Thanks so far with all the help!! (89 quattro 100)

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

At 10:30 AM 6/13/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi all...
>thanks for all the help so far. Here is the scoop on the car I am looking
>at:
>89 quattro 100  (manual tranny) with 98.5k on it for ~$2000/obo
>
>I took a look at it yesterday and outside of a few surface dings, the body
>was good. One of the rear windows didn't work. There were a few internal
>cosmetic issues... what concerned me is the following...
>
>1. Do engines in this vintage normally idle rough? (put put put put
>sounding...)

....................No. Hold a dollar bill at the tailpipe and see if it
gets sucked in and makes a sound like a machine gun. Bad exhaust valve,
letting the intake vacuum be felt through the exhaust system. Maybe a
burned valve. Also could be a bad spark plug or plug wire.  See if they are
all tight in their sockets. Might even be a cracked exhaust manifold.  The
engine needs a tune-up and professional attention....estimate _at least_
$300 to $500 to have it done by a competent mechanic, before you ever drive
it anywhere.

>2. The shifting was REALLY loose... and if I shifted too "quickly"
>(according to the owner) a flashing oil can symbol would come up on the
>display  for a few seconds...

.....................Most certainly needs some linkage replacements....not
exceptionally expensive...maybe $125 to have it done.  UNLESS it is a
transmission problem, in which case you don't want the car.  That flashing
oil can symbol is shouting at you to be wary of this car. It either has bad
electronics or low oil pressure.......BIG negatives. Get an expert opinion
for sure before paying anything for the car.

>3. The owner was another student who had it for a year.... no maint.
>records, it was bought by the previous owner at auction. He is leaving for
>china in a week and needs to sell the car.

...................this gets very dark and much riskier. "No maintenance"
means big bucks for sure in necessary maintenance catch-up, plus repairs to
systems that have been damaged by the neglected conditions. Like I said, I
pay out about $1,200 a year to keep my car running well. Considering this
baseline, that car has a debt of about $2,500 in unattended maintenance costs.

>When I asked about the timing belt his response was "what is that?"

....................flatbed it to the nearest Audi shop. You are looking at
$200 in repairs for just that item, and it MUST be done. Don't drive it
again. It could fail during your test drive and then the seller would blame
you.......OR, drive it and take your chances like the guy that already is
stuck with it.


>Should I even bother talking him down or should I just give up on the Audi
>dream...

.....................like I said, if you want the car, DON'T GUESS. Set up
an appointment and pay an Audi mechanic for a survey of its condition, to
be sure it doesn't have a bad engine, a bad tranny, and a long list of
hidden maintenance requirements that have been put off for years. This car
could easily cost you twice what you pay for it.  Personally, I'd walk away
from this one. It could end up costing you about $5,000 before you have it
all sorted out. I'd say the car is more likely a liability rather than an
asset.

Why are you messing around with stuff like that? TRY THE AUDIFANS MARKET
PLACE!  www.audifans.com   Yes, I'm shouting at you :~) There are cars
there that have been owned by maintenance FANATICS. And they are being sold
at very average highly competitive prices.

  Doyt Echelberger  87 5ktq



>Nick k.