Maverick61

I don't think anyone did that. I think we gave the best answer we could with the limited info at hand. That is why I qualified my answer with "Without knowing more about her needs, financial situation and what she wants in a vehicle, that is the best answer I can give you " and I know keith qualified his with "I am sure I'll get flamed for this, but my answer would be it depends. "

So all we could do is answer in terms of generalities. And I believe in general, if asked if I would recommend the A6 to a woman in her mid 60's who just retired, my answer would generally be no. Because my belief is most women in that situation are looking for reliability and if they are looking at luxury vehicles, they probably want cushy luxury. So Lexus or Acura would likely be a better choice for them. Which is ok - the A6 is not for everyone.

Could she appreciate or afford an A6 - sure. But would it be the best choice for her if I was recommending a vehicle for her - probably not unless she had very specific criteria / needs that the A6 fit

snagitseven

Maverick, FWIW, my wife completely disagrees with your generalization. At 64, she's an Audi devotee and gets her hackles up when it's assumed a woman's needs and wants in these types of things should be considered differently because of gender (or age for that matter). But hey, this is an Audi A6 forum and I'm guilty for getting too far afield on the subject. Therefore, I'm heading off to bed - gotta get up early to make the trek to my dealer for the A6 15K service.

qqq1970

My car is a 2012 showroom car sitting in the showroom for a year (no rain or shine). So far no issue including steering and only jerky 1-2 up shifts and downshifts in sport mode. Would recommend A6 to anyone.

Slant83

Once again..not to flame anyone but in response to my original post and OP, the car is not a lemon by any stretch. I was just saying that once should expect more. Although the issues are "minor" they are there which are not present in almost all other vehicles I have owned (MB, Porsche, BMW, Lexus)

Grabby brakes, clicky seats, steering issues, jerky transmissions which litter the blogs are not items to be taken lightly. I know that boards usually bring out the negatives vs the many positives but there is a trend when you see many of the same things by many different posters (and views)

Yes, things fail on cars thus the warranty..that is to be expected. I had a MB E500 that was so poor it was lemoned so things do happen

I enjoy the A6 very much..quick and pleasant ride. Gorgeous interior, fit and finish. Awesome looks and great technology. I've never had to make comments about issues in ANY other car however re: brakes, transmission and seats. C'mon

None of the issues will of course leave you on the side of the road like a Range Rover but one would (should) expect more.

However....it'll be my last Audi sorry to say

Oscar2

So you have actually been to the dealer for rattles? I was not aware that rattles were a problem with Audis (but it is the first item on your list).

Also you indicate "technology overload". I'm wondering what you mean here: Frequent trips to the dealer for issues related to 'technology overload'?

I have read quite a bit about the steering question and some have had software updates related to the transmission.

But when you say: "Not supposed to happen to a luxury car in its second year of production". What is that based on? I have had every kind of car from expensive to cheap. Japanese, German, and American. I can think of no line of vehicles that would meet that particular requirement.

Maverick61

Snagit - well, that doesn't surprise me because

1. You say she is an Audi devotee
2. You have said you have been driving Audi's for the last 15? years (I can't recall the exact number)

So obviously an Audi devotee would have that opinion. I took it from the OP's question that his mother in law never owned an Audi before, and if she is single, and if her preferences are like most women that age that I know, I just think she has better options. But if she has the same wants and needs as your wife, then yes the A6 would work for her.

I personally love my A6, but I just think it is not for everyone

To the OP - just for some objective data, here are the latest JD Power rankings:

keithl

The JD Powers dependability number is based on previous 3 years which is a good gauge of overall reliability, but since it is based on 3 year old vehicles any Improvements Audi made in reliability with the C7 body A6 will not show up for another 18 months. The initial quality Number to me jau tell sme how well the car is put together IMO.

irenesbob

In my initial post in response to the OP I did not assume anything about the MIL except that she might be like millions of other American MIL's, most of whom are not car nuts. This applies to FIL's for that matter. I think it would have been an equally erroneous generalization to assume that because she might be (and we didn’t even know that) “a healthy, spry, intelligent woman who can afford and appreciate quality things” that the A6 would be right for her.
The OP’s initial post asked what seemed to me (and perhaps to others) a curious question “Has your A6 been a car that has lived up to its expectations as an Audi or is it a lemon on four wheels?” When I first read this my thought was that there are several middle ground assessments one could make about their A6. On that basis, rather than just dismiss the post, I focused on the MIL part, since by raising it the initial poster seemed to me to have some questions of their own about the A6’s appropriateness for MIL.
At this point I would say my A6 has lived up to my expectations and will leave aside any judgment as to its suitability for MIL’s, FIL’s, sisters, brothers, etc.
Being 71 years old, I know most of my fellow elders in my circle of contacts have little or no interest in a lot of the aspects of the A6 that appeal to me. As long as they can occasionally put a baby seat in the back for a grand-brat, hang a long rod across the back seat to take some clothing to their warm Florida nest in winter and be able to set the cruise control at 70 mph on I-95, that is about the extent of their interest in a car (well, it’s got to start every day as well).

snagitseven

As I see it, the challenge with this whole thread is the OP has not provided much in the way of info. For example, did his MIL express in an interest in an A6 or is this his potential preference? What are her priorities? Is she interested in quality and performance or just a nice, low maintenance sedan to get her where she has to go? How much is she prepared to spend; does she even have (or need) a budget? Etc. Since the OP has not come back with further info, despite all the conjecture and opinions, all we're doing is spinning wheels, so to speak, trying to guess and generalize what a single, 60 year old, soon to retire woman may or may not want or should or shouldn't consider in a car.

irenesbob

Exactly - again you are right on the mark. Why are we (me) fascinated enough with it to keep posting anf reposting - that's the strange part - lol!