need your collective advice

[Tom Nas]

Efraim Gavrilovich <egav at wireless2000.com> wrote:

>As subject says, I need your advice. After 15 years of impeccable service
>and 219K miles (353K km) my beloved 5KTQ is getting tired, although mostly
>cosmetically than mechanically. All important parts are working properly and
>I have no problems taking it to 2.0 Bar now and then. The only parts that
>haven't been replaced over these 15 years are engine, transmission, turbo,
>fuel injection, power steering pump and fuel pump.

<snip>

>Efraim Gavrilovich
>'88 5KTQ, 353K km (219K mi), 2.0Bar

Holy cow! 15 years and 353000 km on the same fuel pump? Geez, I consider
these wear items, much like brakes and clutches...

Anyway, economically it might make sense to fix up the old 5k, but if you
do sink a lot of money into it and get an accident (I hope not...) the car
will be worth very little. On the other hand, the A4 is not as home
mechanic-friendly as the 5k.
I've personally tended to shy away from investing large amounts of money in
transport. I tend to run cheap cars where you only lose pennies when the
time comes to part company. The A4 will probably be quite reliable but it
won't be anywhere near as fast as the 5k... and it probably won't be as
much fun either.

Sorry, a bit of a rambling response but I hope it helps you make up your
mind. I'm glad you're not considering anything but an Audi for your next car.

Regards, Tom