is this a good buy?
03-21-2006, 08:40 PM
#1
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is this a good buy?
im new to audi, my last car was a bmw 2002tii and im sick of having to pay to ge it fixed every week. is the 87 audi 5000 turbo quattro reliable? is there anything i should know before going out and buying this car? it has 75k miles on it. california car since new. rare wood trim and integrated shades, fuchs wheels new clutch.black leather interior. white paint appears good. they are asking 3500 for it.
let me know if this a good car to get.
http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/106202/ward.5k.3.jpg
let me know if this a good car to get.
http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/106202/ward.5k.3.jpg
03-21-2006, 10:24 PM
#2
Re: is this a good buy?
If you are willing and able to diagnose "minor" problems and perform basic maintenance it is a hell of a lot of car for the money.
If on the other hand you will have a mechanic perform all repairs/maintenance you will become suicidal. In this case I would get a Honda.
Just my opinion.
If on the other hand you will have a mechanic perform all repairs/maintenance you will become suicidal. In this case I would get a Honda.
Just my opinion.
03-21-2006, 11:28 PM
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what kind of little repairs are you talking about
what kind of little repairs are you talking about. i had an old bimmer that i did all kinds of tweaks on. im just sick of dumping money into my old car
03-22-2006, 03:54 AM
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if your sick of dumping money into an old car
then I would not suggest any old audi , regardless of mileage you will spend time and money fixing it. Great cars just a pita at times and pricey on parts.
03-22-2006, 04:22 AM
#5
That depends...
Have they got maintenance records? There are certain things you can bank on replacing. At $3500 it had better have all been done. Even with low mileage things do age while sitting. Has it been driven regularly?
Within the first 2 years I think you can count on:
Alternator
Starter
Multifunction Temperature Sensor
Crank reference Sensor
RPM sensor
Fuel pump
Possibly a distributor
Souce those from your fav. supplier and beat the price down with them. Don't forget to add your time into the equation for that.
Now, having said that... they are a heap of fun. Very well built. The drive is simply amazing. The MC1 motor and drivetrain are virtually bulletproof. Then there is the addictive and relatively inexpensive boost modifications.
the Tii is a nice ride. what year was it? My brother has a 1972 model. the Kugelfisher F.I. has been rebuilt and that little Lada looking car goes like a squirrel with it's tail on fire. So will an Audi when you mod it.<ul><li><a href="http://www.toxcheap.com">Look at the videos here to see what they can do.</a></li></ul>
Within the first 2 years I think you can count on:
Alternator
Starter
Multifunction Temperature Sensor
Crank reference Sensor
RPM sensor
Fuel pump
Possibly a distributor
Souce those from your fav. supplier and beat the price down with them. Don't forget to add your time into the equation for that.
Now, having said that... they are a heap of fun. Very well built. The drive is simply amazing. The MC1 motor and drivetrain are virtually bulletproof. Then there is the addictive and relatively inexpensive boost modifications.
the Tii is a nice ride. what year was it? My brother has a 1972 model. the Kugelfisher F.I. has been rebuilt and that little Lada looking car goes like a squirrel with it's tail on fire. So will an Audi when you mod it.<ul><li><a href="http://www.toxcheap.com">Look at the videos here to see what they can do.</a></li></ul>
03-22-2006, 06:04 AM
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Well... My thoughts. Kinda long...
This is just my over-caffinated morning rant about the joys and pains of the old T44 Audi. Some of this probably will be stating the obvious, but thought I'd cover everything I can think of. Take it for what it's worth!
A couple of very important points. 1. Maintenance history is very important both to see what has been done and where it's been done. 2. It is crucial that you are willing to wrench on it yourself.
I bought mine being pretty much uneducated about the beast. It's in great shape cosmetically and for most of it's previous life it was METICULOUSLY maintained at the dealer by the original owner. Then the guy I bought it from started taking it to the wrong kinds of places for this car (Sears, Midas, etc., fine for a Chevy but WRONG!!! for an old Audi). He meant well, but admitted that he knew nothing about cars. Wrong car for that guy...
So, when I got it, things were pretty good, but a couple of things started coming up. Fortunately, there are a couple of Audi enthusiast garages very close to me, so I started un-doing the 24 months of well-meaning but inadequate care it had suffered. Looking at the dealer records, it was an amazingly trouble free car. (First lesson -- care for the car proactively and it is a tank.) Reconstructing the rest of the records shows a lot of dumb mistakes, like filling it with stopleak instead of replacing a worn coolant hose. (Second lesson -- these are classy ladies that don't like half-a$$ed tactics. Creativity is rewarded but not laziness or cheapness.) I had a lot of work done at first, but started doing more on my own as I learned about it.
These are really cool cars. They are very complicated, but in a clever way that makes them seem simpler and simpler to understand as you get to know how they work. (Third lesson -- learn as much as possible about it. The mysteries will slowly unravel!)
From my experience, it is a very "reliable" platform. By that I mean that when things go wrong with it, it tends to be gradual. It has never stranded me or failed catastrophically. Others, I guess, haven't been so lucky. (Praise you Audi Gods, I mean no disrespect!!!) (Fourth lesson -- NEVER anger the Audi Gods.) That said, little things do go wrong with it frequently, just because of it's age and the wear of the parts. That's just the way it is unless you want to replace every little piece of old hardware on the rig. Seriously, though, they are all getting close to 20 years old, so they've been remarkably durable. Replacing worn stuff will prolong the chasis life almost indefinitely, and the motor / drivetrain is bulletproof.
So, the best part is driving one of these. They are big, fast, comfortable, safe, cool, and increasingly rare. Unstoppable in any weather. And, with very modest modifications, can be made to be REALLY fast, if you're so inclined. Mine is literally my favorite car that I've ever owned.
This forum and a few selected websites mentioned here all the time will literally teach you everything you need or want to know about the car. There are a bunch of incredibly bright, creative, and helpful people here... <I love you guys, sniff, sniff...> But seriously, one of the best forums out there...
As for the particular car you mentioned: It sounds d^mn good. It is way pricey, though. These cars can be had for practically nothing, but you also get what you pay for. IF and only IF the miles on this car are accurate, it is in pristine shape, it has documented service history from a quality source, and presents no other issues that you can detect, it's worth starting in that ballpark. It better be literally perfect, though... All electrical, A/C, seat heaters, etc., etc., should be working. Good brake bomb, no power steering or coolant leaks... The usual stuff, plus some things specific to the car. There are detailed checklists on this forum. Definitely negotiate down, though. Obviously, the price is only relative to the value that you personally get back from the deal. $3500 might be a good deal to you for what you're looking for. Spending more upfront is no guarantee that you'll spend less down the road, but it also might work out that way. Investigate carefully.
Ok, that's all I can think of at the moment. Hope there was a kernel of usefullness somewhere in there! LOL...
Good luck!
late :: nick
A couple of very important points. 1. Maintenance history is very important both to see what has been done and where it's been done. 2. It is crucial that you are willing to wrench on it yourself.
I bought mine being pretty much uneducated about the beast. It's in great shape cosmetically and for most of it's previous life it was METICULOUSLY maintained at the dealer by the original owner. Then the guy I bought it from started taking it to the wrong kinds of places for this car (Sears, Midas, etc., fine for a Chevy but WRONG!!! for an old Audi). He meant well, but admitted that he knew nothing about cars. Wrong car for that guy...
So, when I got it, things were pretty good, but a couple of things started coming up. Fortunately, there are a couple of Audi enthusiast garages very close to me, so I started un-doing the 24 months of well-meaning but inadequate care it had suffered. Looking at the dealer records, it was an amazingly trouble free car. (First lesson -- care for the car proactively and it is a tank.) Reconstructing the rest of the records shows a lot of dumb mistakes, like filling it with stopleak instead of replacing a worn coolant hose. (Second lesson -- these are classy ladies that don't like half-a$$ed tactics. Creativity is rewarded but not laziness or cheapness.) I had a lot of work done at first, but started doing more on my own as I learned about it.
These are really cool cars. They are very complicated, but in a clever way that makes them seem simpler and simpler to understand as you get to know how they work. (Third lesson -- learn as much as possible about it. The mysteries will slowly unravel!)
From my experience, it is a very "reliable" platform. By that I mean that when things go wrong with it, it tends to be gradual. It has never stranded me or failed catastrophically. Others, I guess, haven't been so lucky. (Praise you Audi Gods, I mean no disrespect!!!) (Fourth lesson -- NEVER anger the Audi Gods.) That said, little things do go wrong with it frequently, just because of it's age and the wear of the parts. That's just the way it is unless you want to replace every little piece of old hardware on the rig. Seriously, though, they are all getting close to 20 years old, so they've been remarkably durable. Replacing worn stuff will prolong the chasis life almost indefinitely, and the motor / drivetrain is bulletproof.
So, the best part is driving one of these. They are big, fast, comfortable, safe, cool, and increasingly rare. Unstoppable in any weather. And, with very modest modifications, can be made to be REALLY fast, if you're so inclined. Mine is literally my favorite car that I've ever owned.
This forum and a few selected websites mentioned here all the time will literally teach you everything you need or want to know about the car. There are a bunch of incredibly bright, creative, and helpful people here... <I love you guys, sniff, sniff...> But seriously, one of the best forums out there...
As for the particular car you mentioned: It sounds d^mn good. It is way pricey, though. These cars can be had for practically nothing, but you also get what you pay for. IF and only IF the miles on this car are accurate, it is in pristine shape, it has documented service history from a quality source, and presents no other issues that you can detect, it's worth starting in that ballpark. It better be literally perfect, though... All electrical, A/C, seat heaters, etc., etc., should be working. Good brake bomb, no power steering or coolant leaks... The usual stuff, plus some things specific to the car. There are detailed checklists on this forum. Definitely negotiate down, though. Obviously, the price is only relative to the value that you personally get back from the deal. $3500 might be a good deal to you for what you're looking for. Spending more upfront is no guarantee that you'll spend less down the road, but it also might work out that way. Investigate carefully.
Ok, that's all I can think of at the moment. Hope there was a kernel of usefullness somewhere in there! LOL...
Good luck!
late :: nick
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03-22-2006, 09:51 AM
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If you don't do your own work on the 2002, then the 5000 is most likely not your kind of car
It just doesn't get much more simpler to wrench on a car than the 2002. If you are not a hands on person any German car will cost you.
Ie. You have a $400-$600 service interval coming up (timing belt, waterpump, etc) with in the next half year/year.
Ie. You have a $400-$600 service interval coming up (timing belt, waterpump, etc) with in the next half year/year.
03-22-2006, 10:25 AM
#10
^^ Second that. nick reminded me...
Something you can't avoid is the door jamb and trunk hinge wiring. If the windows, mirror, or seat controls from the driver's door give any trouble it is the wiring iside the hinge. A PITA to fix. Not difficult just tricky. The same fracturing happens on the driver's side trunk hinge wiring and can lead to some VERY odd electrical symptoms. Check the trunk hinge wires out and they will give you a very good indication of what is happening in the door jamb. the door is usually worse due to more frequent use. HTH.