Soo, I just totaled out my B5 Passat V6 GLX.
Looking at buying this Audi right now...



It's a 1.8T with 103k miles.
I need some good bargaining tips with the dealer, some things I can point out to lower the cost. They want $6000 after taxes and everything.
I'm kind of disappointed to the lack of leather heated power seats, but eh, I'll get over it.

I don't know if the timing belt has been done yet, and I'm not sure how I would find out. The car has been between Cali and Washington, with 3 owners, and CarFax only reports 1 dealership visit at 99k miles.

I also don't know much about the turbo part of it. How likely are they to go out, and when? How do I know if I'm going to end up knee deep in turbo sludge?

Any tips would be useful, thanks.

 

Tip: Negotiation is an endurance contest.

There are tons of these cars, there's another tip.

Tip #3: No records lowers the value...

You should see my invoice in the mail.

 

Doesn't look like a quattro. Still want it?

 

I guess this is more of a general car buying tip, not necessary specific to Audis. Have it looked at by a mechanic YOU TRUST and that knows something about german cars. When i bought mine i was gonna have it looked at but the dealer said she'd have her "in house mechanic" look at it for free. Turns out the thing was in PERFECT mechanical condition!!

Since then I've replaced three control arms, half the exhaust, the wiper stalk and I'm due for a timing belt......lol.

 

Well, I can't afford a Quattro, I'm on a $6000 limit.

 

an audi without quattro is just a VW. if you ever get snow in your area, you will want the quattro. usualy they arent that much more expensive then a FWD because there are more quattro cars out there.

if they cant produce timing belt job reciepts, tell them your taking $1000 off the sticker price to cover that job. make sure there was full synthetic oil changed regularly. the turbo on these cars lasts quite a while as long as theres no sludge problems, as long as there is no chip on there already you can rest easy that its most likely got a bit of life left in it.

what year is the car?

 

don't worry if it doesnt have leather seats. my A4 has cloth seats, and honestly, I prefer the cloth vs. the leather- it looks more sporty and wears well. but then again, as discussed in another thread, the A4 "leather" is actually leatherette- synthetic leather made with vinyl. nonetheless the leatherette is good since it too doesn't show many signs of wear/tear. Either way, the cloth seats isn't a bad thing...

and yeah- shoot for the QUATTRO. Its what makes an Audi, an Audi.

 

Psshh.. You can get an Audi with Quattro for $6k easily. Just have some patience. Fwd Audi's are suicide machines. Way too much weight at the front you'll constantly be diving and affraid to take a turn at more than 3mph in snow even with good tires. Trust me, I have one!

 

We get snow here like 3 times a year, and it only lasts for a day or 2.
It's mostly just rain I worry about. And it's a 98

 

Anyone think this dealership would throw in a timing belt change?
It's a little mom and pop type dealership, I don't know if their mechanics would know how though.