How much would you pay for a 6MT B6 S4 Avant that needs timing done?

[Inappreciable]

150k miles, overall pretty clean besides interior wear and a minor blemish on bumper.
Aftermarket wheels, lowered.


Trying to find the average price so I am not overpaying.
Thank you!

[Atomic Avant]

With the info you provided, 3k at most.

[BallnchainB6]

It's a tough call considering the mileage. There's quite a few "wear items" that could rack up the bill. Assuming everything else is in good shape, and you can do the timing chains yourself, I would probably go up to 5k. You have to really want the car, prepare for an engine over-haul, and pray the cylinder walls aren't damaged. Honestly with piston rings being such a common failure at that mileage, and you can't drive it because of the chains, probably best to shoot for 2-3k. The seller can't ask for much since the car can't be driven, and timing chain service (if paying a shop) exceeds the value of the car.

At 150k you could expect certain things. Other than normal wear items, these cars have particular problems to address. Upper control arm bushings, front and side engine mounts, driveshaft center support is probably sagging, Slave cylinder boot could be melted (saw it on my b6 with 195k and the other with 80k, damn precats), dual mass flywheel loose (again, both cars), piston rings, valve stem seals, oil cooler seals, a/c compressor, aux radiators, pcv, intake runner, etc.

Some of these things can be expected, if there aren't service records provided, you could subtract the costs of expected repairs from that 5k. Then do a thorough inspection and subtract those things.

Obviously many things can be done over time, but you should factor in expected repairs. I'd give my left lung for a clean avant, so the little things wouldn't bother me, but you should be concerned for the engine mileage. Good luck!

[cactus_cars]

A lot of "While you're in there" services you'll want to do, like the clutch, RMS, etc. So it can rack up quite a parts cost.

[bennyc767]

It's hard to say without looking at the car, I bought one recently and have been following them when they come up for sale on here. Really depends on the condition and maintenance history. The cost of the service is, for the price of the parts around $2k for the AMTuned ultimate kit and of course factor in all the "while you're in there" as has been said. If you don't want to do the service a forum member on here will do the service for $2k. Honestly these cars can sell for $10-15k depending on a lot of other things so if the car is nice I could see spending quite a bit more than what others have suggested. If you really want a B6/B7 6MT Avant, they're not getting any easier to come by.

[Kambesama]

Sedan nothing above $4,000 - $5000.
Avant nothing above $7000
Assuming its MT and in decent condition (including no roof sag on the avant)

[87vr6]

lol. 2-3k.


You're likely looking at a car that needs anywhere between 10-20k of parts and labor, depending on what you see as a necessity beyond a basic chain job (while you're there, seals, clutch, upgraded parts, etc...)

[mnvwaudiguy]

It's a tough call considering the mileage. There's quite a few "wear items" that could rack up the bill. Assuming everything else is in good shape, and you can do the timing chains yourself, I would probably go up to 5k. You have to really want the car, prepare for an engine over-haul, and pray the cylinder walls aren't damaged. Honestly with piston rings being such a common failure at that mileage, and you can't drive it because of the chains, probably best to shoot for 2-3k. The seller can't ask for much since the car can't be driven, and timing chain service (if paying a shop) exceeds the value of the car.

At 150k you could expect certain things. Other than normal wear items, these cars have particular problems to address. Upper control arm bushings, front and side engine mounts, driveshaft center support is probably sagging, Slave cylinder boot could be melted (saw it on my b6 with 195k and the other with 80k, damn precats), dual mass flywheel loose (again, both cars), piston rings, valve stem seals, oil cooler seals, a/c compressor, aux radiators, pcv, intake runner, etc.

Some of these things can be expected, if there aren't service records provided, you could subtract the costs of expected repairs from that 5k. Then do a thorough inspection and subtract those things.

Obviously many things can be done over time, but you should factor in expected repairs. I'd give my left lung for a clean avant, so the little things wouldn't bother me, but you should be concerned for the engine mileage. Good luck!

Nailed it.
I had all of those issues except piston rings on a 70K mile S4 when I did the timing belt in 2019. I did not address the cylinder heads, choosing to just live with it.

Total bill was near 12K (not counting control arms, which were done separately).

The 4.2 S4 is an awesome car, but a maintenance nightmare. If you are willing to do the work yourself and the car is not your only car, there is a high reward factor. If you have to pay someone else or you only have one car, don't even bother.

[Zolli]

The 4.2 S4 is an awesome car, but a maintenance nightmare. If you are willing to do the work yourself and the car is not your only car, there is a high reward factor. If you have to pay someone else or you only have one car, don't even bother.

100% accurate

This is my situation, and for that reason I really love the car. But it’s pretty much this scenario that is required for that love, because the car doesn’t always love you back. It’s like dating a princess. Or a bridezilla. But I’ve learned a whole lot working on the car myself, whenever I’m able.