Potential New Owner ~ Need your advise!

[Tomieg]

Hey guys!

I just joined up recently and hoping to become a new Audi owner soon. I'm bebating between 2 examples. I could really use your input!

Car 1
2008 Audi S5 w/ 83k miles. Clean title. Brand new engine mounts, injectors, coils, plugs, PCV valve. The intake manifold and gaskets were all recently replaced due to a misfire & CEL. I test drove the car today and mechanically it seemed to run fine but the overall condition is not the best due to the high mileage.

Car 2
2008 Audi S5 w/ 55k miles. 1 accident. Unfortunately, this car is in another state but judging from pictures this car seems to be a much cleaner example apart from the one accident which required the entire driver side rear quarter panel + door to be replaced. The owner was unable to provide any pictures of the accident but did provide the repair bill. Also the CEL came on recently.

Both cars were maintained and serviced at the dealer up until he original warranty expired.

So my question to you Audizine is which example would you go for? Example 1 seems to have had some major mechanical components replaced recently so hopefully it should be good to go for another couple thousand miles vs example 2 where it's at the mileage where things tend to go wrong and need to be replaced.

Also I am aware of the carbon buildup issues in these cars and will most likely have that service done asap on the car that I decide on.

Thanks,
-Tom

[Tomieg]

I also called 2x dealerships for a quote on a PPI and one shop quoted me $125 while the other quoted $290. Does the price fluctuate that much from dealer 2 dealer?

[ICU2]

They can, but a lot depends on what the PPI includes/checks for, be sure to ask. Even @ $295.00 U R spending (depending on which $ amount U use of the prices listed) ~ 1% of the purchase price. If U R concerned ~ the $, have U thought ~ a CPO, or is that not in the budget? Another thing to consider is if U have or can establish a good relationship w/an Indy shop that specializes in Audi/VW? Almost all cars need repairs @ some point, better to have a shop U can trust before repairs become an issue. Unless U R doing the routine stuff, U could take it to them for routine maintenance to get the relationship going. JM2C. Good luck.

I also called 2x dealerships for a quote on a PPI and one shop quoted me $125 while the other quoted $290. Does the price fluctuate that much from dealer 2 dealer?

[tar]

I would go for car number 2. Less miles and better condition. I would expect more parts to go on the 83k one over the 55k one. Even with things already replaced.

[A4-B6]

Its a tough choice, but I would take car #1 because more maintenance and no accidents and cheaper. The money saved could go towards cleaning it up.

KM

[namvar]

Accident s happen and they replaced the damaged parts. I'd go with number 2 as it has lower miles and in better condition. However, not without it being completely checked out by the dealer.

[NaiveTurtle]

I'd keep looking and ignore both cars. Wait until you find the right one and don't rush into it. Car #1 sounds like it is in rough shape even if it is mechanically sound. Car #2 was in an accident which will be turnoffs to most buyers plus it currently has a CEL which could be costly to fix.

The B8 S5 isn't exactly super rare where you need to buy one regardless. You'll find the right one, you might have to travel a bit to get it but it's out there. I had to drive 1200 miles round trip to get mine.

[CG3D]

You mentioned correctly the carbon clean. Add that $500-1000 to the cost of either vehicle since it doesn't seem to have been listed.
CEL on #2 indicates it might need done. also "intake manifold and gaskets were all recently replaced due to a misfire & CEL." indicates on #1 it might have been done but unless it's listed, I'd assume not.

Either car has it's plus and minus points (without being able to see them) - I'd look for one that has Drive Select (not sure if '08 had it as an option).
For sure do a PPI. Spending $200-300 can save you thousands on these cars. One with an accident may have been repaired flawlessly but, if it shows on a history report it can scare future buyers. May or may not be be an issue if this is a long or short term purchase.

Personally, the trick to scoring on perforance german cars is playing the long game. Don't settle for the first two or three that come along in you budget. I looked and compared probably 2 dozen get the one I wanted with the right specs, color, interior, condition etc. As NaitiveTurtle said, these aren't super rare and they come up all the time. I found mine in PA after 9 months of looking.

[AWDfreak]

Let me amplify NaiveTurtle and CG3D's guidance. Keep looking until you find a car that is not a bunch of compromises. I know that is hard, as once you've made that decision to buy, you will be really anxious to get a car.

In my case I was pretty lucky. I wanted a 2011-2012 S4 or S5 manual transmission with relatively low mileage (30-40k). I was not that picky on equipage, color, and interior, but did have some likes. The MT are quite difficult to find-- there was only a handful for sale across the country, but nothing worth the effort to further investigate. About two weeks later, I see a 2012 S5 MT available at a Ford dealer in the middle-of-no-where PA--it only had 20k miles on it in 4 years! After an email and a phone conversation, the salesman tells me the car is in perfect condition--is this too good to be true? Drove a couple of hours to the dealer, test drove the car, then bought it. Yes, I paid the KBB premium (over my budget) for a car with that low mileage and in flawless condition, but I knew it would be difficult to find anything like that again. It turned out the car was a garage kept, fair weather, weekend drive for the previous owner--its now my daily drive. It did have one problem after I bought it--the coolant flange was leaking ($1000 repair)--the Ford dealer paid for the repair. But while at the Audi dealer for the repair, they inspected the car and found it to be in perfect condition otherwise.

I took the chance to buy the car without any inspection by a Audi dealer since it was in such good condition and there was no Audi dealer anyplace nearby, but I do recommend paying for CPO or an inspection before you buy as there can be many issues that will cost you.

I was very lucky as I found a great car in a few weeks, but don't rush into it. Good luck.