Advice on buying an Audi A3

PSDA3

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Hi there,

New to the forum and not too much knowledge of cars. Im looking for tips on what to look out for/ask when buying an Audi A3

Should the cambelt be changed after certain amount of miles etc?

Its a 1.6 Petrol Special Edition 2004 3dr.

I currently have a 1.9 Diesel Turbo Alfa Romeo. I only do 25 miles a day, 12.5 to work and back,so the petrol option for such a short distance each day maybe just as good as the diesel mileage which im reasonably happy with?

Its listed for £4,500 but its a buyers market just now,so i was hoping to haggle to maybe £3,800. Being not to clued up on cars is £3,800 to low to offer,or no real right or wrong answer here? Its from a local garage.

Thanks in advance.:thumbsup:
 
Hi, welcome to audi-sport.net. Have a read of the faqs thread at the topof this section, lots of useful info in there. Enjoy the forum. :) x
 
I don't think there's a specific mileage for the belt on the 1.6, but if it hasn't been done in the past 8 years I would definitely get it done ASAP, I'm assuming it's the old 8v engine, so they are a doddle anyway!

As for offering, just throw £3,800 at them, the worst they can say is no. If the belt hasn't been done then you've already got a couple of hundred quid to get them down from £4,500.
 
Hey,

What's the current mileage on the car? Check the usual details like last service and any repairs etc. and also might want to consider a 6 month/12 month warranty if its from a dealer just to be on the safe side (if your budget allows).

The trick is to ask as many questions as you can and the more hiccups you come across the easier it becomes to get the price down.

When I bought my A3 I took a mechanic along (a good friend who had done a lot of work on my dads/friends cars) and had him look at the car and test it and he raised a couple of issues with clutch etc. and expected life span and I was able to get about £300/400 off the asking price. Obviously this will only apply if the car has any issues at all but it is always good to get a second opinion from a professional especially if you are really attracted to the car - this I think sometimes blinds peoples' judgement but each to their own I guess.

Good luck with the car and hope to see some pics etc. once purchased!

G
 
Hey,

What's the current mileage on the car? Check the usual details like last service and any repairs etc. and also might want to consider a 6 month/12 month warranty if its from a dealer just to be on the safe side (if your budget allows).

The trick is to ask as many questions as you can and the more hiccups you come across the easier it becomes to get the price down.

When I bought my A3 I took a mechanic along (a good friend who had done a lot of work on my dads/friends cars) and had him look at the car and test it and he raised a couple of issues with clutch etc. and expected life span and I was able to get about £300/400 off the asking price. Obviously this will only apply if the car has any issues at all but it is always good to get a second opinion from a professional especially if you are really attracted to the car - this I think sometimes blinds peoples' judgement but each to their own I guess.

Good luck with the car and hope to see some pics etc. once purchased!

G


Hi thanks for the replies

The car has done 73k miles, full service history. Comes with 1 month warranty, I know the guy through a friend which I suppose is something should there be any hiccups.


Its quite a bulky car, is the 1.6 powerful enough to haul the car around an not guzzle petrol ?
 
Its quite a bulky car, is the 1.6 powerful enough to haul the car around an not guzzle petrol ?

1.6 does feel underpowered for the car, if fuel economy is your biggest drive you should seriously consider the 1.6 TDI..
 
Hi mate, as the car is for work really an not much else, I'm not a driving connasuer, so I'm not overly fussed about speed an the over all feel, just as long as its not guzzling gas, I don't expect it to be a step above just as long for its size it's not known as a greedy car.
 
1.6 does feel underpowered for the car, if fuel economy is your biggest drive you should seriously consider the 1.6 TDI..

This is true, but I don't believe the 1.6 TDI is as good as the 1.4 TFSI - this is a great engine. You have enough punch for moderate power and excellent fuel economy - best of all from a petrol engine! (I'm not anti-diesel, just personal preference). Having said that, if the car you are looking at is a 1.6 - it'l hold enough to let you have a bit of fun ;)

I have a 1.8 TFSI and I have averaged around 38-42mpg casually driving around town/city (not even long haul journeys on the motorway) - so I think the 1.6 will give you some good fuel consumption.