found a beautiful Avant! what to do?

[Livolsi, Stephane]

I don't think it's an olympic car but now that I think about it the seat
panels seemed more suede than leather.  Would all the panels be black or
would they be 2 tone?

IMHO, the value in this car is the full history that is available.  When I
bought my sedan I didn't have much history on it and I have put a lot into
it - both parts and labor.
With this avant, I know I have a bit of issue to sort with the hydraulics
(fix the slow leak) and then tweak the steering (slight vibration)
Everything else that I did to my sedan appears to have already been done.
The way I look at it, let's say I buy it for $5000, and it gives me 5 years
of good service.  That's $1000/year of cost (+ some maintenance items) which
seems pretty good to me expecially getting to drive a fun car.

Man this is a tough one.  I'll keep you all posted.

Stephane

> ----------
> From: 	Dr. Ian McArthur[SMTP:sutul at telusplanet.net]
> Sent: 	July 28, 2003 8:36 PM
> To: 	quattro at audifans.com
> Subject: 	FW: found a beautiful Avant! what to do?
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dr. Ian McArthur [mailto:sutul at telusplanet.net]
> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 9:35 PM
> To: George Harris
> Subject: RE: found a beautiful Avant! what to do?
>
>
> The price seems a bit high, but not much.  I assume that's Canadian
> dollars.
> There is an 88 Olympic sedan for sale in Calgary.  It was listed at $4,000
> or so as I recall.  It is now down to $3500 CDN (That's about $2500 US).
> We
> bought a red Olympic Avant last year for $2400 CDN but it wasn't in really
> good shape.
>
> Is this an 88 Olympic car?  You can tell if it is (usually) because they
> have suede (Alcantra??) panels in the black leather seats and on the
> doors.
> I think the non-Olympic cars in Canada had plain leather with no suede.
> If
> it is an Olympic car, it is certainly rare.  I think there a probably less
> than 50 of them left anywhere in the world.  But that doesn't necessarily
> make them valuable.  Very few ordinary Audi folks know they exist.
>
> Ian
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quattro-admin at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-admin at audifans.com]On
> Behalf Of George Harris
> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 8:26 PM
> To: Livolsi, Stephane
> Cc: Audi Quattro List
> Subject: Re: found a beautiful avant! what to do?
>
>
> Seems a bit high to me. Have you been looking at Autotrader?
>
> Livolsi, Stephane wrote:
> > Ok, my daily driver is an 86 5ktq sedan that I have done a lot of work
> on.
> > Just turned over 300,000 kms and is still going strong and is more
> reliable
> > than ever.
> >
> > On my recent holiday I came across a gorgeous red 88 5ktq Avant for
> sale.
> > It was magnificent - like a beautiful woman,or a group of ugly ones -
> you
> > know the kind anyone can get, even if you're a little slow and take
> special
> > classes (those of you who play GTA: Vice City will know what I'm talking
> > about.)
> >
> > Anyway, back to the car.  Beautiful red paint, not pristine or mint, but
> > very very nice for the age. Black leather inside - seats are a bit worn,
> but
> > no torn seams or rips. Has 244000 kms.
> >
> > Now for the good stuff:
> >
> > It has Eurolights - man those are nice!
> > It is very straight and clean, in and out.
> > It comes with a Thule roof rack
> > It has a spare set of wheels with winter tires
> > The owner has all the service records, and it was usually maintained at
> an
> > Audi dealership. Oil changes at 5000 kms.
> > The hydraulic system has Pentosin, as evidenced by the bottle that the
> owner
> > dug out.  It leaks a bit, needs a top up every few months.
> > Tranny shifting is very tight and not notchy, like mine.
> > New shocks all around - ride height looks very good compared to my
> sedan.
> > 1 new rear tie rod.
> > Glass is very good.
> > Acceleration was good, no stumbles or misses. very smooth
> > has some new rad hoses.
> >
> > The not so good (but not quite bad):
> >
> > Idle was rough and low - owner sez "yeah, it always does that -
> {shrug}".
> > Only managed to get 1.2 bar on the gauge, despite trying real hard (with
> the
> > owner's permission) Considering that it was about 1,000,000 degrees
> Celsius
> > outside might have something to do with that, but can't be sure.
> > It has a steering wheel vibration that is not scary, just annoying.
> > Definitely needs some attention there.
> >
> > Price is $5400 Canadian - owner already admitted to being flexible - so
> > we're probably looking at closer to $5000.  Still, I feel this is a lot
> of
> > $$ for such a high mileage car that may have major components start to
> go
> > (pump, rack, etc)
> >
> > I have to admit that part of the attraction to this car is the color.
> It
> > stands out, especially after seeing dozens of silver A4's on the
> highway.
> > What's up with that? Don't newer Audi's come in colors other than
> silver?
> > Also, the extra room from an avant appeals to me, especially since I
> like
> to
> > go camping with wife and 2 kids.
> >
> > Any opinions?  I'm not making a decision right away, almost hoping
> someone
> > else buys it so that I won't be tempted anymore.  Arghh! What to do?
> >
> > Stephane
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>