The C5 RS6 (2003 in the US, a one-year-only model) is a ~450 hp 4.2L twin-turbo V8 super-sedan/wagon with Cosworth-built engines and Tiptronic-only quattro drivetrain — a genuine sleeper that looks like an ordinary A6 until the turbos hit. Fewer than 1,000 sedans were imported to the US (Avants were never US-sold and are rare grey-market imports), which underpins both the cult devotion and the collectibility. …
Library / Audi
Audi RS6 (C5)
128 sales analyzed · 4 topics from real Bring a Trailer & Cars & Bids comments.
“brand new this baby was $85K and the collective middle finger to the M5”JFace3 · Dec 7, 2017
- A Cosworth-built sleeper with cult devotionvalue-and-marketThe RS6's appeal is stealth: ~450 hp in a body most people read as a plain A6, with engines built by Cosworth. US buyers got the 2003 sedan only and fewer than 1,000 came in, so owners frame it as an under-the-radar future classic and are fiercely loyal to it. …
- DRC, the torque converter, and VIN matter most mechanicallymechanicalDynamic Ride Control is hydraulic and prone to leaks; the accepted fix is to switch to coilovers (a ride upgrade for ~$2k). The Tiptronic's torque converter is the other watch-item: early production cars (4000-series serial numbers) had weaker transmissions/converters that Audi replaced under warranty, while later 5000-series cars got the upgraded converter — so VIN and any converter work are value-relevant. …
- Expensive to run — owners go in eyes open, and staymechanicalOwners are blunt that upkeep is closer to 'racing' than 'utilitarian' — averaging around $1,500/year with occasional $5k years, valve-cover gaskets that can require engine-out access, and the plastic oil-cooler pipe that ages out. The counterpoint is durability with care: high-mileage cars (200k+) keep delivering, provided you find a specialist who knows the platform. …
- US sedan vs grey-market Avant; auto-only; buy on recordsbuying-adviceThe US officially received only the 2003 sedan; the Avant was never US-sold, so US Avants are rare federalized grey-market imports (a registered importer notes only a handful exist). The car was never offered with a manual — owners say Audi worried about transmission life under the torque — so any three-pedal car is a non-original conversion to vet separately. …