I've got my heart set on an 2004 A6 4.2, quattro, automatic transmission, with 47k miles. This car is everything that I'd want to own.

However, I'm worried about reliability. I've never owned an Audi, but heard that the reliability of the 2004s is quite poor. It seems that the 4.2 is better off than the 2.7 , but I'm sure they share a good number of problem parts.

The owner put new wheels on the car about a year ago, and the tires are brand new. Also, he's put in a really nice Pioneer sound system and it looks great. From what I see on the pictures, this is a well loved car.

However, he does NOT have service records. He mentioned that the oil changes happen at jiffy lube, and that no serious repairs have been done on the car.

Hopefully, I'm seeing and test driving the car tomorrow. I am not mechanically inclined, and will do no repairs on my own. If tomorrow were not Sunday, I'd head over to an Audi specialist and ask for an appraisal.

I would appreciate any advice on what questions to ask, what to look out for, what to expect to have to repair in the future.

Thanks

 

Ugh, i got my start working on cars at jiffy lube when i was in my early to mid teens, i can tell you they don't know a dip stick from a hole in the ground. Im guessing he also used conventional oil which means there could be more wear on the internals than if he used synthetic.

You can tell a lot about how a car is treated by how it looks on the outside. If the headlights aren't all faded and sun beat, you know it has been garaged a good portion of its life span, look at the paint and windows. Then look at the interior, if everything looks like it was well taken care of then you can take the next step at looking at the mechanics end of it. Have the seller (or you) take it to a european shop and have it inspected before purchasing it. This will drive the final nail in the coffin, and secure your purchase.

The reliability of the 4.2L is actually really good, much better than that of the 2.7 and 3.0L engines. As long as you do the PM, you shouldn't have any major problems. Of course audis (all german cars for that matter) have a higher maintenance regimine, things like the ABS module may go out, one of the electric seat motors will give out, window regulators break, CV boots tear, prop shaft seals may seep fluid etc. So even if you get a good one, expect to shell out a couple grand a year to keep it running great year after year.

 

I agree with Auditech on all points except I'd look for your dream Audi which has been always been serviced by Audi, that at least shows the owners cared enough to give the best care to the car..it's not hard to find these cars since *if they have this provenance..Audi will have data of every service,update,recall etc etc on your car..the cream of the crop IMO.