So I went and test drove the 2000 A6 4.2 w/ 57k miles on it at the local high end used dealer... Let me start by saying there is a lot more room in there then I was anticipating... The reason I say this is I have to contend with 2 carseats in the back... after testing that out I know it will be no problem getting the kids in... The test drive was good... got the keys and took it only for about 5-10 minutes (mainly due to the huge thunderstorm that popped up)... the pick up was good... i'm used to a turbo charged car so it was nice not having any lag time... Now on to the problems...
The salesguy was pretty stand up and told me straight up there were some issues that made them think they are just going to ship it to a guy that will fix the problems and sell it himself... The problems are.... Airbag sensor and light stay on, their apparently is a loose plate that is loose underneath that rattles on start up, also the radio needs to be re configured as they don't have the codes or anything (not a big deal)... We discussed having one of the local foreign car mechanics do another inspection and they are all for that. Also they seem to be negotiable in the price because of the stated problems... What does everyone think my next move should be? I was going to go in monday and test drive it again and then have it inspected....

 

Get the VIN number and contact Audi to get the maintenance history. The 4.2s tend to be pretty solid if maintained.

 

Hm....get that price down! Not sure on the plate, I'd be interested to learn more about that.
I came across a car with the air bag light too when I was shopping. Dealer attempted to reset it and couldn't. I did see a unit on EBay purporting to reset it as well, so I assume its not an uncommon problem. If its really a fault in the circuit or the bag, that's probably big bucks though.
I'd also look into whether the radio is wired into the alarm or other functions, I'm not sure on that.
In addition to checking for maintenance through Audi, I've been saved on a number of cars by Carfax. Good luck.

 

Do I actually call Audi or do I just call a local Audi dealer to get the VIN checked out for maintanance? Also the sales guy already discussed how we can definitely work on the price due to the existing problems.

 

Call the dealer, or better yet stop buy with a box of dounuts in the middle of the day, tell him that if you buy the car that you will have it serviced at the dealership. I would also check Carfax.