Buying an Audi

A very Happy New Year to you all.

My wife and I are thinking of buying either an Audi A4 or A6 within the next 18 months. We don’t use the family car too much since my wife & I use public transport to get to and from work, we would do approx. 6000 mile per year. We have 2 teenage kids and the car would be for the family.
Apart from price and size, what other things would we need to consider whether to buy an Audi A4 or A6? What size and type of engine should we look for? How old should the car be? Is buying a car with 50k on the clock already a bit excessive?
Any advice greatly appreciated.

The engine size is a must. For Audis don't go below 1.4 as audi requires torque and you wouldn't get this with a 1.2 for instance.

Audis themselves don't require high torque. A heavy A4 or A6 does. A1 or A3? Not so much.

Heavy saloons from the last decade are almost never sold with 1.4L engines. You'd be looking at an absolute buying-it-for-the-badge-embarassing minimum of 1.6L. The average german saloon will run with a 1.8/2/2.1L Turbo charged diesel engine.


Year and mileage depends on budget but as a minimum perhaps 2013 with no more than 30k on the clock. The A6 will be a lot more spacious but if you're driving around town more than cruising on the motorway you may find it a bit cumbersome and excessive.

As for engines, diesel will give you greater economy and pack a lot more torque lower in the rev range which is important to get a 2 ton car moving. Most cars in this class will be sold as a diesel for this reason. However, diesel is generally worse for the environment than a petrol vehicle and you may end up paying more in road tax. Some cars can be topped up with ad-blue which you'll have to buy and re-fill from time to time, it's inexpensive and helps to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions therefore bringing the road tax cost back down. Be sure to ask the dealer if the car has this feature.
Note. If you live in London, perhaps consider if the recent diesel vehicle restrictions and penalties affect you.

I'd say start by going on a test drive in a 2.0L diesel A4 first.
See if it's spacious or luxurious enough for your needs. If not then proceed to test drive the A6.
Regardless of the vehicle consider if an automatic would be more appropriate for you or your wife's preferences, the level of road noise, whether or not there's enough power, is the ride comfortable, is the interior specification cheap or well specced out, if there's any unexpected noises at both high and low speeds, is the visibility and access of the vehicle appropriate, does it sit too low, is it fun to drive, does it cruise well, etc.

Also consider rival vehicles of the same age and mileage. If you want a more dynamic driving experience consider a BMW 328i. If you want more comfort then go for a Mercedes C220 or C250 (2012 and on).

A very Happy New Year to you all.

My wife and I are thinking of buying either an Audi A4 or A6 within the next 18 months. We don’t use the family car too much since my wife & I use public transport to get to and from work, we would do approx. 6000 mile per year. We have 2 teenage kids and the car would be for the family.
Apart from price and size, what other things would we need to consider whether to buy an Audi A4 or A6? What size and type of engine should we look for? How old should the car be? Is buying a car with 50k on the clock already a bit excessive?
Any advice greatly appreciated.