Tips for buying a 2nd Car - Please

mepink

Hello,

I would appreciate tips in buying a 2nd hand car - I am thinking of an AudiA4, 2000-2001 (approx €14K), approx 60K miles.

If you are buying privately what is the procedure re getting a mechanic to check the car for you etc.?

All tips greatly appreciated.

Archeron

Hi there,
the only advice i can offer is that whoever you get to check it out for you, make sure you have some comeback if they make a mistake. Not too long ago, i got a random mechanic from the golden pages who told me all was well. Without boring you with details, there was about €5k worth of problems, and I had no comeback at all when this idiot spotted none of them. Cost me a fortune, and made me very cynical towards these mechanics that offer car checks. The AA is very expensive for car checks, but if they offer guarantees on what they say, (dont know if they do or not) it could save a fortune in the long run. Not to mention avoiding the fun of cutting out on hills, motorways, busy junctions etc.
Best of luck with your purchase.

pontovic

Here are a few

:: People will tell you that mileage is the true age of a car as well as its actual age in years, but don't be too put off by high mileages. A car will keep going as long as it has been well looked after. Look for evidence of a full service history for any car you are looking at.

:: When going to check a car look out for a few tell-tale signs of age, such as a shiny steering wheel that should normally have a bevelled surface, and shiny clutch pedals and brake pedals.

:: Avoid any car that looks a bit scruffy. Thats a sign it has not been well looked after.

:: The price you see on carzone or car buyers guide is never usually the price you will pay for the car. You can always haggle down the seller a few hundred euro and maybe even a thousand euro in some cases ( depending on price ).

:: Paying by cash will obviously help your bargaining power.

:: When looking at the car with the seller, dont seem too overexcited about buying it. Play things down and try to point out a few things that may change your mind about buying it. Try to strike a balance between this and making it sound like the car is no good. This will keep some bargaining power in your hands.

:: The seller may tell you that there are other people interested in the car. This may be a little fib to get you more interested in snapping it up, so don't seem to desperate. There are more good offers out there.

:: Get the car checked out by a mechanic. You might want to find out if there are debts associated with it. I dont know how to do this exactly, but I'm sure someone else here can help.

:: Make sure all documents for the car are in order.

:: If in doubt about anything, or if you suspect some dodginess, then walk away.

Hope that helps

samo

pontovic wrote:

You might want to find out if there are debts associated with it. I dont know how to do this exactly, but I'm sure someone else here can help.

:: Make sure all documents for the car are in order.

Hope that helps

Thats the HPI check...there should be a number for them in the phonebook, you give them the reg number etc and costs approx €40 or so and they will check is there any outstanding debts on the car (and also the chassis number which I think they use to check if the car was ever reported stolen)

Sorry, dont have the exact details but did do this once with a secondhand car I was buying and gives more peace of mind so reccommended.

Eoin

mepink wrote:

Hello,

I would appreciate tips in buying a 2nd hand car - I am thinking of an AudiA4, 2000-2001 (approx €14K), approx 60K miles.

If you are buying privately what is the procedure re getting a mechanic to check the car for you etc.?

All tips greatly appreciated.

As has been alluded to, don't pick any mechanic out of the phone book. If possible, arrange to have the car checked out by an audi garage, or a mechanic who specialises in them.

It sounds like you are going for a private sale - if so, call into a couple of garages and test drive a similar car. This will give you an idea of what the car is like to drive, so you have a frame of reference.

Do a bit of research as well, and see if there were any common problems or recalls.

Check out what the trim levels / variants were available for that year. For the same, or a little more money, you may get a load of additional features on a car. I don't know if it is the same for Audis, but a lot of German cars tend to come pretty barely specified in the basic model (for example, the VW Mark 4 Golf only came with electric windows as standard in 2000 or so).

It won't be hard to find a 2000/1 A4, so be prepared to shop around. Quick search on Carzone here.

Some people will probably disagree with this, but personally I prefer the piece of mind with a 12 month warranty from a garage. You will pay more than a private sale, but it may be worth your while.

mepink

Thanks a million all of you - it is very kind of you all to take time out to provide all those great hints.

boards.ie is a really great site.

Eoin

mepink wrote:

Thanks a million all of you - it is very kind of you all to take time out to provide all those great hints.

boards.ie is a really great site.

You should probably wait until after you get your car to decide whether this site is any good!

unkel

Some sound advice there, especially:

eoin_s wrote:

If possible, arrange to have the car checked out by an audi garage, or a mechanic who specialises in them

The specialist / dealer will be able to read out the ECU (engine control unit) with a laptop and Audi software. This can give (depending on the sophistication of the ECU) a host of information of possible problems and it will verify the mileage