Here?s what I would do, take the car to an Audi dealer and tell them to check out the car (ask what it would cost first) and write down EVERYTHING that would need to be repaired or needs replacement as well as any maintenance that needs to be done. Also ask what replacement parts are going to cost, brakes, etc.
Not taking anything thing away from your brother-in-law, but spending a few dollars now on someone who works daily on this type of car would be well worth it. Even if it cost $500 it would be well worth it if you know you?re getting a good car and very cheap if you walk away from a bad one.
When was the turbo and timing belt replaced? And why was the turbo replaced? These are questions that need to be asked.
Once you have that information and the possible repair bills in hand, along with what the maintenance costs are going to you?ll be in a good position to make a decision.
Personally I?d run not walk from this car, way too many miles on a car that is very expensive to repair.
I think this is the WORST POSSIBLE car for a 17 year old who has saved diligently for his first car. It will be a real money pit even if it turns out to be reliable. At that mileage, he will soon face a number of unaffordable repairs and replacements.
My friend’s 18 yaer old son who works at Starbucks, saved his money and bought a Hyundai Tiburon in very good condition for about the same money.
This car looks great for a young guy, is easy and cheap to maintain, and had only 70,000 miles on it.
Check with your insurance agent first…The word “turbo” frightens some of them. You did not mention what TRANSMISSION is installed in this car. An automatic?? When it fails, that will total the car…
It’s a stick shift and the whole car was checked out by a mechanic before it was bought. The previous owner was a relative and a conservtive driver, and the car was maintained by a relative mechanic. I agree, I would not buy a sporty car off the lot without knowing it’s history.
a high end car miles may matter less, it would be well built …I hear you but European cars don’t have the quality people think
I think this whole process, without actually buying the car, has been a learning experience.
they have…No matter what car he buys the learning experience of it is great. After all, nothing has ever been gained with ignorance and ignorance is simply not having knowledge. Hope he buys a good one.
Just an addendum here in regards to falling in love with “flash” when it comes to a car. Some years ago my daughter wanted to buy an early second generation Camaro Z-28 and of course wanted Dad to look at it since the car was in-state a few hundred miles away. The pics looked good and I knew that any inspection I did was going to be a quick one with few technical aspects and simply a “drive and listen inspection”.
When we pulled up that evening the car was sitting in the shop absolutely gleaming under the lights. Very slick in appearance and both my wife and daughter were instantly in love with it. Right off the bat I’m saying hold on and don’t jump the gun on this.
I started the car, shifted through the gears, listened carefully while inside the car and with the hood up. After about 7-8 minutes I shut the car off, pulled the relatives outside, and advised them that I thought the car was very shaky.
They wanted to know exactly what was wrong and I could not tell them other than my experience based on a “feel” I guess you could call it.
So what happens? Ten minutes of me arguing accomplished zilch and I refused to even test drive this car because I knew it was a garden slug, I stalked off and sat in the car while my wife and daughter went back in and proceeded to march up the gallows and buy it anyway.
The car was delivered to my daughter a few days later and she drove the car to my house a few days later for a more thorough inspection. After the following, more thorough inspection I performed, she should not have been behind the wheel of this heap at all as it was a card carrying death trap.
Every time I walked out and looked at that car I found more wrong with it. Non-original motor out of 76 Monte Carlo with a couple of low cylinders, an iffy and leaking transmission, brakes absolutely gone, front end shot from one side to the other, leaking radiator, U-joints gone, bad rear axle, and that’s just a few highlights of the major stuff.
The left rear brake drum was worn almost all the way through and in all seriousness, one could probably have pushed a screwdriver by hand through the lining surface.
Fast forward 3 years and 3 grand later (PARTS only) ON TOP of the original purchase price and this car is still sitting in my driveway needing yet more cash to be invested in it. It still needs another couple or 3 grand to even achieve tolerable status; and the car is still going to have an iffy transmission and s near junk engine.
The only redeeming factor is that it looks good sitting in the driveway.
See where “falling in love with flash” can get you?
It’s hard to welcome too much advice on questions that weren’t asked, but you did well. Also, I have had dreams about my first car, a 1965 Ford Fairlane. Semi-nightmares but good anyway. The car always ran well but needed some bodywork badly. So I did it badly. Car bodies are better today. In my other posting, I had to throw in two success stories. They don’t sound as good when they are shortened by 90% but I’m sure you could fill in some of the blank spaces. I’m glad you asked the question and good things are sure to happen.
I did not mean to come off sounding mean, but there is usually a greater need and lower tolerance for improper maintenance for a turbo/super charged engine than a normal one. The engine requires religious oil changes with synthetic oil, meaning it’d be best to change it atleast 3 or 4 times a year or every 3~5k miles, whichever comes first. Also, because it’s an Audi, it’s maintenance items will be a bit more expensive than something like a Mustang or Crown Victoria.
As I mentioned in my last post, check insurance cost before you buy anything if you haven’t already. Many people will look and haggle over the cost of the vehicle, only to get sticker shock when they go to insure it. A post a few months ago had some woman asking if an 04 honda S2000 would be a good first vehicle for her 16 or 17 year old son, as her husband wanted to give the one he bought a few years ago to his son. A quick quote on Allstate’s website showed that the insurance would be over $200/month for a 6 month policy.
Having a “turbo” is irrelevant. Any car can go 75 mph. The problem isn’t “Turbo plus 17 year old is not a good mix”, its 23 year old showing off to friends by driving 75 mph in a 30 mph zone.
