Getting good deal on second hand A3 S-Line

[Crashdesk]

Hi,

 

Tempted to switch from a now failing 2007 MK5 GTI to an Audi A3 S-Line.

I would like to get some inside info as the rough price the traded Audi A3. I am not averse to a dealer making a profit; I just want to make sure I am not paying over the odds. I have carried out the usual research by comparing similar cars of Autotrader and understand that the value of these cars are approximately £3000 over what you would have got one for a couple of yeas ago, due to demand and chip shortages etc etc.

 

The car in question is a 2018 A3 Sportback 1.5l,  Nano Grey, Black Edition (35,000 miles on clock). Just standard apart from maybe cruise control.

 

How much do you think a dealer would have paid for the trade-in when the previous owner traded it in?..Approximately.

 

It is being sold for £19000 and I understand that this is around average at the moment, but to gain insight into the profit the dealer is making would be extremely beneficial, especially if it has been on the forecourt for a while.

 

Many many thanks,

CD

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Crashdesk said:

Hi,

 

Tempted to switch from a now failing 2007 MK5 GTI to an Audi A3 S-Line.

I would like to get some inside info as the rough price the traded Audi A3. I am not averse to a dealer making a profit; I just want to make sure I am not paying over the odds. I have carried out the usual research by comparing similar cars of Autotrader and understand that the value of these cars are approximately £3000 over what you would have got one for a couple of yeas ago, due to demand and chip shortages etc etc.

 

The car in question is a 2018 A3 Sportback 1.5l,  Nano Grey, Black Edition (35,000 miles on clock). Just standard apart from maybe cruise control.

 

How much do you think a dealer would have paid for the trade-in when the previous owner traded it in?..Approximately.

 

It is being sold for £19000 and I understand that this is around average at the moment, but to gain insight into the profit the dealer is making would be extremely beneficial, especially if it has been on the forecourt for a while.

 

Many many thanks,

CD

I bet they've paid 15-16k at a guess. What work have they done to it to prep it for sale. That's what you've got to ask. 

[Crashdesk]

Great advice I hadn't thought about Steve! Thanks

Edited May 12, 2022 by Crashdesk

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Crashdesk said:

Great advice I hadn't thought about Steve! Thanks

No probs at all. It's also worth seeing what service history it has. 

If an auto it might be worth seeing if it's has a gearbox oil change and if quattro check to see all tyres match regarding wear as uneven wear can damage the quattro system. Also see when the system was serviced. 

If sat nav is a must make sure it has it otherwise it'll be expensive to have it fitted. Don't take the dealers word for it that it does have it. 

Also factor in that the Cambelt and water pump will need changing next year at the 5 year mark. 

Cheers

Steve

[Crashdesk]

Good call about the cambelt and water pump. My current car needed that done about 40,000 miles ago. lol

As sad as it sounds, I have never owned a car with Sat Nav. The ads states that it does indeed have Sat Nav. I assumed that was in all Audi's? Do you have to pay for maps etc? Is it possible to link up Google Maps from an iPhone to the MMI? I suppose I will get the seller to demo it.

Thanks,

CD

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Crashdesk

[Magnet]

Hello Clinton,

Is the car you are interested in buying, a 2015 as your profile suggests? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Crashdesk]

Sorry @Magnet, I didn't even notice that. No, it's a 2018 model.

[Steve Q]

3 hours ago, Crashdesk said:

Good call about the cambelt and water pump. My current car needed that done about 40,000 miles ago. lol

As sad as it sounds, I have never owned a car with Sat Nav. The ads states that it does indeed have Sat Nav. I assumed that was in all Audi's? Do you have to pay for maps etc? Is it possible to link up Google Maps from an iPhone to the MMI? I suppose I will get the seller to demo it.

Thanks,

CD

 

It's definitely an optional extra. It'll depend on the level of mmi as to what features it has. 

[Magnet]

Thanks Clinton - makes more sense now. 
Apologies and not wishing to offend, but you appear to be very keen on knowing how much the dealer would have paid for the car. That shouldn’t be your primary concern, and it really shouldn’t affect your decision to buy or not to buy. If the price is comparable with other similar condition, specification and mileage ones advertised, and you have an overall satisfaction with it, then buy it. If you really like the car but don’t like the price, then search for another one. 
Dealers are in business to make a profit, just as any other employing business is, and if making that profit is easy, then why aren’t we all scouting for financial backers and joining in ourselves? 
I don’t have any allegiance to main dealers or car retailers, but if anyone thinks buying a car in at £16K and selling it at £19 is a rip off, then it’s worth considering that the £3 k mark up attracts 20% Vat = £600, then a c25% tax on the ‘profit’  of £3K = £750, which totals £1350, and leaving £1650 to pay for wages, rates, utilities etc. etc. A potential buyer comes in and requests let’s say a ‘modest’ £500 off leaving £1150 in the pot to fund all the overheads and provide a guarantee that the car will operate as the buyer expects. 
Not sure what currently happens over with you Clinton, but most dealers over here state the selling price, and if you want it you pay that price ( as you would in Tesco for tin of beans). If the buyer doesn’t want to pay that pice then fair enough, he doesn’t buy it. 
If this were me ( and cards on table I have been there a couple of months ago):- Model I want? within budget? Competitive price?  Condition as wanted? Yes to all of those - buy. How much profit did the seller make on the deal? Don’t know, and not really bothered. 
Good luck with your purchase. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 
p.s. Cambelt ( if belted engine) should be changed when the car becomes 5 year old, irrespective of mileage. 

[Crashdesk]

Thanks @Magnet. Fair points. Thing is, that tin of beans is cheaper in other places. Over here, depending on which part of the country you’re in, the price can vary considerably. Higher spec Audi’s have sold for lower than this particular car up north. May all be relative if buying/selling in same area but as this is a purchase I only tend to make every 10 years or so, and a different brand of car, just trying to get clued in and get the best deal I can. There is also supply too, chip supply increasing and serious inflation coming. Trying to think ahead on how this will affect the market. It’s not an essential item so my head usually rules over heart, so I can wait. 🙂 It’s a lovely car though 😉 

[Magnet]

Hello Clinton,

Only you can decide whether any car is going to interest you and your budget, and there’s no doubt with the research you have already carried out, and intend to carry out, you will be better versed on relative prices on the island of Ireland than any of us on the mainland. 
Sod’s law will dictate that you will either buy a car then continue to search and find ‘a better buy’, or dither over relative prices and miss a good car at a reasonable price. 
Another point to bear in mind Clinton would the perhaps frightening to you thought of paying say even £2000 over the odds, make much difference over the 10 year period you are likely to keep it - £200 a year - not terribly frightening motoring-cost wise. 
As I say - good luck with deciding what you are going to buy. 
Kind regards, 

Gareth.