How can anyone possibly buy a used Audi quattro anymore?

[Henry A Harper III]

I don't know about "bulletproof" yet but my '05.5 2.0T A4 avant (stick) has
been boringly reliable since I got it almost two years ago. About 5k miles
per year, lots of bike commuting to work. Been to the dealer twice for oil
changes, they found a very small coolant leak the last time and fixed it for
a couple hundred bucks. I did my own oil changes for my previous GTI 16v and
200q20v but haven't gotten around to the service manual, go-see-dealer
message reset tool (vag-com), etc. for the "new" car yet, just winter wheels
so far. My biggest adventure has been taking apart the hatch to blow air
through the clogged rear window squirter. Low 30s on the highway (35 really
hypermiling), mid-20s in town. It's quiet, comfy and drama-free to drive,
not shaky and noisy like the GTI or quite the rocket ship of a chipped
200q20v but certainly not a slug. Longest trip so far has been a loop from
Boise to Corvallis and Eugene in early fall, with two bikes and long
weekend's worth of luggage plus room for a Trader Joe's stop in Bend.
Complete success in making the miles flow past. That Mackenzie Pass is
crazy, BTW. Nav plus kept plotting position off road with all the curves.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of John Cassidy
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 2:19 PM
> To: Quattro List
> Subject: How can anyone possibly buy a used Audi quattro anymore?
>
>
> Drat.  I need a newer car.  I've owned 8 used quattros, 7 of
> which were I5s, 6 were turbos.  The only one that wasn't bullet
> proof was the lowest mile (40k), best maintained of the bunch. 
> It was an '01 S4, which broke the bank in repairs and got me sued
> when it broke after the sale.  That was 2 years ago, and I've
> saved a little money.  Bygones.  I prefer an awd wagon, goodMPG
> is a must, and I have an unfortunate aversion to Subarus, partly
> because every 3rd car in Montana is an Outback.  
>
>
> After wasting too much time surfing Ebay, Craigslist, Autotrader,
> and the local rags, I came across an absolutely cherry '02 A4
> Avant 1.8t 5spd. with 75kmi.  One owner, fully maintained,
> synthetics, with records.  It even happens to be my first color
> choice (when does that ever happen?).  The $7500 asking price
> seems acceptable.  The S4 must have been a rare lemon, right? 
> Audis are bulletproof, right?  This is it, me thinks.  Then, as
> an afterthought, the night before I intend to make the offer, I
> Google it and find this:
>
> http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a4/2002/consumer-reviews.html
> Drat.  I guess I'll be looking for a boring old Subaru.
>
>  JC
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