Approach to buying an RS4

[gibsonl]

$13k is more than just a trunk replacement. Many of the original owners had these cars as secondary or weekend vehicles which is why so many are available under 50k miles. It shouldn't be that hard to find a clean one, but maybe a little harder in Canada. I personally even plan to get a salvaged title supercar someday, so maybe I'm a little more lenient than most. If the vehicle were about 3/4 the price of the same car with a clean title I'd highly consider it. About 3 weeks after I bought my car there was one on ebay with a PES s/c for bascially the same price I paid sicne it had a minor rear end accident. (Just bumper) I certainly would have gotten it ... This was before learning how pathetic the PES S/C is though.

[G35Dalf]

Originally Posted by gibsonl

...this was before learning how pathetic the PES S/C is though.

Seems you made the right decision then. ;-)

I can live with minor body damage but it's the hidden, serious stuff I worry about - bent frames, rails, suspension, bad repairs, etc. I made that mistake once when I knowingly bought a damaged car, thinking I could bring it back into shape. It was a money pit... full stop.

There's a simpler solution, I guess: re-evaluate the budget. But then, there's still a chance of buying a problem car. Buying new mitigates the risk, which then leads me to the TT RS. I've been reading great things about it - seems to be every bit the monster as the RS4. Only 120 coming to Canada though, so chances are not great on finding one...

[RS4bro]

Hi,

Don't know if you are familiar with this guy but he has a great rep on BMW forums and may assist you in your search (no affiliation).

http://willz.ca/index.htm

Regards,

[G35Dalf]

Originally Posted by RS4bro

Hi,

Don't know if you are familiar with this guy but he has a great rep on BMW forums and may assist you in your search (no affiliation).

http://willz.ca/index.htm

Regards,

Thanks RS4Bro. I'll check him out.

[G35Dalf]

So I found a pretty good looking 2008 Titanium with about 57k and an unremarkable history, other than what the dealer reports: "At the auction when they checked the car, they found a dent underneath the spare tire so they had to declare it as structural damage due to their disclosure policies". I asked for photos (attached). To me, it appears the car was backed over an object that dented the spare tire area, flattened the exhaust tips, and scrapped the bottom of the rear bumper (all minor, repairable damage IMO).

What else could be affected and does this sound reasonable? How does a small dent constitute structural damage? (unless there's other hidden damage). The car is about 500 mi away and I would rather avoid the trip if it sounds bogus. I don't see anything specifically that indicates a problem but my spider sense is tingling... lol.

[gibsonl]

For me it'd come down to the price, so what are they asking? You can pull the carfax and see what it says to get an idea of whether there was ever an accident reported on the vehicle. If they are saying "structural damage" I would be guessing that it has a salvage title right? I'm a little surprised that an Audi dealer would buy that car, but then again this probably isn't an Audi dealer selling it is it?... On a side note, I'm in MD and flew to OH AND FL to check out cars so don't feel too bad if you have to go far.

[gibsonl]

I also don't understand why the top part of the exhaust is damaged. It should be the bottom.

[G35Dalf]

Originally Posted by gibsonl

For me it'd come down to the price, so what are they asking? You can pull the carfax and see what it says to get an idea of whether there was ever an accident reported on the vehicle. If they are saying "structural damage" I would be guessing that it has a salvage title right? I'm a little surprised that an Audi dealer would buy that car, but then again this probably isn't an Audi dealer selling it is it?... On a side note, I'm in MD and flew to OH AND FL to check out cars so don't feel too bad if you have to go far.

They're asking $42,000 CDN (which is pretty close to USD right now).
Dealer indicates CarProof is clean but I don't have 100% faith in CarProof or Carfax - not all claims are declared so it can be fooled, but the good news is in Ontario, the title history can be obtained from the government so salvage title would be evident (I'll only know for sure once I pull the record) - all this to say I'm not too worried about it being salvaged. I am however, concerned about hidden damage.
It's not an Audi dealer - used car sales. But I will bring it to an Audi dealer for a PPI before I buy.
And you're right... a few trips may be unavoidable. There's no shortcuts in this kind of deal.

I'm guessing the exhaust tip was "squished" between the object it hit and the top of the bumper. I'm hoping I'll know more once/if I go check it out. Still wavering on whether to go.

[BADRS4]

naaa the bumper couldn't have squeezed the tail pipe like that....something else had to happen

[G35Dalf]

So I may have an answer to my own questions. After reviewing the photos, the RS4 logo on one of the body side moldings is not exactly straight - slightly crooked. Maybe a minor detail, but it didn't come from the factory this way, which could indicate sloppy workmanship in a body shop. There may be more to this car than the dealer is revealing. What do you guys think?