Basically this is a carry over from a discussion I was having in the new member board. I mentioned I had found an S6 for about 13 grand. but It has 174k miles which makes me a bit Leary especially if I wanted to do mods ect. I thought about picking up a second engine. I mention that the second engine is kind of pricey and I have seen salvage cars “S6” go for much less than what a replacement engine costs. http://www.salvagecarsauction.info/for-sale/damaged/AUDI/S6/ there are many other salvage sites but here is one I frequent actually there is a car on the that says normal wear and tare no salvage title for 8100 but its in California… Road trip!!!
Picking the base car for the project is a bit tricky. Im assuming you have seen my project thread, and the custom headers. If you want to leave the option open for those down the road, then you cant have a car that has been in any significant accident.
The reason is the available space on these cars is so tight that the headers built off a straight car or a jig might not fit a car that has been in an accident, if things have moved around.
If you dont care about that, then try and find a car with a bit lower mileage. My car had 130k when I bought it, so it isnt low mileage. That being said, the car was in excellent condition, and could pass for a car with half the mileage. Plus, is to replace all kinds of stuff, so the mileage was less of a concern to me. The price I paid for it was just a bit higher than that 179k car you mentioned.
Maybe try and find a bit lower mileage example that is really clean. I think $15k is a good target to set.
Dont rush. The prices on these cars are only going to fall further.
Get Vagcom, and run a scan on any cars you are interested in. Things like ABS controllers, airbags, malfunctiong intake manifolds, etc, may produce errors there to let you know what kind of cost for repairs youll be in for.
There are a few guys selling their S6s, who did a TON of work all under warranty. If you could raise some more cash, one of these cars would be the perfect vehicle to start.
The other problem with a salvage car is that it may have an internal engine issue (like bore scoring or high oil consumption, etc.). If you cant do a compression test, borescope, etc, then you are taking a bit of a risk.
That being said, I took the risk on mine from a dealership, and was OK.
On another car I purchased recently, I had a shop do a compression test, leak down, and borescope before purchase. All passed with flying colors, and that definitely let me feel more confident about the purchase.
Lots of good ideas and points. I would say 13 is too much. If you can do 10 your in business depending on your future plans. This way you can pick up a new motor for audi for about 9th and still be in the good value range.
But you never know a compression test might say the motor is in good shape. I think it would be a carbon mess but for the , one it might not be bad
Where are you located
And again welcome
I am in Cincinnati, The salvage car would be a second “Parts” car not the one I would be modifying. Not really too much of a risk my brother is in the air force in Dayton not to far away from me. they have a complete garage on base that he gives me accesses too car lifts engine hoists ect. Need that O2 sensor with Engine pull what? no problem I got that. 
Cool.
I dont see a need for a second parts car. The only time that would make sense is if you buy one, have the engine pulled, send it to JHM to build for $15-20k, or whatever they would charge, and then swap that engine into your car with a JHM Vortech kit.
What parts do you think you need from a second car? If you replace any parts, you’ll want to replace them with aftermarket stuff or new OEM pieces, in almost all cases.
I replaced a ton of parts on my car, that were working perfectly. The last thing youll need is two S6s with old parts.
oh and thank you happy to be here. yeah I would really just need the engine I was only looking at salvage because I have seen other cars go for as little as like $250 with good engines I have yet to find an s6 that cheap tho. plus I still have my G and she runs like a champ but looking to move up with the big boys so if the s6 is down for a sec ill be fine. so I don’t really need the whole car. As far as sending the whole engine out to get built unless it needs machined down or milled down (higher compression anyone?) in some way I really enjoy doing the work myself I feel a sense of accomplishment especially when I do something I didn’t think I could do. So since I have the resources available to me most of the time I will be doing the work myself so detailed write ups are amazing the more detailed the better. Ill try and post pics and vids of anything I do also.
There you go…sounds like you’ve got the perfect plan in place.
Buy an S6, fix all the little crap that is broken on it, mod the hell out of it, and become an internet superstar. Easy as pie.
Now go find yourself your S6 and post some pics
I am soo on that will be relatively soon. I am going to buy a borescope cause it sounds like a good idea with this car… Think the seller would be upset if I asked check for carbon build up lol! Oh and tell JHM to hurry I want some after market when I do. ;D
Anytime JHM gets involved it’s super exciting. Let us know how the search goes post pics of any possible options. If you have any cars in the metro area let me know I would be happy to help with an inspection.
Will do! Where are you located? and I know there is a supposedly awesome shop in Columbus. Which is where I am from. So I am in a pretty good local it seems if I am interested in a good tune anyway.
Is doest the car vin# end in (102375)?
Yes very good. I’m in south east Michigan just east of Detroit.
Sweet always good to know someone around The Motor city.
Wow, $8100, and in MY city?!? That is exactly the same as my car, minus 50k miles and plus a salvage title! If I can figure out a place to store it, I’m on it! Tempting to buy it, yank the motor, and sell the body for a couple grand… Pretty sure you can’t get a used running motor for under $8100
Actually, you can get a completely reman’d short block from Audi with warranty for $8800 on parts.com
Used S6 motors can be had as cheap as $3k.
ECS actually has them for even cheaper. The best buy is probably this brand new short block with no core charge for $11400
Delivery of a local, running car would be virtually free though… plus my car has a couple broken parts (cosmetic) I wouldn’t mind swapping out. I’m not sure though, I hadn’t exactly planned on buying a parts car. I think I’ll stick with my original plan of replacing things on an as-needed basis.
Just picked her up!
What…what did you get
Congrats !!!
Let’s see it!