I put a deposit down on this car and fly in to pick it up this weekend or early next week.

See the car here...


Can anyone give me advice on what I should be checking when I first see it in person?

The car fax is clean. It has just over 2 years of factory warranty left.

Also, can someone tell me about the radio... does it have an AUX input to add satellite radio without having to use an FM modulator?

 

Man that car is clean! I just purcahsed a 99' which is obviously older than yours but here are some things I would always check for while I was shopping around. First of all, I would open up the oil gap and check the condition of the oil. Not necessarily the color, but I found one 1.8T that was full of grit. You want see a whole lot of oil but just make sure what you do see is relatively grit free. Also examine the paint closely. If the car had bodywork done by a "buddy" then it won't show up on the carfax. look for excessive amounts of orange peal or any overspray. This was a little extreme but I pulled the plastic cover off of one car where the battery is located and found a "0" guage power wire that had been disconnected. This wasn't necessarily a complete turn off but was a good indication that a young kid had this car and the alternator had probably been through a lot. Examine the engine closely for oil leaks. Check to see if all the interior lights as well has the trunk and engine compartment lights work. Check the spare tire and tire changing tools. The condition of the tires. Anything power try to check (ex. windows, doorlocks, sunroof). I know I'm missing a lot but this will get you started. Mainly just make sure you don't let your excitement about getting a new car alter your judgement about the vehicle's condition. The sweetest A4 I looked at (2000 sport package) was also in the worst condtion mechanicly. Well anyway, good luck with your purchase.

 

i have a 2002 A4 with Sirius Satellite Radio. It came with a tape that you put in the tape player and a wire runs up to the Satellite radio. It is a pretty easy install. The hardest part is running the antennae up to the roof without wires hanging everywhere.

 

I had a friend go look today and take pics. He found this over spray on the rear just above the bumper.

http://216.39.194.177/audi/DSC01117.JPG

This has me slightly worried. Since the Carfax was clean, I am pretty sure it wasn't in a major accident, but maybe a slight scrape or something that caused the rear bumper to be painted.

Should I take it to Carmax and have them investigate it? While evaluating it?

Carmax is excellent at finding issues.


Also, the rear spoiler has some of the foam coming out.... I want to remove the spoiler all together if there's no holes drilled in the trunk for it.

http://216.39.194.177/audi/DSC01123.JPG

 

The spoiler should be no problem, I see no issue there. To be honest I don't know about that rear. It's hard trying to tell from the pic exactly what it looks like. It could be from a touch up on scratches but if it's noticeable then you can bet something was repainted. Things like blemishes in paint, gaps between body pieces, etc. are typically not overlooked by German manufacturers (from my experiences anyway). I would straight up ask the seller specifically about the issue. If he wants to sell you the car he should have no problem answering. Once again, good luck with your decision.

 

Thanks. The seller is an Acura dealer, and of course, 'they don't know'.

I am just going to inspect it heavily when I get there, and if I have any issues, I'm ready to walk.

Since the carfax is clean, I'm guessing the bumper was repainted from a scrape or something, but no major collision.
Either way, it worries me and I'll use it as leverage on the price.

 

Hmm, if I was gonna pay dealer prices, I'd want to get it from an audi dealer, and get their incredible certified used car warranty...

any overspray is prolly the result of when the painted the spoiler -- if they were retarded enough to paint it, while it was on the car.