Okay, enough dangling carrots and arguments over what’s the best Audi of all time. If there was a do-anything, do-everything, you only have one car for the rest of your life type of car, it’s the S6 Avant.
Today it’s not abnormal to have a car that can out-drag sports cars, carry a family of five dependably and their gear, go through any weather and be a luxurious car that even returned reasonable mileage. In the early 1990s, though, what were your options in that category, exactly? That was a time where Audi had the market cornered with its S4 and later S6 Avants. Though they were available in Europe earlier, it took until the 1995 model year for Audi to introduce the concept to Americans. And just like that, it was gone again, with only a few hundred imported. Nearly every single one is unique as a result of mid-model year changes. Yet all are equally legendary among U.S. Audi fans:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Audi S6 Avant on eBay
Year: 1995
Model: S6 Avant
Engine: 2.2 liter turbocharged inline-5
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 263,046 mi
Price: $7,500 Buy It Now
Engine:
AAN motor
New MLS headgasket with ARP headstuds
New cam chain
All new exhaust gaskets
RS2 Ex manifold
Silicone boost hoses
New T belt and waterpump
660cc Injectors
3″ 034 Exhaust with cat
New O2
New plugs
New Coil packs (034 conversion)
K&N filter
ZF remann PS pump
Dual electric fans
New OE Intake valves
New Valve stem Seals
Billet Rear coolant outlet
Billet Throttle Body Cam
All new Temperature sensors
New Alternator and Belt
Carbonfiber coil coverBillet aluminum subframe mounts
New engine and trans mounts
Rebuilt 01E 6 spd by Advanced Automotion
Rebuilt ZF rack and tie rod ends
Control arms replaced
Bilsteins with H&R springs all the way around
Apikol Diff mount
New driveshaft
Porsche Boxster front brakes with D2 A8 rotors, S8 rear rotors
Front and rear euro bumpers
04O Bosch fuel pump
Relay kit for fuel pump
VDO boost gauge
New OE strut mounts
HID headlamps
Rear euro panel and lights
AC works
All fluids changed recently
Tires have 10kmiles on them
All gauges work except oil temp
Wheel studs with spacers
Ur S4 intercooler
New southbend clutch
New windsheild
New moldings at lower doors
New wastegate spring
Lots more stuff I have probably forgot about
Things it might need or do not work to my knowledge
RR ebrake cable/caliper (does not like to be on steep hills)
Tailgate dented in the rear
Oil temp gauge
CD player not functioning
Front Drivers seat heater
Right side air bag
Rear panel interior of trunk rattles
Dash panels cracking
Headliner falling down in places
Clearcoat peeling if not waxed yearly
Had this car almost 6 years spent a lot of money on it since I got it. It has 263,000 on it and got it with 219,000. All the above maintenance has been done since 219,000 with new or rebuilt parts. When I purchased it, it had been wrecked in the front and had the RF frame rail replaced, at the same time all the valves and headgasket were replaced. I really liked this car and is fun to drive. Gets around 17 city and 22 HWY. I had it dynoed and make 239hp and 297ftlbs of torque on the old chip set. It currently has an EFI express custom chipset. Has a ton of extra parts with it. Dash, turbo K26 turbo, all original parts, thule roof rack. NO WARRANTIES EXPRESSED WRITTEN OR IMPLIED. CAR IS PURCHASED IN AS IS CONDITION I HAVE DESCRIBED TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.
What’s to like? It’s an S6 Avant. It also looks great in Tornado Red, and the European treatment to the front and rear is much better looking to me than that U.S. specification bumpers. While I’m not as much of a fan of the Ronal-made, second generation Avus design on the older cars, the spacers have given the right offset and look to what are likely ET45 B5 S4 wheels. It’s been turned up and has a lot of maintenance completed, too. It’s also a ’95, which means open headrests and the ability to lock your own rear differential, which is a great way to mic-drop a conversation among car guys.
Your Mustang has limited slip? Oh yeah, well my WAGON has a manually locking rear differential! And it makes more power. Boom.
The downsides? It’s already past a quarter million miles, the Ecru interiors pretty much never look good (though admittedly this one looks better than I’d expect with miles), and it’s got an accident history. But it’s been priced much more according to the condition; usually, even with higher miles the asking prices on clean S6 Avants start at $10,000 and head up. This one is a budget friendly $8,000 ask. Will it hammer for that amount? In this condition, it’s hard to see it being worth much less.
-Carter
Seller: Unreliable, underpowered, outdated, plain-looking, aged, expensive-to-maintain, needy, and unkempt Audi.
Enthusiasts: “Pass.”
Seller: … also it’s a wagon.
Enthusiasts: “I’ll get my checkbook.”
I’ll never get the obsession with wagons in car nut circles. Are you really hauling enough cargo to fill up more than a trunk that often?
@Tony, couldn’t you very easily say the same thing about trucks, which are far more prevalent today?
So, I have two wagons, and we use them for large loads on a regular basis, including trips to the recycling center with bins that wouldn’t fit in a trunk, and we have a stroller for our son that, while you could disassemble it to fit in a trunk, fits much more easily in the hatchback area of the wagons on a near daily basis. Lastly, in the case of the Volkswagen Passat (one of the two I have), the B5/B5.5 generation 5-doors were all built in Germany – and while that may not sounds like it should mean something, the reality is that they’re better built than the sedans, too.
Do we need two? Probably not. But it’s nice to have with a family that has neither a truck nor an SUV.
Respectfully, @tony and I have opposite perspectives. What’s irrational to me is when people buy sedans. Every car design has pros and cons—there’s no such thing as perfect—but wagons have more functionality than sedans AND they’re a much better investment. To my eye, their lines also look better than their sedan counterparts when done right, like this C4 wagon or a B5 Audi. If you want to argue on fuel economy or performance, I’ll have to offer a rebuttal identical to your own assertion: how often do you really need to shave off the extra 0.2 seconds to 60 mph? Surely not as often as Im putting my dog or bike inside my five-door (which, btw, is chipped to 305 hp / 365 lb-ft).
@Tony – I agree! Even trunks are excessive. Anyone who needs more room than a 911 should get their priorities straight!
Thanks for the kind disagreement, everyone! I will say that the Germans do wagons far better than anyone, even these 90s/00s examples. Much sharper and the greenhouse fits well within the fenders. Most American and Japanese wagons of the era just looked like shapeless blobs with the wagon/hatch area as an afterthought.
I own this car and I really have loved owning it,due to some personal events in my life and my families, I have to let it go. Trust me otherwise I would keep it. It was a hard choice to sell it. I have spent over $10k on it not including the purchase price.
I’m the new owner of this red German u-boat. This tornado red an ageless example of mid 90s, a time when petrol was within an agreeable range, the internet was merely decoding in 14 bits and modern music actually sounded okay.
He has come to a good home Matt, and I’m glad I made a new friend in process.
Congratulations, @Paul! Keep us updated on how it’s going and enjoy!
Will do Carter, luckily i made the right choice 1995 S6 avant > 08 wrx wagon