I stopped by my long-time mechanic’s just the other day to discuss some suspension repairs to the Subaru. This particular mechanic – Duarte de Costa at D&F Motorsports in Providence, Rhode Island – has been serving our family now for the best part of twenty years. He even came to my wedding. As our editor Paul said, “That’s when you know you’re into a guy deep!” To be honest, I wasn’t surprised that there was a family car there – Duarte bought my parent’s Allroad when they had enough of the repairs. But also on the lift was my father’s 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with a headgasket failure. Parked sadly underneath it, though, was the Allroad, complete with collapsed suspension once again. By my count, it’s the fifth time in ten years that the suspension has had to be serviced. But it’s not alone; drive around Providence and you’ll see any number of Allroads bouncing around on blown airbags. It’s become so rare to see a nice one around here, you almost forget that they’re really pretty good looking cars. What’s inescapable for many, though, are the expensive repairs to keep the twin-turbocharged V6 and the active air suspension going. What’s the solution for a good looking Allroad then? Ditch both of those things and get the even more potent S6 Avant:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 Audi S6 Avant on eBay
Year: 2003
Model: S6 Avant
Engine: 4.2 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 121,320 mi
Price: $12,870 Buy It Now
AWESOME 2003 Audi S6 Avant finished in Aqua Blue Pearl Effect over Ivory leather!! This SUPER wagon has the 4.2L V8 mated to the AWD Audi drive-line which makes this car AWESOME! We JUST serviced this and additionally it shows LOTS of service throughout it’s life including a Timing Belt service at 98K miles! Paint shows very well! Drives out great! Don’t miss this! Call or email for immediate assistance!
Truth told the S6 probably won’t be cheap to run either, since it seems that quite a few have transmission issues at some point. However, the mystique of repairing these Audis have resulted in these cars being fairly cheap relative to the package that you get. In particular, I love the color combination of this car, with the light grey leather hiding under the Aqua Blue Pearl Effect paint. That particular shade is quite rare to see on the S6s – most of which seem to be grey or black. The wheels aren’t the correct (and S6 Avant-specific) 17×8 Avus wheels but the B6 S4 18″ Avus wheels that are a bit chunkier and don’t really fit the character of the car in my mind – funny, because the basic design is so similar. Sourcing an original set might be hard to because there aren’t many out there, but alternatively you could look for a slightly more common set of S8 wheels from the same period which are one inch bigger but retain the slightly more rounded look of the C5 wheels. With the timing belt done and an all-steel suspension, there’s less to worry about than with a typical Allroad – plus, you get a bunch of lighter aluminum bits, better seats and 340 horsepower under your right foot. In terms of stealthy grocery-getters, this is one attractive and often overlooked option.
-Carter
I’d say another great advantage for this car is timing belt instead the infamous timing chain on later 4.2 V8. I’m sure just about everyone has seen the labyrinth of timing chains and guides in the back of the later V8 engine. TC guides I’ve done on my 540 seems walk in the park when compared.
The wheels are all wrong here. B6 S4 wheels are narrower and have a different offset than the stock C5 S6 alloys, so they don’t align with the S6’s wider fender flares. I use B6 S4 wheels on my C5 A6 Avants, and the proportions are perfect for the narrower stock C5 A6 flares. There may be a couple of newer OEM Audi wheel options that might provide a more appropriate width and offset for the 2002-2003 S6 Avant, but there’s not a lot of extra space between the tires, fenders and suspension, so double check dimensions before committing to larger wheels and tires. The stock 17×8 Avus wheels on C5 S6 Avant were kind of soft and difficult to keep straight and well balanced on New England roads, but at least they fit with no clearance issues.
This less common Aqua Blue Pearl can look pretty appealing under the right lighting (clearly, not the lighting in this seller’s shop). The Ivory interior isn’t common either, and is a far more interesting match to the exterior than the more typical gray or black. Not so sure about the carbon fiber trim with the ivory seats and door inserts though.
Even with a good maintenance history, at 12 years old and over 120,000 miles, a prospective new owner will want to do a thorough PPI, and have a very knowledgeable and reasonably priced mechanic on call. While these cars do provide a very impressive combination of comfort, sport and utility, that ownership experience will come at a price.
Great comments and feedback, thanks Z and Larry!
I was looking at this the other day. Larry, good catch on the wheels and your suggestion to perform a PPI is right on the mark – do a Google search on the VIN and check out the link entitled “Condition Report” (second one down when I searched).
It’s a rather disheartening Manheim report that mentions structural damage and lists repair work to both bumpers, left fender, left door, left quarter panel, and right front fender. The wheels have been changed since the time of the report, but it looks like they missed the mark.
I’ve always liked the S6 Avant but it’s getting harder to locate good, undamaged examples.
@Rick F good catch on the VIN! I took a quick look around the net and didn’t see much. Found this low mileage one but very high dealer ask price…but who knows what it will eventually sell for: http://stockton.craigslist.org/ctd/4836485745.html
That blue looks like Nemo blue if my failing memory is correct?
Aqua Blue Pearl Effect.
I respectfully disagree. Nemo Blue was the color of that era S6, aqua blue pearl effect is a more recent hue. And I believe the interior was called melange?
Looks like I may be right, Early8Q – Nemo Blue looks to have been run through 2001, then switched with Aqua Blue Pearl Effect. You made me work for it though!
1999 – Brilliant Black, Casablanca White, Tornado Red, Aluminum Silver metallic, Melange metallic, Jaspis Green metallic, Racing Green mica, Santorin Blue mica, Cashmere Gray mica, Volcano Black mica, Andorra Red mica.
2000 – Brilliant Black, Casablanca White, Tornado Red, Aluminum Silver metallic, Melange metallic, Jaspis Green pearl effect, Racing Green pearl effect, Ming Blue pearl effect, Cashmere Gray pearl effect, Volcano Black pearl effect, Andorra Red pearl effect, Nemo Blue pearl effect, Pearl White pearlescent.
2001 – Brilliant Black, Casablanca White, Tornado Red, Light Silver metallic, Melange metallic, Racing Green pearl effect, Ming Blue pearl effect, Cashmere Gray pearl effect, Ebony pearl effect, Andorra Red pearl effect, Nemo Blue pearl effect.
2002 – Brilliant Black, Polar White, Amulet Red, Canvas Beige metallic, Light Silver metallic, Alpaka Beige metallic, Crystal Blue metallic, Atlas Gray metallic, Irish Green pearl effect, Ming Blue pearl effect, Goodwood Green pearl effect, Pearl White pearlescent.
2003 – Brilliant Black, Polar White, Amulet Red, Canvas Beige metallic, Light Silver metallic, Alpaka Beige metallic, Crystal Blue metallic, Atlas Gray metallic, Irish Green pearl effect, Ming Blue pearl effect, Aqua Blue pearl effect, Goodwood Green pearl effect.
Thanks for setting me straight Carter! I didn’t mean to send you deep into my own memory test.