Driving Older Audis-long but a goldmine

[jzwahlen at cerrejon.com]

I would like to share my 12 year, 120,000 mile experience
with my 1987 5000CS TQ.  I bought the car new in May, 1987
(Some of you may remember I threw a 10 year birthday party
for the car in 1997, and some of you were in attendance).
The list price on the car was about $32,500.  This was the
Audi flagship of the time and the materials, the carpet,
everything was first class.  I received a factory rebate
coupon for $5,000 because of the fallout from the UI fiasco
on 60 minutes, plus I got another $2,500 dealer discount.
So I ended up paying about $25,000 in capital costs.  

Over the first 100,000 miles the car had $14,400 in
maintenance.  All maintenance including tires, batteries,
oil, alignments, etc.  I calculate that $6,100 was spent in
routine maintenance.  This amounts to $500 per year
($0.061mile) in the minimum upkeep.  I changed oil every
2500 miles.  

This leaves $8,300 in unusual repairs such as component
failure, normal wear and tear, damage, etc.  (Of this amount
$1,050 was most unusual-a fuel contamination problem, for
which the oil company paid half of a $2100 repair bill).  Of
the $8,300, $2,900 was covered either under the original
factory warranty or a so-so extended warranty which I
purchased.  So that leaves $5,400 of unusual repairs which I
paid for out of my own pocket.  This is another $450 per
year or $0.054/mile.  

So of the $14k,  $11,500 was out of pocket routine and
unusual maintenance.  This added to the capital cost of the
car is $36.5k to drive my beloved '87 5000CS TQ 12 years and
120,000 miles.  This amounts to $253/month.  What kind of
vehicle can you get for a lease of $250 per month?  

When I was forced to sell it in 1999, it was like new.  The
interior and exterior were clean and shiny and mechanically
the car was in completely operational condition.  Most
always the car was maintained at an Audi dealership, always
with Audi original parts.

I replaced the radiator at 80,000 miles because I knew of
the problem with the plastic neck failing and I didn't want
to blow a head gasket like I did on my wife's '85 5000S.
Another unusual repair was the RR differential seal which
was leaking.  I had this job done 3 times in St Louis at the
Audi dealer between March of 1990 and May of 1991.  It
leaked again after I moved to Houston TX and I got it fixed
for the fourth and last time in March 1994.

So was the Audi expensive to maintain?  When you look at
$11,500 in repairs it seems so, but we are talking about
$0.115 per mile.  Do you think this is reasonable?

If you buy into a car which has not been properly
maintained, then you are in for one big repair bill to bring
the car up to a reliable condition.  I must say, except for
the fuel contamination problem, the car never stranded me.
It was always there for my work and my pleasure.  Seems like
many people are of the opinion that cars should be driven
and not cared for.  I'm of the other school, if I think
something is close to failing, I fix it before it can bite
me.


If anyone wants a copy of my detailed spreadsheet with all
the repairs, email me directly and I will share it with you.
Password, which must be contained in the body of the
request, is "I want a new Audi twin turbo!"   The list only
covers thru 1997, and the first 100,000 miles, I did not
maintain the spreadsheet for the remaining two years I had
the car, but I don't remember any unusual repairs in those
two years.  The cost per mile calculation was based on
100,000 miles and is a little on the high side because I got
120,000 miles out of the car before I was forced to sell.

Hope this helps someone make a decision.