I found this 1998 A4 around where i live and he is only asking $1350 for it.
So heres the deal:

-2.8 quattro model
-Green (well kinda)
-140,000 miles
-5 speed
-clean title

The bad

-No reverse.
-It comes with another transmission however, it just needs to be put in
-The front passenger fender has a big dent
-And as you can see in the pics, it needs painted

So here are the pics:









i was thinking it would be cheaper for me to get this car and repair all of this, dent, trans, and paint, than to buy one already in good shape.

i got a quote from my mechanic who is a vw tech and he said 450 to swap the tranny
i was thinking paint would be around 1000
and im not too sure on how much it would cost to have the fender installed. you can find the part for 100 or less.

any input would be helpful. Let me know if you think my pricing is right on repairs and if you think its a good deal or not and why.

Thanks,
Nick

 

A quality paint job will be more like $2500 unless you have a hookup. Tranny swap price is a good deal. If what you listed is all it needs (ie, timing job is done with proof of work, wheel bearings, brakes, axles, electronics good) then it could be worth it. I have to think, looking at that car, it's gonna have issues. It's pretty apparent the owner didn't give much of a damn about it and just let it slide. My bet is you're gonna get into a lot more than you anticipate.

 

You make a good point. i had a 2001 TT quattro before and that 1.8t was nothing but trouble. i was hoping an NA 2.8 would be a more reliable option. i was planning on having my mechanic give it a thourough look-over so i guess we will find out. And any idea on how much getting that fender installed would cost? just the installation

 

Pound for pound the 2.8 seems to be far less problematic. It's not necessarily that the 1.8T has tons of big problems, but that there's always something that's malfunctioning. The 2.8, when cared for properly, is a very long-living engine, but any Audi can bury you if you neglect it. Definitely have it looked over - as for timing, inspection of the belt won't tell you much unless the car is way beyond its service interval, to the point of the belt wearing badly. It's almost always a tensioner failure when one does blow. You can only check that by tearing down the front of the engine and at that point it's dumb not to just do it all. That's why, unless there's documented proof that it was done, assume it wasn't and negotiate accordingly. Of all the timing belt jobs I've done, only one had appreciable belt wear. All the rest (likely 50+ others at this point) looked as if the belt had an easy 50k miles of life left.

As for a fender install, honestly I don't know. Someone who has had it done will hopefully chime in with what they paid.

 

never a good idea when the trannys not where it belongs thats for sure.

 

Yeah, that 1.8t always had something little wrong with it about once or more a mont. and eventually it bent a valve or cracked the head or something, i didnt repair that. But how much do you think i would need in other parts for the trans swap? He said 450 for the swap plus whatever other parts are needed for the swap. Guessing it would be like all new gaskets, trans fluid, and maybe new bolts? anything else? and even if i need to change the T belt wouldnt it still be a decent buy?
1350 - car
1500 - paint
550 - trans (plus parts)
600 - t belt.. or you think itd be more? my tech is pretty reasonable
______
4000 all together. Prolly some other costs i might run into though

 

thats the same guy i bought my audi from! honestly he told me there was so many things new that had been done to the car and im not sure if i can trust what he has to say. dont tell him about me but i talked him down off mine to 1300 so you can talk him down. he lied to me about my turn signals said they werent in turns out it was a switch but ya im still waiting on my title from him. i dont want to run into any problems with him so please dont mention me just wanted to give you a heads up

 

But the 2.8 weighs twice as much, so half as many problems per pounds still equals the same amount of problems. Quit trying to convince people that the 2.8 is "cool," Jeremy:P

Back on topic, this looks like one you should walk away from. You think you may get all the cosmetic stuff done to make it look nice, but other things will come up, and the paint will never get done, and the fender will still be bent. In the end, you're just going to regret it, sell it, and take a huge loss. Just my humble opinion.

 

Lol Brad, put down the Haterade

Timing kit is a couple hundred bucks. There'd be relatively little extra labor involved since the car would be in service position to change out the transmission anyhow. As for extra parts, it depends. There really aren't gaskets to worry about. Drive it first and see how well the clutch holds. If it's weak, figure on a clutch - no better time than now.

Honestly, I stand by what I said above - with the car in the shape it's in, I'm sure you're going to come across quite a bit more that needs attention. Control arms are likely ($220 parts and a decent chunk in labor), god knows what else. Seriously man, I'd walk.

 

hows the clutch gonna help when the trannys still in the trunk