Hi Guys I am looking at C5 RS6 Avants at the moment to share daily duties with my Volvo (my wife prefers automatics). I have test driven a few, and they are great. The main points I am looking out for are to ensure the suspension has been changed for coilovers, that the car has had a recent cambelt etc change, and that the gearbox has been serviced. Anything else I should look out for?
An rs 6 forum to find out exactly how ruinous these cars can be. A guy on another board bought a c5 only to spend 6k instantly sorting a few bits. Eventually sold it for a v10 rs6 because it was cheaper to run
have a look at the audi srs forum lots of information on there. But as said above these cars are pretty cheap now but remember they would of cost 60-70k new therefore parts are priced very high. think they call it rs tax.
Gearbox is the main issue to look out for as you are looking at a 3K bill minimum to fix these. Intercoolers also leak for a pastime on these look behind the grilles and if you can see dirty marks near the end tanks they are likely to be leaking.
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I will look further into it, as they are great to drive. It's a shame there isn't a TSR version. My old Mk2 2.1 Silverstone was cracking!
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18417701&highlight=rs6 http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18338120&highlight=rs6 both are a good read
Hi there I have owned an RS6 C5 Avant. Had it as a replacement for my BMW M3 when we had a kid. Low miles/low owners. Full history. Stonkingly quick in a straight line, wobbily in the corners, even with uprated anti-roll bars. DRC (hydraulic suspension) failed and was 2.5 k to fix. Coilovers are the route but will make the car hard/creaky. The chassis is really not up to the job. You get odd things like pedals wobbling/trim creaking. Not good. They attract attention for the tea leaves. They sound awesome and command respect on the road. BUT - they are in my opinion just no fun to drive. Hitting the loud pedal is good fun in a neck jerking way but braking every time the road gets a bit twisty is not. On long sweeping bends they are awesome and inspire confidence but the weight and chassis make for no fun on B roads. My 318i E90 is more entertaining. There is absolutely no feel in the steering at all. Its a numb as an injected tooth. There is little feedback. You just don't know what the road is doing until you hit a big bump and then you truly know! The brake discs are hard to get cheap and will be an annual job even with careful driving. The gearbox is ridiculous. It is made of a combination of glass and chocolate and will break - even at fairly low miles (torque converter/clutch packs) even with care. Unless your car is on its second box, expect replacement at some point. Refurbed - 3000/4000. Audi 7k. Scary. A real buzz car to own, beautifully made, eats long journeys like no other and bring a wardrobe with you. In terms of joy to actually drive its not as engaging as a 330d but a hell of lot more of a ball ache to own. I bought one, was glad i did, had it a year was glad to see it go. They can and usually are wallet busters so do not buy one on a budget or without a warranty. I could afford to keep it but just did not want the costs. Just ask me anything else you need to know. Essential reading www.rs246.com Then go get an E39 M5 instead!
I had a B5 S4 with 320bhp for a while. Dull to drive and ended up keeping my mk3 GTI instead. Now ive got an M3 and ive not looked back, sphincter exercise is a mere toe flex away
Matt82, I have to agree with you on the e46 M3 being a bit of a cracker. but as Mr Ecurie Ecosse has a small child person to carry about a coupe is a bit far down the shopping list. I had a Darkar Yellow e46 M3 while I was working down South, stonking and was so so tempted to get one but have had my head turned by the Alpina B3S just that wee bit softer and so more likely to keep a clean ticket, and day to day an auto is a good thing. Guys I worked for down Souht had a M3 CSL as "a pool car" now that was a bit of kit.
I do have an XJR which is tweaked a bit, it's just that I find it easier with an estate to put the pram etc in the boot. I have a Volvo 850 T5 estate which I use as my daily, and which I adore. It does have slight traction issues from time to time as it is running 350bhp, but I think the solution is, rather than getting an RS6, is to get a Gripper diff (and get it set up correctly) and a bigger turbo for the Volvo. The great thing about the Volvo is that it is (touch wood) extremely reliable and when bits do go wrong they cost buttons to replace. Problem solved!
"when bits do go wrong they cost buttons to replace" -sensible. You do not get this with an RS6. Everything is 1000 minimum and breaker vehicles are few and far between. If I were in the market for an RS6 it would be the later C6 version but even this has the DRC suspension system which puts me off. In Audi circles DRC stands for Dreaded Recurring Catastrophy. Even Audi themselves think its rubbish but its the only way to make a two tonne car handly remotely well when the weight distribution is ruined by having a big heavy engine nailed to the front bumper!
