Audi A4 3.0 Quattro Convert

RCUK · 01-05-2013, 02:05 PM

As my car search lurches from left to right... stumbled across these.

Saw one today... 04 plate, black, black leather, bose, 59k, FSH ... car is pretty clean and £5500, dealer said he would do £5200.

My issue is its had 5 previous owners ... is that a big issue?

Looking at the ownership chain, people seem to have had it for 18 months before selling on - which is a reasonable amount of time.

Car did drive really well tho, and is a hell of a lot of car for the money - and i always fancied a job as a hairdresser (which im informed comes as a standard feature of buying one)

Thoughts??

peterg1965 · 01-05-2013, 03:43 PM

Good choice and sounds like decemt value for money. I had a 03 plate 2.4 Sport A4 Cab from new. Loved it and even kept it 19 months!

RCUK · 01-05-2013, 04:09 PM

Sounds like no-one keeps these things for very long - judging by what you said too!!

peterg1965 · 01-05-2013, 04:14 PM

They are probably a bit of a 'fashion accessory' to some, that's why they are not kept for ages.

RCUK · 01-05-2013, 04:28 PM

yep.. id have it 18 months max as well....

reckon resale summer 2014 should get me a fair amount back on it.

RCUK · 01-05-2013, 05:17 PM

link:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1500?logcode=p

A_P · 01-06-2013, 02:38 AM

mowflow · 01-06-2013, 03:58 AM

Takes a certain type of person to keep a vert longer than 2 summers. First summer you realise it rains a hell of a lot in this country but you put it down to having a freak, bad summer. Come the next summer you realise the weather really is that crap and decide to sell the vert. Hence, 18 month ownership.

Buy it to scratch the itch but give the dealer £5k and not a penny more. The twin grill models are not that easy to shift.

RCUK · 01-06-2013, 04:19 AM

Hmm ....i was thinking £5k as well....

I see the scratching itch bit tho...

This is hard

peterg1965 · 01-06-2013, 04:46 AM

As you have said, it is probably cheap motoring, pay £5000 for it, drive it around until Easter 2014 and sell for £4000 - simples. I dont think buying it carries that much risk, so long as you have fully HPI'd it (I would do this myself and not leave to the dealer) and I would also call the Audi dealer where it had it services (at least the last one) to double check the history and what they did. When it comes to sell make sure it has one years MOT and tax to last until at least the end of summer 2014 and someone will snap it up for summer next year.

EDIT - is it full AUDI service history?

Just done a CAP valuation:

AUDI
A4 CABRIOLET 3.0 Quattro Sport 2dr (ID:25616) YF04TSZ
Mileage:59000 (06/01/2013)
Date of Registration:27/07/2004
VIN:WAU*******345
Colour:BLACK
Valuations
Trade In Clean£3,775 -
£4,025
Trade In Average£3,425 -
£3,650
Trade In Below£3,075 -
£3,275

and we buy any car say, £3280, which is rock bottom book price - i suspect because it is a uneconomical 3.0 petrol.

So, just buy it!

A_P · 01-06-2013, 04:49 AM

You do know we buy any car will say 3280 and then knock you down to somewhere around 2500 to 2k?

Why an audi convertible? they are just so pants its unbelievable.

RCUK · 01-06-2013, 05:12 AM

it drove really well... nice pull, and i never owned an audi.

Several BM's, few fords, loads of VW ... so try something new!

Service is first 2 from Audi, 2nd 2 from indi. Spoken to Autopool who are well respected Audi indi and they said they would give it once over for £80

Am sorely tempted as for £5k (my self imposed limit) things are hard to come by that are a little diff to the norm.

peterg1965 · 01-06-2013, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A_P

they are just so pants its unbelievable.

Have you had one? I have and I would beg to differ, I think they are one of the nicest looking cabs of the last 10 years.

A_P · 01-06-2013, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterg1965

Have you had one? I have and I would beg to differ, I think they are one of the nicest looking cabs of the last 10 years.

I didnt own one no, but we had one in the family. and so I got to drive it and be in it on many occasions.

Looks subjective. Performance.. meh... compared to rivals. If its just about cheap top down fun then have a look at the MX5. You have 50/50 balance. Which is a real joy to drive.

I dont think I would buy an Audi. Ever.

RCUK · 01-06-2013, 05:23 AM

BTW Peter!!

Thanks for doing the CAP valuation! Much appreciated!

mowflow · 01-06-2013, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A_P

I didnt own one no, but we had one in the family. and so I got to drive it and be in it on many occasions.

Looks subjective. Performance.. meh... compared to rivals. If its just about cheap top down fun then have a look at the MX5. You have 50/50 balance. Which is a real joy to drive.

I dont think I would buy an Audi. Ever.

Why bother with an MX5 when the budget can get an S2k. My old man had a miata and my wife had a mk2 mx5 and a mk2.5. The miata verged on fun but the other 2 were utter crap.

335d Rocco · 01-06-2013, 03:24 PM

I had a 55 reg a4 cab for 12 months, I had the s line model, I had the 2.5 diesel, so can't comment too much about the 3.0 petrol, apart from the fact that a friend had the 2.4 petrol cab and it was quick enough. The interior in them is great, s line seats are very comfy. try and get one with a Bose upgrade. I was told to avoid the multitronic auto gear boxes, they are prone failure and are expensive to replace, £1500 upwards I think, any ground work I dne on them via the Internet seemed to back that up as well, horror stories everywhere. The room in the rear seats is very tight, so keep that in mind if you have kids to cart around.

RCUK · 01-06-2013, 03:35 PM

one that i seen has the Bose upgrade... i thought it was standard!

Dealer didnt seem to notice it either...

Car is a manual.. def want a manual this time.

335d Rocco · 01-06-2013, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCUK

one that i seen has the Bose upgrade... i thought it was standard!

Dealer didnt seem to notice it either...

Car is a manual.. def want a manual this time.

No, defo not standard, Bose is an upgrade, it's not brilliant, but alot better than standard. Audi have standard, symphony and Bose.

Servicing at Audi is quite reasonable as once the car is over a certain age, they give you a better deal to try and keep you coming back. If your on 18" wheels, they will be 225/40/18 and are reasonably priced.

Check to see if it comes with a wind deflector for when the roof is down, they are quite expensive from Audi, but you can pick them up on eBay for around £100

A good forum to check out is audi-sport.net

RCUK · 01-06-2013, 05:56 PM

Think car is on 17's??

dobbo99 · 01-07-2013, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCUK

link:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1500?logcode=p

id be happy with that for 5k, not done a shed load of miles, leather looks quite clean as well.
although at that price your into e46 territory, and I think Id rather have one of those if I had to choose. but if youve had one of those before then this is a logical option.

Mart1000 · 01-07-2013, 05:53 AM

Don't get hung up on the older Bose system. Although the name is great, in reality the sound quality is average at best.

I like the look of the a4 vert, but would I own one? No.

01-05-2013, 02:05 PM	#1
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Audi A4 3.0 Quattro Convert As my car search lurches from left to right... stumbled across these. Saw one today... 04 plate, black, black leather, bose, 59k, FSH ... car is pretty clean and £5500, dealer said he would do £5200. My issue is its had 5 previous owners ... is that a big issue? Looking at the ownership chain, people seem to have had it for 18 months before selling on - which is a reasonable amount of time. Car did drive really well tho, and is a hell of a lot of car for the money - and i always fancied a job as a hairdresser (which im informed comes as a standard feature of buying one) Thoughts?? __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
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01-05-2013, 03:43 PM	#2
peterg1965 Brigadier General 164 Rep 4,190 Posts Drives: F30 335d M Sport, F15 X5 40d Join Date: May 2007 Location: The place of dark satanic mills, UK iTrader: (0)	Good choice and sounds like decemt value for money. I had a 03 plate 2.4 Sport A4 Cab from new. Loved it and even kept it 19 months!
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01-05-2013, 04:09 PM	#3
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Sounds like no-one keeps these things for very long - judging by what you said too!! __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
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01-05-2013, 04:14 PM	#4
peterg1965 Brigadier General 164 Rep 4,190 Posts Drives: F30 335d M Sport, F15 X5 40d Join Date: May 2007 Location: The place of dark satanic mills, UK iTrader: (0)	They are probably a bit of a 'fashion accessory' to some, that's why they are not kept for ages.
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01-05-2013, 04:28 PM	#5
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	yep.. id have it 18 months max as well.... reckon resale summer 2014 should get me a fair amount back on it. __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
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01-05-2013, 05:17 PM	#6
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	link: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...1500?logcode=p __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
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01-06-2013, 02:38 AM	#7
A_P Lieutenant Colonel 57 Rep 1,698 Posts Drives: E46 M3 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: South East iTrader: (0)
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01-06-2013, 03:58 AM	#8
mowflow Colonel 62 Rep 2,472 Posts Drives: Golf 7R Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Glasgow iTrader: (2)	Takes a certain type of person to keep a vert longer than 2 summers. First summer you realise it rains a hell of a lot in this country but you put it down to having a freak, bad summer. Come the next summer you realise the weather really is that crap and decide to sell the vert. Hence, 18 month ownership. Buy it to scratch the itch but give the dealer £5k and not a penny more. The twin grill models are not that easy to shift.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 04:19 AM	#9
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Hmm ....i was thinking £5k as well.... I see the scratching itch bit tho... This is hard __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
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01-06-2013, 04:46 AM	#10
peterg1965 Brigadier General 164 Rep 4,190 Posts Drives: F30 335d M Sport, F15 X5 40d Join Date: May 2007 Location: The place of dark satanic mills, UK iTrader: (0)	As you have said, it is probably cheap motoring, pay £5000 for it, drive it around until Easter 2014 and sell for £4000 - simples. I dont think buying it carries that much risk, so long as you have fully HPI'd it (I would do this myself and not leave to the dealer) and I would also call the Audi dealer where it had it services (at least the last one) to double check the history and what they did. When it comes to sell make sure it has one years MOT and tax to last until at least the end of summer 2014 and someone will snap it up for summer next year. EDIT - is it full AUDI service history? Just done a CAP valuation: AUDI A4 CABRIOLET 3.0 Quattro Sport 2dr (ID:25616) YF04TSZ Mileage:59000 (06/01/2013) Date of Registration:27/07/2004 VIN:WAU*******345 Colour:BLACK Valuations Trade In Clean£3,775 - £4,025 Trade In Average£3,425 - £3,650 Trade In Below£3,075 - £3,275 and we buy any car say, £3280, which is rock bottom book price - i suspect because it is a uneconomical 3.0 petrol. So, just buy it!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 04:49 AM	#11
A_P Lieutenant Colonel 57 Rep 1,698 Posts Drives: E46 M3 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: South East iTrader: (0)	You do know we buy any car will say 3280 and then knock you down to somewhere around 2500 to 2k? Why an audi convertible? they are just so pants its unbelievable.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 05:12 AM	#12
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	it drove really well... nice pull, and i never owned an audi. Several BM's, few fords, loads of VW ... so try something new! Service is first 2 from Audi, 2nd 2 from indi. Spoken to Autopool who are well respected Audi indi and they said they would give it once over for £80 Am sorely tempted as for £5k (my self imposed limit) things are hard to come by that are a little diff to the norm. __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 05:23 AM	#15
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	BTW Peter!! Thanks for doing the CAP valuation! Much appreciated! __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 03:24 PM	#17
335d Rocco Major 114 Rep 1,058 Posts Drives: G01 BMW X3 30d M Sport Plus Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hampshire iTrader: (1) Garage List 2019 BMW X3 30d M S ... [0.00] 2008 BMW 330i M Spo ... [0.00]	I had a 55 reg a4 cab for 12 months, I had the s line model, I had the 2.5 diesel, so can't comment too much about the 3.0 petrol, apart from the fact that a friend had the 2.4 petrol cab and it was quick enough. The interior in them is great, s line seats are very comfy. try and get one with a Bose upgrade. I was told to avoid the multitronic auto gear boxes, they are prone failure and are expensive to replace, £1500 upwards I think, any ground work I dne on them via the Internet seemed to back that up as well, horror stories everywhere. The room in the rear seats is very tight, so keep that in mind if you have kids to cart around.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 03:35 PM	#18
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	one that i seen has the Bose upgrade... i thought it was standard! Dealer didnt seem to notice it either... Car is a manual.. def want a manual this time. __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-06-2013, 05:56 PM	#20
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Think car is on 17's?? __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
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01-07-2013, 05:53 AM	#22
Mart1000 Capt Slow 37 Rep 1,076 Posts Drives: Leon FR Supercopa Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Suffolk iTrader: (1)	Don't get hung up on the older Bose system. Although the name is great, in reality the sound quality is average at best. I like the look of the a4 vert, but would I own one? No.
	Appreciate 0 Quote