Hey gang,

Soooo it's been a rough few weeks after totaling my beloved B5 a few weeks ago (carnage pics here: https://www.audiforums.com/m_513261/tm.htm). I planned to drive that car forever....and I decided that I wasn't finished with it yet, so i set out to find a replacement. Here's what I'm close to purchasing...







-2000 Audi A4 Quattro
-2.8L V6 engine
-49,000 miles
-5 speed manual
-silver exterior, black leather
-moonroof, bose, cold weather package, etc. (non-sport, I believe).
-Owner is asking $10,500

I took it to a Boston Audi mechanic, he said the car runs fine...no suspension problems, no mechanical problems, car runs and looks fine. HOWEVER, he said it had been in a minor accident, which the owners confirmed.

Title:
-Rear-ended in November of 2000, got the bumper replaced.
-Hit on passenger side door, replaced passenger door, repainted fender. No frame damage.
-One minor ding in the hood, right above the grill, which the owner says is only visible in the right light. The mechanic confirmed that there's no major dents.
Here's a pic of the ding:



The good:
-It's the car (and engine) that I want, for about the right price.
-It actually has fewer miles than my old 2001

The bad:
-The car is in Boston, I'm in Rochester...so I've never seen or test-driven this car. Essentially, I'd buy it remotely, and the first time I'd see it would be when I pickedit up.
-Two former accidents means it'll really have crap for resale value down the road.
-I've never REALLY learned how to drive stick (up and down the block, but never in traffic)...so the ride home from Boston would be a little bumpy :-)

Otherwise, I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on this...I could pick it up as soon as next weekend.

What do you guys think? Anything I'm overlooking?

PS: I'm driving a Kia Spectra rental car right now...God help me.

 

maybe i missed it above but is it a quattro?

also I think you'll come to LOVE the manual. I love driving my manual sooo much more than an auto, I almost feel out of place driving an auto

 

Unless they put the badges on to trick you it's a quattro. I agree with akoby9, I feel lifeless when I drive an automatic now.

 

^AHHHHH I did miss it, your slyness and quickness is great! I was going to try to make some funny martial arts quote right there but can't think of one... But yeah when I drive my girlfriends VW 1.8 auto, I feel out of place. I always put my hand down when I need to shift, need to brake alot more, push my foot down into the carpt missing my clutch... pretty much just bored driving an auto

 

Well,

I had the same experience with My 02 Altima. I totalled it in an accident in January of 07' but fortunately, it was the other guys fault and I got a nice settlement offer out of it. I wanted another Altima and looked at an 04'. Saw it on the net, looked good, nice features. When the dealer got it from Toronto and I trst drove it I honeslty almost cried. It had fewer kms than my old Altima (67k as opposed to 127k) and it ran like ****, handled like ****, sounded like ****, and smelled like smoke which may as well have been **** too. Then and there I came to realize and appreciate just how well I had driven and cared for my own, no one touched it before me, brand spanking new Altima.

After that, it was a once bitten twice shy type of thing. I sent my dealer an email telling him EXACTLY what I wanted and told himto find me a car that he has seen, sat in, smelled and touched at an auction.Long story short, I got the A4 and have been in love with it ever since.

My advice to you. DON'T buy the car. Wait my friend, Talk to a used car dealer that you can trust (hard to find but they are out there) and get him to FIND you a car. Do exactly what I did and don't sign anything until you are VERY pleased with the car he finds you. Remember, this is a big purchase and you want to be excited about it. You want to show it off to your freinds at home and on the forum. You want to LOVE your car, you want to make lo.... OK I'm getting carried away but you get the picture.


Hope this helps. I just don't want you to make a decision you'll regret. I almost did and I'm glad I stopped myself.

 

Akoby...Yup, it's a quattro, forgot that part (I wouldn't even consider a fronttrack). Yeah, no doubt the manual will be better...it was the one compromise I had to make on my old car. As long as I can get it onto the highway, I should be fine on the way home, just a little jittery about stalling it in traffic.

Pablo, I'm not really sure what you're getting at, although the overall point of your story is good. This car IS everything that I'm looking for....it's basically the exact same car as my old one, but with a manual tranny and lower miles. And I did love my old car...it was taken from me too soon. I want it back. I'll move on from my B5 on my own terms.

I guess I'm trying to decide how worried I should be about those two fender benders, on top of buying it sight-unseen. Just making sure you guys think the price sounds about right...I might try to talk them down a bit based on those two conditions. But at the end of the day, I want this car.

 

just be carefull with body work man. silver cars are a bitch to repaint/ match. other than that I see no issues with the car man. but even if you go all of that way dont be afraid to walk away for it. i drove 5 hours to get an audi and when I got there it was not what I expected. This is your car you are going to have for a while so be sure you are happy with it dont settle.

 

Jazz07 buy what ever the f**k u want. Its a nice looking car and if the dealer has said that its good mechanically and good astetically grag it up, i would say get a 1.8t and mod it more, but tahts just me, good luck man

 

Buy It! As long as the frame looks great, theres no rust and the accidents weren't very severe, then get it, 49k miles is great, flawless interior, 5speed.. you can learn in 2-4 hours if your with someone who knows stick well.. I learned in about 3 and a half hours, went for 1 hour 30 mins each night, it just clicks and you never lose it, definitly worth it!

 

That's my point Jazz. don't buy it until you've driven it and had a GOOD look at it. I think the price is about right and quite honestly, the car looks great in the pics but you never know If you really want it I'm sure you can talk them down based on the two accidents. Good luck and I am truly sorry to hear about your last car. She was a GEM!