Buying advice 2014 Audi A5 sportback

[Simon7]

Morning all,

Please can I have as many expert opinions as possible!!  I am in for a red Audi A5 sportback 2.0tdi multitronic with 65k on.  It has Full Audi service history apart from the last service which was an independent VAG specialist.  I have never ever bought a car this old and with this many miles on and I am slightly worried about potential issues down the line.  Should I be worried??  I am not going to do massive mileage in it.  It is being sold by a reputable dealer and has a 24 month warranty included.

[Steve Q]

Key things to check in service history, has the Cambelt and water pump been changed? When was the auto gearbox oil serviced? 

Is it quattro? If so are the tyres matching non each axle as mismatch tyres or uneven tyre wear can damage the quattro system. 

[Magnet]

Hello Simon,

Thanks for joining the forum. Steve has already covered most of the essentials to look for, but if you haven’t been used to buying cars as old as this one, then it’s worth being aware that you are now more likely to encounter the ravages of wear and necessary major servicing requirements. 
When you say ‘Full service history’ - how many services has it actually had, and at what mileages. How detailed have these services been? You can get a fair idea from the number of recorded times the brake fluid has been changed - for example - and the pollen filter? 
Can we take it you have obtained a service printout from an Audi dealer? Have you checked the on-line MOT history and analysed failures and how advisories have been attended to? 
Have you checked the DVLA vehicle check, which tells you when the last V5 was issued, which can be an indicator of how long the last owner has had it. Short term ownership can be bad news. 
24 month warranty? That’s unusually long, and you could  find you are ‘paying over the odds’ to have this included in the price. Have you studied the warranty, particularly the exclusions/wear clauses, since these can sometimes render the warranty to be relatively worthless? Are you buying this car relatively locally? If not, owarranties and resolving issues can again become impractical. 
All of this probably sounds negative, but all are fairly simple bits of ‘research’ which may save you a lot of money in the long run. 
Secondhand car prices are at an all time high, so you will be spending more to buy this car than you probably expected. Irrespective of warranties, it may be well worth investing in a professional inspection of the car before purchase, unless you are confident in your own abilities and knowledge. 
Hope some of this helps.

Kind regards,

Gareth.