Thinking about buying a C5 RS6- Any pointers?

[gforce84]

Hi there,

I just moved to the UAE a couple of weeks ago to start a new life out here. The job situation was worsening by the day back in the U.S. and I guess I took the right decision.

Anyhow, there are a couple of pre-owned low mileage RS6s out here for circa $35k. It's always been a dream to own a RS6, especially after I sold my B7 RS4 late last year. The thing is, I have no idea whether buying such an old car makes any sense. I'm primarily worried about repair costs and engine/tranny issues down the line. In this regard, could anyone tell me how their RS6 is holding up?

Oh, and pretty much every RS6 out here, whether on the road or at a dealership is ABT tuned. Does that make the car any less reliable?

Here are the three cars I've been considering: one's Avus Silver while the other is Mugello blue. The third one is a stock Avus (non-ABT). To be honest, I'm pretty confused right now since all three seem pretty spectacular.

http://www.asusedcars.com/UsedCars/USD1349.jpg
http://www.asusedcars.com/UsedCars/USDR1349.jpg

http://www.asusedcars.com/UsedCars/USDF1041.jpg
http://www.asusedcars.com/UsedCars/USDR1041.jpg

http://www.asusedcars.com/UsedCars/USDF1515.jpg
http://www.asusedcars.com/UsedCars/USDR1515.jpg

Both cars have logged about 50K kms (32K miles) on the clock while the stock one has 38K kms on the odo. All three have an year's worth of extended warranty as part of the AAP program. While I'm leaning toward the third simply because of the black interior (the ABT Avus has off-white leather while the Mugello has a two tone interior), I'm pretty concerned about maintenance.

Any comments would be much appreciated. Thanks!

P.S.: All three models are MY2004.

[vangelis]

WOOW, UAE!! Welcome to the forum man and I'm happy to tell you that I'm UAE-Abu Dhabi also. I've got my 2004 Audi RS6 ABT "Mugello blue" 7 months ago from Ali & Sons "Same place u took that photos from" and I had a lot of problems, so I can give you a total image on what is happening out there. I got mine was done 16,000K at that time which was the lowest RS6 in the country, I believe they still remember it. It was belong to shaikh (one of the royal family members) and the most of the RS6s they have also the same. They were belong to VERY VERYYYYY rich people and of course they always keep some other super cars, so those cars are barely used. Plus the Audi dealer was offering RS6s with a lease for a year for 70K AED and after the year you either continue purchase the car and that 70K will be deducted from the total price or return it back to the dealer and that 70K will be like cost of a 1 year renting. Anyhow, that cars was parked there since long time and I believe many parts needs to be replaced, if you manage to get the warranty with it, that would be great. Please try to do as many as you can test drives before decide to buy it. The DRC is the first thing you need to check it plus any other electrical issue. If you need my help anytime you welcome, just let me know.

Again welcome to the forum and welcome to UAE :)

Here is the link for my car photos --> Here (http://www.rs6.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16005)

[snoopra]

Welcome.
Also inquire if the TC (torque converter) was replaced with the updated version. Be sure the warranty covers DRC, TC and Transmission. Check the rotors for wear, expensive to replace.

[vangelis]

Welcome.
Also inquire if the TC (torque converter) was replaced with the updated version. Be sure the warranty covers DRC, TC and Transmission. Check the rotors for wear, expensive to replace.

snoopra,, When that updated version of TC were released?

gforce84,, All warranties given by dealer here is third party warranty companies, I prefer if you go for warranty plus (http://www.warrantyplus.com/home.htm) as it covers almost everything. When I bought my car from the same dealer I was not aware about the different between that companies but now I'm sure that warranty plus is the best and DO NOT go for that deal without getting this warranty. It is not expensive, so if no chance to push the dealer to give it for free, u can contact them and I believe it won't cost more than 3-4K AED. But keep in mind, all warranty companies here have the same policy for used cars. They can pay for all parts but with maximum amount of 5000 AED per part. So for example, If the gearbox is gone, they will approve only 5000 AED and you have to pay the rest (means almost US $9K). Regarding the DRC, most probably will not be working perfect (hopefully not), but you need to double check and DO careful and listen to any sound coming from the suspension, I assume that as these cars was parked with them for more than a year.

Will wait your feedback after test drive. Wish you all the best :)

[snoopra]

snoopra,, When that updated version of TC were released?

Not sure, should be posted here somewhere.