[s-cars] S4 Replacement

[John Farr]

My '93 S4 just turned 211,000 miles, still running great, but I need to 
replace it as my daily driver. I was considering a used M5, but price, 
maintenance (I have a great independent Audi mechanic), and the need to 
drive a mountain pass in the snow every day in the winter ruled this 
out.
I'm down to the choice between an '02 or '03 S6 Avant and a 6 speed 
Allroad. I know I can tweak the 2.7T to S-Car performance levels, but 
what about the Allroad suspension?
Nobody seems to sell upgrades or airbag deletion options.
My issue with the S6 is the tiptronic. I've always driven manuals, 
although after driving a S6, it didn't seem too bad in the manual mode. 
Anybody out there have a S-Car with a tip that wants to share their 
thoughts? What do you think of the super Allroad option? I defer to the 
great wisdom of the list. Any help would be much appreciated.
John Farr
'93 S4 Emerald/Ecru