Please A FRIEND OF MINE WANTS TO GET THE VW VR6. How reliable and economical will it turn out to be on naija soil. Parts ,etc, Please do enlighten me. I am a VW fan anyday.

The 2,771cc 30V engine fitted to the VW Passat B5 was an Audi unit, producing 193hp. It was a full 90 degree traditional V6, not to be confused with the 2.8 VR6 narrow angle V6 (15 degree) as fitted to the Volkswagen Golf III, Volkswagen Passat B3 / B4 and the Volkswagen Vento.

It is reliable, will use more fuel compared to the 4 cylinder versions, but will offer smoother, superior power delivery. The engine itself is tough, and will outlive the smaller 4 cylinder variants, providing servicing and maintenance are regular. Parts are not difficult to obtain, even in Nigeria. The same engine was fitted to the Audi A4 B5, and Audi A6 C5.

As an example, my '96 Audi A4 quattro had a similar engine, it covered 221,000 miles without any issues. A friend of mine owns a 1999 Audi A6 2,8 V6 auto, as at December, it had covered 437,000 miles. The engine has never even had the cylinder heads removed, all items fitted over the years have been routine - timing belt and tensioners, water pump, 1 alternator and regular service items.

One point to note - if your friend buys this car, it's essential it is serviced by a reputable mechanic or technician, rather than the "6 plug engine na wahala" brigade.

Tnks a bunch Siena.

@ Siena
Please what's your take on 2000/2002 Volvo S80.
Read a lot of scary posts online about the 2000 unreliability but then u can say the same for a number of other cars. I like the car and i'm wondering if you think it's worth the take.

Thanks

i will have to defer to Siena on this issue here cos he is the expert on the Audi/VW stuff. My advise is that "Look before you leap". All cars require COMPETENT mechanic especially the VW/Audi brands.

I will suggest that you look for a very good one that has references and you can trust  before you buy the car otherwise you might as well set the money on fire. At least you won't have sleepless nights over one problem becoming 3 cos of bad mechanics.

As for me, i don't know any one i can trust in Naija now as far as VW/Audi goes to take care of it COMPETENTLY. And that is good enough for me to avoid them for now. May be that will change later. Or better still your case is different.