Why can't I sell my A4 Quattro??

[beachbuggy]

So I have had my A4 2.5 v6 quattro up for sale for over a month now and not even a sniff!!

It's a V reg on 90k miles. 11 months Mot. Immaculate condition and I mean spotless inside and out. Votex body kit.

I've got it up for £3250 and think that's a fair price.

Are these cars not that desirable or is it just a bad time of year?

 

[rasA4]

it could be size on engine? also i assume its diesel? where are you selling it? what have other cars like yours going for?

 

[jamie226bhp]

Bit of both I think anyone wanting a big engine will go s4 most will opt for 1.8t as there cheap and easy to tune

 

[aragorn]

I recon its simply a bit too expensive.

Yes its a derv (i'm assuming that as there isnt a 2.5 petrol) and they demand more than petrols, but the 2.5 isnt particularly frugal, and the engine itself has a bit of a bad reputation for giving expensive bills.

I paid 1900 earlier in the year for a W-Reg 1.8TQS, which is probably the most desirable petrol Quattro bar the S4.

 

[aragorn]

A quick scan of ebay shows up things like this:

2002 AUDI A4 2.5 TDI QUATTRO SE GREEN 180BHP on eBay (end time 21-Oct-10 21:57:07 BST)

Two years younger, the newer B6 model, higher power output etc, and only a tiny bit more than your wanting for yours.

and this:
Audi A4 2.5 Tdi Quattro Sport 180BHP on eBay (end time 30-Sep-10 10:30:59 BST)

Only 1 year younger, but still B6 model, and also a trader where you'd expect higher prices.

 

[rt05492]

I picked up my 1998 Tiptronic one of these with 87k on the clock and FASH 18 months ago for £1775 with leather and aircon (private sale out of the Ad Trader).

Does about 30-35 mpg so it's a big gas guzzler by today's diesel standards. Nice if you can afford the insurance and fuel but not what most people are after.

 

[rt05492]

PS If you can't shift it, putting a diesel chip in it may put a smile back on your face.

I have Chip Express unit in mine (about £400, 5 mins to fit), that plus the quattro puts the car beyond my abilities as a driver (around corners anyway). Flat out acceleration as good as any new 180-200 bhp turdodiesel on the market and also much lighter than current overweight tank generation.

 

[wayne77]

theres been a few s4s for sale recently going for around the 4k mark

 

[voteforpedro]

Is yours the silver one? I've seen it and was tempted by it... I know it's a nice car but I think it's a bit overpriced tbh.

 

[adamss24]

Bit of both I think anyone wanting a big engine will go s4 most will opt for 1.8t as there cheap and easy to tune

There's no comparisson between the way the v6 pulls and the TQS. I drove a nice w reg ssallon the other day and even when you rag the tits out of it it wasnt breathtaking. My v6 tdi quattro sport will run circles around a stock 1.8TQS. Also the v6 is only 50kg heavier but gets on boost much quicker than the petrol... I might be biased but my avant is a bit of an animal and the diesel- with a litle know how- is as easy to tune as a 1.8 T. Throw a set of Bosio race or Iveco/DAF/MAN nozzles and a modern turbocharger like a Garrett GTB 2260Vk or Borg Warner(KKK) BV 50 and a good remap and you over 300Bhp. All in will cost you a grand and it will still return 30-40 Mpg all day long. The v6 has a stronger gearbox, stronger clutch and has 2 intercoolers as standard- good enough for 270 Bhp ! The 1.8 T can be also tuned easy but loads of money needs spending on upgrading the parts in order to cope with the power increase.

 

[ScottyP45]

I find a tdi more fun to drive on a daily basis as the torque is made so low down. My alfa 156 2.5 tdi was remapped and my god that thing was brutal. Only did 37-40mpg at best with careful (granny style) driving after mapping, but still good. My right foot doesnt do granny except when low on fuel and money lol.

My Legacy twin turbo has almost 3 times the peak bhp of my 110 tdi but it needs pushed to high rpms to get it out - the second turbo only kicks in at 4k and it redlines at 7k, so you are way past legal speeds even in 3rd before the big power comes on. Useless on the road in real life driving unless you drive like a nutter. 80 to 160 comes up fast tho, and if you hang on a bit, you will see 180 if your underpants hold up

 

[voteforpedro]

Also, you can technically ditch the cats on the diesel?

 

[ScottyP45]

good point pedro, I was wondering the same thing. I heard they arent necessary for the mot on a diesel but may be an urban myth...

 

[beachbuggy]

The problem I found when trying to price it was that there wasn't that many around. The only others I found where 180,000miles + pretty average condition and still selling for about £1750. Then you look at the A4 2.5 Avants and they are all advertised for around the £4k mark, but then an engine like this is probably more suitable for an estate rather than a saloon, plus there's more demand for an estate with a big diesel engine. I am still suprised there has been little interest!

in answer to others questions yes, it is silver and a diesel, I've only been driving it for a month or so since getting back ont he road and only selling as I bought a new project Audi S3, but I have to say the A4 v6 engine is a pleasure, especially on the motorways and A roads, to drive. It's a little like a tank around town, but let it loose a little and it goes as well as any other car i've driven. I've not driven a chipped version, but reckon it would benefit vastly from it but a little reluctant to do that as the car is still stock engine wise and would rather sell it like that than limit myself to who would buy it. Then again, it may need chipping to get it sold, and I've been quote £200 to get it chipped so it may be worth while.

I've just re advertised it in the auto trader for 3 weeks and put it back on piston heads so I'll see what happens. I'm pretty sure though that it is the right car for someone just need them to want to buy one.

 

[aragorn]

What you need to realise is that the price a car is ADVERTISED for does not reflect its worth.

So just because you've seen one at 4k doesnt say anything other than the sellers delusional.

If you can get a younger car thats a newer model (which is a big thing for most normal car buyers) for the same money as you think yours is worth, then surely your asking too much?

Put yourself in the buyers shoes, if you were in the market for an A4 V6 TDI Quattro, and had 3.5k to spend, why would you pick a '99 B5 when for 200quid more you can get an 01/02 B6 model? Unless you were specifically wanting a B5 ofcourse.

 

[beachbuggy]

How many 01/02 quattro A4's are there with less than 100k for £3.5k ???

 

[adamss24]

good point pedro, I was wondering the same thing. I heard they arent necessary for the mot on a diesel but may be an urban myth...

Mine has no cats on and it really does not need them anyway, passing MOT's with no problem whatsoever for a few years now. On a quattro diesel the cats are not that restrictive anyway unless they are plugged. I did not see much difference maybe a quicker spool-up. On small engines with smaller turbochargers (1.9 PD for example) the cat is there to provide some back pressure as the turbo will surge very quick on low revvs (not a problem on the v6 as the turbo needs time to spool)... With the ammount of work i've put in me car, i would rather break-it than sell-it for less than 3.5 K (parts alone they were 3k !) so i would hang in there and wait for the cold wheather- then you'll get your money ! Eastern europeeans travel abroad by car on X-mas time and they preffer quattro diesels as there is bad weather/loadsa snow and ice so they tend to buy quattro's mid octomber/begining of november ! On a personal note, the b5 is a much better car put toghether than the b6 it's replaced with ! While i dont really like low mileage ober 10 years old cars (many are clocked cose they sell better !) if yours is as good as it seems then someone will get a bargain ! The Votex kit make's it look soo much better though !

 

[bennn]

Has your 2.5TDI had a cambelt yet? I know that these cost over £800 at an audi dealer, so maybe that could be putting people off?

 

[adamss24]

Has your 2.5TDI had a cambelt yet? I know that these cost over £800 at an audi dealer, so maybe that could be putting people off?

Audi "specialists" do them for 450 all in ! I am no "specialist" but i can supply and fit a full Contitech cambelt kit(wich includes the vibration damper), genuine Audi thermostat, KWP water pump (with a metal impeller), 5L of G12 antifreeze, aux. belt and A/C belt and set the injector pump while giving the car a good once-over...

 

[beachbuggy]

Yes cambelt was done at 80K so not really an issue. . New turbo, wheel bearings brakes all round so it's pretty square on the mechanics. Probably going to drop to 3k. Personally I think its a hell of a lot of motor for the money! But then I'm biased.