buying an s3 8p

Make sure the haldex has been serviced iirc.

the only other thing is get them to make sure they have checked to see if the coilpacks on it are part of the recent recall
apart from that you should be good
oh and check the condition of the clutch, as with that amount of millage it could be on its last legs

ah its a private sale, depends how much they are, but would be worth it as they should be able to uncover any little hidden secrets, that way youll have a better idea of what your getting, gives you, if needed room to haggle over the price or walk away and save yourself a fortune down the line as these things arnt cheap to fix if they have problems!

As said, check coil packs - if the car has been recalled, the revision number should have a "D" at the end.

Clutch - check for slippage.

Have you vagcom or access to it? I would try get a hold of it and do a fault diagnosis on the car prior to any decision making.

Knocking in steering while sitting at idle

Juddering at idle - if it does, then flywheel is on way out.

Cam belt would need done ASAP as the car is reaching 60k and 4 years old

Haldex service

Check that glove box lowers slowly and doesn't just drop down - would mean that mechanism is broken

If it has an armrest, check the clasp as these are prone to breaking