Thanks bro! Hoping to get some insight from the B6r's as well.

I don't mean to somewhat spam the forum, but I am looking to get angles from both sides to make the most informed decision I can.

I jumped in with buying my Miata and pretty much lucked out since I have put less than $1K into it in the 4 years/53K miles I have had it. Clutch 1.5 yrs ago, in the shop at present for the Timing Belt/Water Pump/Pulleys. Still getting 33 - 35 mpg on 10 gallons, so she will remain my daily driver with an Audi as a solid back-up on inclimate weather days and trips.

I hope to hear from the B6r's....

Joe

 

My mother has an '01 A6 2.7T, I have an '02 A4 1.8T. IMO both are good, solid cars. The driving experience is definitely different, however. You notice that the A6 is a bigger car, especially if you take a corner "vigorously." The steering goes from a touch overboosted to heavy quickly, which feels weird to me. (The A4 does not exhibit this behavior, probably because it's lighter and its steering has a bit more weight to it to start with.) I would only call her A6 slightly more luxurious than my A4, and in a lot of ways, they're very similar. The controls, dashboard, stereo, etc, are all pretty much the same.

If you're looking at carting 3 almost full-sized people around in it, the A6 definitely has a larger, more comfortable back seat. It's not that the A4's is bad or tiny, but there's going to be more leg room in the A6. I'm 6 feet tall myself, and I can comfortably ride in that back of an A6 for hours without issue. For the next few years, I'd think your daughters would be fine in the A4's back seat, but if they end up as tall as you, it might become a problem.

The A6 will be a bit faster than a stock A4, but the larger engine and higher weight will conspire to make the gas mileage worse. (I've borrowed my mother's a few times, and her in-dash avg fuel economy reading is usually around 21 MPG.) Personally, I prefer the A4, but the A6 is sort of the upper limit of what I'm willing to drive, size-wise, so that plays into it for me.

The pricing on that '04 you're looking at doesn't seem too horribly high. It's only about $600 more than I paid for my '02 1.5 years ago, so it's half a year newer, relatively speaking, for $600 more. Of course, I bought mine from a dealer, so if you're looking at a private sale, it may be that it should be a bit less.

As far as the A6 goes, I can't really comment on pricing, as I haven't ever been in the market for one, and when my parents bought theirs, it had < 30K miles on it and was still in warranty, so it wouldn't really correlate.

 

Welp, I was notified a short time ago the '04 burgundy A4 I was looking at has indeed been sold.

Onward to the A6! Even though I now feel like an old man for looking into the A6 v A4 lol!

 

Haha, don't think I was calling the A6 an "old person car" or anything like that. It's just that I personally prefer a bit smaller vehicle with a bit "sportier" feel to it. My first choice when I was searching fit that bill even more ('95 Nissan 300ZX, couldn't make it happen, long story), but after the winters we've had the last 2 years here in Minnesota, I'm very glad I ended up with a 4WD car - it has been very confidence inspiring in the snow.

 

Sorry to deflect this momentarily but I hope you do at some point get your Z32. As a former owner, believe me I can promise you that car is an absolute blast. I had mine almost 10 years and loved every day of it. The day WILL come when I get another one.

 

Oh, I know - the one I had my sights set on belonged to my father at the time, and I have driven it quite a lot. He wouldn't sell it to me, and then he ended up selling it to someone else for about $1500 less than I'd have been willing to pay only a few months later (we never discussed price, joke's on him).

Was yours a TT or NA? My father's was NA with T-tops, and the interior and exterior were both starting to show their age, but it was mechanically sound and a ton of fun to drive. It looked pretty badass in black, too. I just hope the new owner shows it as much love as I would have.

(My apologies to AccuTec for the thread deflection as well, since it's really my fault it happened at all, and here I am continuing it.)

 

Deflection is all good fellas. Reminds of one time I ran out of gas in my land yatch of a '76 Chrysler New Yorker. A kind gent stopped and picked me up in his 280Z with a small block 350 in it! That was a wicked cool ride.

 

As noted, I have both a 2003 A6 2.7T and a 2003 A4 3.0. When parked in the same garage bay, the A4 only seems 6-8" shorter. The cabin feels more narrow than the A6, which really doesn't bother me at 5'6" and my wife in 5'. Since we pull the front buckets forward, there is plenty of rear legroom for two, but a little cramped for 3. We have gone on long trips with my 19+20 years olds in the rear, and occasionally three large adults. With your three daughters and your height, I would lean towards the A6. It should have about 8 airbags, including side and side curtain. That's a good feeling when your whole family is with you. There is also more trunk room in the A6, even though it does not look much larger than the A4 from the outside. PS-Pop and chip in that S-line and it goes from 265 to 318 hp, which is plenty peppy for a large, heavy car. Both cars are MT6 and highway cruising at 70 averages 23-24 with the A6 and 25-26 for the A4. Again, not a huge difference. The A4 with the 1.8T gets better highway mileage, with some members claiming ~30.