Hi... thinking about trading for a used 2006 a6 4.2 with 53k miles. It comes with nav, keyless go, premium, xenons and cold weather package.

Its selling for 22K, so is it a good deal? The only thing I'm concened about is that its not CPO'ed.

1. Should this be a deal breaker?
2. What should I look/feel for when I do my test drive.
3. How much to get a 3rd party warranty for 3-5 years/100K? Who is the best provider? I would like to take the car to the dealer for waranty repairs.
4. Can I take this car to a dealer and have them check the car out, to see what it needs, like software, tsb?

Any advise will be much appriciated... my first time buying a used car.

Thanks... looking forward to finally owning one.

 

First, check Kelly Blue Book for value and bid low, you can always compromise higher. Second, have the car inspected by either a dealer or find a qualified independent who does Audi work. You yourself should check out every control and feature to make sure they work, and drive down the price accordingly. Also, try to get copies of the service/maintenance records.

The value of extended warranties are debatable. I rarely buy one -- electronics and car warranties make the sellers money. As a matter of fact, I only bought one extended warranty on my last 7 cars (2002 Vue, 2003 A6, 2005 Crossfire, 2005 Crossfire SRT6, 2007 Mercury Milan, 2007 Crossfire, 2003 A4) and total repairs have been $3-4k across the fleet. Most other work (like clutch and timing belt in the A6) would have been considered maintenance, not repairs. The extended warranty was on one of the Crossfires and after 4 summers and 33k miles, no claims.

My vote would be to put the $3k in the bank and save it for future repair(s). If the car was well maintained and is in good shape, you have that $ available. If it was abused and has problems, then you will curse me for not suggesting a maintenance agreement.