C5 Avant-off: Allroad 2.7T 6-speed v. S6

We’ve recently had a good string of Audi Avants up here, including a rare converted 6-speed S6 Avant. Oddly, as several people noted we’ve seen a fair amount of these converted V8 cars come up for sale quickly after the conversion. Economically, that doesn’t make much sense; if selling was your goal, replacement with a used automatic would likely be a better route than going through the expensive swap. What’s even more perplexing is that the similar 01E-equipped allroad V6 2.7T (and its running mate B5 S4 Avant 6-speed) are highly sought and loved cars. So I brought two together today in rare color combinations; if you were going to pick a C5 Avant, which is the one you’d go for?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2001 Audi Allroad quattro on Craigslist

Year: 2001
Model: Allroad quattro
Engine: 2.7 liter twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 152,000 mi
Price: $6,000

Time to sell my Audi Allroad.

2.7 twin turbo
Heated seats
Front big brake conversion
Registration up today

Needs the usual of a 2.7s if you know this engines.

Valve covers
Radiator
And one front air bag (front passenger)

Other than that the car runs really good. But if you have any other questions please ask.

The color combination of Highland Green Metallic Fern Green/Desert Grass is pretty daring and rare to see. While I didn’t really like this combination when new, looking back it’s pretty cool that Audi fit a green dash and carpet to a car when nearly everything else out of Germany just had black or grey interiors. It’s a refreshing splash of color. Exterior and interior condition overall look to be pretty good on this example. The wood accents are really lovely and make the whole package pop. Outside of that….unfortunately, the only draw is the 6-speed manual transmission. Getting this generation of Audi back up to snuff mechanically can bankrupt you, and this one will require a fair amount of work to be mechanically sorted. The price of $6,000 is just an entry point; upgrade the air suspension, fix the engine and have a few thousand in reserve for unexpected electrical gremlins or turbo replacements and this is really a $10,000 example. For that amount, you could get into a nice S6:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2002 Audi S6 Avant on Craigslist

Year: 2002
Model: S6 Avant
Engine: 4.2 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 136,850 mi
Price: $11,000

2002 Audi S6 Avant Wagon Quattro C5 Body Type $11K FIRM

Trans:Automatic Triptronic with Steering Wheel Paddle Shifter
Color:Pearl White
Vehicle Type:Wagon
Drive Train:AWD
Engine:4.2L V8 DOHC 32V
Milage: 136,850 as of 07/09

Exterior and Interior in Great condition for the year. Recent professional full detail of exterior and interior. All major service records are up to speed. Timing belt done at 90k by previous owner at Ed Carroll Audi in Ft Collins. Recent New Battery and both front CV Axels and control arms replaced ($2000)…

Custom BBS CH 18″ wheels ($500 each) with Continental Cross Contact tires 255/35/18. Also has ECS tuning wheel spacers installed to get wheels flush to wells. Purchased 09/01/14 tires have 95% tread and wheels are mint. Have the stock wheels as well with the same tires with 65% tread…

Custom Carbon Fiber Trim in Interior. Just installed as of 06/20/15 from OCarbon.com ($1000 kit)

Custom Lloyds Floor-mats

Custom Tinted Windows

Standard Options:

All Wheel Driver Quattro
Air Conditioning
Alarm System
Alloy Wheels
AM/FM
Anti-Lock Brakes
Cargo Area Cover
Cargo Area Tiedowns
Cargo Net
Cassette
CD
CD Changer
Child Safety Door Locks
Cruise Control
Driver Airbag
Driver Multi-Adjustable Power Seat
Electrochromic Exterior Rearview Mirror
Electrochromic Interior Rearview Mirror
Electronic Brake Assistance
First Aid Kit
Fog Lights
Front Air Dam
Front Power Lumbar Support
Front Power Memory Seat
Front Side Airbag
Full Size Spare Tire
Heated Exterior Mirror
Heated Seats
High Intensity Discharge Headlights
Interval Wipers
Keyless Entry
Leather Seats
Leather Steering Wheel
Locking Differential
Passenger Airbag
Passenger Multi-Adjustable Power Seat
Power Locks
Power Mirrors
Power Windows
Rear Defroster
Rear Wiper
Second Row Folding Seat
Separate Driver/Front Passenger Climate Controls
Side Head Curtain Airbag
Steering Wheel Mounted Controls
Subwoofer
Sun Roof
Tachometer
Telescopic Steering Column
Tilt Wheel
Traction Control
Trip Computer
Vehicle Stability Control System
Woodgrain

Pearlescent White Metallic is a pretty rare color and was extra money on these C5 S6 Avants; one of the few options you could select. The light grey sport seats look pretty inviting and with 90 horsepower more than the V6 allroad, these S6s are supreme highway cruisers. The BBS wheels are likely B6 application, hence why they’re the wrong offset and required spacers. They look good but I’d probably sell them in favor of the original 17×8″ Avus wheels also included. I’m not a huge fan of the recently applied carbon trim everywhere or the heavy tint, but this Avant seems otherwise well maintained with records of the expensive wear items being replaced. At $11,000, you could do much worse.

Which is the car to get between these two? I do almost wish you could combine the two; a Highland Green with two-tone green interior and wood trim S6 Avant 6-speed would be pretty bad-ass, in my opinion. But of these two, I think the S6 is the better deal. Sell the BBSs and undo the dark tint, and you’ve got a subtle and fast wagon for around $10,000. I do like the colors on the allroad more, but having been down that road it would have to take a pretty special allroad with a whole lot of records to sway my vote from the S.

-Carter