I have found an '89 S4 that I am interested in. I have been in contact with the owner via email and have found out that the car has few problems that I would like to ask you about.

One of the tailights is out, the heater is on hiatus and the big one is that the oil pressure gauge has stopped working. On the last one, the cost of a replacement gauge pod has kept him from repairing.

He is asking $18.5K for the car and it has 138K miles on it. Again, it's an '89 S4. It has 3-piece 18" rims (Turbo Twist) and a Borla exhaust.

I am wondering if the 3 items that not working are something that I can tackle or are those items fairly high priced and should make me look elsewhere. I realize that the asking price is fairly high and that the cost to repair these items should be taken into account when (and if) final negotiations for price are brought up.

The car seems very clean otherwise and the owner has been very up-front on what needs to be done and with any questions I have had so far.

Thanks for your time.

 

You're right; the price seems a little strong, but that's for you to wrangle over.

Everything you listed has the pricey and the cheap version of repair. A little more detail might help narrow it down.

The taillight may just be a bulb. Or corrosion of the socket. Or a harness problem.

The heater could be just the heater valve (although they usually fail in the full hot position) or vacuum problems, or a bad HVAC control unit, or...it's a fairly complex system.

The oil gauge - is it dead at 5 or dead at 0? - could be loose wires to the sender, a bad sender, bad pod connection, or a bad gauge. Three of the four will likely be cheaper than fixing the pod. If it's pinned at 5, that's probably a sender or sender-wiring problem; it's pretty common. You also don't need to replace the pod; companies like North Hollywood Speedometer can fix almost anything VDO.

It's hard to diagnose these long-distance, but I would try to narrow it a bit before committing. Maybe a good PPI would help on both these items and other unseen bits.

Good luck; hope you join us soon.

 

Thanks for the response James. After I posted the original message I went over to Nichols 928 tip website and actually was pretty happy to see that there is at least some chance that some of the problems may be of the small variety. Such as a bad solenoid might be the culprit for the "No Heat / Cold AC" problem. This board is invaluable for these kind of things and I appreciate any advice I can get from those who have already gone through this. I may get to be a Shark owner yet...
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The proof is in the driving and inspection. Get a pre purchase inspection done. Price seems way out there to me, better have lot's of records. When I was searching the web etc.. for cars. I found lot's for 14-16. I also agree with the excellence magazine on there market guides for these cars. Drive as many as you can first, then you will have a good range to judge by.

 

$18.5 is high for the car even if everything were working IMHO. Like everyone says, get the PPI and then decide if you want to haggle with the guy. Borla exhaust and 18" rims do not make for a 18 grand car.

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No reason for the icon, I just wanted to use it. lol

 

IMHO...That price is WAY high! The higher the better for us current owners of course! I have a 88s4 with 138k, every record since day 1...was had for A LOT less 18k! and EVERY thing worked except the cruise, driver door handle was loose and the gear select lights.

Find someone that is near by to help with a test drive and can perfom a good inspection for you.
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just saw you are in Walnut Creek. you have <a href="http://www.devek.net" target="_blank">www.devek.net</a> just across the bay in Belmont. You couldnt ask for a better place to have a PPI done! Also there are numerous bay area 928 owners that may chime in and help <img src="graemlins/drink.gif" border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" />

 

All good advice... Like I said before, one thing that makes me feel better is the information that is readily available on the internet. Sites like Nichol's 928 Tips and Rennlist are very very helpful for things like this. Even though I have to say I have seen some nasty things said on this site about Honda Accords. I will take on anybody who challenges my 4-door EX... providing you give me about a mile head start, take out your torque tube and weld your fuel filler door shut ! <img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />