90 20V pitfalls?

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

I drove a 91 90 20vq that was for sale by the original owner last year, and 
at 180k miles it was running rough and the owner couldn't find a mechanic 
who could smooth it out. They wanted $2,500 USD for a quick sale. I said 
I'd take it if they would let me run it past my own mechanic the next day. 
They sold it to a risk-taker within an hour. He spent a week getting it 
diagnosed, and after two new injectors it ran like a watch. I have been 
kicking myself for a year for not writing a check on the spot.

That's the tiny myopic viewpoint of your elephant that I can contribute. At 
any given moment, there aren't many to look at. You will probably have to 
get in line, and make a decision without an opportunity to get a 
professional opinion. You will probably need cash in hand because you won't 
have time to take it to a bank for a loan. To me, that means you are locked 
into a big risk of getting a rebuilt wreck with all kinds of problems.

So, eliminating that particular risk would help[ greatly. Evidence of a 
timing belt-idler pulley-water pump replacement in the last 90k miles is 
good, as are full records. Doing it again, I'd try to take my mechanic and 
my checkbook with me on the test drive.

Anything you can do to reduce that risk is a good move. You can buy your 
way out of mechanical problems if the car is straight. Used parts are going 
to be hard to locate and will be costly.

The car itself was a tight little bombshell with no trunk. I wish I were 
driving it today.

Doyt Echelberger

 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
At 08:54 AM 2/7/01 -0500, you wrote:
>I'm helping my friend look for a 1990-1991 20V Quattro and was wondering if
>I should be on the lookout for any pitfalls or BTDTs with this car.  Thanks!
>
>Aaron
>'86 4kq w/Stebro