Hi All...this is the seller. I strongly encourage any buyer to do the Autozone check for free to ease their mind. I did so and the errors point to the O2 sensors. Have chosen not to fix the CEL for a couple reasons:
- I don't believe the Cats are bad...no loss of power/MPG or rotten egg smell
- The CEL stays on around town but goes off after about 30-40 miles on the highway. My hunch is that one of the sensors sees something just out of tolerance and is satisfied after and extended higher RPM run.

I have been aggressive in doing preventive maintenance(timing belt, trans and radiator flush, replace leaky valve cover gasket, etc) but also am not aiming for perfection on a car with 162,000. The CEL for O2 sensors has just been one I couldn't justify spending the money on. Just today I replaced a front wheel bearing that was growling. I saw that as more of a safety issue and was willing to spend that money.

I'm not what you would call a "motivated" seller at the moment but as time goes buy I'm warming up to the idea of negotiating a bit on the price However, my 14 (soon to be driving) year old son is sure hoping nobody buys it.

Take Care everyone...

 

Only 162,000 miles and a CEL is a good reason to keep looking for a serious seller who has a lower mileage A6 and a lower price than $2,500.
The Autozone scan is only OBDII and is not VAG-COM, so it will only get emissions related codes, not special Audi codes.
Go to www.ross-tech.com for VAG-COM.

 

swjonesy -- It sounds as if you've taken good care of the car but like we said the vehicle is worth around $4-4.5 K without the CEL and $3K or lower with.

You might find someone willing to spend more but it will take some time.


Someone has to take the risk - If you certain it is not the cats then change the sensors and go for the $4 K range -

FYI - cats can be be very expensive - I was once quoted $1200 each installed on a 95 A6 and I have heard people say sensors can run $500 plus. The $1 -2K I talked about is having it done by a good indy shop or yourself.

 

Most buyers will see a CEL as a reason to fail the emissions test mandated by the EPA. Were I live you could not get the car licensed, so it might go to a salvage yard.
It is very difficult for a buyer to know what actually causes the CEL, without expensive diagnostic equipment, tools and a shop manual. Most buyers will not buy a worn out car with the CEL, since it could be caused by something very expensive to repair, such as engine, ECM, TCM, catalytic converters, oxygen sensors or antilock brake module.

 

I was just cruising the Fargo Craigslist and saw this car was reposted today, so I figured I'd pop on the forum and check this discussion. I need to reiterate the fact that $5k is actually NOT a huge price for this car, with these miles, and this issue in the Fargo area. Fargo doesn't have the saturation of Audis that other area might have. I searched Fargo's CL for Audi's and this was the lowest price car like this in the listings. I like to keep my eyes open for A6s that are for sale as I have a few friends that are looking into getting one after falling in love with mine. They're not interested in an Avant, so this one is a no-go.

On a side note,
swjonesy- Where did you have the maintenance done at? More specifically, where did you have the timing belt and water pump done at? Do you remember the cost? I'm asking for future reference, and to the best of my knowledge there is only Jaqs in Moorhead and Valley Imports that are worthwhile in their knowledge of German rides, but if there are more out there I'd be very interested. Thanks.

 

I lived in MI when the timing belt was replaced. Unfortunately I don't have a reference on a good Fargo shop for you. I believe the cost to replace timing belt (inc water pump, tensioner, etc...) was about $900. I looked back on my receipts and the labor was $600. I recall that I supplied the parts and I don't have that receipt handy but believe parts cost just shy of $300.

 

Wow, didn't realize there were so many Fargo folks on these forums! Anyway, I figured I'd update everyone. We ended up finding a 2000 Subaru Outback with 119K miles for $4700 in what seems to be perfect condition. The original goal was a reliable AWD wagon for under 5K and this seemed to fit within that goal slightly better than the Audi.

Thanks everyone for your comments!