Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to get a new (used) car, and the car on the top of my list right now is a 2008 Audi A3. Here are the specs:

Black Ext / Black Int
Non-Quattro
S-line Package
26K Miles
1 Owner
Q-certified
Super clean CarFax (ran it by a few Audi-owning friends and they said it's well taken care of)
Audi Concert sound system

I'd be able to get it for about $16,500 (getting hooked up through a friend at a dealership). On paper it seems like a great deal. The one gripe that I have is that the sound system has terrible connectivity with the iPod. If I buy this car, I might be interested in just installing an Alpine or Pioneer touchscreen head unit.

Can you guys let me know your thoughts here, given the amount of miles and the age of the car? This would be my first time owning an Audi and I want to know what I'm getting myself into. Will I be shooting myself on the foot with maintenance and repair costs after 1-2 years of owning this car? What can I expect for maintenance costs? Would you buy this car???

 

Any opinions here? Would you guys buy a 5 year old Audi A3 with 26K miles? What kind of maintenance should I expect? Any opinions would be much appreciated as this would be my first Audi.

 

If your asking for servicing costs suggest you ring round.

Dealer Vs Audi Specialist (google any in your locality)

I use an small independent specialist (ex Audi Master technician in Surrey)...he charges me £150-250 for service (minor or major).

I had another independent specialist in St Albans...he charged me £200-300 for same.

When I last bought a used audi (Dec 2012) I found one A3 2.0 TDI 1owner 68k for 2003 fullHistory - he checked it out for me (FOC) to confim its mint condition.

As far as price you pay is concerned that is down to your research (Google is great).
Beaware new shape came out recently and with new reg's in Mar you may be able to get it for less (with or without your mate doing you a deal).

He did ask me to check whether cambelt and water pump had been changed as they are due on the last schedule 60k. I'm sure yours dont need those yet but confirm with the main dealer when the service schedules are (major/minor), what are the big ticket items and when they should be changed, also confirm this audi has a long life service schedule (every 2yrs or X miles).