B5 S4 owner looking to buy RS6

[Weldunn007]

Gentlemen,

I currently have a 2001 S4. I have a lead on an RS6.

60K miles with all the usual fixins. Gray on Black.

Does any one have any things I should look for when driving/checking out the car? I have also been hearing talk about maintence insurance around the forum, can any one provide more information about this.

Thank you in advance for all the help,

Pat


My car current car for kicks:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/weldunn007/Audi/DSC_0554.jpg

[Turboluvr]

Welcome to the group. Pretty straight forward on the buying advice, find the best example you can with the lowest miles. These are complicated, expensive cars and require regular maintenance (35K timing belt replacement, plugs, etc.). The cost of maintenance varies on how much you are willing/able to do yourself. Because of the cost of parts alone, the overwhelming advice is to get an extended warrenty, no matter what your level of mechanical expertise. The cost of this warrenty will vary depending on how many miles are on the car you buy, so buying a low milage, more expensive car will help you here. Well cared for cars seem to be very reliable. The main issues are DRC, which AoA is fixing for everyone, a search will overwhelm you with data. Stock brake pads can cause rotor damage as they wear down past the 1/2 way mark, there are numerious options for aftermarket, search brakes. Some have had torque converter and transmission issues, but this seems to be mostly in modified cars. If you are adding power you have to upgrade the rest of the driveline. Other than that, these are awesome cars and well worth the effort. Spend some time searching the site and read the posts back a couple of months, all the issues cycle around for discussion on a continual basis.

[Turboluvr]

Oh, and get the Audi Fidelity Platinum coverage. DonS posted a good price picture for a car with 38K miles, a car with 60K miles will be more, I got the 6/60 for $3500 on a car with 24K miles. That should give you an idea of the range.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
6/72 $4717.00<O:p></O:p>

6/60 $4100.00<O:p></O:p>

5/60 $3964.00<O:p></O:p>

4/60 $3910.00<O:p></O:p>

4/48 $3514.00<O:p></O:p>

3/36 $2998.00<O:p></O:p>

2/24 $2530.00<O:p></O:p>

1/12 $2172.00<O:p></O:p>

[DHall1]

James,

Well said.

:rs6kiss:

[Turboluvr]

Thanks Dave,
Us newbees have to help out where we can.

[Weldunn007]

Thank you for the help. I do have a couple more questions if you dont mind.

1. The car is not for sale at an Audi dealer. It is through an independent dealership. Will the warenty that you spoke about still apply to this car?

2. With the Audi Fidelity Platinum coverage does the 6/60 coverage start from the start of the policy or from the original warenty's end of life? Where can I find more detailed information about this program? I did a quick google search and didnt find much.

3. The "DRC, which AoA is fixing for everyone" Are they doing this as part of a recal, under the original warenty, under the Audi Fidelity Platinum coverage, or is it comming out of pocket for the owner? Should i insist that it be inspeceted/fixed before i purcace the car?

I appreciate any and all feecback. The car is right on the edge of my finincial limits and i want to make sure that i am making an educated decision. This may be a daily driver if i lose my work vechicle and it will mostly be left stock with minimal modification.

It is currently being serviced with a timing belt with all the assorted items as well as brakes and tires. I have yet to see the car yet but i was told the price would be "in the mid 20's" They seem to be pretty rare so comparison shopping has been tough. does this seem right based on current market conditions?

Thank you again,

Pat

[DHall1]

Pat,

Your coming into the RS6 at a good point.

Check with your local Audi dealer. Most of them will sell you the Fidelity plan if you walk in off the street. A result of the hard times.

Plan starts from the day you buy the plan and the current mileage on the car.

Dont even worry about the DRC. Audi will replace everything at no charge. Special policy for all RS6 vehicles.

Mid 20s. Ok, find the lowest mileage example you can get your hands on and be happy.


Thank you for the help. I do have a couple more questions if you dont mind.

1. The car is not for sale at an Audi dealer. It is through an independent dealership. Will the warenty that you spoke about still apply to this car?

2. With the Audi Fidelity Platinum coverage does the 6/60 coverage start from the start of the policy or from the original warenty's end of life? Where can I find more detailed information about this program? I did a quick google search and didnt find much.

3. The "DRC, which AoA is fixing for everyone" Are they doing this as part of a recal, under the original warenty, under the Audi Fidelity Platinum coverage, or is it comming out of pocket for the owner? Should i insist that it be inspeceted/fixed before i purcace the car?

I appreciate any and all feecback. The car is right on the edge of my finincial limits and i want to make sure that i am making an educated decision. This may be a daily driver if i lose my work vechicle and it will mostly be left stock with minimal modification.

It is currently being serviced with a timing belt with all the assorted items as well as brakes and tires. I have yet to see the car yet but i was told the price would be "in the mid 20's" They seem to be pretty rare so comparison shopping has been tough. does this seem right based on current market conditions?

Thank you again,

Pat

[DuckWingDuck]

1. You don't need to go to an Audi dealership to buy coverage. Just go to any car dealership that sells Fidelity extended warranty and they will be able to sell it to you.

2. Coverage starts at the end of the original warranty (if it still remains) otherwise it starts from when you buy it.

3. The DRC recall is just that, a recall. Do a search or click through one of the 90 million DRC threads.

If this car is at the edge of your limits then I would say every month you want to put money aside in a car fund, hell, should do that regardless of the car. While the extended warranty will cover a lot, ultimately the costs associated with this car are still higher than average. At the end of the day, even though you're not spending the money, it's still a $100K car, subject to all the finickiness that comes with cars in that segment.

[Turboluvr]

Pat,

A 60K mile RS6 as your only mode of transportation may cause you problems, all depends on the car and the condition. There are many people here who do it, at least if you have an extended warranty I think you can get a loaner from the Audi dealer. There are some on here that can tell you some good tales about that, just read the posts from the last week. On your questions:

1. The Audi warranty can be purchased from any Audi dealer, even if you didn't buy the car there. Mine was out of warrenty and I bought the car from a Toyota dealer in South Dakota. The Virginia Beach dealer sold coverage with no questions, however a 60K mile car will cost you about $7K to cover, under 30K miles is half that price...

2. An Audi (Fidelity) 6/60 warrenty is an additional 6 years and 60K miles from the time the warranty is purchased. Go to any Audi dealer or search Fidelity Warranty Service, it's an independant company that Audi of America (AoA) uses to provide the factory warranties.

3. DRC=Dynamic Ride Control, it's the shock absorber system on the RS6. Read the sticky at the top of this RS6 page for lot's of info. Audi is replacing the entire system on all US cars, free of charge, no matter who owns them, milage, or current coverage. They are even reimbursing owners for the cost of aftermarket suspension systems that they installed to fix the problem before the recall. Audi is just now getting the parts and equipment in country for the fix, so you'll have to get in line for that one. Search DRC for all you ever wanted to know. Some people have never had a problem, others have had nothing but problems. It's a great system, when its working correctly.

They are fairly rare cars, only around 1000 of them in the country. Before I bought mine, I drove 3 others all between 60K and 75K and all for around $25K. There are good deals out there, DonS just bought one for $28 w/38K miles, mine was $31K w/ 24K miles. Look around and don't be afraid to travel to get the right one.

[DuckWingDuck]

60K mile car will cost you about $7K to cover

FAWK!!! Ya, time to get rid of my RS6...

[V8weight]

I bought my car with 58k on the odometer and purchased a Zurich 3 year/ 36k mile warranty for $4200. The Zurich warranty covers everything but light bulbs and brakes. Just for reference.

[Turboluvr]

That's an estimate. I think I may have seen Dave post that (shift blame attempt). I do know that Toyota tried to sell me a policy for over $7K for a 6/60 on my car and you can look at known fidelity prices for cars in the under 30K level and under 40K mileage level and estimate what a 60K would cost.

[mmaturo]

Pat,

A 60K mile RS6 as your only mode of transportation may cause you problems, all depends on the car and the condition. There are many people here who do it, at least if you have an extended warranty I think you can get a loaner from the Audi dealer. There are some on here that can tell you some good tales about that, just read the posts from the last week.




Ummm that would be me...daily here, I'm at 74K miles, and yes mine seems to break more than average but i do indeed drive it. Dealers in my area when i schedule appointments in advance and request a loaner do indeed provide them (I'm on 4 weeks with one) regardless of whether i bought the car from them. You may want to call and ask the dealers in your area their policy. Get the warranty coverage period, great car but required.

Have all the upper/lower control arms, links, and anything else with bushings in the front suspension checked on any car you are looking at. They go quick. Also several of us have had issues somewhere in the life of the car for various reasons where there is intermittent drops in power (from turbos cutting off) so drive the car and jump on it several times...it should be consistent. Feel for any slipping sensation in the trans 1 to 2, 2 to 3, the car shifts and down shifts especially kinda clunky but shouldn't feel like it is slipping or hesitating, or if it is taking a long time to shift back into first as you stop for a light.

Also have checked the rotor thickness in front. They go quick, rears last forever but at 60K its time. If when cold there is a whine from the steering and the fluid is full it may be time for a new pump.

[Turboluvr]

Mark,
Yeah, I had your tale of repair and loaner Q7 in mind, you've had more than your share of bad luck. Hell of a car when she she goes though.

[Weldunn007]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice but as of right now i dont think that i will have the funds to purchace and maintain an RS6.

I only have one year left of school left so I think when i get my first "real" job i will start the search again.

Thank you once again and when i start looking again ill be sure to keep all your tips in mind.

Pat

[mmaturo]

Mark,
Yeah, I had your tale of repair and loaner Q7 in mind, you've had more than your share of bad luck. Hell of a car when she she goes though.

Luckily mine is a real beast when it does work so i am still codependent with the damn thing. Still a smile a day with it and at least one 'wow' a week so as i have already said its a good thing i have had good Audi's before or i would be in the funny bin by now... honestly it is still worth the trouble as nothing out there still can do everything it does as well (in my climate). Mine is faster (higher hp on the dyno than it should be) than the average RS even though it is stock so that helps the love affair limp on.

Pat, i think you are probably doing the right thing by waiting as you do need some in flow of cash to cover the car beyond the payment and what would be 'normal' compared to your S4. You could be fine as many are but it is a roll of the dice. I do drive mine very hard so i expect the wear but i have driven every car i have owned hard and this one is tops on regular up keep needed if you are putting miles on it. These cars are an incredible value in the mid 20s but if you are in school this is not the right car. Good news is that next year it will be a 15K car and you can compare between an 05 TT and an RS6. Silly but true.