CMM83

I know someone with an Audi 90 that I absolutely love and I might be able to purchase it in a couple of months. Lately I have been trying to gather as much info on this model and year Audi as possible. One source I found (www.Audi90.com)really scared me...it said that Audi 90's are the worst cars ever put out by Germany and it will cost about $2000 a year to keep it running.
So how reliable are these cars? I have a very reliable Miata right now and I don't want to go throught the trouble of selling if I'm going to be getting "the worst car from Germany".
Are there any problems that plague this car?
Any other info you want to give me will be appreciated.
TIA
Chris
BTW...the car I'm looking at is in immaculant(sp?) condition.

ChuckH

The 80/90 series cars were not "the worst cars put out by Germany" and $2K a year is not much for any car that is 11 years old...seriously. I can only speak of my experience and tell you that I indeed did drop about $3K into mine the year before last. But, most of that was regular maintenence and wear and tear items or extra things. I had to replace all the suspension bushings, front brake pads and rotors, fuel pump, and some other things. I also bought new wheels and tires.

Most of the problems that plague Audis new and old are electrical, if there are going to be any. From a mechanical and structural poimnt of view, they are generally pretty bulletproof.

That being said, most of the cost associated with keeping them going is not related to how often things break. Part and labor are expensive on Audi's, just like any European car (or any car these days!).

If you post the mileage on the car, we can probably give you a rundown on things to look for. In general though, the timing belt needs to be changed every 60K miles, so make sure that is done or gets done if the car is over 60K or 120K. Most people replace the water pump at that time also, as it is easy to do when the front of the car is torn apart for the belt. Spark plugs should probably be done every 30K, but I did mine every 15K. Basically, make sure the car has been well maintained. If it has, then you will probably be in good shape.

Seattle Scott

The only cars I ever had that were old and had high mileage and were pretty dependable were a Chevy LUV truck (Isuzu) and a 1985 Ford diesel F250 pick up truck. Both had no options at all. (Well, the F250 has 4 wheel drive).

I still have the Ford F250. I have put about $5000 into it total for the past 14 years (I bought it used with 32,000 miles). It has 211,000 miles on it now.

Clutch $ 500
Tires $ 600
Fuel Injection Pump $ 800
Fuel Lift Pump $ 40
Brakes & Bearings $ 200
Oil Changes @ $15 $1000
(2)Water Pumps $ 200
(4)Batteries $ 160 (need two each time)
Fuel Injection $ 200
Alternator $ 60
Front End Work $ 200

Right now it needs about $1000 for another clutch, rear brakes, windshield and a seat.

I did all the work except for the clutch, injection pump and front end work. As you can see simple equals easy and inexpensive to maintain. The truck is also about as much fun to drive as having a tooth pulled too.

The three Audi's I had/have were more expensive but a lot more fun. I always had a truck to go get parts in too.

The '97 A6 with 44,000 miles I just bought needs about $3000 worth of work (mechanic's estimate) I figure it will cost me about $600 doing it myself.
I love driving it too, but not as much as my '87 4000 Quattro, that car was a real gas.

As far as the car you are thinking about, well if you are young (under 30), want to do some work on your own, have some mechanical aptitude and tools, why not go for it and have some fun?

If you want ultimate reliability (and a boring ride) get a Ford pickup or a Toyota with no options.

You want to drive around with a big grin on your face, get an Audi, and a rig to get parts with.

That have anything to do with 1990 90? No but it's a good story. My parents have a 1991 90 with about 90,000 miles on it. The only thing they have done is oil changes, one battery, one set of tires and a fuel filter. Probably a set of spark plugs and some air filters in there. They are retired and drive easy.

CMM83

The guy who owns it now got it from an insurance aution for $100 and he fixed it up for very low cost. He has a friend at BMW who got him many parts for practically nothing. Their is teh European turbo-enging in it (only 8k miles) along with racing shox, springs, brakes etc. He like totally rebuilt the car last year when he got it and he had it tested to make sure the frame was straight and all.
That is why I love the car so much, because of all the extras that are done to it and that for what it is I can get it pretty cheap (probably around $7k).
I'm 17 w/o too much mechanical experience, but if its simple enough I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty.
Chris

QCRAZY

that "92 100CS" has been having the past few weeks. He bought a nice car and it has really caused him some headaches lately!! Now he's low on cash and has very little mechanical abilities to fix anything himself!! He's kind of in a bind at the moment!!

If you don't have a steady flow of cash (that you can easily part with) or an ability to do a lot of the work yourself you should reconsider!! As Check H said, it's an 11 year old car....things are going to wear out!!

Care to comment "92 100CS"???
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Andrew
90 80q
91 90
95 90q

P.S. $2000 a year is WAY out of line IMO!! I think closer to $600-700 would be more reasonable. Some years I spend $2000 some years I don't spend anything!!! (Your Mileage MAY Vary)

sidespar

mINE IS A 1990 90quattro20V. No major problems to date. Recent minor problems are: light burn-outs (waste of your time to fix, they will just break again), erratic temp[reature warning light), and my headlight washers are broken - does anybody know how to fix these?

QCRAZY

The $2000 a year maintenance and "the worst car from Germany" is a comment on the '92-95 90's! $2000 a year would probably be right on for a '92+ 90!!! As for "the worst car from Germany"....everyone'e entilted to their opinion!! It says right below that the prior years were more reliable!!

You need to realize that the pre-'91's are a completly different animal than the '92+'s that Audi90.com are talking about!!

Basically, that whole site has very little to do with the car you're looking at...especially if the car you're looking at has a different motor!!

Hope this helps clear thing up!!!
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Andrew
90 80q
91 90
95 90q

QCRAZY

...you should be able to fix your temp. light by adding a little anitfreeze to the system.

Your probably getting the "low coolant warning light". That system is VERY touchy. Even if it looks like it's full it will sometimes give you a low warning. Just add a splash of coolant and it should go away!!

Good Luck!!!
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Andrew
90 80q
91 90
95 90q

Silver Streakin'

The 30k was done by the previous owner. 60k was done by the dealer prior to be buying it, which included the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, etc. 90k was done this summer by Holbert's (it took 3 visits and they broke my oil cooler, but they finially got it done, including trans flush/fill and rear repack), so maybe I've put about $2000 in the plus 3 years that I've had it and I have 97k miles on it and about $800 of that was the cats. I've been one of the lucky ones, I suppose. I do the regularly scheduled maintenance plus additional oil changes and I haven't had to do anything to it, except for the cats, which are know to fail on my model. I don't leak or burn oil like others do. I do have some lights in the dash that keep going out (temp. and clock), but you can still see them both during the day, which is fine with me.

It all depends on how you take care of it and if you're willing to put the money into it when it needs it. Plus, to use the right parts and take the time to do it right, the first time around. For example, if the left CV joint fails, then fix them both - don't wait for the right to fail. There are many parts dealers competing with each other so Audi parts are generally easy to find - you just need to know where to look for the best prices, which is where we all help each other out. Also, if you're lucky, some of the people on this forum go to Germany so that helps getting things too.

It's been worth it for me, except for the damn poor customer service at Audi dealers. The techs are generally great, but the advisors and managers at Holbert's and Don Rosen were a$$holes to me. They were fine in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, but the ones here in Philly are terrible. I think I'm finished with them.

Good luck!

Silver Streakin'

What a load of crap on that guys web site. So he puts $2k in it to his specs and thinks we all do.