Hello Gary,
I’m not sure whether any of this is going to be of any help to you but.....,
We have a 2006 1.6 A3 Sportback, which has been in the family from new and has covered close on 165k, and no doubt if I was to offer it to you, it would be a little/no interest due to the mileage. This car has been (over?) maintained and I really hope it will continue to give good service, since we have no intention of parting with it.
All this has been mentioned, with a view of not blinkering your search to maximum mileages, and main dealer service histories.
Dealers and dodgy? Good question, but the answer is that dealers only retail vehicles which dodgy owners have put in part exchange without declaring known faults! Dealers don’t generally set out to be dodgy.
If I were in your situation, I would be attempting to buy privately from an owner who has owned the car for some time (important). In this situation, you will actually be talking to the person who knows the car, and can tell you what work has, and hadn’t been done on it. If you find something which appeals, then spend wisely on an independent inspection.
My view is that nice cars should be bought from nice people, over a nice cup of tea.
Remember, full service history can equate to the car spending half a day in a workshop every 18 months or so, and any maintenance being totally ignored and the car ill treated for the rest of its life.
Good luck with your quest.
Kind regards,
Gareth.