Audi virgin - help required!

[Shez1878]

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all well. After owning a series of BMWs (X5s, 730s) and Range Rover Sports I have finally decided to take the plunge and buy an Audi A8. My budget is circa £13,000 and I know very little about these magnificent looking motors.

I have shortlisted six A8's however, as always seems to be the case, not a single one is perfect unless I bite the bullet and spend £17k plus. Having lost £14k on my Range Rover Sport, I dont fancy doing that again! 

There is one in particular I like however it doesn't come with a sunroof, rear heated seats or the Bose sound system. My question is what is the difference between the Audi concert system and the Bose? Is it significant enough to reject the car on that basis? The car appears to be mint otherwise, 3 owners which is slightly concerning, has covered 78,000 miles with full Audi service history.

The second one I like, has more toys; night vision, rear heated seats, lane assist, 53,000 on the clock however doesnt have a reverse parking camera. How expensive would this be to retrofit?

Thanks for your help :)

 

 

[DirkOz Australia]

Ask these guys about reversing cameras:- https://audi-retrofits.co.uk/

Good luck with your purchase. Hope you can drive a hard bargain, so you get all the features that you want. Is it a private sale or Dealer? Independent inspection is a must for any used car, especially when spending that much money! Do some homework on common issues, how much it might cost for those repairs, and drive the price down, down, down!

This site is very handy for reviews, recalls & common faults:-

http://australiancar.reviews/

[Shez1878]

19 minutes ago, DirkOz Australia said:

Ask these guys about reversing cameras:- https://audi-retrofits.co.uk/

Good luck with your purchase. Hope you can drive a hard bargain, so you get all the features that you want. Is it a private sale or Dealer? Independent inspection is a must for any used car, especially when spending that much money! Do some homework on common issues, how much it might cost for those repairs, and drive the price down, down, down!

This site is very handy for reviews, recalls & common faults:-

http://australiancar.reviews/

Awesome, thank you so much! I will take a look.

Yes, hoping to buy it from a dealer. 

[Shez1878]

On 10/2/2019 at 2:50 PM, DirkOz Australia said:

Ask these guys about reversing cameras:- https://audi-retrofits.co.uk/

Good luck with your purchase. Hope you can drive a hard bargain, so you get all the features that you want. Is it a private sale or Dealer? Independent inspection is a must for any used car, especially when spending that much money! Do some homework on common issues, how much it might cost for those repairs, and drive the price down, down, down!

This site is very handy for reviews, recalls & common faults:-

http://australiancar.reviews/

Awesome, thank you so much!

I will take a look. Hoping to buy it from a dealer this weekend.

 

This is the car I’m looking to buy. Two questions please:

1. Why is the rubber raised at the front?

2. What does 1618 signify? Am I being paranoid or is this a part bought from a scrap yard to replace original part?

Any help welcome 🙂

 

[Magnet]

Hello Shez,

As Dirk said - an independent inspection is a must, must, must. 3 owners? Well, yes, be wary - particularly if the last keeper has only had it ‘five minutes’ - suspect issues you won’t know anything about. Full service history is good, but not the be all and end all, and gives little indication of how it’s actually been cared for, apart from a couple of half days out with an Audi dealer. 

Warranty? Important,  but not as important as reading and understanding the wording of exclusions. 

These are cars people fall in love with, but they have complex characters, so are not to be married in haste! The character and the look must match, so back to Dirk’s recommendation - spend on an independent inspection - and thoroughly examine all aspects of the paperwork including getting a service print out. Another must. 

Good luck and kind regards,

Gareth.

[Shez1878]

Thanks Gareth. Sound advice that.

The white writing on the front of the engine bay is currently putting me off but I will make a decision over the weekend hopefully.

[Magnet]

‘Writing an off put’ Shez. Yes, I understand it would lead to a need for closer inspection etc., but I think I would keep an open mind rather than dismiss it. Writing too neat for scrap yard!? Am I allowed to say that? 

Good luck and kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Shez1878]

😂 You are allowed to say that! The writing is putting me off as I cant think of a reason for it to be there. The rubber being removed also suggests some work has been done, and if you look close to the windscreen, the plastics are not perfectly aligned (as they have been on other cars I have seen).

As it happens the guy buying my Range Rover screwed me around and despite numerous calls and texts, has failed to show this morning.

The wait goes on....

 

[Shez1878]

So I have finally sold my Range Rover so now have the option of buying privately or via a dealer. So far the search has been tough.

If anyone is looking to sell their pristine condition A8 for around £12k-£13k please let me know.

2010 onwards, 50k - 80k mileage, ideally with reverse parking camera. Thanks.

[Shez1878]

I have managed to find a 2013 model, 60,000 on the clock, full Audi service history, ex-Audi courtesy car. Almost agreed a deal however now realised its not a quattro. I only intend to use it for motorway cruising but will this be an issue when its time to sell?