I know this gets old but I want to be sure of my future investment. My first car was a '96 Nissan 240sx SE. I was careless with it and I cracked my engine block. That was back in 2006 after I had it for about 2 years and I've been driving family vehicles ever since. I was spoiled by my 240sx. Nobody in my town had one. I'd get questioned all the time about it and that's how I feel about Audi. You see BMW's and Lexus' all over the place.

Back to the car. It's a silver metallic color and is very clean. The CarFax report is clean except for a 2.5 year gap in information that added almost 35k miles by its next checkup. The dealer is asking for 11,995$ and I don't think its had its 60k mile replacement of the waterpump/tb and I'm trying to negotiate the price down because of this.

The only mechanic I trust in my area mainly works on Japanese Imports. Is it going to be too different for him to work on it? Or am I going to have to find a Euro friendly garage to take it to?
I'm talking with my bank tomorrow about financing and I might go in for a test drive if I wake up early enough. Is there anything I should listen for or specifically check for to make sure the car isn't a dud?

 

Is it for sale from an Audi dealer , other dealer , or private individual ?? I would be looking to include that repair in the deal , if possible. Personally I would get the belly pan off and drive it and then let it run for a while and look for leaks, then shut it off and wait. Look again for leaks ( after run coolant pump operates then ). Plus look at cv boots , leaks around the rear end , any and every where , then post here . Many folks with lots of knowledge.

 

Japanese don't have the quattro system and turbos your 2.7T does, so there are a lot of differences. You really need to find a VW/Audi mechanic for anything other than oil changes unless you are a competent DIYer. I strongly encourage you to find someone to independently inspect the car and ensure everything, esp drivetrain and engine, are tight. TB change is scheduled closer to the 80k range, not 65k. But use it to leverage down the price.

 

I was just going by what I've read everywhere on the TB. My mechanic has his own garage and works with turbos a lot as he also does work for a performance shop. Also, I've been in search of a VW/Audi mechanic in North Texas but haven't made much headway. Any other suggestions?