[s-cars] Sports Wagons? Replacement for '95.5 S6: S4 Avant V8?

[Hap Maguire]

Hey Keith et al

I've been crazy busy lately and haven't had a chance to get in on this great discussion. One car I haven't heard mentioned does not meet your manual only criteria. You did mention you might accept a pretender but enough of the preliminaries. The car I would favor would be a C6.5 A6 Avant with the 3.0T supercharged motor. These cars were only produced from 2009 until 2011 and went through a mild tweak on their exteriors and interiors in 2009. We absolutely love my wife's new to her 2011 A6 3.0 T Prestige. The car handles amazingly well and the 3.0 motor is as smooth as soft butter and really kicks butt. The 6 speed Tiptronic shifts quickly and is very precise. It does have the Sport option and was a little stiff with the 19" wheels and Conti SC 3s so I just mounted a set of 18" Conti DWSs and all is well. Still a smidgeon stiff but oh does that car turn-in nicely. Another option that might suit you well would be a 2009 A4 3.2. I bought a low mileage beauty for our youngest daughter and she loves the car. With the 3.2 you eliminate the typical 2.0T worries. Its a little smaller but your mileage would be better. Speaking of mileage I got 30 mpg driving my wife's car back from SoCal and i got 32mpg driving the daughter's car out to KC. Plus you get all the modern electronics that the newer Audis have. Give these 2 some thought. I doubt you'd be missing the manual tranny after a few days of bliss.

Hap, wit dakine automatic shiftiness not from Evahboost, Maguire


On May 6, 2013, at 10:16 AM, Keith Franchetti wrote:

> Hi Guys-
> 
> So, the V8 S4 door being firmly closed, I have managed to find not one but
> two 6-speed Allroads in my neck of the woods here.  I had one of these
> before (the rarest RED one, six speed too!), but it was a bottomless pit of
> need, and I was so happy to replace it with the 95 S6 Avant (Bills' car).
> (I cannot begin convey what it took to convince my wife that the '95 S6
> was the (FAR) superior car than the '02 Allroad, which she was in love
> with).
> 
> At any rate here we are 2 years later, and there are far fewer options now
> as far as manual sport sedans.  So, as many of you suggested, I'm back
> looking at Allroads--and lucky to have found 2 sticks.  One is an '03, I
> think, with 114k miles, supposedly all sorted out by the local indy
> mechanic (who bought and sorted out, for himself, my last/red Allroad, so
> he knows these cars intimately--he's still driving that one).  $8k to 8.5k
> for that one.  I haven't actually seen or driven it yet.
> 
> Other is an '02 with 166k miles.  I think it's a little rougher, as would
> be expected, and no info on last TB service (or anything else).  Big thing
> is the clutch is slipping.  I'm told about $1900 for that job?  Sound
> right?  (I'm not touching it myself).  Check Engine light is on.  I haven't
> pulled the code, but he says it's saying O2 sensor--except they just
> replaced both O2 sensors.  Could it be a bad one?  Or installed improperly.
> They also had to replace the secondary airflow valve.  (On a TT that often
> turns into a 2ndary airfllow blower as well--might be that?)  And of course
> it's got at least an airbag or two that are leaking.  All that said, the
> interior is in really nice shape.  Everything seems to work as it should,
> etc.  Was listed at 4995, but after I pointed out clutch problem, he's
> willing to go 4k.  Says he'd auction before going lower than that.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing the one my indi mechanic has for sale.
> 
> Keith
> 
>