Question:
I’m interested in the small Audis, the successors to the 4000. Because of loan constraints at my credit union, I have to stick with ‘88 or newer in a used car. I want 4 doors and reasonable power. Braking and handling mean much more to me than straight-line acceleration. I try to ski a lot in the Sierras, so AWD would be interesting. I do most of my own wrenching, but I use a local Porsche mechanic for the specialized (FI) stuff. And, finally, my budget is $12k. Any recommendations? Reply by email, please. Remove "NOSPAM" from the address. — Never answer a question directly if there’s a more baffling way to respond.
Response:
>I’m interested in the small Audis, the successors to the 4000. Because of >loan constraints at my credit union, I have to stick with ‘88 or newer in >a used car. I want 4 doors and reasonable power. Braking and handling mean >much more to me than straight-line acceleration. I try to ski a lot in the >Sierras, so AWD would be interesting. I do most of my own wrenching, but I >use a local Porsche mechanic for the specialized (FI) stuff. And, finally, >my budget is $12k. Any recommendations?
You’ll be looking at the Audi 80 and Audi 90 of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Audi 80 is less well "equipped" than the Audi 90, so should be slightly (probably insignificantly) cheaper. They are 4 door front wheel drive cars, with either a VW 2.0L 4 cylinder or the Audi 2.3L 5 cylinder, and easily available in your price range. Get the 5 cylinder if you want to keep up with traffic. The much bigger (still front wheel drive) 1989 to 1991 Audi 100 and 200 (200 is "fancier" than the 100) are also in your price range, and came with the Audi 5 cylinder in either TURBO or normal versions. Your $12K should be able to buy a nice version of ANY of the above cars. You also asked about the Quattro. Quattros are ONLY available with a 5 speed MANUAL transmission. Are you prepared to shift your luxury sedan yourself? If so: It was available on all of these models, but you will probably have trouble finding one. They are VERY VERY popular, and are hard to come by. You may have to search neighboring cities to find one in a reasonable amount of time. They can also be quite a bit more expensive than the FWD cars… upto 25% or more $$$. IF you can find one, your $12K should allow you to buy a pretty good one. The 80 and 90 quattro models are cheaper and more common than the bigger 100 and 200 models. Unless you need to carry 3 or 4 passengers regularly, I’d recommend the 80/90 over the massive 100/200 models. The 1990 and 1991 80/90 models may have a high-performance 20-valve (164 horsepower) engine. By "high-preformance", I mean real-world performance… needed performance… power to keep up with traffic… Most Audi 80/90s have only 108 or 130 horsepower to haul around their 2600+ pounds, and they are FAR from "fast". If you do want a faster Audi, you’ll have to go with a 1991+ 200 Quattro Turbo. It has 217 horsepower, and can actually get out of its own way even though it weighs something like 3000+ lbs. But it’ll probably cost more than the $12K you’ve got, plus you’ll probably have a real hard time finding one. Me? I’ve been looking for a 1990 or 1991 Audi Coupe Quattro for a year. Let me know if you spot one. I’ll probably have to settle for a 1990+ Audi 90 Quattro (20 valve), since I’ve seen at least a couple for sale in the last year but NEVER seen a Coupe for sale Hope this helps.
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