^^^^ well said and thanks for reminding me about the S6. Any chance you have / had the V10 lambo motor ?
I just passed on one......The car was sick!
The wife even approved, it was a painful decision !
My "good" S6's were both 1995.5 Avants. So the 5 cylinder AAN Turbo. That engine lasts, even with a lot of modification. I also has a C5, which was the 2002 with the 4.2 V8. That one made some great sounds, and drove really nicely {great highway car}, but it just had a different feel than the C4's, and that one had a few gremlins. So I sold it, and we bought another 1995.5. I seriously regret the day that I sold it. Dumb. It just seemed stupid to have "a wagon" as a fun, largely summer car. That car was maybe the best that I have ever driven in winter. Four studded snows. Six speed conversion. Big Porsche brakes, and about 375hp at the wheels. Tracking a grocery hauler was fun, as some of the younger guys had no clue what it was.
One of my neighbors has a newer V10. Quite a car. I would probably have no license with that.
I am thinking seriously about a 3.0T A6 avant. Have a friend who has led me to one, very nice. Great price, too. I'm just a wagon and avant guy. I've had two S4's. The B5 was a very good car, but I didn't want to own a twin turbo for too long. It's only problem was that it "ate" control arms. But really beautiful, great driver. I bit smaller than I need.
Like I said, miles do not scare me, as long as I know the entire service history, and what I am getting into. Baseline it, fix what needs attention and you are good. Our trip vehicle is {and has been for years} a Land Cruiser. We're on number three. Can't rave enough about them.
Now there are some high end German cars that I think are going to be ticking time bombs with some of the insanely sophisticated electronics. Like a newer 7 series BMW with who knows how many dozen computer modules. Some of these cars from a generation or two ago just keep on trucking. My brother has a D2S8, and it looks and drives as new with about 200K on the clock. I have a friend with a older 740 with the short wheel base that is similar.
I would consider a German car for longer term ownership more a Subie these days. We have some close friends with six Subies in the family. ALL leased. They just keep cycling through them. Any big issues are on warranty. They seem to be happy, and have had few problems. Live in the Rockies in a ski town, with a Subie dealer. That's a lot of money to be paying in lease payments. But when I look at the money that we have put into the 3.0R Outback, it might have been a smarter plan. At any rate, it there two everybody has one or more Subies. His two summer cars are not Subies. They love the cars in winter. They have has a few bad crashes, and been fine. A lot of Subie owners buy the safety record.
Outback delivers a lot of utility. As the needle moves toward comfort, fit, finish, build quality, and I think ride depending on the roads, I think it's easy to think about the Q5. My wife really liked the Q5 TDI, which appealed to me {and we had a nice CPO one in our sights} until she drove an X3 with a stick and a bit of suspension work. Glad we dodged the TDI in retropect.
A lot of ways to look at this stuff, all personal. All depends, IMO, on what I had discussed above. What is the buyer's plan? New, Lightly used, maybe more used? Where will he drive it and how much. Around the Vail Valley is different than frequent, longer highway trips.
Our son and his GF just made a raid trip, 1200 miles each way, all in one shot in a new to them car that replaced an Outback. Could not believe how much nicer and more comfortable the trip was. They also got much better mileage, with two bikes on the roof, driving 90-95mph most of the way.
BMW 328xi wagon. With a owner who can do "a lot" of his own work. Refreshing the entire suspension right now.
I think I'm recommending the best CPO Q5 that the buyer can find, pending where he will get out serviced, and what the plan is. Couple of very good mechanics in the Vail Valley if he car will live there, BTW.
