Pro and cons of A4 vs A6

[tmr931]

I am considering selling or trading my B5 A4 for a C5 A6, or an S6 if I can find one thats not terribly overpriced. My A4 is stage 3 and I love it. I also love the A6 when they have the right stance and nice wheels. I just spent 2000 on wheels and suspension for my a4, so it kinda seems foolish to sell it and then do the exact same thing to my a6. Also, I know this car inside and out, and I have every record from day one. I know almost for certain that I wont find an a6 in the condition that my a4 is, and I would hate myself if I sold a very reliable car and got a car that was prone to problems. If I were to get an a6, it would most likely be the 2.7T because I really want a 6 speed, and I know in the a4 those motors can be a nightmare if they are behind on maintenance. On the other hand, the a6 looks much classier, is much roomier, and I feel like it may be a better car to keep for a few years. I kind of want to get away from modified engines, even though my stage 3 has no issues at all. Please give me your opinions, and list the pros and cons for me. I need to decide once and for all what im gonna do. here is a couple pics of my a4. What would YOU do???

when I bought it



as it sits now. I also have s4 sides and im gonna paint the rear valence to finish off the look. You can see the car is very clean.

[jstnvndn]

Given your car is reliable and it is Stage 3, I would say stick with it. Unless you can't get over the additional rear seat legroom of the A6, I would say there is minimal difference. As for styling, it is one person's opinion over another as to which car is classier.

[Alan]

Older A6's are ugly. I'd keep the A4, especially if you haven't had any problems. With someone elses car, you never know what you're going to get yourself into, especially with a 2.7TT

[Seerlah]

The A6 you are looking at has the same engine as the B5 S4. If you know the issues that the B5 S4 has, then you can get an idea of what's in store. But with any Audi (preventative) maintenance is the key.

[stevejones19]

Older A6's are ugly. I'd keep the A4, especially if you haven't had any problems. With someone elses car, you never know what you're going to get yourself into, especially with a 2.7TT

Right on the money with what i was gonna say. I really just dont like the look of them that much. and the added length. Now thats practical for me because i'm a single guy and dont need to give rides to too many people. But if you needed the room for one reason or another, i can understand why someone would go that route.

[wesleyfbm]

Finish off the s4 sides and rear and keep it. A6 is way too ugly!

[B5A4Kevin]

agree with all the others, the only advantages to an a6 would be the 6MT and more rear leg room. i hate the rear end of the a6 (trunk and tail-lights too rounded). 2.7t can be expensive, especially when modifying, however it seems you are leaning less towards performance from your post. i would say keep what your in and just do the last finishing touches. the only c5's i would get if it were me would be an stg3 2.7t allroad or an rs6. it really is your decision though. hope this helps. peace.

[Congratulati0ns]

wow that thing was ugly when you bought it and you turned it around big time, looks great!....as for the trade, the a6 is heavier and uglier, your car looks awesome and being stage 3 its fast as well...i actually own a b5 s4 and people really over exaggerate about its "issues", mine runs great never had problems, i do maintain it well though....anyway good luckkk

[Congratulati0ns]

oh and about what i would do, hmmm though choice, the 2.7 torque is awesome compared to the 1.8, but i think your better of keeping you a4, no a6 is going to look as clean and if you want more power, save money and go gt30 or 35=]

[somebody5788]

wow that thing was ugly when you bought it and you turned it around big time, looks great!....as for the trade, the a6 is heavier and uglier, your car looks awesome and being stage 3 its fast as well...i actually own a b5 s4 and people really over exaggerate about its "issues", mine runs great never had problems, i do maintain it well though....anyway good luckkk

They do not exaggerate... It's just not all of them that go through the same problems. My buddy has had his for 5 years and he added it up and He has close to $30,000 in maintenance alone. The car is still basically stock with his only mod being a DTS, B6 18" Avus wheels, APR tune. Luckily a large portion of that was under warranty.

[Seerlah]

^That's nuts.

[tmr931]

yea I dont know what to do. I do love the torque of the 2.7t. And I found the perfect color/engine combo. Pearl white, black interior, 2.7t 6speed, and its already chipped. The only thing I would do would be suspension and wheels. I dont know what to do. Either way I would come out ahead, I only paid 4700 for my a4, and it was already stage 3+, I got a hell of a deal. So if I keep it, or trade it for a 10k car, its a win win either way. Still thinking....

[trick384]

Your clean A4 for sure, but I'm sure you'll get a different responce in the A6 forum. In my opinion A6's are awkward looking. Off topic but what are the specs of your wheels/tires?

[geeky]

When I was in the market for a new car, I test drove a 6MT 2.7t C5 A6 and i mean it's a GREAT car I loved the test drive, but it was just a HUGE car. And I am personally not a huge fan of the slopped trunk+tail lights, though a trunk spoiler similiar to the m3 ones can fix that problem.

But like everyone has mentioned above, the 2.7t can be very costly for modifying and maintaining the vehicle in running order.

[tmr931]

Your clean A4 for sure, but I'm sure you'll get a different responce in the A6 forum. In my opinion A6's are awkward looking. Off topic but what are the specs of your wheels/tires?

Thanks, the wheels are 19x8 et35 August Werke's. The tires are 235/35/19 Sumitumo HTRZ 3. The tires are a low to midrange tire, but are the best tires I have ever driven on. Ive been on Michelin, Pirelli, Yokohama, and other high end tires and these are the best by far. They dont make a sound during on ramps at 90+, they are very quiet on the highway, and they give you fair warning when you are pushing them too far, which is very hard to do. I would highly recomend them.

And I have decided to keep my car. Every month or so I go through the same shit, I get bored and want to get a new car. But it always comes back to the same thing. The car is dead reliable, fast, economical, and fits me like a tailor made suit. I would be foolish to sell it, and i have brought it a long way from the ugly duckling that it was when I bought it.

[Trisha90]

keep!
lol you tryin' to make ppl think it's an S4??
put a 6spd shift knob in. haha!

looks good. :)

[walky_talky20]

Our family has two A4 1.8T's and an A6 2.7T 6MT. I love the power and torque of the 2.7T and the 6 speed is nice, but I don't like how big the car is. It is a lot more car than an A4. I like smaller, more nimble cars myself. I could see autocrossing my A4, but the A6 is more comfort and less time attack.

If you want something more, I'd say B5 S4. There you go, best of both worlds.

[dtmeurosport]

Here's what I've concluded:

- B5 1.8T sedan w/ Stage III is lugging around about 9 lbs per HP
- A C5 2.7T stock is 15.04 lbs per HP
- C5 2.7T with an APR Stage I drops down to 11.82

The A4 will obviously feel faster, but I did find a fix (at least in my opinion) for the ugly A6 rear:



mmmm RS6 style goodness
Plus, with a couple of K04s and some good coilovers, who know what kind of possibilities the 2.7T might have

[B5A4Kevin]

...people really over exaggerate about its "issues..."

not really. it simple math. you have to buy 2x of almost everything engine related especially if upgrading: turbo's (blown or upgrade), exhaust/downpipes/cats/piggie pipes (not bought but still 2x the work), 02 sensors, valve cover gaskets, cam tensioners, DV's, camshafts, head gaskets, cylinder heads/head work (p&p), etc, or for some things about 50% more: head bolts, pistons, connecting rods, rod bearings and bolts.

the list adds up quickly. but if you are just doing wheels and suspension and chip, it would be comparable to most other audi's. just watch out for the maintenance items that creep up on you.

in addition, the labor required for most if not all of those repairs/upgrades increases substantially as well.

turbo for a 1.8: 2-3 hrs.
turbos on a 2.7t: 6-20 hrs.

[Congratulati0ns]

They do not exaggerate... It's just not all of them that go through the same problems. My buddy has had his for 5 years and he added it up and He has close to $30,000 in maintenance alone. The car is still basically stock with his only mod being a DTS, B6 18" Avus wheels, APR tune. Luckily a large portion of that was under warranty.

no no it is exaggeration, if you cant work on the car alone, and cant source parts for a good price then yea i believe $300000000000000000000000000.......however if you can do they labor on your own and find good parts deals...i bet that 30,000 could have been 3,000, i can just tell he went to the dealer for everything including oil changes...so yea...dealer quoted me 3,800 for a stock clutch with labor...hmm i did it for $600, and that was a brand new awe tuning lw fw and rs4 clutch i found new cheap on classifieds...600$ vs $3800

[Sales@RAI]

ummmmm do a 6 speed swap....

[jturnbull]

no no it is exaggeration, if you cant work on the car alone, and cant source parts for a good price then yea i believe $300000000000000000000000000.......however if you can do they labor on your own and find good parts deals...i bet that 30,000 could have been 3,000, i can just tell he went to the dealer for everything including oil changes...so yea...dealer quoted me 3,800 for a stock clutch with labor...hmm i did it for $600, and that was a brand new awe tuning lw fw and rs4 clutch i found new cheap on classifieds...600$ vs $3800

Agreed you can spend a fortune quick if your not a fan of manual labor.

[viceprp]

When I first bought my car I was happy with everything but the longer I have it the only issue I have is the rear leg room. Now I don't care about my boys whining in the back about leg room but when the ladies pile in then thats when I feel the need to upgrade. If I would have waited 2 months longer I would have bought an 02 Stage III A6 6 spd for 12k. Bitch had only 80K on the clock and was black like mine.. My heart sank but I'm still enjoying the the arousal of a smaller car on these windy roads. Oh and the garage bills on a 1.8 are SO much nicer.

[Congratulati0ns]

Agreed you can spend a fortune quick if your not a fan of manual labor.

thank you!...onee person understands