Buy or ripoff 2010 B8 S4

[Hurdler5280]

Someone local is selling his 2010 S4 6 speed premium plus edition for 17,500. It has 91,000 miles and seems to be in really good condition and has a lot of upgrades. What should I be finding out from him as far as things that should have been replaced by now and is the price a little bit steep for the year and mileage?

Mods listed:
Sport differential, AWE track exhaust, stage two kit, dual pulley, Brand new stage two clutch and flywheel, ECS undercarriage parts, ECS carbon fiber front lip, ECS carbon fiber rear wing lip, ECS carbon fiber intake tube and box, ECS carbon fiber center console, ECS stainless braided brake lines, New black RS4 front grill, HID and LED lights, 20 inch Lexani wheels, New 20 inch tires, Fully adjustable race suspension, car currently tuned for 480 hp, Full leather and suede seats from newer S4, Sport mode, comfort mode, every option etc.

[seandon_792]

Ask about pcv, thermostat, water pump, car failure. Has it had any wheel bearing issues? Also did it have a heat exchanger added with it now being dual pulley?


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[Hurdler5280]

It does have one bad rear wheel bearing that I’m telling him to replace first. I’ll ask about the other things.

[BEight SFour]

Ask about pcv, thermostat, water pump, car failure. Has it had any wheel bearing issues? Also did it have a heat exchanger added with it now being dual pulley?


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+1

I bought my 2010 B8 S4 MT, 1.5 years ago, for around that price as well and same 91k miles.

I replaced the pcv, thermostat and waterpump. Did oil change. Car is now at 125k on stage 1.

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[Hurdler5280]

@seandon_792 I’m waiting on an answer but he did inform me that the heat doesn’t work and hasn’t worked for some time. He said he hadn’t looked into it yet.

[djn876]

Doesn't care heat doesn't work, bad wheel bearing for who knows how long. Dude didn't care about his car, who knows what else is going one. I'd say pass on this one.

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[Hurdler5280]

Doesn't care heat doesn't work, bad wheel bearing for who knows how long. Dude didn't care about his car, who knows what else is going one. I'd say pass on this one.

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He never drove it in the winter so he wasn’t concerned with fixing the heat. He just got it out of the shop to find out why his traction and air bag light is on and they told him he needs a new rear hub.

[djn876]

Eh, too many red flags for me and kind of feels like he had a bunch of stuff wrong with the car and only doing stuff because he wants to sell it. Maybe that's wrong, but just kind of how it feels.

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[Hurdler5280]

Eh, too many red flags for me and kind of feels like he had a bunch of stuff wrong with the car and only doing stuff because he wants to sell it. Maybe that's wrong, but just kind of how it feels.

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Ya I hear you. He’s put 15k into it in upgrades with 10k just over the last year. I’m going to have him replace the rear hub and figure out the heat if I decide to buy.

[KMPRSSD]

To me this doesn’t raise that many red flags. If he is only driving it in the warm months obviously the heat would be out of site, out of mind. If it is going on a few years of no heat that would be a concern. It could be as simple as an air bubble in the heater core after the HX install. Wheel bearing is just a wheel bearing or hub if that’s the case. Car has great upgrades and supporting mods. He obviously spent a good deal of money on dialing it in. Your not going to have that mileage without having to replace some stuff. Yea it would be nice if he did some of the bigger maintenance items....PVC, thermostat etc. However some people wait till these present issues before they replace those.
If your interested work with the seller and see what happens. Get a Car Fax (keep in mind that only gets you so much info) like you said tell him you want the few things addressed and go from there.


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[Hurdler5280]

To me this doesn’t raise that many red flags. If he is only driving it in the warm months obviously the heat would be out of site, out of mind. If it is going on a few years of no heat that would be a concern. It could be as simple as an air bubble in the heater core after the HX install. Wheel bearing is just a wheel bearing or hub if that’s the case. Car has great upgrades and supporting mods. He obviously spent a good deal of money on dialing it in. Your not going to have that mileage without having to replace some stuff. Yea it would be nice if he did some of the bigger maintenance items....PVC, thermostat etc. However some people wait till these present issues before they replace those.
If your interested work with the seller and see what happens. Get a Car Fax (keep in mind that only gets you so much info) like you said tell him you want the few things addressed and go from there.


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Good info. Do you feel price is fair or only fair if he fixes heat and rear hub?

[KMPRSSD]

Rear hub should only be maybe $400 parts and labor at an Indy shop. Possibly more if OE parts are used. Provided there are no electrical issues associated with the warning lights. I would absolutely have him get a written diagnosis of heat issue from a reputable shop. Then decide if you want to have him fix it, or you use that to negotiate a lower price. I believe the price to be fair either way based on your description of condition. By either way I mean a couple hundred for the wheel hub provided that is all it is, and air entrapment on heater core. Both issues may be larger than first thought. Price could go $1,500 -$2,000 either way.


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[Hurdler5280]

Rear hub should only be maybe $400 parts and labor at an Indy shop. Possibly more if OE parts are used. Provided there are no electrical issues associated with the warning lights. I would absolutely have him get a written diagnosis of heat issue from a reputable shop. Then decide if you want to have him fix it, or you use that to negotiate a lower price. I believe the price to be fair either way based on your description of condition. By either way I mean a couple hundred for the wheel hub provided that is all it is, and air entrapment on heater core. Both issues may be larger than first thought. Price could go $1,500 -$2,000 either way.


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Awesome info thank you

[Hurdler5280]

Ask about pcv, thermostat, water pump, car failure. Has it had any wheel bearing issues? Also did it have a heat exchanger added with it now being dual pulley?


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He let me know pcv, water pump and thermostat have all been replaced. I’m just waiting on more info as to when and if he can prove with records. As for the heat exchanger I’m not sure if it was replaced yet but if not I can always do that.

[KMPRSSD]

He let me know pcv, water pump and thermostat have all been replaced. I’m just waiting on more info as to when and if he can prove with records. As for the heat exchanger I’m not sure if it was replaced yet but if not I can always do that.

That’s solid maintenance if it’s documented and proven. Depending how long he was DP for, he should have done an HX already. If not that would be a concern for me. Cats failing won’t be long coming. I can’t imagine him not doing it based on the other high end mods done. Keep us posted


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[Keymainey]

Another thing to check on is the front control arms. Mainly uppers but lower can go too at this mileage.

Also, I would ask if he switched out the modules when he swapped seats. That could be the reason the air bag light is on and would require reprogramming of the current modules or swapping in the original if he has access to them.

[thefleshrocket]

If the mods the current owner has done are mods that you would likely do to an S4 if you bought one, then they have value to you. Does the car appear to have been worked on by someone who exercised due care and diligence? IE, nothing that's dangling loose or looks shoddily done? If so, then yeah, I'd jump all over it for $17,500. Honestly, I'd not even worry about the hub or the heat, and just fix those yourself. With the amount of money the seller has put into mods, there's at least a decent chance that someone who wants an "already dialed in" S4 will happily pay $17,500 for it, while you're busy trying to negotiate for having everything fixed.

[fastboatster]

If the mods the current owner has done are mods that you would likely do to an S4 if you bought one, then they have value to you. Does the car appear to have been worked on by someone who exercised due care and diligence? IE, nothing that's dangling loose or looks shoddily done? If so, then yeah, I'd jump all over it for $17,500. Honestly, I'd not even worry about the hub or the heat, and just fix those yourself. With the amount of money the seller has put into mods, there's at least a decent chance that someone who wants an "already dialed in" S4 will happily pay $17,500 for it, while you're busy trying to negotiate for having everything fixed.

somewhat agree, but I would still try to research what it takes to replace a heater core on these cars and get that negotiated into the price, this could be a worst case scenario and on some cars requires to teardown the entire dash, evacuating and disconnecting ac.

[Hurdler5280]

That’s solid maintenance if it’s documented and proven. Depending how long he was DP for, he should have done an HX already. If not that would be a concern for me. Cats failing won’t be long coming. I can’t imagine him not doing it based on the other high end mods done. Keep us posted


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I’ll find out how long he has had the dual pulley for. He hasn’t confirmed that he did the heat exchanger which leads me to believe he hasn’t done it but it’s one of the things I will be going over with him when I meet with him Wednesday.

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Another thing to check on is the front control arms. Mainly uppers but lower can go too at this mileage.

Also, I would ask if he switched out the modules when he swapped seats. That could be the reason the air bag light is on and would require reprogramming of the current modules or swapping in the original if he has access to them.

Good info I’ll ask him about that as well.

[Hurdler5280]

If the mods the current owner has done are mods that you would likely do to an S4 if you bought one, then they have value to you. Does the car appear to have been worked on by someone who exercised due care and diligence? IE, nothing that's dangling loose or looks shoddily done? If so, then yeah, I'd jump all over it for $17,500. Honestly, I'd not even worry about the hub or the heat, and just fix those yourself. With the amount of money the seller has put into mods, there's at least a decent chance that someone who wants an "already dialed in" S4 will happily pay $17,500 for it, while you're busy trying to negotiate for having everything fixed.

They are definitely mods I would have done. I’m not overly concerned with anything except the heat. That could be pricey.

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somewhat agree, but I would still try to research what it takes to replace a heater core on these cars and get that negotiated into the price, this could be a worst case scenario and on some cars requires to teardown the entire dash, evacuating and disconnecting ac.

Ya I’m going to look into replacement as a worse case scenario.

[Hurdler5280]

So I took a look at it today. The positive is that It has the upgraded heat exchanger. There are some red flags though. He had no documentation of the pcv, water pump and thermostat getting replaced as the previous owner did it. Also previous owner did most of the mods so he has no real knowledge about everything that has been done and when. He says that he was told at one point that a mechanic believes the lack of heat is because of the heater core. It didn’t feel great that he didn’t know much about the car. He is unaware of the brands of a lot of mods unfortunately. He claimed he had another guy coming up tonight to look at it and had cash in hand. When I asked how much he was bringing he couldn’t really answer. Now I got a message that the guy never showed. I have a feeling that this was bs. He wanted to know a price to buy as is which means I would fix heat, brakes and left rear hub. I told him 16k but I think I’m going to have to drop they number down. The slider for the sunroof is stuck in the headliner so the sunroof doesn’t operate properly. He says i just need long pliers to pull it out and it will be fine. There’s also a couple odds and ends that need to be done as well that I noticed. I’m not sure if I’m all in on this especially if I have to do all the work and take the risk on it being the heater core. I think I may try to talk him down to 14k if I’m going to buy as is.

[djn876]

Heater core could just be air bound, but who knows if there is air in other spots and has been causing high IAT or other issues he's ignoring.

And I always love how people say oh you can fix this in two seconds. Well if it was that easy then just go do it yourself.

Doesn't seem like the most trustworthy of guys out there and drives a modded car without knowing anything about it and doesn't fix broken stuff for who knows how long.

Documentation of previous maintenance kind of is what it is, just up to you if you believe him, but honestly how much is someone going to save from a previous owner.

I'm still in the camp of find another car, but if you can get it for dirt cheap and there's nothing major hidden could be a good deal.

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[04lss]

That would be a hard pass for me. I saw 2012s locally for 18k that had similar mileage and had everything working. Thats a lot of red flags on that car, and you could end up dropping 6k easy just fixing stuff. Also if he hasn't taken care of it, it probably hasn't had regular maint done. Id be worried about all sorts of things on that car. I drove a 2012 with 84k on it with the sport diff that the shop wanted 17.9 for and as far as i could tell it was in great shape. I just decided to get a b8.5 for the DSG issues. If you're willing to do some driving you can absolutely get a car that's in good shape for what he is asking. For example there were no local s4s so i drove 90 miles to pick mine up.

[KMPRSSD]

This information changes my answer. I’d say if you can get it for 14.5 or even 14 cash he would take it. There are some unknowns. If the PVC and associated haven’t been done that is a big cost to you especially if you aren’t a DIY guy. Plus him not knowing his car or what’s installed is a concern. It’s kinda like a rental for him. Get it for a good deal for YOU or walk. Like others have said.... if your willing to drive a bit there are a ton out there.


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[Hurdler5280]

I just discussed things with him and talked him down to 14.5. A little bit of a risk but when I get it I’m going to pull the supercharger off and change the supercharger oil and check out everything else. I need to do the brakes and he’s giving me the hub but I’ll get it replaced. Only question mark is the heat but I’ll get it diagnosed.

[KMPRSSD]

I just discussed things with him and talked him down to 14.5. A little bit of a risk but when I get it I’m going to pull the supercharger off and change the supercharger oil and check out everything else. I need to do the brakes and he’s giving me the hub but I’ll get it replaced. Only question mark is the heat but I’ll get it diagnosed.

I think 14.5 is a good deal. That gives you some wiggle room on some repair costs. I hope the rest of the transactions go smooth for you. Post up some pictures when you get it!!


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[Highend]

My 13 APR Stage 2 is for sale https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...2-SoCal-Extras

[Hurdler5280]

So in a crazy turn of events I’m getting the car for 11k! I’m picking it up tonight. I’ll post some pics soon.

[fastboatster]

So in a crazy turn of events I’m getting the car for 11k! I’m picking it up tonight. I’ll post some pics soon.

Well that’s great for a 6mt, let’s hope it doesn’t have any major issues and they are limited to what was described in the original post

[Mass6mtB8S4]

$6,500 drop in price! Either you just got your self a hell of a deal or a nightmare i hope it's the first. The $6,500 is more than enough savings to take care of heater core and wheel bearing and brakes if need be. Sunroof shade pita to fix but if the car is solid who cares lol.