P3PPY
SuperDork
9/4/23 10:10 a.m.
My neighbor came over today, his college son wants to do a fly-n-drive to get a 2004 Audi S4 from Tampa and bring it up to Michigan. Linky here
He asked if I knew anything about them and I don't have any specific knowledge so I thought I'd ask the Hive.
Here's the seller's description:
2004 Audi S4 4.2V8 Quattro Stage 1+ burple tune Runs and drive smooth and is a fun car Selling because I need something to pull a boat Car is paid off All maintenance done by private mechanic , AC needs to be recharged
I see plenty to be worried about. What do you guys say?
I looked at his FB account. The guy sold 2 other cars this past week? Is he flipping? Well maybe he just owns a lot of German cars? Does the mechanic comment mean no maintenance details?
Feels red Flaggy.....
Mndsm
MegaDork
9/4/23 10:18 a.m.
A burble tune florida audi S4.
No berkeleyin way.
Have him Google Audi 4.2L V8 timing chain
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
The A3 was 2 years ago, the Jetta was 4 years ago. I'd assume he's a VW/Audi guy and that's who you want to buy from IF you think a 20 year old Audi is a good idea.
Can that be a fun, fast car? 100%. I'd recommend it to someone here as a 3rd car though, not to a college student that needs it to work every day.
In reply to Steve_Jones :
I guess I misread these - I assumed by the listed over a week ago statement. I guess who would punish themselves this way......
Yeah, that's not a college student car. Even if he's good with DIY wrenching and has a place to do it, the parts bill is not something I'd want to face on a college student budget.
(And I say this having owned and loved a B6 S4 -- that engine is fantastic and so much fun)
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
I read it as "I'm done with doing this, I need a truck that runs"
I am against the idea but, you telling him it is a bad idea might make you the bad guy. Instead, make the suggestion that Dad or Jr first call their insurance company and ask, "If I bought a A4 V8 what would it cost to insure?" You might need the VIN from the seller o get a perfect quote. Then ask, "if I bought a same year Honda Accord, what would that cost?" If you need a vin I am sure there is a listing for an Accord on Autotrader that includes the vin in the ad.
My suspicion is the answer will be that the Audi (with big engine) is very expensive to insure.
P3PPY
SuperDork
9/4/23 11:09 a.m.
In reply to John Welsh :
The neighbor isn't thrilled with the idea but he's saying it's up to his son who has already gotten approval for a loan for the car. I'm not sure my neighbor's angle from asking me, exactly, since he's already tried talking his son out of it. Kid already has a running car (Impala) but motivation is that his buddy has an Audi and he wants one too.
The way I'm presenting info to the neighbor (who may or may not choose to present it the same to his son- not my biz, really) is "here are some things I'd be concerned about and some questions your son may want to consider before the purchase, such as, "since there are no maintenance records ("private mechanic"), and you therefore must assume timing hasn't been done, do you have a plan for coming up with the $3,000 to do the job ASAP?"
Or the fact that it's high on the price range but has bad/no AC - "he may say that's fine and he'll live with it, but he might plan on negotiating the price down due to that"
Also, coming from a metro of half a million, it's suspicious to me when a good looking car doesn't sell for ten weeks in a metro of 3.2M
Approval for a loan? $7500 should be a cash deal.
Ask him how much premium gas is, and times that by the distance to get home and 14 MPG. Can he even afford that?
And yeah, insurance is going to be a bear. The S4 is the most wrecked car in 2023 so far and was in the rubbing last year, too. My premiums went up 200%.
If he does not have $7500 to buy it, he does not have the money to feed it. It just keeps getting worse.
P3PPY
SuperDork
9/4/23 11:29 a.m.
In reply to Steve_Jones :
SMH I get it. Been there, done that. That's why it's nice for me to have a spouse who I cannot/try to not BS when it comes to an emotional car decision.
Datsun310Guy said:
Approval for a loan? $7500 should be a cash deal.
Most people in the country would be financially destroyed by an emergency $500 bill. Most people take out loans to get their cars fixed, anymore. $7500 is definitely a loan for most people.
I would probably be crazy enough to borrow $7500 for a 20 year old car, but not a modified one. Never buy a car that someone else modified. That car screams "VW Vortex hack has owned this".
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Yeah, you are correct. I might be assuming the kids living at home under Dads roof. He could well be juggling a rent payment, utilities, food, gas and insurance.
Ha, that thing should have a giant red flashing light on it with a warning sign that says "will be damaging to your finances." Out of the four pics shown I wouldn't even trust the dumbbells. I don't have the time to list all the potential hazards but I had a friend that had the exact same year/car. He's still in therapy.
This just screams bad parenting and unwillingness or inability to make good financial decisions. :(
I tried to do something similar at that age not understanding the full implications of my choice. Thankfully, my parents stood firm and I moved on to something fun and more appropriate.
I said no to my kid explaining why and talked about better options. Settled on something smarter to get him through college
Datsun310Guy said:
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Yeah, you are correct. I might be assuming the kids living at home under Dads roof. He could well be juggling a rent payment, utilities, food, gas and insurance.
In which case it would be financially irresponsible to buy anything that doesn't have an ironclad warranty, or is cheap enough to DIY.
A 20 year old high end German car is not a primary vehicle for anybody.
amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:
This just screams bad parenting and unwillingness or inability to make good financial decisions. :(
A college-attending son is presumably over 18 and legally an adult. If he's gotten financing approved then I don't see much the father can do other than offer firm parental advice against it which may well go unheeded.
Sometimes you have to learn that things are mistakes the hard way, I'm sure many of us here have done similar things.
That is a hard no!!! That is about the worst car for him. Oh and The parent needs to step up and be a parent. He may not be able to legally do anything but he should not just shrug his shoulders and say oh well.
Then there is the part about getting a note on it. I bet it is a a crazy interest. This takes it from bad idea to a terminal case of the stupids. If he can not afford to pay cash for it just wait till the repair bills come rolling in or even the annual service costs.
Get a Honda or a Toyota go to school get a degree get a good job and then by your toys.
I'm always careful to indict other people's parenting. There's always more to the story than we see and things are often complicated.
That said, this all seems like a great learning experience for the kid. When is a $7500 debt not a $7500 debt? When you buy this car with it. I'm sure all of us would have marched right out and bought a Prius at that age right?
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:
That said, this all seems like a great learning experience for the kid.
Sometimes you just need to learn something the hard way. A B6 S4 is full of the hard way.
Ooof. Speaking as someone who bought and commuted in an Audi Ur-S4 through most of college, I'm still not enough of a masochist to trust a B6 S4 as an only vehicle. Especially on a college budget. The burble tune is an especially big red flag. Ugh.
That being said, the loan isn't necessarily a bad thing. I took a small loan out on a car I could've otherwise paid for outright in cash to help rebuild my credit after a family member's medical bills were improperly attached to my credit and went into collections. It worked out for me, although interest rates were much more reasonable 10 years ago.
