Re: Thinking of purchasing

[Richard Beels <beels@technologist.com>]

# one way: ask.  Don't necessarily believe the answer but ask and say that
you're knowledgeable, you know the cars and you'd rather him/her tell you
up front than have to find it yourself.  And tell them you _will_ find it.

You can check the paint code # that's listed on the car's sticker and see
if it matches the color of the car (call dealer beforehand and ask for the
code # of the car's color).  Other repainting giveaways: overspray on the
nooks and crannies of trim.  It's impossible to eliminate all these unless
you disassemble the car.  Also, look at body panels/hood/trunk at the
edges, e.g. where the hood meets the windshield, and see if the paint
changes color/texture/etc..  at the 'flip-over' point.  Check the
sills/inside edges of the doors/hood lip/trunk lip for the same.  Look
under the gas filler cap.  Checking all panels for uniformness of sheen can
also be a giveaway. Check for new/missing undercoating/overspray underneath
the car .  Also whether or not the fender bolts appear to have been removed
is a giveaway (for repairs too).  It's almost impossible to repaint the car
to factory specs and most refinishes chip very easily.  Look at the hood
and door edges for excess chips.

As for replacement ODO, the best way is to crawl underneath the car and
check it out.  Very few sellers will do more than steam clean the engine
compartment and wave a power washer wand underneath the car.  How do the
bushings look? CV Boots?  Brake Pads? It's kinds hard to be sure but the
general condition of the car will giveaway how much use it's seen.  52k
miles on the highways of Florida are different than 52k miles on the
streets of Detroit.  Does the car look like it has 52k miles?


www.carfax.com will check out VINs for the issuance of a salvage title,
ODO rollbacks, etc...   This one seems like it can give a false negative
result though.  Just because they give the car a pass doesn't mean it's
good.  If they say it's bad though, be warned.

That should get you started.....

At 02:09 PM 7/6/1998 , you wrote:
>I'm thinking of purchasing a 1990 80 from a individual in Miami, FL for
>my fiance' to replace her current car.  I have a few questions...
>
>1st...  the car has 52k miles, which is very low for a 8 year old car.
>Any way to find out if the inst. cluster has been replaced or anything?
>
>2nd.. It is owned by the manager of a pain & body shop, so obviously I'm
>going to have to see if it's been involved in a major collision.  Any
>services that anyone knows of to find out if it's ever been totaled?  I
>know this has been asked previously, but I don't rememeber seeing the
>answer.
>
>3rd.. He's asking $4000/obo.  This seems low....especially for a 52k
>mile car.  I am thinking about offering him $3500 and see how this
>goes.  Would I be crazy not to buy it at this price if the odeometer
>checks out and the body is fairly straight?
>
>I know this car isn't a quattro, but that's ok.  If I was buying another
>Audi for myself, it would certainly be one now that I've dealt with my
>non-Q A4 for a while.  But for her, a non-Q automatic sounds just
>perfect.

>
>Also, what are some major problems with the 1990 80's that I should
>check for before I hand over the cash?


Cheers,
	Richard
	88 90Q - <insert pithy witticism here>
	88 Golf GTi - PRO Rally