http://www.ecarlink.com/web/199/vehi...204--Dallas-TX

Carfax indicates 5 owners! I'm thinking (hoping) most of those are dealers who are flipping the car, but wondering if there might be a problem with it.

 

I checked with an Audi registry that I have (a bit stale). This car was first registered in CO, and is an early example based on the VIN (RS4s started with 900007 in the US). It wasn't owned by a registered board user it seems (although subsequently one of the owners may have been).

It is def riding on a non-stock suspension, perhaps Stasis but tough to tell. I would pass on the acct of multiple owners, down the line will be tough for you to sell to a prospective 7th owner!

 

Thanks for the info. I hear what you are saying about the multiple owners. It's just that it is so tempting, especially since I know I can get it for under the asking price. At the end of the day though, I think you are right.

 

You are better off passing, prices are really softening, this one is priced on par, I would def say its not a killer deal. Just be patient and you'll find your right one!

 

It seems like a good deal compared to others I've seen so far. I'm in Canada, and compared to what is available here, it's a steal. I've seen ones here with upwards of 60,000km asking mid $60K. Even with paying the exchange and duty, I'd save quite a bit.

I'm in no rush as it is mainly for winter duty. I'll keep looking.

 

If a buyer trades it in, and it gets wholesaled, sometimes that can show up as 3 owners on Carfax. Original owner, the dealer, and the wholesaler. If another dealer buys it? Could be listed as 4 owners. Or if it was a demo, or a shop car of some sort, that could be the first owner, and then maybe 1 or 2 subsequent owners and a wholesaler mixed in.

I wouldn't let it scare me off, but the front bumper looks misaligned slightly, and the rear bumper appears to be a *slightly* different shade of imola. I wonder if it was bumped slightly and repainted. For a winter car? Probably wouldn't bother me, since it will have road grime on it most of the time, and mechanicals are likely fine. I don't see any orange peel or poor panel gaps(aside from front bumper), but hi res photos would be great

 

Wow, that RS4 looks great! So clean too!

 

That's what I was wondering about the multiple owners. Some only owned it for < 1 month so I assumed they were dealers but didn't know if that would actually show up as a new owner.

You've got a great eye. Carfax indicates that the bumper was repaired. If you can see all that in those photos, it makes me concerned about buying it without being able to inspect it.

 

Even if there is a good story behind the frequent flip of hands, nevertheless it is a story! You buy a one-owner or 2-owner car, there is no story that you have to present when it comes time to sell it. On a high performance car like this (or even others), I personally would pay a premium to know the full history of the car and buy it directly from the owner if possible (or a dealer especially if I can track the prior owner being a board member and can gauge a bit more of the car's history). But that's just me. Anything with multiple owner records (and of course history of repairs) is a no-deal unless I am looking for a winter beater... A future buyer may frawn upon being the 8th documented owner and the 1-2K you achieved from savings on this vehicle may well disapate when it comes time for you to dispose of it...

 

It would be a winter beater, but I'm still very picky about my cars, and if the panels don't align properly as suggested in one of the posts above, I'd be very pissed if I bought this sight unseen and it wasn't perfect when it arrived. I would be planning on keeping this car a long time so that by the time it would come to sell it, it would probably be worth very little. However, I always say that but tend to flip cars very often. My S4 is coming up on 5 years now and that's about the longest I've kept a car. A few of them were flipped after 1-2 years.

 

I've purchased a few cars sight unseen, but I've *almost* always had them checked out first. Either someone I know looks at them, or hire an independent inspector. They charge anywhere from $50 to $200, but it is WELL worth it. They usually will put the car on a lift, and check EVERYTHING. You get hi res photos, a .pdf with the report, and sometimes they will chat with you on the phone so you get an actual feel for it.

In this case, the bumper misalignment wouldn't really bother me if there was no other signs at all. But I'd have it inspected for sure.

 

Great advice. Thanks.

 

great looking RS4 though

 

I looked into it. It has had some damage to the bumper and roof. Not clear on the exact details, but that was a deal killer for sure. I found one in Sprint Blue which was my #1 choice anyway.