I am hoping to buy either a BMW 5 series or an Audi A6 up to four years old with around 60,000 miles, or thereabout. I don't do a lot of miles (around 10,000 a year), hence I think I will be quite satisfied with petrol engined cars, ie. 520/523 and 1.8T respectively.
Anyone out there who has had experience with both cars? How are the running costs like? What should I look out for? Is one significantly better than the other?
Any advice most welcome.
|
I have an older BMW 523iSE Touring (1992) and have driven several of the current model dating from 1996 through to 2001, petrol and diesel, all automatics. I have also driven a friend's 1990 520i auto. I understand the A6 is a bit rough-riding on bumpy roads but I have driven only the A4, not the A6, so cannot comment from personal experience.
The BMW 5-Series has received all sorts of accolades, and rightly so, for it is a brilliant car in every respect bar one ... You may already know that cars registered between late 1995 and late-ish 1998 need to be checked to ensure that the engine does not have an alusil cylinder bore coating as this can fail under some circumstances. I feel sure that any BMW dealership would be able to tell you this from the engine number since they have links to central computer records and BMW has changed the engine in very many cars under warrantee.
So long as the engine is OK in this respect, I would definitely recommend the BMW (but not under 2.5 litres, the 2 litre doesn't have enough power for the fairly heavy body and is thus slower and less economical).
I think a test drive will be all that's needed.
|
Having tried both the A6 and the 5 series I found that there was no comparison between them. Admittedly it was a four pot A6 and a 6 pot 5 series but the BMW was like a different world. The A6 is nice and but you need to drive the 5 series to realise how crude the A6 is.
Of course the difference in price reflects this. If I can swing the budget with SWMBO then the five series will get my vote come car change time.
|
|
How can you seriously compare a 4 to a 6?
|
Your right. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't but CJ's query was a 1.8T A6 v a 520/523. Even discounting the differences in the engines every aspect of the 5 series gearchange, ride and handling seemed to be smoother and more refined.
The A6 did however excel when it came to any kind of aggressive cornering, it was very chuckable and always seemed to corner flat. The payoff is an overstiff ride.
|
|
|
|
|
Is an A6 justifiably 7k more expensive than a Passat???
|
Get the best 523i you can get.
Andy
|
|
|
Is an A6 justifiably 7k more expensive than a Passat???
No not really.
|
|
|
|
My dad drives an R plate 523i
Absolutely excellent car.
I've never been in an A6 so can't comment, but I doubt it will be as good as the BMW. It certainly has more than stiff competition to beat.
As far as fuel economy goes, I think my dad gets an average of about 35mpg. That includes commuting to/from work each day and a drive Nottingham to Carlisle and back each week.
HTH
Mark.
|
|
|
Thanks everyone.
CJ
|
|
My son ran a 1999 Audi 2.8 quattro saloon for 35k miles & it consumed oil at the rate of a litre per 1000 miles throughout. I have a friend who is running a 1997 525 BMW 5 series who has done 170k miles without any mechanical failure (even the sama clutch) and still burns less than 1/2 litre of oil in 6k miles. Need I say more?
|
|
|
|
|
My wife has a newish A6 1.8T and she wouldn't swap it for anything. The 520 that I used in Germany recently felt like a lorry by comparison.
|
I think Fred is acting as 'devil's advocate' to stir up a response.
It worked, Fred!
|
|
|
|
