Re: OPINION WANTED : Audi as a "consumer" vehicle (long)

[Andrei Kogan <abk@phy.duke.edu>]

At 04:33 PM 7/29/98 EDT, you wrote:
>Good luck Andrei and I hope you find something that works out for you!
>
>Mike Veglia
>87 5kcstq
>
>


Mike,

It is incredible how much help I got on my question. Once the wave of
responses begins to subside, I will post a big big THANK YOU to everyone.

Basicallly, the responses I get fall into about three more or less equal in
representation categories.

1. Forget the consumer thing, buy a quatrto and  a turbo, and enjoy the life 
2. Buy a non-quattro, non-turbo 10 valve I5 100 (and still =enjoy the life)
3. Buy a Volvo or a Honda.

Well, here is  the truly ironic situation my wife and I find ourselves in
since yesterday. Armed with the wisdom of this group, we decide that we go
for the option 3. There are a lot more volvos for sale around here than
#2's, so we figure we start forming an opinion ( we haven't ever seen a
volvo up close). We went to a local dealership where I spotted about 5
Volvos for sale, but by the time we got there the guy was already closing.
Well , here it comes:
On the way back, I see this 5000 body shining on the roadside. I pull over,
and in turns out that it is a 1987 quattro turbo, same car as Mike's. Damn,
I think, this has to be a joke ---- you see, I haven't ever driven either a
quattro or a turbo 5K, and they are so rare for sale around here, and the
very day we decided that we bury the idea of buying one it... Then we make
a really big mistake and take it out for a test drive. The car is
absolutely perfect. Superb handling, really powerful engine. Breaks in good
shape. I look under the hood --- and the engine looks BRAND NEW !! very
clean, no leaks, the fuel distributer hoses are nice and shiny and not
rusty like on my 4k.

It is a one owner car, according to the dealer, and it lived in NC hence no
rust. There are records available, but I haven't had a chance to look at
them carefully. I noticed that at least a couple had to do with a leaky
steering rack repair, and the dealer tells me that the timing belt was done
30K ago.


The car has 140,000 on it and they are asking $4400, but I think they would
take substantially less, maybe $3,000 or so. The car needs 2 window
switches and the ac compressor clutch, and I think for $3,000 i can get it
"as is"

now: first, a stupid quattro question. When I was playing with the diff
lock switch, I noticed that sometimes after both diffs are locked and then
the switched is returned to the normal position, the lights wouldn't go
away immediately, but only after you drive a few yards. Is this normal?

Second: Purhaps, I need to clarify what I meant by ability to "afford" a
car in my original post. I certainly don't expect to be able to have  a
zero-trouble 11 year old vehicle, an Audi or a Honda. All I am trying to do
is to get an estimate ( in $$$ ) of problems to encounter in future. Let's
say, I can spend about $500 --- $1000 a year ( hopefully not $1000 EVERY
year) on car repairs. Do you think I can take a chance on that 5kcstq?    


Third : How big a deal is the compressor clutch?


Again, many many thanks to everyone. I don't expect to get something like a
quattro for nothing, I am trying to determine if the physics postdoc salary
can sustain it...

Andrei