azsl1326

Hello All,

I am new to this forum as I am considering purchasing a 2006 A6 S-Line 3.2L with 28K miles. The car has another 9 months under warranty. I have test driven the car a few times and it is in excellent condition, has all the bells and whistles and drives great (to me). The one caveat that is holding me back is that the car dealer that is selling the car from informed me that they purchased it at an auction in California and that the car was a buy back thru Audi. The dealer is a well respected dealership specializing in primarily VW/Audi/BMW previously owned cars. They showed me the paper work from the auction and why it was bought back. It appears that there the MIL light illuminated indicating an issue with the throttle/bottle housing air leak(?). The resolution was to clean the housing. There were some other issues listed as well but the above referenced was the main reason for Audi buying the car back.

The dealer told me that California has some of the most lenient buy back laws in the country and that if someone really wants out of their lease it isn't all that difficult. So with that said, should I still consider purchasing this car or should I drop it like a hot potato? Are there any specific questions I should ask the dealer?

This A6 is really a slick car and I would love to own it, however, I have been down the road with troubled cars in the past, Saab 93, and don't really want to go that route again. What can I expect from a reliability and maintenance perspective for this car?

Any insight, suggestions, and help is GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks.

Bruce M

There is nothing wrong with buying a LLBO (lemon law buy back) car. But there are some things to be aware of:

1. the title is branded, so the car's value is diminshed. you should be getting a VERY good deal compared to a non-branded title car. when you go to sell it one day, you'll have the same problem with potential buyers (explaining what happened and why)

2. you can not take the dealer's word for anything. us dealers lie like dogs. so call audi of america and get the entire service history and story of the car and why it wasa bought back. CA does have lenient lemon laws, and it's entirely possible the dealer is being honest. trust, but verify

3. make sure your auto insurance company will insure a branded title car

4. make sure the car's warranty is either in full effect, it's been extended for the reason the car was bought back, or it qualifies for an extended warranty. the warranties i sell for audis will not cover a llbo car.

5. you have to get a full pre-purchase inspection done, including paint metering and body/frame, to verify the integrity of the car.

6. good luck! if you decide the car is not right for you, and/or the deal is not good enough, let me know. i find great audis for people for a living, and can get you a carefully selected and inspected one for a great price.

Bruce

RDD

I think if you are scared about reliability issues and are wanting to buy a lemon buy back car you may be kicking yourself down the road for making such a decision. Why tempt fate? Maybe if they sold it for half of the regular value because when you try to sell it that's what you might be getting once people realize the title is not clean.

AV8TORSADF

All the suggestions Bruce gave are great and very insightful. Personally, I wouldn't buy a Buy Back car under any circumstances because for me the potential for "issues" and the deminished value and perception of other potential buyers (I'm sure a dealer would not take it as trade) are simply not worth it for me.

If you feel you're getting a good enogh deal to warrant the potential pitfalls then go for it. It boils down to personal choice. Good Luck!

Legal Brown

Nice Bruce.

Who's to say you won't have the same housing leak in the future? If it was as simple as cleaning the housing, then why would Audi go through the trouble of buying the car back? They don't buy the car back because of a one time $200 service. Doesn't make sense. I agree, more research must be done.

azsl1326

Bruce,

Thank you for the very detailed reply. All of the information you provided is great and certainly appreciated. Some of your suggestions, like my insurance company insuring a branded car. I have a few follow-up questions based upon your reply.

What happens when I go to trade in the car at a dealership? Will they accept a LLBO?

I know that the original manufacturers warranty is still in effect until Feb.2010. Where would I go about getting #5 done. My wife wanted me to take it to our mechanic to have them look it over, however I am not sure that they can do that detailed of an inspection.

I was planning on calling my local Audi dealer to get a history of the car. Would they be able to provide me with this information or do I need to call Audi of America directly.

I seem to be getting a good deal, however I am not sure if it is a GREAT deal. The dealer gave me a price of 24K.


Thanks again.

sidehatch

Three words DO NOT BUY.

andrec

There are plenty of other C6 A6's on the used car market with CPO. Why buy somebody else's headache? My suggestion - move on and find another.

Legal Brown

I wouldn't call that a deal.

AV8TORSADF

You can ask your dealer (any Audi dealer) to pull the car's service history and it will list all work performed on the car by any Audi dealer in the US.

I'm just about to buy a 2006 A6 3.2Q and asked the selling dealer for the history. He pulled it an emailed it to me free of charge.