[Jeroen]

I have owned several Audi A6, all company tin. All the station version too. And seriously guys, you can’t compare an Audi A6 to some Toyota, Octavia or Jetta. They are in a completely different class. Sure you can buy a new Jetta for the price of a second hand Audi, but that is not the point.

I don’t care too much for the German trio as such. But the Audi A6 is probably my most favourite company car. Over and beyond the various Mercedes and BMWs my bosses leased for me.

If you need to drive 50-75.000 km a year, and you want comfort, luxurious ride and decent performance and still want to be able to move your teenage daughter form student dig to student dig all over the country, nothing beats an Audi A6 Station wagon.

Yes, I know about the various challenges of owning these cars in India. But when your Audi is in good nick, you will be laughing at the punters in their run of the mill Skoda, VW or Japanese contraptions.

Can’t beat that experience, but yes, it might cost you. But then again, all cars cost money. I appreciate that the cost of a car is very real to most, if not all of us. Never the less, when it comes to cars, personally I have yet to get excited about a car, because it costs less.

Jeroen

[OffRoadFun]

I don't consider 67K kms a lot. Modern cars are made to last 250k kms, at least in nations with good roads, in India may be a bit lesser.

If maintained well and driven with by previous owner, suspension, engine mount and other problems will not show up at till 100-110k kms which might a few years away.

If you love the prospect of enjoying this machine, set aside a 3-5L aside for the maintenance and buy. My hunch is you will not need to touch that fund for at least 3 years. Air suspension is slightly tricky and as others have pointed out, may turn out to be expensive.

Since you are buying in a stretched budget, make sure you know one reliable FNG who is good and economical at repairs. And never take it to the dealership unless absolutely necessary. And also make sure you have time and enthusiasm to understand which parts are exactly needed in a repair when someone (esp dealer) might recommend replacing the whole assembly.

I don't think the car will start costing you 1.5L/yr in expenses any time soon (I am excluding insurance).

Good luck. It's worth taking the risk. If it doesn't work out, you will be 3-4L here and there, not a big amount.

[ajmat]

Two factors work against you

The big jump from a Swift D’Zire - you’ll end up with chronic heart burn due to relatively high running costs

And the other …air suspension, air suspension and air suspension! If you are using in town on rough roads, it will be working overtime and will give up. It is a maintenance item.

I personally would not have anything against this car if I knew the owner and the non authorised dealer reputation. I sold my Jetta under similar circumstances but I had all bills and records in place plus I am a known entity and so was the car!

Maybe you want a bit of luxury, set your sights lower and consider an A4 or a good used Superb!

[Siddarth_Ramani]

I am trying to decode German car ownership since last 3-4 years. Here's the conclusion I have drawn with respect to Japanese brands.
1). German cars are durable, not reliable. Their engines will last 4-5 lakh, but you have to strictly follow the maintenance schedule. Preventive maintenance should be the norm.
2). These are built for long, smooth highways. Even though we have long highways in India, they are filled with traffic. So it's hard to achieve sustained RPMs. Let's not even talk about potholes.
3). You might know this already, E class is nothing but a taxi. You can easily find examples with million kilometres, but these are especially built in Germany.
4). German cars built in Germany are superior to the ones built outside.
5). Keep aside 100,000 as budget for yearly maintenance.
6). This one is my personal opinion, If anyone has high running, they should go with german *diesels*. By and large German diesels are very efficient, your fuel savings due to high running might help the annual 100,000 maintenance and things suddenly don't look bad. Besides the safety offered by these machines are priceless if you spent a good part of your time on highways.


TL;DR: Go for it only if you have high annual running.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

one case of diggy repair due to a hit from back (during warranty).

This bit makes me nervous. Do you know how bad a hit it was? Any pictures? Was it fixed by Audi India? Ensure the boot lid is in good alignment and there is no water ingress.

These cars are known to hold up, especially the diesel. In India, its a different ball game though. Our heat, dust and humidity conditions age a car faster.

Going by the year and mileage of the car, it has been driven a fair bit. For peace of mind, take the car to Audi and have them inspect. Ask them what will need attention in the near term. This way, you will know the actual condition of the car and what the upcoming expenses are.

[MrShah]

Has the previous owner changed the air suspension already ? generally OEM air suspension needs a change in about 5 years of about 50k-80k on the odo, if you can manage to hand carry air suspension from the west you will save big amounts comparing to your purchase here .

[revsperminute]

Originally Posted by GTO

67000 km isn't a lot and these cars age well. But once past a certain number of km and years, replacement parts cost a bomb. The air suspension alone is a couple of lakhs and it usually requires work every 5 years (note this car is 4 years old). The ABS board of my 5-Series failed and the official company cost was 2.5 lakhs (I got a refurbished piece for 70k). The AC compressor was a lakh or so officially, but I got one from the aftermarket for 40k.

I don't think a 67000 km A6 is the right upgrade for someone used to Dzire ownership costs. Especially one with air suspension.

Sir excuse me for hijacking this thread for a bit, where do you maintain your 5 outside the ASC? I’ve been on the lookout for a good independent workshop for some of my VAG/German cars in Bombay.

[Sumer]

I can give my 2 cents on everything except the air suspension. As an owner of an 8 year old Q5 with 83000 on the odo, I can attest to the fact that you need to keep 1 lakh aside every year for maintenance. I get mine serviced and repaired at an FNG, the last service was about 55-60k with a timing belt, water pump change and new brake pads + routine service.
Get a printout of the detailed service schedule from the Audi website/owner's manual (my manual didn't have one) and get it followed to the t. Get the car serviced, look for codes and don't forget to get the timing belt changed before taking ownership. Rest as others have mentioned about the service, AT fluid and of course the air suspension. If you get a good example, you'll enjoy it multiple times more than you would any new car for the money

[lordtottuu]

My 2c: when buying German luxo-barges, allocate at least 30% of your budget over the next 3 years for upkeep. They're quite expensive to run, once your start replacing parts for wear and tear. And about 70-80k KMs is where they start.

The more expensive the MRP of the car, the more expensive it will be to keep it running. Please don't underestimate this number.I've seen so many people my side of the country selling cars from luxury brands for peanuts because they can't afford the repairs. Don't fall into the same trap.

[vivekrvcse]

A6 usually goes very cheap in India (pre-owned). Negotiate hard, very few sedan buyers at good prices. There is very little price difference between a Q3 and an A6 - a Q3 which is done 50K may be a better buy. Or even an A4.

The air suspension, just be aware of how much it will cost to change when it goes bad. Including labour and parts. Get a full estimate and not the part cost from Audi (if you get the part cost, add 50% for labour and taxes).

[Dibyendu Bose]

I was an “owner” of an A6….in the sense that while the company owned it, it was allocated to me. From Jan 2014 to Sep 2017. Had a Camry before that. First the positive. Out of all the cars in this segment, the A6 id the lightest and the smoothest. It’s just like a toy, drives like a dream.
BUT
Within 2 years, the air suspension started giving trouble, and I had to resort to back up cars pretty often as the A6 used to visit the garage often.
So do a proper check. I heard that post all the feedback, Audi has sopped giving air suspensions and resorted to normal suspensions. So check the status of this particular vehicle.
Regarding annual expenses, I reckon you will have to be ready for a higher amount than the figure discussed in this post. No one can give you an estimate, as a bit of luck also plays in.

[bmw_lover]

i own A6 since 2014 november. Sold it just 2 months back. The car is beautiful and wonderful to drive and own. No doubt about it.

1. Air-suspension - Works beautifully. You wont have any problems with it just get it checked at Audi workshop and replace any worn out parts. Also you dont need to drive with high setting. The cars base ride height is good enough to drive at lowest setting for 99.9% of the time. Only badly broken roads require high setting.

2. Dents and scratches - You cant do away with them anywhere. And there are plenty of FNG in every metro city that deal exclusively in these high end cars and the owners are very much satisfied. I can provide you one in Delhi. Got my A6 serviced at less than half the price quoted by the company. He even manages original parts at discounted prices.

The only problem is the kms driven. 67000 is just too much in 4 years. Though A6 is pretty much abuse friendly but you should avoid this one solely because you can easily find less driven specimens of this model. just keep looking.

[IN07KL0484]

As I am in a similar situation, looking to upgrade from my 9 year old swift to a used luxury segment, I would say no purely based on the fact that you are stretching your budget! I have a total budget of around 22-24 lakhs and I won’t be spending more than 15-18 lakhs on the purchase as rest is my “peace of mind”.

As for the air suspension, an entire overhaul even from an FNG would cost you almost a lakh and if you think after buying the car this would pinch you even a little bit! Stay away!

My suggestion would be either bargain hard and be clear about the amount you want to spend which should be well within 20 lakhs, or be patient and look for something which suits your requirements better!

[arun_m5]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

.

If you need to drive 50-75.000 km a year, and you want comfort, luxurious ride and decent performance and still want to be able to move your teenage daughter form student dig to student dig all over the country, nothing beat an Audi A6 Station wagon.


Jeroen

Have you tried a Lexus GS350 / GX450 / LS500 etc? It makes the Audi feel cheap and utilitarian in comparison, especially in terms of overall craftsmanship, mechanical quality and ride comfort. I'm sorry but the A6 is pretty much average in terms of ride quality, practicality and performance in the premium segment especially in comparison to the equivalent Japanese rivals.

Originally Posted by Siddarth_Ramani

6). This one is my personal opinion, If anyone has high running, they should go with german *diesels*. By and large German diesels are very efficient, your fuel savings due to high running might help the annual 100,000 maintenance and things suddenly don't look bad. Besides the safety offered by these machines are priceless if you spent a good part of your time on highways.

Did you forget the all the German car manufacturers cheated on emissions testing and paid out billions in fines? For all we know their diesel cars on the road today are poison emitters that people should stay far away from.



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[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by GTO

I don't think a 67000 km A6 is the right upgrade for someone used to Dzire ownership costs. Especially one with air suspension.

Have to disagree on the ownership costs, people always upgrade their cars and get used to the new costs fairly quickly or most people already have a fair idea of what they are getting into. Again, 67000 isn't a lot for that 2.0 TDI and other things can be managed via a competent FNG. Also air suspension shouldn't be a big deal now since it's been there for a while and a lot of people know how to work around it. Worst case, a conversion to normal suspension can be done which will still be a better car than Octavia/Slavia.

This is a good lateral upgrade I would suggest and since OP tends to keep his cars long, he can use it to fullest once the problems are fixed ( if the problems crop up in first place). Just invest some extra money aside and stay on top of maintanance. It's fun to take risks sometimes, we learn it it fails or have immense fun if it works out. As long as OP knows what demon he's dealing with, it should be alright!