Gazzano1

3 hours ago, geoffrey said:

just bought my a3 tdi auto privately from a very nicely spoken person whose reason for selling was that it was bought for his wife who has since acquired invalid car.

seemed  a reasonable story.

ran ok no apparent knocks or excessive smoke.

On reading the 'full' service history and a service receipt things began to fall apart.

the service book on close inspection showed four service stamps in a row with all sections ticked as done IN THE SAME INK AND COLOUR and i strongly believe by the same person in one sitting

the timing belt was reputed to have been done at approx 100k miles.

on a service receipt for april this year it charged for for an oil change  and made some reference to the cv gaitors..

i did phone the garage that did the work/service to ascertain what the reference to the cv gaitors was for, had it been work done or an advisory.

He could not say, looks dodgy .

At this stage i was prepared to play on the side of caution and have the timing belt and aux belt renewed and an oil change at the same time.

When it went to the garage i mentioned the gaitor situation i found myself in and asked them to have a look  to see what had or not been done..

garage duly came back on inspection to inform me that the gaitors were split wide open and the grease deposited around surrounding components also something about the bearings themselves in poor condition.

MOT was done in April, make your own mind up about the credibility of an MOT

This repair was explained as needing the half shafts to be replaced at a cost of £300.

as i intend to keep this machine for some time i agreed  total cost £890.

The work was carried out and i duly used a fuel additive to top of my   effort to revitalize this machine.

it now runs like a dream and is at least safe from the dreaded gaitor split failure , garage's seem to love to 'find'.

overall, as i did not pay a high price, initially £2000, after the spend i feel reasonably happy with my buy.

on reflection paying for an AA  inspection would seem to be a prudent move , considering my experience.

 

 

You have my sympathies. I used Click mechanic (other services are available! ) who employ bookable independent mechanics who you rate after each experience. Seems slightly cheaper than the RAC/AA with I've photo reports and a chat to ask questions with my last two inspections. 

I'm taking delivery of the A3 tomorrow after its inspection earlier this week. Will update! 

Insurance is my issue at the moment with my details not matching the DVLA database so won't go through (very annoying) despite checking on the gov site. Still waiting a call back from two insurance companies who are checking why. 

Thanks again Gareth, definitely no come backs and any informed opinion is really appreciated.

I don't think I'd have thought to go down this route if you hadn't made me have a think again about going private and the benefits of it (this is why forums are great to get ideas/advice). You do meet some good people as you say! 

Inspection is booked tomorrow (I've paid £90)so fingers crossed. Any ideas and what you'd be bargaining on regards a couple of minor scuffs? They aren't that bad but go to the overall condition and price of the vehicle. Cheers 

4 minutes ago, Magnet said:

You are a braver man than me Gary! 
So you are prepared to actually buy this sight unseen? 
Now that is brave. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.

p.s. I don’t recall advising you to give him a ring. 

Haha don't worry I won't be coming back to you, I meant in terms of approaching a private owner vs a dealer and having a good chat 🙂

Well I have a video, RAC inspection pending and would be paying on delivery so anything major ( not picked up in the RAC inspection) and it would be a no go anyway.

Thanks Gareth.

I've only just read this but took your advice and phoned him up and have booked an inspection as liked what I heard.

Sounds genuine and was happy for an RAC inspection and even arrange delivery with obviously cost included in any deal. It is due a service this year so that would be factored in to the price. Has a small scuff (barley visible) on the back on and the bumper, not sure how this affects the price. 

Parkers list at £3500 good

Taking in your account your generous feedback there's not many private ones around near me and totally agree with the cup of tea and chat philosophy. It's a much nicer approach then going in looking for faults and bartering from the off.

With my history buying bikes if I don't like or trust the seller I walk away no matter how good the vehicle. Being polite and indulging other people is part of the process. This has caught my eye if anyone has any opinions:

 AutotraderA3Cardiff 

Thanks Dave good luck with your new baby! 

Thanks for your detailed response, much appreciated. Drop me a PM as I may be interested. 

All the best, Gary 

Hi,

I'm looking at getting the A3 as my first car as a more mature driver shall we say having been a long term biker!

I have a budget of 2.5-4K and have sounded out a Sportback 1.6 meeting the needs of not too bigger engine for the insurance, room in the back and decent performance.

Avoiding dodgy dealers on autotrader seeems a minefield when you look a bit deeper at the reviews (and google) and paying £100 for an RAC check every time will prove costly.

Any tips on the car and decent dealers appreciated.

Thanks in advance, G

Hi, Just joined and looking to join the Audi owners scene. As a long term biker I'm a bit late to the party getting a car and doing research the A3 seems ideal with a budget around 2.5-4k. 

All the best, G