Used D3s / Questions
09-14-2014, 08:11 PM
#1
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Used D3s / Questions
Hello all; I've been a "lurker" on here for a while now, and have been learning a lot from everyone. I am currently looking to get a D3 for daily-driving duties and could use some first-hand experience/tips/etc. Preference is for an '07; I have also seen a couple '09s as well within my budget - $17k. My question is what mileage is considered really high mileage; there are couple clean/1-owner/dealer-maintained D3s with 100k - 140+K miles ranges. Are these worth considering? Any potential pitfall to watch out for? I am planning to get some extended warranty coverage as well. Thanks in advance.
09-15-2014, 02:37 AM
#2
Audiworld Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Personally, I don't like to buy a car with over 100k on it. I would try and find a car that has good service records and has the lowest miles that you can afford. No matter what car you buy there is no such thing as "lifetime" transmission fluid and this is one thing I would change right away. I change mine every 50-60k doing a pan drop on my cars, this includes changing the filter, and re-filling with the correct fluid. Happy Hunting!
09-16-2014, 04:56 PM
#4
AudiWorld Super User
Bought my '04 off of a high mileage (56,000 miles) two year lease for about half of the sticker price. It now has 228,000 miles on the clock.
Still the original transmission fluid and no problems... yet.
Still the original transmission fluid and no problems... yet.
09-16-2014, 06:01 PM
#5
That is awesome you have that many miles on your car! Mine has 148,000 miles on it. One Audi service manager warned me not to have the transmission fluid changed so I don't know what to think....
09-16-2014, 08:14 PM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
And people keep changing and flushing the oil left and right...
I'll see if I can drive my car original timing belt to 150k miles. I know you had to change because of something else.
Cheers,
Louis
09-16-2014, 08:45 PM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
For the lurker... my take on buying a used A8
I wrote <a href="http://www.dognmonkey.com/audi/looking-for-the-best-used-a8-d3.html">a simple guide on how I looked for mine A8L</a> in March of 2013. It took me over 2 months to actually pull the trigger.
After owning the 2006 A8L for a year and a half with 24k miles TROUBLE FREE. This is the most reliable car ever, even better than new.
My suggestion is this:
1. Look at all the options and find one with all the ones you want - avoid buying and retrofitting - unless you have nothing else to do and love disassemble your car.
2. Avoid buying from used car dealer (no offense) but I like to buy from long time owner. They know their cars and should not have many stories to tell. They would tell you what's wrong with the cars (at least in all my cases). Actually I buy the sellers not the cars... hope it makes sense. Yes, if you have to finance or trade your car, then it's a different story, you need dealers.
3. Carfax is a must and the history of the car is important. If the service records show anything to do with Transmission, drop the car. If a big dollar spent to fix something within a few months, drop the car. Smart people will not spend tons of money then sell it within a few months unless it's cancer. Logically, they have to use at least half of the expense before selling it. That's why I don't trust used car dealers get cars from auctions.
4. Make sure all options work, because nothing is easy and cheap to fix.
5. I rather to buy high mileage car with everything fixed than lower miles one with tons of things may need fixing soon after.
6. I only buy high mileage car if it serves like a disposable car, because it doesn't matter how much money I put in to make it perfect, it's still a high mileage car. Drive it to the ground and give it away when it's dead.
7. The best deal is $.25/mile or $2k a year depreciation driving this beautiful and comfortable car (excluding gas, oil, brakes and tires of course).
8. 07+ no timing belt - 06- timing belt, pick your poison.
Don't worry about warning and stuff... trust your sellers... feel your sellers. The good car is given. Most mature, well established, true A8 owners are honest and they don't nickel and dime or cheat you.
Cheers and good luck,
Louis
After owning the 2006 A8L for a year and a half with 24k miles TROUBLE FREE. This is the most reliable car ever, even better than new.
My suggestion is this:
1. Look at all the options and find one with all the ones you want - avoid buying and retrofitting - unless you have nothing else to do and love disassemble your car.
2. Avoid buying from used car dealer (no offense) but I like to buy from long time owner. They know their cars and should not have many stories to tell. They would tell you what's wrong with the cars (at least in all my cases). Actually I buy the sellers not the cars... hope it makes sense. Yes, if you have to finance or trade your car, then it's a different story, you need dealers.
3. Carfax is a must and the history of the car is important. If the service records show anything to do with Transmission, drop the car. If a big dollar spent to fix something within a few months, drop the car. Smart people will not spend tons of money then sell it within a few months unless it's cancer. Logically, they have to use at least half of the expense before selling it. That's why I don't trust used car dealers get cars from auctions.
4. Make sure all options work, because nothing is easy and cheap to fix.
5. I rather to buy high mileage car with everything fixed than lower miles one with tons of things may need fixing soon after.
6. I only buy high mileage car if it serves like a disposable car, because it doesn't matter how much money I put in to make it perfect, it's still a high mileage car. Drive it to the ground and give it away when it's dead.
7. The best deal is $.25/mile or $2k a year depreciation driving this beautiful and comfortable car (excluding gas, oil, brakes and tires of course).
8. 07+ no timing belt - 06- timing belt, pick your poison.
Don't worry about warning and stuff... trust your sellers... feel your sellers. The good car is given. Most mature, well established, true A8 owners are honest and they don't nickel and dime or cheat you.
Cheers and good luck,
Louis
Trending Topics
09-17-2014, 05:16 AM
#8
AudiWorld Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I wrote <a href="http://www.dognmonkey.com/audi/looking-for-the-best-used-a8-d3.html">a simple guide on how I looked for mine A8L</a> in March of 2013. It took me over 2 months to actually pull the trigger.
After owning the 2006 A8L for a year and a half with 24k miles TROUBLE FREE. This is the most reliable car ever, even better than new.
My suggestion is this:
1. Look at all the options and find one with all the ones you want - avoid buying and retrofitting - unless you have nothing else to do and love disassemble your car.
2. Avoid buying from used car dealer (no offense) but I like to buy from long time owner. They know their cars and should not have many stories to tell. They would tell you what's wrong with the cars (at least in all my cases). Actually I buy the sellers not the cars... hope it makes sense. Yes, if you have to finance or trade your car, then it's a different story, you need dealers.
3. Carfax is a must and the history of the car is important. If the service records show anything to do with Transmission, drop the car. If a big dollar spent to fix something within a few months, drop the car. Smart people will not spend tons of money then sell it within a few months unless it's cancer. Logically, they have to use at least half of the expense before selling it. That's why I don't trust used car dealers get cars from auctions.
4. Make sure all options work, because nothing is easy and cheap to fix.
5. I rather to buy high mileage car with everything fixed than lower miles one with tons of things may need fixing soon after.
6. I only buy high mileage car if it serves like a disposable car, because it doesn't matter how much money I put in to make it perfect, it's still a high mileage car. Drive it to the ground and give it away when it's dead.
7. The best deal is $.25/mile or $2k a year depreciation driving this beautiful and comfortable car (excluding gas, oil, brakes and tires of course).
8. 07+ no timing belt - 06- timing belt, pick your poison.
Don't worry about warning and stuff... trust your sellers... feel your sellers. The good car is given. Most mature, well established, true A8 owners are honest and they don't nickel and dime or cheat you.
Cheers and good luck,
Louis
After owning the 2006 A8L for a year and a half with 24k miles TROUBLE FREE. This is the most reliable car ever, even better than new.
My suggestion is this:
1. Look at all the options and find one with all the ones you want - avoid buying and retrofitting - unless you have nothing else to do and love disassemble your car.
2. Avoid buying from used car dealer (no offense) but I like to buy from long time owner. They know their cars and should not have many stories to tell. They would tell you what's wrong with the cars (at least in all my cases). Actually I buy the sellers not the cars... hope it makes sense. Yes, if you have to finance or trade your car, then it's a different story, you need dealers.
3. Carfax is a must and the history of the car is important. If the service records show anything to do with Transmission, drop the car. If a big dollar spent to fix something within a few months, drop the car. Smart people will not spend tons of money then sell it within a few months unless it's cancer. Logically, they have to use at least half of the expense before selling it. That's why I don't trust used car dealers get cars from auctions.
4. Make sure all options work, because nothing is easy and cheap to fix.
5. I rather to buy high mileage car with everything fixed than lower miles one with tons of things may need fixing soon after.
6. I only buy high mileage car if it serves like a disposable car, because it doesn't matter how much money I put in to make it perfect, it's still a high mileage car. Drive it to the ground and give it away when it's dead.
7. The best deal is $.25/mile or $2k a year depreciation driving this beautiful and comfortable car (excluding gas, oil, brakes and tires of course).
8. 07+ no timing belt - 06- timing belt, pick your poison.
Don't worry about warning and stuff... trust your sellers... feel your sellers. The good car is given. Most mature, well established, true A8 owners are honest and they don't nickel and dime or cheat you.
Cheers and good luck,
Louis
09-17-2014, 08:49 AM
#9
Hello all; I've been a "lurker" on here for a while now, and have been learning a lot from everyone. I am currently looking to get a D3 for daily-driving duties and could use some first-hand experience/tips/etc. Preference is for an '07; I have also seen a couple '09s as well within my budget - $17k. My question is what mileage is considered really high mileage; there are couple clean/1-owner/dealer-maintained D3s with 100k - 140+K miles ranges. Are these worth considering? Any potential pitfall to watch out for? I am planning to get some extended warranty coverage as well. Thanks in advance.
17k budget and high mileage German flagship sedan without warranty is asking for trouble.
Here's the point. We all know these fine pieces of machinery drop in value like rocks and after 4 years or so become within reach of the hardworking middle class bargain hunters. This allows guys who enjoy fine engineering, advanced safety and driving dynamics, expensive taste and enjoy a luxurious ride to afford an "$80,000" car they normally would not have been able to brand new. (like myself)
The key is not to overpay for such luxuries, but also not going too cheap where you screw yourself on the backend as well by getting into a car that needs thousands of dollars in service and maintenance.
But hey, if you are a mechanical expert/audi tech who is used to working on complex flagship sedans with 20+ computer modules and can take a salvaged A8 with all sorts of electrical issues and turn it back into a reliable daily driver, then this wouldn't apply to you. But most, like myself will have to rely on the expertise of dealership/independent shops for major maintenance and issues.
My suggestions are these:
Do not get an A8 to use as a daily driver. Get a beater vehicle (if you don't already have one) then an A8. You can drive the A8 whenever you want but you are not reliant on it as your primary vehicle. Don't feel like filling up $80 in the gas tank one week? Drive the beater. Want your $1,000 brakes/tires to last 4 years instead of 2? Drive the beater. The A8 is out of commission getting worked on (which it will be at some point), you have the beater to drive. Use the A8 as a luxury and not a neccessity and you will enjoy it more.
Any 3rd party warranty that you can get for an A8 over 100,000 miles is either junk or not worth the money. Personally, i recommend Certified Preowned vehicles. No, they aren't perfect and are still used cars but for example, Audi had to put on new tires, front brakes, soft close door sensors and a couple of other items to CPO my car. This was easily $2500 i would have had to shell out of my own pockets had I purchased from a private owner. Also it came with an additional 2 year warranty which saved me as well. If you can't get CPO, then buy a car with low enough mileage that qualifies a reputable extended warranty backed by Audi. My CPO has saved me thousands already. Little things can fail that can be big money, such as trunk motors, mmi screen gears, injectors, side window shades, control arm/sway bushings, air suspension etc. Even at an independent shop, things will add up. Most repairs will start over $500. Many CPO vehicles are 1 owner cars that were returned on lease or owners who drove it slightly and traded it in for a newer model. So there's a benefit knowing these cars were most likely not dogged.
On cars like these, maintenance and service history is key. But one must also be realistic in knowing that even a perfectly maintained Audi A8 with 100k+ miles will need servicing due to common wear and tear items. Certain parts were just not designed to last 200k miles problem free. 07's and up are pretty reliable in reference to large german sedans but they aren't Toyotas. Things WILL fail. If you take care of something when it fails and not let issues pile up leading to a repair bill in the thousands then the ownerhip can be pretty rewarding. If you don't go CPO, and don't do your own work, find a good independent German shop who has experience working on A8's. Chat up the service techs and get to know them well. Avoid going to the dealer. Again, You will still pay money at the independent, but it will be cheaper than the dealer.
Up your budget and save up more even if it means waiting another year or two. I was on this forum reading threads 2 years before i bought my A8. It is worth waiting and getting a better lower mileage car you can enjoy for years rather than hastily jumping into a potential headache spending thousands in repairs only to dump it within months. By that time, the D4's will even be within budget.
By the way, I have an 07 with 80,000 miles bought CPO from an Audi dealer with 48,000 miles three years ago. It is not my daily driver, but i take it out a couple of weeknights and on the weekends and a couple road trips.
09-17-2014, 11:02 AM
#10
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Great advice, guys! Very helpful. I do have a CPO C6 Avant (26K miles on the ODO) which I'd want to keep/use as a weekend + occasional road trip car; hence looking for that 'beater' 2nd car for daily commute/winter/etc. As for preference, I am leaning towards an '09 with a clear sense of options I'd need (so no retrofitting!); also definitely checking carfax reports (steering clear of those with multiple owners/scanty maintenance and service records/accidents/frame damage).