anotherreject04

iTrader: (4)

Ill be getting back into a 'bird by spring of next year, my last one was a 2002 t/a a4 auto with minor bolt on mods, i sold it to do the adult family thing in 2007.

Generally speaking which trans holds up better and is more reliable with age? M6 or a4? Based on the prices on cars that i see now for sale around me ill probably be spending around $9K to get into something with maybe 90k miiles. It might see 100 miles a week from me.

For arguments sake lets assume i am comparing a unmodded m6 car and a a4 car with 90k miles that has seen a normal f body life (some daily driving with some red light wot sessions) .

Also for arguments sake if a m6 or a a4 had a total failure and needed completely replaced or rebuilt by a shop which would be cheaper?

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

hard to say. driving habits and how a car was maintained will make a difference.


any car with high mileage id be ready for a clutch install or rebuild on an a4 unless it was recently repaired/replaced.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

That is the best possible answer that you will receive. Too many variables to make a definite case either way, especially when speaking of two different unknown-to-you used cars.

A clutch is a wear item, so you can expect to have to replace it at some point. What if the car was once someone's first manual, and the clutch saw more abuse than you would expect? Or if it once spent some time at the track and was launched hard on sticky tires? M6 cars are MUCH harder on the rear than the A4s, so that's another thing to consider.

As for the auto, can you verify regular fluid changes (say every 30-50k)? If so, chances are it will live a lot longer than an auto with it's assembly line fluid still inside after 90k miles. Or has someone added an external cooler and/or modified fan settings to keep fluid temp down? If so, that's another good sign.

And that is just for stock cars, if they are modded then the variables are exponentially greater.