Thoughts on high mileage RS3

[imadad2]

I am looking to get into a RS3. I came across one but it has alot of mileage and want to get your thoughts on it.
Link: https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/WUABWGFF6J1901643
With the vehicle being a 2018, I would think that majority of the mileage is highway miles or distance commuting. Does mileage affect the wear and tear as much as time/elements does? The 10-13k saved by purchasing could easily go into potential repairs, however, those aren't cheap either and it easily becomes a money pit where it sits more than driven. Just looking for thoughts and $.02.

[S3DUDE]

I honestly wouldn't worry too much. for that age it looks to me that it is a hwy mileage car 35k miles /year. I have had mine for 4 years and I am at 27k miles. Typically the RS3 owners would have given that car decent maintenance. My car is over 4 years old so I have no warranty but like I said, these cars are welt built.

If it makes you feels better, I daily drive and race at the road course a 8th gen Honda Civic SI (K20Z3)with 168k miles. The red line is set 600 rpms above the factory red line so I rev it at 8800 rpms. No oil leaks, no ticking noises, no smoke, no coolant leaks. There is a guy that posted a video of his RS3 over 200000 miles last year on a 3 year mark. Have them show you the maintenance records or take it to get it inspected to reasure you that the car is good.

Sometimes you find cars on the road with low miles owned by people that don't even put sync oil. Many cars out there neglected. I saw a blue RS3 in corpus christie owned by an old gentleman and he was parked at the beach (on the sand). The paint was terrible, it had spots were you can see that the humidity and the salt made it through the clear coat.

[NapalmEnema]

While it may be a fine car, I'd expand your search radius and be ready to travel - drive home. You can get a much better one I'd wager with a bit more distance allowed. Good luck with your search!

[Nawlins]

I’ll give my own personal experience for what it’s worth. I just purchased a 2019 RS3 with 20k miles on it and it went straight to the shop after a day of having it. The previous owner must have dogged it out because the whole final drive gear (rear diff) needs to be replaced, thankfully under warranty. I was experiencing rear humming and vibration at higher speeds which prompted me to go in. Amongst other things, it had an oil pan leak coming through the seal. Nevertheless, I don’t think you’ll come across one RS3 that hasn’t been molested, especially a high mileage one. Have a savings for rainy days if you intend to proceed because problems like mine without warranty will easily set you back thousands. Just my $.02.

[imadad2]

Hey, thanks for all your thoughts. I agree with pretty much everything said. With that, looked into the car and found somethings kinda interesting. First owner drove for 31k/yr and second owner only had it for 4 months before putting up for sale. So its making me wonder if there is something that is wrong with the car. Really sucks because I want to get into one of these cars. Thanks again.

[Rod Paine]

The 2019 RS 3 is a very good build automobile, as ours has 40,132 miles on it of which 28,900 have been
fast country back road runs, 3 days a week as weather permits. Unfortunately I've seen several RS 3's that
have been through the wringer and are in sad shape, compared to ours. It appears that some owners
simply don't know how to take care of it, or drive it CORRECTLY.

I am 82 years old and have been driving and racing high performance automobiles since 1958.
The Audi RS 3 is certainly such a vehicle and will remain as such if it is taken care of PROPERLY
and DRIVEN PROPERLY. Unfortunately their are some folks who could care less and simply don't
take care of vehicles as they should. I've seen way too many in my time, unfortunately!

It's been an excellent vehicle thus far and I hope you can find a used model that has been taken
care of PROPERLY, as they are a great automobile indeed.

For those who may be interested in my automobile background you can see much of it in
my now FROZEN BMW web site at https://www.mye28.com/tech/rods_pages/

Our My Photo Gallery also has various photos of our Audi RS 3. However it doesn't seem
to know it, since it still shows a '0'?

PS - Hi to S3DUDE! I was a Tucson guy 1952-1960 and went to Tucson High and many drives
to/from Mt. Lemon while I was learning to drive. My Father was involved in managing the new
Hughes plant south of Tucson. I moved to L.A. in 1961, now in VA for many years.

[DumpsterRatz]

when you spend a lot of time driving the rs3 you will realize Audi really put a lot of effort in this car, it's overbuilt in many different aspects imo and I think the daza and transmission will be fine well beyond the miles most will ever put on the car. with that many miles its probably just highway miles, I would keep in mind a fuel pump and water pump replacement somewhere down the road and check the belts and tensioners, beyond that I bet she's fine.

[Alex D]

The price seems appropriate for the mileage. With that mileage you just have to expect a bit more wear than a car with 40-50k miles so keep that in mind. These cars do seem to be built well and doesn't seem like any major issues.

[paNX2K&SE-R]

Here's a little food for thought. That car was registered in the hills of WV for most of it's life. If it spent a lot of time driving around super salty WV/PA/OH I wouldn't want it unless you plan on dumping it in a few short years because the underbody is going to be a rusty mess sooner rather than later. One of the reasons I moved from Pittsburgh to North Carolina was to get away from that.

[DumpsterRatz]

Here's a little food for thought. That car was registered in the hills of WV for most of it's life. If it spent a lot of time driving around super salty WV/PA/OH I wouldn't want it unless you plan on dumping it in a few short years because the underbody is going to be a rusty mess sooner rather than later. One of the reasons I moved from Pittsburgh to North Carolina was to get away from that.

lol you know you're a car person when you move states for your car

[imadad2]

Everyone has good points and nearly all are ones that I was already thinking about. With the mileage, I feel I could talk down more on the price and the difference between that and a lesser mileage could go into refreshing those things; wouldnt have to be cash poor. The car isn't going to be my DD, more of a weekend/day off/ road trip kind of thing. The warranty is my other concern. I don't plan on buying more warranty, so hope to used whatever is left of an existing one. Looking at 2018; it is getting close to the 6 yr mark and knowing some may not even be available is something I have to plan for with the higher priced RS3s. Ultimately, my goal is to purchase something by the beginning of next summer; hopefully prices will go down, maybe inventory will go up. Hard to say, but have to wait and see. Thank you all for the responses.

[yakev724]

I bought a 2015 S3 with 105k in 2019, one owner commuter car.

Stage 3 and a couple dozen track days later, I'm super happy with the purchase. With the exception of a blown rear haldex (common issue for my car, not the RS3), car has been largely bulletproof and taken to mods very well. Only caveat is I'm only putting on 7-8k miles/yr.

Not directly applicable to the RS3 drivetrain but if it's stock and one owner I'm a big fan of higher mileage performance cars if you're a diyer and do most of the maintenance yourself.

[imadad2]

If being in the NY area, have you had any issues with rust on the underbody? I know it doesnt take alot or very long, but if kept clean most of the rust should be preventable

[jd_rs3]

Run!!!!!!!

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[RHGregory3]

Honestly, I'm happy to see RS3's with that kind of mileage - It bodes well for longevity for the rest of us! Thanks for sharing, I say go for it but work the price, 48k is 20% less than what you'd pay for a 30k mileage of the same year at least here in Pennsylvania. Good luck either way!

[imadad2]

Thanks for the input. Honestly, I've still been chewing on the thought. Its not going to be a daily driver, 2-3 times a week maybe and a roadtrip here or there; have to try out tail of the dragon. My biggest concern is even with possibly negotiating the price down more, is it going to be erased by having to pay into corrective maintenance and wear and tear. E.g., how are the internals, haldex, brakes and suspension? All these are expensive to correct, especially when having to pay for a car you cant drive. Its the right color and year that I want, just dont know if one will be sitting around after the new year.