Reliability of B5 vs. B6 A4s? or???

[robert weinberg]

hi all,

i'm on the fence here. i'm looking for a new (to me) daily driver. i can only go 
from immediate experience, but from what i've seen my wife's 1997 A4 12V V6 
Quattro has been a super-reliable car. 215k - pretty much just maintenance.

meanwhile, i've had 2 friends with B6 1.8T Quattros which have proven to be real 
pains in the asses. they've blown racks, ps pumps, coil packs - and lord knows 
what else.

i only know older audis - (like my always adventurous 1991 200q20v ;-)
i'd like your collective opinion on the following for a decent DD...

B5 or B6 with either a V6 (12V or 30V) or 1.8T
Mercedes Benz C230 or C240
BMW 330i

must be auto for the wifey to chauffeur my ass around ;-)

my budget can be up to about $14k - but i'd LOVE to keep it under $10k, if 
possible. the car does NOT have to be super fun - just reliable (within reason, 
of course). i could buy a honduh - but i used to have a nissan sentra for a DD - 
and i felt like such a tool driving it. and it wasn't all that reliable either. 
in the 2.5 years of ownership and 50k miles - i put in reman front axles, 
battery, starter and a water pump. the car had 99k when i bought it.

mileage - eh from as low as possible to about 80k. must have had the timing belt 
service and waterpump if above 70k.

mainly - i already have 1 wallet vampire with the 200q20v, i don't need another 
problem child. and i wouldn't want to drive the 200 on my 55 mile daily commute 
even if it never broke down - it's just a waste of a cool car.

thanks.
Robby