RS6 is choosing a car that has some sort of (masked or not obvious) serious flaw that would go undetected by me due to my lack of knowledge or experience with this particular car.

I appreciate all the comments from the board and I'm continuing to research the intracacies of the RS6. :idea: