TDI Dilema

dickys3 · Mar 22, 2006

I'm looking to get a A3 2.0TDi Sport from the main dealer (2nd hand).

It is a 2003 Model (03 Plate), Akoya silver and no optional extras apart from the usual Sport wheels etc.

The car has 20K miles on the clock and I will be doing roughly 30K miles a year. I'm looking at buying this over 4 years but wonder how much it will be worth when I look to sell it (4 years time) with approximately 140K miles on the clock?

How hard would it be to sell it given the high miles? Is 140K classed as high miles as most Diesels I guess would be purchased to do lots of miles so would this be the norm?

Cheers
Rich.

Amchlolor · Mar 22, 2006

So,by the time you sell it,it will be seven years old with 140k on the clock ?

Well,going by the price of 7 year old A3's with similar mileage on Autotrader,I'd say around £3k.

I dare say someone will always buy one for that money.

dickys3 · Mar 22, 2006

Yes, 7 yr old with 140K!

£3k - thats a big loss over 4 yrs!

Its just confirmed what I have been thinking! Hmm what to do??

madvw · Mar 22, 2006

thats a tough one. I'd say that most people who are after a high miler usually look around the 100-120k mark, as thats where the bargains are to be had.

140k is kind of no-mans land, and i cant think of who would buy it.

Your best bet may be to keep it for 3 years, then trade it in, - you'll only then have 110k, and it'll be perfect trade in age....

One possible market though may be young drivers, but would they be able to insure it?

marriedblonde · Mar 22, 2006

Keep changing your car every year :d

god_thats_quick · Mar 22, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, 7 yr old with 140K!

£3k - thats a big loss over 4 yrs!

Its just confirmed what I have been thinking! Hmm what to do??

[/ QUOTE ]

If you really want to save money - why not get something very cheap that you won't loose much money on either that or are you 100% sure you will be doing all these miles for 4 years (a lot can happen in that ammount of time) or maybe look into leasing a car if you get a good deal you might be onto a winner and get to change your car more often?

Amchlolor · Mar 22, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
thats a tough one. I'd say that most people who are after a high miler usually look around the 100-120k mark, as thats where the bargains are to be had.

140k is kind of no-mans land, and i cant think of who would buy it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Must say,that's my thoughts.

I know people who have,and will,buy diesel Audi's around the 100k mark,but 140k ?

Dunno if they'd entertain that.

mikep · Mar 22, 2006

Well it should just about be run-in by then ;-)

I think the whole market in high mileage diesels will change as people start to realise that 150K is no big deal providing the car has been serviced properly.

There a local chauffeur company who only buy 150k+ big diesels as they're great value and they're usually good for over 250k.

I remapped a 109k 1.8T the other week, performed as well as a 40k car and didn't look any different inside.

d3fy · Mar 22, 2006

Lexus have used cars on the forecourt with 90,000 on the clock - the business ethos is that it should drive as well at 100,000 miles as it did when it left the forecourt. They follow through with this by selling what we would describe as 'high milers' in their main dealers forecourts

Amchlolor · Mar 22, 2006

The engine might be okay at 140k miles,but what about the rest of the running gear ?

I'd be paranoid about every other part,from wheel bearings up,needing replacing.

god_thats_quick · Mar 22, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
Lexus have used cars on the forecourt with 90,000 on the clock - the business ethos is that it should drive as well at 100,000 miles as it did when it left the forecourt. They follow through with this by selling what we would describe as 'high milers' in their main dealers forecourts

[/ QUOTE ]

I can vouch for this, my dad has a GS300 he has owned since new, and it's now done approx 95,000 miles and still drives like it was new (not very well but the same) the interior other than a bit of aging on the drivers seat is also as new - and he doesn't look after his car very well. but we're not talking about lexus's we're talking about Alfa's and I for one thing every car enthusiast owes it too them self to own one at some point!

Amchlolor · Mar 22, 2006

I must admit,I used to get a good reaction from people when I said I drove an Alfa.

It wasn't the "oh dear.." comments the prejudiced would have you believe.

It was usually an interested "oh..?",followed by more questions,sometimes about it's reliability,but more often just genuinely interested questions about how it drove and how much it cost.

The surprising,and interesting part, was that people always assumed it cost more than it did.

In that respect,my A3 has been the polar opposite.People always think it cost less than it did.

dickys3 · Mar 22, 2006

I've just worked it out again and I have got it wrong!

I will probably be doing around 22K miles per year so its not as bad as I thought!

So by my maths, in 4 years It will have 100 - 110K miles on the clock. So if I sell it just before the 4 years is up with approx 80 - 90K on the clock I'm hoping It will be worth a lot more. Afterall, 80K on a Diesel isn't much is it?

Any thoughts?

TDI-line · Mar 22, 2006

Just one, why akoya Dicky?

dickys3 · Mar 22, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
Just one, why akoya Dicky?

[/ QUOTE ]

I love the colour and it will also make things like scratches, stone chips etc less noticable...

Oh and the dealer is giving me a good deal on a used one which is on their forecourt! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Are you not a fan?

TDI-line · Mar 22, 2006

Yeah, i am now after owning my first silver car (reflex silver), and would consider it on any second hand purchase again.

AndyMac · Mar 22, 2006

That's exactly why I bought a high miler to start with.
Find a 2003 model privately with 100k on the clock already.
I got my A4 Avant B6 01 model with 112k mileage for £9k. For that money I don't care if it's worth nothing in 3 years time.
If you're doing high mileage in any car then you will suffer severely on depreciation, there's no magic way round it, so the only way to beat the system is to let someone else take the hit and then you're quids in.
My Avant drives like new and I know it's good for 300k miles with regular servicing.
The worst thing you can do is change the car every year as you'll be typically trying to sell a car with 70-80k on the clock and the market is flooded with them, so 3 lots of depreciation.
Even though peoples views on high mileage diesels is changing you're still competing against low mileage examples of the same vehicle so prices will always remain low.
By the newest, highest mileage example you can find, this will guarantee the mileage is all motorway and the car will feel newer than an older one with lower miles.

marriedblonde · Mar 23, 2006

Andy my reply of get a new car wasn't a serious one hence the smiley which didn't smile /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Personally I get bored of cars really quickly and swap them out every 6 months to a year and I generally buy new but I get a car allowance so the depreciation is covered with that. My A3 I have decided to keep a little longer though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

J.

Amchlolor · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Just one, why akoya Dicky?

[/ QUOTE ]

I love the colour and it will also make things like scratches, stone chips etc less noticable...

Oh and the dealer is giving me a good deal on a used one which is on their forecourt! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Are you not a fan?

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly why I chose it.

It's one of those colours that needs minimum maintenance.

Even when the car is dirty,it looks clean (if you see what I mean).

After years of black cars,which only ever look good immediately after cleaning on a sunny day,I can't believe how much easier it is to look after Akoya,and I can't believe how many hours of my life I wasted on ****** black paint....

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

h5djr · Mar 23, 2006

For once I totally agree with you Bowfer. I had a couple a black cars many years ago, but most of my recent cars have been a shade of silver. My first Golf was black with polished Wolfrace wheels. Looked superb when clean but it was hard work to keep it looking good.

As you say, always looks good, even when a little dirty and very easy to clean. As I always clean my wife's car I say she can have any car she wants, within reason, but if she still wants me to clean it for her the it must be a shade of silver.

madvw · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
100 - 110K miles on the clock. So if I sell it just before the 4 years is up with approx 80 - 90K on the clock I'm hoping It will be worth a lot more. Afterall, 80K on a Diesel isn't much is it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Perfect then Dicky.

By selling at 80-90K, you'll hit the milage sweet spot perfectly, and if your feeling cheeky, you may even get away without changing the cambelt.

You may even find that you get a favourable trade in, as it'll have less than 100K.

god_thats_quick · Mar 23, 2006

Silver cars are BORING!!! it's the non choice in my opinion - cleaning is also not a good way to choose the colour of a car, I never found a particular problem with my old black car.

I will be doing my best to never own a silver car!

marriedblonde · Mar 23, 2006

I always choose black cars but cleaning them doesn't really bother me as I am happy to do it.

J.

Amchlolor · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
cleaning is also not a good way to choose the colour of a car

[/ QUOTE ]

Why not ?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/noidea.gif

mikep · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
cleaning is also not a good way to choose the colour of a car

[/ QUOTE ]

Why not ?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/noidea.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed bowfer, I had a black MX5 once, roll it out of the garage and it needed cleaning, rain or shine. Black is such a high maintenece colour.

I usually choose popular colours as it makes resale much easier. It will be interesting to see how popular Dolphin Grey is in 2 years time!

Amchlolor · Mar 23, 2006

I tell you something else,the Akoya silver is so much tougher than the flat black was on my A4.

Whether that's just because it's metallic,whereas my A4 wasn't,I don't know,but the paint on my A4 was so soft it was unbelievable.

You only had to look at it and it scratched.

god_thats_quick · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]

Why not ?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/noidea.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Well mainly because I never thought it was any better or worse than other colours to be honest, I think picking a colour because you're too lazy to clean your car when it's gets dirty is pathetic but hey that's just me!

I also think that people who by silver cars have a serious lack of imagination and fall nicely into the "sheep" category. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/snore.gif

The Slug · Mar 23, 2006

i choose my "crystal blue" which is silvery blue, not because of maintenance but purely for the colour, and i clean my car every weekend....

Rich, 22K a year is nothing on a diesel, shouldnt worry about it, thats about the average diesel does anyway, i do quite little mileage i think for 17K sooo i dont think 80-90K aint gonna be a big problem selling, as many diesel owners know, diesels can run over a million miles providing you look after it and service it as and when.

my 2p's worth.

h5djr · Mar 23, 2006

Some people happen to like silver as a colour for a car, in the same way as some people like black. At the moment you see far more black A3s around than silver.

My car is silver and although it always looks reasonable, even when it's dirty, it still gets cleaned every week, so it's hardy because I'm too lazy to clean it.

Colour is a very personal thing - for cars as well as other things.

marriedblonde · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
I tell you something else,the Akoya silver is so much tougher than the flat black was on my A4.

Whether that's just because it's metallic,whereas my A4 wasn't,I don't know,but the paint on my A4 was so soft it was unbelievable.

You only had to look at it and it scratched.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats not actually true, removing swirls and marks from any of the VAG groups paint work is a nightmare.

Ok so I am a bit anal about keeping my cars clean and I have a wide range of lotions and potions for paint resotring etc and evening using a PC it takes a lot of effort and harsher gradings of paint restorer to remove swirls and light scratches from the paintwork a lot more than the Jap/french cars that i have worked on.

Black paint does definately show them up a lot more though. But it also looks a the best IMHO when clean, polished and wax'd.

J.

bacardi · Mar 23, 2006

Agree MB - last 3 cars have been black, IMO they look better, Silver cars are everywhere these days (Not saying they look bad though!) I dont mind spending the time cleaning thme though..

beaker · Mar 23, 2006

I chose Akoya because thats what the colour the car was when I seen it at the dealers. Really like it. My last two cars were black and I think it looks great when its all buffed up but its quickly dirtied up again. Akoya is really forgiving with the dirt.

If I had bought the car new I would probably have gone for the darker grey colour, whatever thats called - dolphin maybe.

bacardi · Mar 23, 2006

dolphin is a nic colour too, if I had have gone for a silver that would have been it for me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

h5djr · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
Silver cars are everywhere these days

[/ QUOTE ]

At the moment I seem to see far more black A3s, both 3-door and Sportbacks, than any other colour and most of them look horrible because they are so dirty. Apart from the photos on this forum I don't think I've seen a clean good looking black A3 for months. Perhaps it will be better when summer comes - if it ever does !

god_thats_quick · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps it will be better when summer comes - if it ever does !

[/ QUOTE ]

Fair point about the personal choice - very diplomatic and I've got crap taste anyway!

I doubt the cars will be getting cleaned as much this year because well at least in the south I think there will be hosepipe bans pretty much everywhere.

dickys3 · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
100 - 110K miles on the clock. So if I sell it just before the 4 years is up with approx 80 - 90K on the clock I'm hoping It will be worth a lot more. Afterall, 80K on a Diesel isn't much is it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Perfect then Dicky.

By selling at 80-90K, you'll hit the milage sweet spot perfectly, and if your feeling cheeky, you may even get away without changing the cambelt.

You may even find that you get a favourable trade in, as it'll have less than 100K.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah thats what I was thinking! I've gone for it now and I am really looking forward to getting it!

cheers
Rich.

marriedblonde · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Silver cars are everywhere these days

[/ QUOTE ]

At the moment I seem to see far more black A3s, both 3-door and Sportbacks, than any other colour and most of them look horrible because they are so dirty. Apart from the photos on this forum I don't think I've seen a clean good looking black A3 for months. Perhaps it will be better when summer comes - if it ever does !

[/ QUOTE ]

Not true I've posted lots of pics f mine over the last coupleo fo weeks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

dickys3 · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
Silver cars are BORING!!! it's the non choice in my opinion - cleaning is also not a good way to choose the colour of a car, I never found a particular problem with my old black car.

I will be doing my best to never own a silver car!

[/ QUOTE ]

I really like it. Don't get me wrong I love seeing black and dark cars all cleaned up (god I spend hours every week on my Ming Blue S3) but as I will be using it as a work horse travelling up and down the motorway I think it will work out really well! And it will hide the marks it will pick up along the way, unlike my S3 which gathers marks by looking at it!

Cheers
Rich.

dickys3 · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
i choose my "crystal blue" which is silvery blue, not because of maintenance but purely for the colour, and i clean my car every weekend....

Rich, 22K a year is nothing on a diesel, shouldnt worry about it, thats about the average diesel does anyway, i do quite little mileage i think for 17K sooo i dont think 80-90K aint gonna be a big problem selling, as many diesel owners know, diesels can run over a million miles providing you look after it and service it as and when.

my 2p's worth.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Rich, really looking forward to getting it now!

dickys3 · Mar 23, 2006

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I tell you something else,the Akoya silver is so much tougher than the flat black was on my A4.

Whether that's just because it's metallic,whereas my A4 wasn't,I don't know,but the paint on my A4 was so soft it was unbelievable.

You only had to look at it and it scratched.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats not actually true, removing swirls and marks from any of the VAG groups paint work is a nightmare.

Ok so I am a bit anal about keeping my cars clean and I have a wide range of lotions and potions for paint resotring etc and evening using a PC it takes a lot of effort and harsher gradings of paint restorer to remove swirls and light scratches from the paintwork a lot more than the Jap/french cars that i have worked on.

Black paint does definately show them up a lot more though. But it also looks a the best IMHO when clean, polished and wax'd.

J.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know what you mean about VAG paint! i have spent many days with my PC trying to get rid of the swirls!

Perhaps a rotary is on the cards! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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