Get a 4000?

[Andrew Buc <72220.443@compuserve.com>]

I'm giving some thought to a 4000 as my next car. I'm currently an 
impoverished student, so any decision is a year and a half off, but all the 
more time to research the matter! Now, prepare to have your ear bent! :)
 
First, how troublefree are the cars? Most owners I've talked to have had good 
experiences (one of my teachers had a '79 4000 in the family that went nearly 
300K miles), but I get the occasional person who says, "It's a can of worms!" 
Particular trouble areas, good/bad years?
 
What about cost of parts and routine maintenance? I see a certain amount of 
grumbling about parts prices on the list, but I've heard a bit of that about 
every make of car I've owned (Saab, Fiat, Peugeot), so my inclination is to 
take it with a grain of salt. I've also heard that even parts for American 
cars aren't cheap any more. Is the 4000 really much worse than other cars in 
this regard?
 
How crashworthy is the 4000? I've had a couple of bad crashes in 25 years of 
driving, and I once dated a nurse who worked w/paralytics, some of whom got 
that way in crashes, so I don't kid myself that it can't happen to me. If I 
heard some stories about people walking away unhurt, or w/minor injuries, from 
a really epic crash in a 4000 (the kind of stories you hear about Saabs and 
Volvos), I'd really be impressed. If not, so be it.
 
Much as I'd like to have a 4000 Quattro, I assume that it'd be more expensive 
to register and insure, and the Quattro-specific parts would be pricy. Right?
 
What about the VW Quantum? I understand it falls between the 4k and 5k in 
size--I once even read an article that termed it, tongue in cheek, a VW 4500! 
I assume it shares engines and at least some drivetrain bits with Audis. While 
I haven't done a rigorous year-by-year comparison, perusing the want ads 
suggests that those 4 rings on the grille of a used Audi cost at least $125 
apiece! I'm wondering if the Quantum is a decent car that just doesn't have a 
sporty image and isn't in demand--that's certainly been true of the Peugeot 
504's I've owned. I also see that used 4k's sell for more than 5k's--again, is 
this a supply and demand issue? I won't say that I absolutely couldn't be 
talked into a 5k (my current Peugeot 504 certainly isn't a barge), but I don't 
really need a bigger car than a 4k.
 
I know that at some point in the late 80s, the 4000 got European-style 
headlights replacing the previous 4 rectangular units, but did they or didn't 
go to a whole new body shell at that point?
 
The 4000 would be my first fuel-injected car. For the last 15 years I've been 
going to a very good self-taught back-yard mechanic in Seattle who's 
competent, as fair and honest as the day is long, charges only $25/hr, and 
makes house and road calls--but he isn't equipped to deal with FI-equipped 
cars. Naturally, I don't want to fix what ain't broke! I know that some of his 
other customers have FI-equipped cars (Saab 900's, Peugeot 505's), but I'm not 
sure how they deal w/tuneups and FI work. Of course, I wouldn't be so tactless 
as to tell a garage straight up, "You're really too expensive, but I'll use 
you when there's no alternative," but the issue is still there. Thoughts?
 
Anyway, you now have a new participant, with an attitude, so get used to it! :) 
Thanks for your insights!
 
--Andrew Buc, Seattle, WA; Internet: 72220.443@compuserve.com