New Here! Hopefully getting my own A4 soon!

Hey guys,

Hopefully I am going to be the owner of a 01' black 1.8T...I got my dad to get himself an Audi in 2002 so now Im pushing for him to get me one. Yeah, he has to buy it for me...Im only 16. I know what you are all thinking...spoiled. And to some extent I am. But anyway, If the right car pops up my dad said he would get it for me. I only hope one does! I look forward to meeting all you guys and being here for some good info

Welcome and good luck on the upcoming purchase! Keep us posted.

Don't forget to read "START HERE!"
And then don't forget to Search The Forum Archives before asking any questions; the answers may already be in the archives.
But... feel free to ask questions anyway!

Thanks...Right now in my area (Minnesota), Im looking at 2 A4 1.8T's. One is black and 15,900, which im sure we could talk down cause it has 60 some thousand miles. The other is a sweet blue with on 30k on it, but its 19,000 obo. Which one would you get and why? Thanks for the welcome. Im on alot of other forums so I know to search before asking a stupid question

Personally I always lean toward the younger and/or the one with less mileage.

I'd try to negotiate hard on the blue A4 with 30k. You will have less maintenance issues coming up soon and the warranty may still be valid. Paying up front for that peace of mind is better than paying for it later.

Are they both the same years with the same options?

Yeah, they are both 2001s. I think the blue one has the sport package with suspension, 17's, and some other stuff. I just went to look at the black one and its pretty loaded as well. The blue one is sweet, but I dont know if my dad is going to go for 19,000.. Its under a private seller, so maybe we could talk it down some. I want the blue one, it looks so awesome.

Here is a link to the blue one for sale... http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.asp?usedVehicleID=1380413&DealerID=

And heres a link to the black one... http://www.carsoup.com/used/detail.asp?usedVehicleID=1389978&DealerID=871

Ummmm... sorry the links don't take me anywhere but to a map...?

Really? Weird, they work for me...HMM

Both links just take me to the main page where you're supposed to choose a state.

So.... can you fix the links or tell me which state and what to look for?

Thats weird...I dont know how to fix it, but Im in Minnesota. Once you get to the new/used page, do the used search...type in 2001 to 2001 Audi A4. THe blue one is title A4 1.8T Quattro. It has 30,500 Miles and is 19,000. Dont even really worry about the other one, I really want this blue one. Let me know what you think about it...

Oh, and the color is pearl blue

Ok saw it.
Vague and basic description, but I suppose I couldn't expect much more.
So far it's a good car, but there's a lot to be desired. You need more info about the car.
Here's my best advice:
Spend the money (I think it's $19.95) and get a CARFAX report. All you need is the VIN which is listed on the site. Check the report and get back to me.
By the way: The CARFAX fee will allow you to get several reports on other cars, so if this car doesn't work out, you'll still be able to investigate other cars.

By the way: There's another newbie on this site (Nasalcrom) who just bought a 2001 A4 fully loaded - same color, too! I think he said he paid 16,000 and it had 25k miles.

Dang...16000 for a car with only 25k miles?!? Geez... Ill look into that carfax thing. Sounds like a good idea. My dad said I could get that one once we get rid of a 2002 Mazda Protege5 that we have on lease. We are trying to give the rest of a lease to someone that wants it, so hopefully that will follow through. The price is 19,000 on that one OBO, what would you suggest I offer for it? Thanks

I don't know... get the Carfax report first. Without the report it's like you are going into battle without ammunition.

Okay, I will. My dad wants to wait to do it though until we sell the Mazda. Ill keep you posted...Thanks for all the help/responses

No problem... remember, even after the Carfax report, you'll need to do a thorough hands-on inspection, too. After that, you can negotiate (down!) from the asking price.

Alright, I did the Carfax thing cause my dad is looking to buy my brother a truck. The car is fine and its only had 1 owner. It was bought in California. Everything checked up okay. One person that went to look at the car wrote on the carfax report ''Drives great. Several smears and scrapes on paint." I will have to go look at the car and see what condition the paint is in. And if nothing else, these scrapes and smears will just lower the price that I will offer...I will have a reason to offer lower then. What exactly should I look for if I went to see the car?

And I just did a KBB search for this car, and it said that a private party cost would be $18,135. So we will see...

couple of quick questions:
Who is selling the car? An authorized Audi dealer? Does it come with the Audi Assured Extended Warranty?
What was the actual mileage history in the Carfax report? Can you post it or link the report?

When you go to see the car:
1. Ask to see the owners manual and any other maintenance records. (The owner's manual has a maintenance record section for the Audi service to stamp the book whenever service is performed on the vehicle. Any decent owner, who took advantage of the free maintenance and warranty would have these records intact and without gaps.)
2. Check under the hood and look at all the hose clamps (the band style clamps). Take note to see if they are one-time clamps or screw-type adjustable clamps. Adjustable clamps would be an indication of repair.
3. Take it for a test drive. Don't turn on the radio - do that after you return and are sitting parked. Listen to everything - take note of any sounds that may seem odd. Don't assume that since it's a car you're not familiar with that the sounds may be normal. Feel the car's response to hard accelaration and soft, feathered acceleration. Warn the passengers that you want to do a panic stop and then slam the brakes - of course do this where it will be safe for you, the car, the passengers, and any traffic. Take note of the brke response. Do the same thing for a panic turn. Act as if a dog just ran in front of the car and you have to swerve quickly to avoid the dog. Do this maneuver in both directions. Take note of the steering response.
4. After the drive, park with the engine running and open the hood. Look and listen - inspect the running engine. After three minutes or so, go inside the car and take note of the temp gauge. Then turn off the car and return to the engine bay. Look and listen again. Then take a look under the car on the pavement. Take note of any fluid leaks onto the pavement - of course try to park where the ground is clear and clean.

Lastly, see if you can find someone with a VAG-COM. After you take the car for a well rounded and spirirted drive of at least 20 minutes and you do the above inspection... turn the engine on and off three or four times (act as if you want to listen to the engine as it turns over). Then have your friend VAG the car. If the car is clean, no codes will show up. If codes show up, then have them diagnosed later that day (post them here if you have to). These codes may or may not be serious, but they, at the least, will give more information with which to negotiate. If the seller doesn't allow you to VAG the car (no matter what excuse he/she uses), WALK AWAY! Politely thank the seller for their time and wish them well trying to sell the car. If the seller won't let you VAG the car, then they know something is wrong internally, and they are hiding it. WALK AWAY!

After all this, you will have plenty of info with which to make an informed decision and have plenty of defense/proof to back up your offer.

Any questions get back to me tomorrow. I'm beat and calling it a day!

Wow...THanks for the help. Should I just email you the car fax report so you can look at it yourself? I think I will anyway...My dad is really serious about this now. YES! Thanks again, Kyle

Wait...whats your email address? I thought that it would show up, but I want to use my MSN account to send it so I can just forward it. And is that your car in the Avatar? Cause that is sweet!

Click the little white quote/bubble above my name/avatar. You will get a pop-up window to private message me. Yes... I know it won't take attachments. Just PM me and I'll return the message with my email address. Then you can send an attachment with your MSN account. I don't want to advertise my email address here.

Yes... that's my S4.
Pic was taken Spring of 2002, before most of the mods were done. There were only five mods then!