115k high miles good or bad buy?? new bee

[turbonutta]

Hi folks.....i got made redundant 2 months ago....BOO

But today i got a new job after all those pesky interviews.....YE HAW:thumbsup:

Now i want to spend my redundancy cash (whats left) on a TT or now im thinking more S3 as i can fit my massive sub and its more practical

i have found a nice green example but it has high miles nearly 120k now what should i look out for are these mota's good for high miles or do they suffer from knackered turbos if so am i ganna get hammerd when it comes to fix it
or should i wait a few months nd save more cash to buy a lower mileage one
also (sorry) is the 4wheel drive system prone to probs

im a keen vee dubber although i have owned an audi 100 and a 5cylinder 2liter coupe that was a fun car

Thanks for your input sorry for the the smileys
i have never seen so many

PS and do they all or are they all ment to have silver mirrors

 

[bantam1]

Should be OK with a high miler if it's been looked after and you can verify service history etc. Mines on 145K and going strong. Wear and tear tends to come in other directions (suspension bits etc.) which can add up.

Chrome mirrors were an option.

 

[scoobyra]

Mine's just hit 117K and it's just started to go wrong. Might be down to the lack of a service though! Mileage shouldn't be an issue if it's been looked after.

 

[Broken Byzan]

There are plenty of higher mileage examples on here. As long as the services are regular then it should be all good.

However if and when you do it, i would ensure that the services are done slightly early, and not using the AVS method using the proper full synthetic oil. Personally i would recomend no more than 6-8k intervals to help protect the longevity of your engine

 

[fran-s3]

wonder what the highest milleage s3 is here

 

[turbonutta]

cool sounds good i will have to l the old bills and history when i go and look at one...i may go tonight if the seller is in......
Are the replacment turbos a lot of money im sure the bearings go bad if the oil isnt changed reg.
When you say suspension issues what should i look out for when i go to look at my possible new steed...wobbly wishbones,
wheel bearings,knocking cv's
any advice would be great i think im slowly talking my self into a S3 now wheres the insurance company phone number.....

 

[bantam1]

Rear springs snapping common failure.

Car eats bushes (especially ARB (plus droplinks), wishbone), track rod ends, balljoints etc.

On a higher miler i'd maybe check what suspension renewal work has already been done e.g. is it on original shocks, springs, arbs and drop links, track rod ends etc. etc. It's likely that if so some or all of these will needs renewing at some point.

 

[Westy]

Mines done 113,000 miles but most are motorway miles so the turbo is still going strong but the suspension is on its way out. One of my shocks is leaking slightly and the bushes are starting to creak.

There are quite a few common electronical faults to look out for too. The door locks tend to wear out from opening and closing and this effects the microswitch that tells the dis if the doors are open or closed. This can in turn effect the alarm.

Just make sure to check all electronics, like windows, sun roof, alarm, check the dis to make sure all door are showing closed/open when they are closed/open. I didn't check the alarm on mine when buying it and i'm now having to fork out £300 for a brand new central locking/alarm pump as it was knackered.

 

[turbonutta]

thanks guys i will be looking at a few this weekend
i got a quote for 750 on the insurance i thought that was a bit steep for a baldy 34yr old

 

[SixDegrees]

thanks guys i will be looking at a few this weekend
i got a quote for 750 on the insurance i thought that was a bit steep for a baldy 34yr old

Shop around for insurance... don't know your circumstances ie, points, ncb, location but I have a 1.8 TQ 3 points full NCBm driveway with a L-driver on the policy and I'm £308 fully comp protected with Aviva

As for the high miles I bought mine with 100k on the clock full MOT but lacking in the service history. I checked out as much as I could, 2 viewings / inspections and plumped for it. Engine is strong and 99% of the elecs are OK with the odd issue with the door sensor telling me door is open when its not.

Also, I had to do the Haldex oil and filter - should be done every 20k (oil) and 40k (filter) so you want evidence that this ahs been done recently.

I too have a vertitale choir of knocking and clunking noises come from the fromt, left side mostly so it'll be new wishbones and what not in the near future.

Also, check the rear brakes as the A3s that I've had all had sticking pads issues which can easily be resolved but bst to ensure that brakes have been serviced, etc.

Plus, check all the usual stuff like steering, brake feel, etc etc as well as door hinges, paint work, etc.

And don't forgte the HPI and mileage check. My car was on an Irish Plate and HPI picked up the previous historya well although the owner was honest and told me this I was glad to see it came through with the HPI check.

Mine has also seen some piant in its time, wings, bonnet and drivers side rear qtr but none of this came through on the checks. I'm not fussed as its a good job and its not uncommon to find 8-10 years old cars having some paint on them (my BMW had a front lower lip spolier repair at some point before I bough it and its a 57 plate).

 

[Broken Byzan]

Thats deffo a rip off assuming decent NCB
My GF pays £400 as a 25 yr old driving an A3 TQS with 3 yrs NCB with privalige. I grant you the TQS isnt an S3, but it is not far off

 

[SixDegrees]

Thats deffo a rip off assuming decent NCB
My GF pays £400 as a 25 yr old driving an A3 TQS with 3 yrs NCB with privalige. I grant you the TQS isnt an S3, but it is not far off

Aye, without the protection mine is £279 with the 3 points. Basically Aviva said it really wouldn't go any lower than that, even without the 3 pts it was going to be about £260 which is kinda of the bottom of the scale.

Again, does depend on personal circumstances. Even back in 2003 when I was fully comp on the R32 I was paying £369 with DL.

You can always use confused.com but I always say get a couple of good quotes and then call up and haggle / play 2 Ins companies off against each other.

DL have the ability to chop lots of the premiums if they want to.... they reduced my renewal £80 simply cos I asked if they price match an LV quote and they did!! (with DL on the BMW)

 

[The Doctor]

Yep, I'm a (nearly) baldy 34-year old, with 0 points, >15yrs claim free, car kept on driveway, 12k annual mileage limit and I'm paying £370 fully comp with my wife on the policy too.

Check for:
cambelt/water pump replacement
front wishbone & ARB bushes (just had mine replaced with Powerflex equivalents at 65k miles...)
FSH of course

As with any car if you spend some cash to keep it maintained it'll serve you well. Neglect it & it'll let you down & cost you more in the long run.