petenice00

I've located a very nice 07 RS4 with about 74K miles. One owner, always in Arizona, car appeared to be maintained at a local audi dealership so I gave them a call to pull the service history. It was very well maintained there following proper oil change intervals (5K). At 45K they addressed the DRC and Carbon Buildup campaigns, as well as a failed coil pack. Other items included new tyres (twice) and two brake/pad changes. I guess the owner liked to push it....

Car is being offered by Plaza Motors. They seem to deal with high-end cars and the experience has been very good/professional thus far. It has new tires, new rotors/pads, and all the basic maintenance (fluids, etc). A few minor blemishes here and there but what do you expect at 74K.

I paid the audi dealership for an inspection (smart move) and they came back with three mechanical concerns: (1) very soft clutch, (2) both cv boots are torn (How Did the other place NOT see that during their 'inspection0', and (3) slightly torn wishbone bushing. Their estimate for each of the jobs is 3800, 970, and 650 respectively...so roughtly 5400.

Asking price for the car is 33,800. I'm thinking one of three options:

(1) Agree to asking price if Plaza Motors agrees to address the 3 problems
(2) Suggest a reasonable reduction in asking price to offset cost of doing that maintenance with the help of audi mechanic
(3) simply walk away

I'm leaning for option 1. Seem like a reasonable approach? Or is the price still too high?

http://cargur.us/f06W

thanks in advance for some additional logic...

ELEVENS

I'd want to know more about the clutch. What exactly do they mean by "very soft"?

PARealtor

seems like a lot of money for a car with that many miles. Have them fix the problems or take a pass. Obviously the prior owner couldnt afford to fix them so that just tells me the car hasnt been cared for.

G35Dalf

Well said PARealtor. Care of ownership is important to consider when buying used, especially when parts for a car like this are expensive. You may save at the beginning but pay for it in the long run. There may be more choice/better cars come available in the spring.

zero2sixty

Actually this is a very fair price for this car.
It's a one owner all-Arizona / no accident (carfax)car / verifiable Audi Dealership maintenance in a desirable somewhat limited production color (sprint blue) with black interior and carbon trim. New pads/rotors and tires are a huge plus (~$2.5k).
It's very reasonable for the car to require a clutch at this mileage and also reasonable for an owner to trade/sell the car before incurring the expense. The other items are an easy fix non-issue.
If you can get the dealership to address the issues (at the asking price) you are way way ahead of the game. Even if you can't you may be able to get a little off the price (bargaining chit) and have the work done at a good independent shop.
If the miles arn't a big concern to you overall then this car is a very reasonable purchase. I say go for it!

Personally I like the fact that it's not a modified car. You don't have to deal with someone else's idea of what's cool and can choose to mod or not.

petenice00

Thanks for all the inputs, all good points and I can certainly take time to look for another specimen. Based on the prices I'm seeing, slightly north of 40K gets you lower mileage and possibly remainder of CPO. It's just a question of finding the right color combo.

Regarding the 'soft clutch', Audi technician that inspected the car said he's driven plenty of these and that clutch didn't feel nearly as firm as the others. He believes it will need to be replaced in the near-future.

ELEVENS

Man that's a tough one. "...feeling nearly as firm..." doesn't sound very scientific to me. Sure, the clutch may be shot, but not necessarily so, it all depends upon driver habits. Now if it was slipping, that would be a whole different thing as the pressure plate friction material would be toast. But "firmness" relates to pressure plate springs, and that just seems a bit far-fetched (to me) that the springs would lose tension.

I guess what I'm saying is that I wouldn't write off the clutch based upon a tech who's "driven plenty of these" and who makes that sort of a "feely" statement regarding a $4000 repair bill that may, or may not, even be needed.

gibsonl

As someone who has done a few, a clutch job should be moreso in the 2500 range than 4k. Labor should be around 1k at an Indy and as much as 1800 at Audi. Which leads me to belive that the OEM setup must be $2,200?! If it's not slipping I certainly wouldn't be pulling it out but certainly something to keep in mind. I know they have been replaced under 100k miles for many people but driving habits matter of course.

RS4bro

Ok...my cents:

- never have a dealer perform "repairs" on a car they are selling. Unless you *really* trust them you are better off negotiating the price down of the repairs and having the work done at a shop *you* trust.

- I agree w/ gibsonl & eleven , the price is high for the clutch repair and soft isn't the correct way to describe a clutch in need of service soon.

- why no interior photos?

- this car may have been tracked

- If they have not room on the price, then keep looking.

petenice00

Well looks like I'm off the hook on this one as someone local bought it. I'm
actually ok with that and will take my time looking.

Too bad zero2sixty didn't get a chance to give it a look for me while in Phoenix
on business. Something didn't feel right and these guys left out some very
trivial repairs (leaky coolant reservoir, dirty engine/cabin filter, and two torn cv boots).

I agree about the clutch.

Thanks for all the .02, getting close to a full dollar.