I was at a dealership looking at a 2002 a4 1.8tqm 75k.. asking $12,900, if paid in cash. 15,000 normally. I only have 10-11k.. they said they would take that, have me pay the rest biweekly, no interest.

Looking at the car, it looks good. started it up, was pretty rough, engine had a little vibration, more than usual. dealer said its because its been sitting for a two weeks. tested the ebrake, brakes (rear) seemed like they needed to be replaced soon because it was loose.. is that right? slight tear in driver seat, not noticable. 30 day warranty.. the car was overall in great shape, very clean. oh yeah, he has no service records and had no clue if the timing belt needs to be changed.

i offered 11k. he made a call and said no, but looked like he thought it was possible. so i walked out, told him i'd look else where. he gave me his card and i gave him my name and number.

i wonder if i made a mistake.

 

You were right to walk!

 

Never ever never ever ever never ever buy a car without a complete service history unless you: (a) personally know the owner (b) buy it on recommendation from a reliable mechanic who has done all the work on the car and knows the full service history (c) has butt tons of cash lying around and you're looking for a better way of getting rid of it other than setting it on fire.

On this one I would guess the following:

new timing belt
rough idle might be caused by faulty starter motor or by a bad vacuum hose (check if it throws a CEL after prolonged driving)
brakes (probably front in addition to rear since the fronts tend to go first)
that tear on the driver's seat is a PITA to fix and will only get worse
also 12900 is a lot to ask for a car like this in excellent condition

Shop the AudiWorld forums for a better deal or buy from a different dealer.

 

Good advice ^^^^^

good thing you ran....

 

thanks for the input.

anyway, is 12,900 really too much for an 02 a4 1.8tqm with 75k? i ask because most cars i'm finding with around 75k has a 13,500 asking price. cars with around 50k miles come with a $15000-16,000 asking price. I get a feeling if the dealership has the car by the end of the week, they'll give me a call with a lower price. maybe 11k or so.

if anyones from MA or the New England area, where else should I search? I'm looking on craigslist, autotrader, ebay etc.. I wouldn't mind buying off an Audi forum, but it's rare to find a b6 on a forum in the Mass area and there isn't really much to choose from.

btw, could anyone look up this VIN for me WAULC68EX2A247527 - haha.. worth a try.

 

My car had 47k and was $11,xxx

I win!

You just need to look around till you find the right one, namely, a B5S4!

 

Yeah, if you have 11 grand to spend, buy a B5 S4. Double the power and double almost all the performance of the 1.8T.

 

I'd personally stay away from a dealer that does that type of financing. Also, price shouldn't bedetermined by payment method. How is your credit? Also, when dealing with these types of dealerships they'll make promises to fix any problems. Don't believe them and get it in writing. Theywill forget after the sale.

You might want to consider getting a certified pre-owned. With that kind of down payment you'd have good equity, a low rate of depreciationand financing should be easy and a good credit builder.

But yea, your price ranges seem average. I guess it's market value, just not a great deal.

 

you forgot about doubling the maintence cost

 

Certified pre-owned would be ideal for him, however its always a little more expensive.