Buying a Used car

R

Rinathama

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
10
Reaction score
2
Hi guys.
I've been in this group a while and found it helpful even without posting events though I've never posted anything .
I'm trying to buy a new car from a private seller. I don't know the procedure and I'm afraid of getting scammed could you please tell me what to do to be on the safeside.
I asked him some questions like accident history and he told me it pavement and the bumper should be replaced and the roof line is sagging but those problems I could handle. He also told me that he has the quotation for the control arms that cost 2000 for the servicing.

I have included the pictures of the car. Its an Audi S5 2010 going for 170000, I managed to talk him down to 155k.

Please help me avoid getting scammed by all means even if it's simple stuff to look out for because I've never bought a car before. IMG-20201002-WA0013.jpgIMG-20201002-WA0020.jpgIMG-20201002-WA0011.jpg
 
I wouldn’t say you are gettting scammed but definitely getting shafted. That car is not in great condition. I don’t know if it’s a buckle there by the wing mirror or just a reflection. Also the rubber seal by the windscreen seems to be missing. The interior also looks very worn. Not to mention it’s a 10 year old S5. Anything breaks on that thing don’t expect to pay anything less than 40k to get it fixed. All in all it looks like the car wasn’t taken care of. I would pass.
 
Why not buy a newer vehicle with less existing damage for R170k or R155k? This might not be a scam, but I personally don't think it's a good deal or purchase.
 
Rinathama said:
Hi guys.
I've been in this group a while and found it helpful even without posting events though I've never posted anything .
I'm trying to buy a new car from a private seller. I don't know the procedure and I'm afraid of getting scammed could you please tell me what to do to be on the safeside.
I asked him some questions like accident history and he told me it pavement and the bumper should be replaced and the roof line is sagging but those problems I could handle. He also told me that he has the quotation for the control arms that cost 2000 for the servicing.

I have included the pictures of the car. Its an Audi S5 2010 going for 170000, I managed to talk him down to 155k.

Please help me avoid getting scammed by all means even if it's simple stuff to look out for because I've never bought a car before. View attachment 926067View attachment 926069View attachment 926071
Click to expand...
It depends...

The V6 engine in there is considered among the best engines to come out of the whole group in the past 20 years. Far more reliable than its contemporaries from other manufacturers and the smaller capacity VW group (EA888 2.0 T/1.8T 1st gen was a clusterf...)

There are a few things to look out for which can be quite expensive to put right.

S Tronic gearbox
Oil needs to have been changed every 60 000km, so it should have 2 changes by now, however even with that, you are likely to experience the following potential issues
-clutches (often as a result of the 2nd failure)
-mechatronic (typically just circuit board, but places will replace all)
-Linkages (a bit less common)
Check for hard shifting of the box
Total repair to put 100% right, never break again should be around R40k -Vagbox PTA

Also would imagine the car has had its mechatronic already replaced.

Control arms are common on this car at this mileage. You can also opt for a replacement of bushes but you need a mechanic that had the hydraulic press to push out and push in the rubber bushings that have failed.

Check the cooling level doesn't drop over time which could be signs of a failing waterpump, the early ones were made from plastic and pretty much had a 100% failure rate, however by this mileage it should have already been done. Further the cooling system could be subject to plastic degradation of the pipes beneath the intercooler, which could leak. Not an expensive part to replace but a pricey labour job, since the supercharger has to come out.

Finally the crank Pulley is also a component with pretty much a 100% failure rate. Party is about r4500 or so. Ask if it's already happened and know for sure you can sleep well.

The price for this vehicle is still good I'd say, in line with what I traded my car for last March adjusted for 18 months depreciation.
 
Rinathama said:
Hi guys.
I've been in this group a while and found it helpful even without posting events though I've never posted anything .
I'm trying to buy a new car from a private seller. I don't know the procedure and I'm afraid of getting scammed could you please tell me what to do to be on the safeside.
I asked him some questions like accident history and he told me it pavement and the bumper should be replaced and the roof line is sagging but those problems I could handle. He also told me that he has the quotation for the control arms that cost 2000 for the servicing.

I have included the pictures of the car. Its an Audi S5 2010 going for 170000, I managed to talk him down to 155k.

Please help me avoid getting scammed by all means even if it's simple stuff to look out for because I've never bought a car before. View attachment 926067View attachment 926069View attachment 926071
Click to expand...
Slightly off-topic, use an escrow service from Standard Bank https://www.standardbank.co.za/sout...k/innovative-payment-solutions/escrow-service or https://www.tradesafe.co.za/ , its safer than just making an eft straight to the seller and you can even negotiate with the seller through this service.
 
Hi guys I'm not really worried about the service fees, I want this to be a project car more than anything else. I understand It could be a money pit but I think it'd be fun car to work on.
 
Mosgi said:
It depends...

The V6 engine in there is considered among the best engines to come out of the whole group in the past 20 years. Far more reliable than its contemporaries from other manufacturers and the smaller capacity VW group (EA888 2.0 T/1.8T 1st gen was a clusterf...)

There are a few things to look out for which can be quite expensive to put right.

S Tronic gearbox
Oil needs to have been changed every 60 000km, so it should have 2 changes by now, however even with that, you are likely to experience the following potential issues
-clutches (often as a result of the 2nd failure)
-mechatronic (typically just circuit board, but places will replace all)
-Linkages (a bit less common)
Check for hard shifting of the box
Total repair to put 100% right, never break again should be around R40k -Vagbox PTA

Also would imagine the car has had its mechatronic already replaced.

Control arms are common on this car at this mileage. You can also opt for a replacement of bushes but you need a mechanic that had the hydraulic press to push out and push in the rubber bushings that have failed.

Check the cooling level doesn't drop over time which could be signs of a failing waterpump, the early ones were made from plastic and pretty much had a 100% failure rate, however by this mileage it should have already been done. Further the cooling system could be subject to plastic degradation of the pipes beneath the intercooler, which could leak. Not an expensive part to replace but a pricey labour job, since the supercharger has to come out.

Finally the crank Pulley is also a component with pretty much a 100% failure rate. Party is about r4500 or so. Ask if it's already happened and know for sure you can sleep well.

The price for this vehicle is still good I'd say, in line with what I traded my car for last March adjusted for 18 months depreciation.
Click to expand...
I'm not really worried about the service fees, I want this to be a project car more than anything else. I understand It could be a money pit but I think it'd be fun car to work on.
 
TechGirl04 said:
Why not buy a newer vehicle with less existing damage for R170k or R155k? This might not be a scam, but I personally don't think it's a good deal or purchase.
Click to expand...
I wasn't really after practicality...just a fun car to work on.
 
Since you seem happy with the car as well as the issues that would arise maybe we can discuss the administration side of it.

Do you know what a car certificate look like? Ask the owner for it, it must show the name of the owner for both owner and title holder, make sure that the person selling the car is the owner of the car.

You will also need their ID copy as well as a roadworthy certificate, you will both need to sign the forms for change of ownership.

Coming to the roadworthy certificate, the car seems to have a lot of mechanical issues that could be a problem, in this instance I would ask the owner to organise a roadworthy for it, unless you are prepared to go through the hassle.

Apologies if I am telling you stuff you already know but I am really getting tired of those, "I bought a car that can't be registered because I can't get hold of the owner" threads.

Also make sure that the owner accounts for all outstanding traffic fines because you are not going to be able to register the car if there are fines.
 
Last edited:
That car would be a huge mistake as a first car. Literally everything that goes wrong - and it will - is going to cost you a lot to fix.
 
Did corona make people dom all of a sudden ? Or was it always like this ?
 
Mosgi said:
It depends...

The V6 engine in there is considered among the best engines to come out of the whole group in the past 20 years. Far more reliable than its contemporaries from other manufacturers and the smaller capacity VW group (EA888 2.0 T/1.8T 1st gen was a clusterf...)

There are a few things to look out for which can be quite expensive to put right.

S Tronic gearbox
Oil needs to have been changed every 60 000km, so it should have 2 changes by now, however even with that, you are likely to experience the following potential issues
-clutches (often as a result of the 2nd failure)
-mechatronic (typically just circuit board, but places will replace all)
-Linkages (a bit less common)
Check for hard shifting of the box
Total repair to put 100% right, never break again should be around R40k -Vagbox PTA

Also would imagine the car has had its mechatronic already replaced.

Control arms are common on this car at this mileage. You can also opt for a replacement of bushes but you need a mechanic that had the hydraulic press to push out and push in the rubber bushings that have failed.

Check the cooling level doesn't drop over time which could be signs of a failing waterpump, the early ones were made from plastic and pretty much had a 100% failure rate, however by this mileage it should have already been done. Further the cooling system could be subject to plastic degradation of the pipes beneath the intercooler, which could leak. Not an expensive part to replace but a pricey labour job, since the supercharger has to come out.

Finally the crank Pulley is also a component with pretty much a 100% failure rate. Party is about r4500 or so. Ask if it's already happened and know for sure you can sleep well.

The price for this vehicle is still good I'd say, in line with what I traded my car for last March adjusted for 18 months depreciation.
Click to expand...
It's a 2010 model so it has the V8 AFAIK
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X