should I buy an older Quattro wagon/Avant?

[urq]

... I have to admit that I too am a sucker for the T44 Avants ...

... the only thing is, I never recommend older Audis to anyone who doesn't 
do most if not all of their own work on the car themselves.  From my POV 
that would apply to the V6 Avants as well.  My BiL bought a 100 Avant (12v 
V6) for his kids for school ... the car did pretty well I suppose, but I did 
hear about some issues that left them on the side of the road more than once 
... and no, they do not do their own work!

That same BiL owns a non-turbo, non-quattro '88 5000 Avant with a 5-speed. 
The later non-turbo motors actually got almost the same horsepower as the 
turbos in stock form ... and Audi used the 4.11:1 FDR for the non-turbo 
5-speeds, so the car does perform rather well.  All that said, I too would 
tend to recommend the turbo-quattro, preferably in the 200 model ... but if 
price really is an issue, keep an eye out for a NA car.

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)

> > I'd like a wagon to haul the dogs and I'd want AWD, and I can't spend
> > more than $1000, as this car will not replace my sedan.  &:-)
>
> If you were smart, you'd avoid it. You'd find an old Taurus
> wagon. But you already own an Audi, so you should be familiar
> with the family. Go for it.
>
> You should be able to find an '85-89 5000/200 Avant for cheap.
> You'll enjoy the turbo model more.  Things to look for, besides
> the usual used car issues, are broken wires in the door jambs
> causing inoperative windows, vacuum leaks on the engine (old
> rubber) causing hard/no start/rough running conditions, dodgey
> fuel pump threatening to die on you, leaky fuel injectors that
> cause long cranking to start the car after sitting idle for a
> while, frozen rear brake calipers and emergency brake cables
> slowing you down, worn suspension bushings and parts making
> for unsafe driving.
>
> If you find a well maintained example, you'll love it. And
> when you have it sorted out, you can upgrade the turbo spring
> and ECU for a cheap power upgrade.
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/quattro