Advice for buying from a private sale

[jonnydarcy]

Hi,
had a look on the boards but couldn't identify some general advice for buying cars privately.

I'm interested in buying an A6 privately and am looking at spending between £15-20k. In terms of identifying whether a car has any issues, given the sums of money involved it feels logical to pay for an independent garage to carry out an assessment on a vehicle I was interested in buying.

Would this be an advised approach? How expensive is this kind of thing and how easy is it to find a garage willing to do it?

All advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[B5NUT]

Where are you based if someone is local to you they may be able to recommend a garage.

 

[jonnydarcy]

Hi, no the vehicle may well be some distance from me (100 miles).

Many years ago I paid for an AA inspection on a car I was planning to buy. Cost me around £150 but was worth its weight in gold as the car had issues. I was just hoping a similar kind of service still exists although i don't believe the AA offer this any more. Would be pleased to be corrected of course.

Cheers

 

[B5NUT]

Looks like they still offer that service. http://www.theaa.com/vehicle-inspections/index.html

 

[elan2s]

Looks like they still offer that service. http://www.theaa.com/vehicle-inspections/index.html

Remember that a survey like this will tell you everything that is wrong with the car (if only to cover their backs) and you will need to use some judgement as to how serious any issue is. I suspect if you had a brand new car straight from the factory subject to a third party inspection they would find issues

 

[elan2s]

..also at the budget you are thinking of (and depending on what engine etc you are looking for) you may be able to get a C7 which is overall a better car than the C6

 

[B5NUT]

..also at the budget you are thinking of (and depending on what engine etc you are looking for) you may be able to get a C7 which is overall a better car than the C6

I think that's personal rather than a better car choice, I would rather have a fully loaded C6 then a poverty spec C7

 

[Allroadslead2]

Hi,
had a look on the boards but couldn't identify some general advice for buying cars privately.

I'm interested in buying an A6 privately and am looking at spending between £15-20k. In terms of identifying whether a car has any issues, given the sums of money involved it feels logical to pay for an independent garage to carry out an assessment on a vehicle I was interested in buying.

Would this be an advised approach? How expensive is this kind of thing and how easy is it to find a garage willing to do it?

All advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

If you are still in the market I would recommend you take it to a friendly independent VW Audi specialist who really know the cars and can give you better advice than a main dealer at a fraction of the cost - they will see the potential for servicing work if you come away satisfied. And they will know what to look for as the potential weak points of the A6, such as suspension bushes, inlet manifolds on the V6s, oil coilers and intercoolers etc. An excellent example is Pony Road Autos in Oxford, who service my A6 Allroad 2.7 TDI. I've had 4 successive A6 Avants now and can advise on most of the potential pitfalls of the C6 chassis, but having said that, by the 2007 model (C6 Chassis) it was by far one of the most reliable large exec cars on the market, beating the Merc E Class with its electrics problems and BMW 5 series with tyre and suspension problems. In the price bracket you are looking at, you should pick up a very nice 2.0TDi Sline C7 model (or a 2.7). It all depends on what you are looking for as there is such an enormous choice in the A6 range. Personally I would go for the 2.7 Allroad - for my money the best looking A6 by a country mile and with true Sports/Utility capabilities, unlike the majority of SUVs!

 

[jonnydarcy]

Thanks, good advice. Surprisingly in the end I sourced a good car from a dealer at a very reasonable price.