Tornado Red URS6: 1995 Audi S6 Wagon – Sold?

May 31, 2022, Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

The Audi of the modern era looks to have become the German equivalent of Lexus to Toyota, Infinity to Nissan, Genesis to Hyundai: the luxury arm of a mainstream car brand, which in this case is Volkswagen. While they may make fine cars, they’re just a bit generic compared to what the brand used to build prior to going after the upwardly mobile luxury car buyer. This 1995 Audi S6 wagon originally listed in April 2022 on Craigslist in Lousiville, Kentucky is a strong runner with some cosmetic issues and is listed with an asking price of $8,500. Comparing that price against Classic.com shows us that the seller is asking a very fair price given recent sales, with an average hammer price of $15,497.

The Audi lineup of the early and middle 90s was clearly that company’s golden era. Honda and Acura had the late 80s through the early 90s; Mercedes-Benz was a benchmark in the middle 90s, and peak Volvo was likely somewhere around 1991 through 1995. Those were good years to be a car enthusiast, as brands like Audi rewarded buyers with models like the URS6 seen here as well as the limited-production Coupe Quattro, high-performance S4 sedan and wagon, and even the first-generation TT 225 coupe was a revelation at the time. Yes, now we have the R8, but it’s just not the same. Of course, Europe got the likes of the RS2, of which a few have begun to trickle in stateside, but even so – there was no doubt which brand was the dominant force when it came to producing high-performance, turbocharged models with road-gripping all-wheel-drive. These days, it may still build high-performance cars, but it doesn’t stand out from the crowd nearly as much as it once did.

The S-Cars.org YouTube Channel provides this Buyer’s Guide on why one should consider this vintage of Audi S6 Avant:

The seller seems like the kind of enthusiast you want to buy a car from. He’s not overselling it and isn’t hiding from its flaws; at the same time, he highlights loads of recent maintenance that should make it a pretty trouble-free car to drive for the foreseeable future. The big job was actually already done by the time he got it, which is that of the timing belt; Audi seemingly loved to build all of its cars with interference set-ups, so if you’re not vigilant about proactive timing belt updates, you could be in a lot of pain in short order. The seller upgraded the front brakes to four-piston Porsche units, along with stainless steel brake lines. He’s replaced the alternator, thermostat, clutch, throw-out bearing, slave cylinder, and a variety of suspension bushings. One gripe is that the remanufactured steering rack he installed is already leaking. Overall, this S6 looks like a ton of fun for the money and while it has some cosmetic faults, none of them are damning enough to stop the next owner from enjoying the car as-is.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“1995.5 Audi S6 Avant
WAULA84A2SN121448
194,700 Miles
Tornado Red over Anthracite Black
AAN 2.2t
01e 5 speed transmission
Mostly stock
Clean title in hand
Located in Louisville, KY
Asking $8,500 OBO

I bought this urS6 wagon 3 years ago, sight unseen from a fellow enthusiast in New York. My understanding is when he bought it, it had been sitting for a little while, he did some work to get it running and driving (most notably he did a timing belt service at 186,000 in February of 2018), and then sold it to me, before spending much time driving it himself. When it finally rolled off the flatbed here in Kentucky, it proved to be the solid car I hoped it would be. Over my three years of ownership, I have addressed all issues that have come up and in return it has been a wonderful car. How can you not love a reliable, turbo, manual, AWD station wagon!

Mechanically the car is strong. The engine never hesitates to start, is smooth throughout the rev range, pulls like it should, and the transmission shifts smoothly. It’s on a stock tune and the only aftermarket modifications are a custom 3’ stainless exhaust, an aluminum crossover pipe and Porsche monobloc 4 piston front calipers. The only significant issue with the car is the power steering rack is leaking. I had it replaced 2,000 miles ago with a remanufactured unit and to my frustration, it has recently started to leak. Despite the power steering leak, the car is fully reliable and I am sure will make any drive home asked of it. I will detail the work I have done to the car below, but here are some highlights. I put new 4 piston Porsche calipers on the car in 2019 as well as stainless brake lines. In 2020 I replaced the alternator, did the fuel filter and put a new thermostat in, as the housing was leaking. Last year the clutch throwout bearing let go so I took that as an opportunity to put a new Southbend stage 2 “daily” clutch in it as well as new slave cylinder and metal line. I dropped the fuel tank and sanded it down, coating it with por15 ( it is now ready for another 25 years). I resealed the transmission, rear diff and replaced the motor, trans, and rear diff mounts as well as the rear diff carrier bushings. That is also when I replaced the leaking original power steering rack with a reman unit (now leaking) and replaced the tie rods as well.

As you can tell from the photos, the exterior of the car is in rather poor aesthetic condition. The single stage paint is quite oxidized in places and the car shows some scrapes and scuffs. The front bumper has significant rock chips and a section of the lower grill has been broken. The lower trim has seen better days and there is one mismatched black piece. There is also some rust showing at the bottom of the front fenders and a couple small spots from rock chips. That being said, overall the car has minimal rust and what is there is superficial. The body is solid and things like the brake/fuel lines are solid as well.

While the exterior shows its age, it’s a different story inside. The black interior is in good condition and shows minimal wear. There are no rips in the leather or carpet and the bolsters for the front seats are still firm. The headliner is intact and the car still has the original delta radio (including the radio code) and bose sound system. The heated seats work, as well as the power adjust (although a couple of the switch covers are missing). There are a few flaws inside worth pointing out. The backlight for the fan speed side of the climate control has gone out, although you can still read the display and it functions normally. There a couple cracks in the wood trim, a few small stains here and there. Also the passenger side vanity mirror is missing it’s folding cover. The heat works well, but the AC does not. There is a leak in the system and it just hasn’t been a high enough priority for me to fix it. Also, the cruise control does not work. The central locking is slow, but works. All the windows including the sunroof work as they should. The third row seat is in great shape, the retractable trunk cover and rear window sunshade are still there, as well as the original spare tire. There are 3 keys to the car but no remote.

Here is a list of work done to the car under my ownership, all within the last 10k miles.

2019:
-New Porsche boxster 4 piston calipers
-Apikol caliper brackets
-Apikol stainless front brake lines
-312x25mm A8 front rotors
-Akebono front brake pads
-Alignment
-Custom 3” stainless steel exhaust
-Replaced radio antenna

2020:
-Replaced alternator
-Replaced serpentine belt
-Replaced fan clutch
-replaced fuel filter
-replaced thermostat

2021
-Replaced clutch with Southbend Stage 2 HD daily clutch
-034 metal faced throwout bearing
-034 metal clutch line
-New slave cylinder
-Resealed transmission and put OEM fluid in it
-Resealed rear diff (output and pinion seals)
-034 street density motor mounts
-034 street density transmission mounts
-034 inner rear diff carrier bushings
-Apikol outer rear diff carrier bushings
-Apikol rear diff mount
-Apikol rear subframe bushings
-Replaced power steering rack with remanufactured unit (is now leaking)
-New tie rods
-Alignment
-New Bosch F5DP0R spark plugs
-Dropped fuel tank, sanded it down, prepped it and put 3 coats of POR15 and 2 coats of their “Top Coat” on it

I am likely forgetting some small things, but that sums up the majority of work I have done to the car.

I know in the future I will regret selling it, but its time I moved on to a car I don’t feel bad racking up highway miles on. I just don’t have the time or space for it anymore.

As I said before, while not perfect, it is a solid and reliable daily driver.

I am happy to answer any questions and provide additional detailed pictures upon request.

Golden age of Audis: would you agree the early 90s were peak years for Audi?