Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months

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Mon 13 Jun 2016 16:36
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - galwayman

Hi.

First time poster here. I have been looking at a car on autotrader.co.uk that is being sold by a dealer in Peterborough.

It is a 2012 s line Audi A4.

It looks like a lovely car but I had a look at the MOT history on carcheck.co.uk and found that it has basically barely been driven at all between its last 2 MOTs (almost 94k miles in June 2016 and only 20 miles less in July 2015).

Should I be concerned by this? Looking at the car I'm surprised it hasn't sold as it looks fab.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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Mon 13 Jun 2016 17:30
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - galileo

Petrol or diesel? Which engine?

It's out of warranty, which may be why the previous owner got rid, these can be costly to fix in case of problems (which at 94K are not that unlikely).

Check HJ's car by car guide, for your budget you could get a car with some manufacturer's warranty if you would consider Toyota/Kia models.

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Mon 13 Jun 2016 17:53
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - gordonbennet

Have you been on the govt MOT site to confirm the mileages.

Seems odd such a modern car has only covered 20 miles in 12 months, but there could be several genuine reasons, and one or two that spring to mind not so genuine that i'm sure have you wondering too.

Does the service history add up, is there any sign of any receiptable item for the period during the last year or has anyone offered an explanation.

Edited by gordonbennet on 13/06/2016 at 17:54

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Mon 13 Jun 2016 17:58
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - galwayman
I've just checked totalcarcheck.co.uk which has the MOT mileage history.
I haven't personally been in touch with the dealer.
I have a vague memory of seeing this car for sale last year on the same dealers website so they have obviously had it for quite some time.

Just wondering if that would be unusual.
Would getting an official AA check on the car in advance be a sufficient check to do or what would the usual precautionary procedures be?
Thanks again for the replies
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Mon 13 Jun 2016 18:46
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - pd
There are lots of reason why it might be quite genuine.

The most common reason for this sort of thing is the previous owner being ill or dying.

It might also have been simply waiting for a buyer as well or a combination of a number of things.
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Mon 13 Jun 2016 20:16
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - kiss (keep it simple)

An ailing owner is entirely possible. A neighbour had a lovely Bentley which sat on his drive for several years, most recently only being collected for its annual service/MOT. When the car disappeared I did a quick search and found it for sale on a dealer's website.

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Mon 13 Jun 2016 20:16
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - Cyd
There are lots of reason why it might be quite genuine. The most common reason for this sort of thing is the previous owner being ill or dying.

In my own case, I have a nice Saab 9-3 Aero with 104k on the clock. I was doing 20k a year just going to work.

In September last I had a very serious mountain biking accident that has left me with fourth nerve palsey resulting in torsional diplopia. this means I cannot drive currently. My eyes are improving and if improvement continues at current rates I may (repeat may) be cleared to drive again at my next ophthalmology appointment in September next.

There is an outside possibility (though unlikely) that I may never drive again (there is a surgical option), but if I had to sell my car any prospective owner probably wouldn't know the reason why the car has suddenly only done about 1000 miles in a year. Of course, if a prospective purchaser got in touch with me, I'd be only too happy to put their mind at rest.

It's something worthy of questioning the dealer, but don't be overly suspicious.

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Tue 14 Jun 2016 14:01
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - Avant

It could be that the car has been for sale for the last year and sitting on the dealer's forecourt. It can happen, especially if the mileage is high for the car's age. Those in the know realise that high mileage isn't necessarily a disaster, but Mr Average Punter doesn't think so.

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Tue 14 Jun 2016 14:08
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - Gibbo_Wirral

Near where I live is a yatching marina with a small car park containing runarounds for the owners of very expensive yachts that come to visit. Lord knows why they don't hire a car for the short duration.

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Tue 14 Jun 2016 14:19
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - Warning

If you noticed it for sale, do you recall the price? May be the car dealer was asking too much for it?

The best thing (and for peace of mind) is to make contact with the previous owner. (though be weary of glass full opinions by owners).

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Tue 14 Jun 2016 15:56
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - galwayman
The car is being sold by a dealer.
How would I go about contacting the previous owner?
I'm guessing the dealer is not going to provide me with those details?
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Tue 14 Jun 2016 16:33
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - RobJP

I'd contact the dealer and, quite simply, ask the question : Why has this car done 20 miles in the last year ?

The way they answer will tell you all you need to know about whether they are honest and trustworthy. Evasive, and you know what sort of person they are, and you can probably assume they'll be just as evasive (or trustworthy) when it comes to any problems with the car.

Alternatively, go find another one that's not sat around for a year or more. Not like there's a huge shortage of them out on the market !

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Tue 14 Jun 2016 17:37
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - Galaxy
The car is being sold by a dealer. How would I go about contacting the previous owner? I'm guessing the dealer is not going to provide me with those details?

I don't see why not!

Just ask to see the V5C for the vehicle; the previous owners details are contained in it!

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Tue 14 Jun 2016 18:11
Audi A4 2012 - Car With Little Or No Mileage In Last 12 Months - 72 dudes

Just ask to see the V5C for the vehicle; the previous owners details are contained in it!

Exactly - and if the Data Protection Act gets thrown at you, walk away.

I always route around the car for old bills and invoices. I've usually managed to trace the previous owner(s) this way too.

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