selling 2 Avants, a 1989 200TQ Avant and a 1990 20V TQ

Tue Jan 30 20:45:21 PST 2018

I've owned 9 5000's. I currently have 3. I daily drive a 5000, usually the same one since 2003 although recently it's been my spare because I broke a gearbox (the daily driver is 500+hp). I own a Porsche shop and race team, so I've got lots of resources for getting parts from for as cheap as possible (wholesale etc) and I get shipments from Germany on a regular basis so I'm not afraid to bring parts over the ocean. I also have a 10x15ft mini storage with shelving in it dedicated to storing parts for Audi 5000's, all nicely organized. I own the freaking domain 5000tq.com due to my passion for the cars. If it's gotten to a point where I can't keep my cars on the road it's pretty damned bad.

For me it's the second option, death by 1000 cuts. My black car, the fast one, lost its heater core a while ago. Surprisingly those are available, but it's an annoying job so I bypassed it and put it off. Then there's the driveshaft center support bearing; I put a BMW one in ~10 years ago and it's shot now. I just recently put in a gearbox from Chris after I broke my spare while hooning (when a guy asks if it will do a burnout what other choice is there really?). During that job I found the broken rear CV boot which is NLA. Then the parking brake cables are shot. And I'm annoyed about the shifter boot plastic frame that's been broken for 20? years and was NLA in 2002 the first time I tried to buy one. I bought the last 2 new OEM leather shifter knobs in the country in 2004 and the first of those is starting to die. The leather seats are starting to go downhill fast (once you get the first rip it's a fast decline from there). 4 years ago I had a bad wheel bearing take out a hub which I found to be NLA; I located some old stock and bought all of them in existence, but that was precisely two of them so I've got one in stock and after that...? 

My white one is better in some ways, worse in others. I suspect it's got 300,000 miles on it, but of course the odometer stopped in 1996 at 172,xxx IIRC. Seats are completely destroyed; my ex had a habit of leaving the windows cracked overnight and the dew destroyed the leather. The shifter boot frame has been broken for 20 years. The heater blower fan only works when you are turning right (bad brushes probably, and I do have 5 of them in stock, but another annoying job). 2 days ago the window regulator broke (I think I have one in stock, or I'll re-cable it). The driveshaft center bearing rubber is shot. The pot metal part in the ignition lock that actually turns the electrical switch has actually TWISTED over the years from the number of times it's been turned and it no longer will turn the electric switch far enough to engage the starter so I had to install a push button (part is NLA; 5 years ago you could buy a shitty Chinese lock that was so low quality I returned it). It runs like a top, but it's getting annoying to drive and I work 6-7 days a week 10-12 hours a day so I have no time to deal with the issues, plus for half of them I can't buy parts if I wanted to.

-Cody Forbes (mobile)

> On Jan 30, 2018, at 5:09 PM, Einhorn Hofmann <einhorn.hofmann at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> As an owner of a 1990 Audi 100, it saddens me to see 3 of these cars (or
> similar) being retired, although I fully understand that everyone has their
> limits in terms of time, patience, or repair expenses.
> 
> 
> 
> I’ve often wondered what form “death” would take for my Audi.  I used to
> think it would come when the automatic transmission went, as that would
> certainly be the repair that cost more than it was worth doing.  But that
> milestone came and went last year, as I opted to get the AT replaced.
> 
> 
> 
> So it seems to be more that death comes by way of a thousand small cuts, or
> repairs, one of which becomes the repair too many.
> 
> *Scot:*
> 
> It seems surprising that the hydraulic hoses would be that impossible to
> replace, as with the 89 200TQ, especially after replacing the steering rack
> and all that brake work.
> 
> Also hard to understand leaving the 20V TQ sitting for a few years because
> it needs a fuel pump.  I picked up a brand new Piersburg fuel pump a few
> years back from Shokan for just over $100.  It was one of the easier
> repairs I’ve had to do.  Does the 20V use a radically different or more
> expensive fuel pump than the 10V ?
> 
> 
> 
> *Kent:*
> 
> You said, “I won’t own another Audi. Love the cars, hate the repairs”, and
> you mentioned you lived close to Force 5.    Did you actually run into
> repairs for which it was impossible to get parts, even from Force 5?  I’m
> wondering if there’s anything that I should be stocking up on.  Living in a
> condo, I don’t have the space for a “parts car” or even a huge inventory of
> spare parts.   But it’s sad if you have to let a car go because one or two
> parts couldn’t be found.
> 
> If I understood correctly, you’d been owning and driving Avants about the
> same generation as Scot’s.  Were they really that much more expensive to
> repair than other cars?  For example, the I5 engine is pretty bullet proof.
> If (god forbid) you ever needed to have the automatic transmission rebuilt,
> the cost of a rebuild on one of those very basic 3 or 4 speed transmissions
> is nothing compared to the cost of a transmission rebuild on some of the
> newer model cars with 6,7,or 8 gears.
> 
> 
> 
> *All:*
> 
> Forgive me delving into this, but I think it’s a critically important
> subject worth sharing our insights on.  We’ve all shared this hobby of
> owning and maintaining an older German car well past the point where it was
> practical.  We’ve all had that joy when we pull into that friend or
> family’s driveway after a long read trip and everyone marvels at the
> reliability, for its age.
> 
> And then sooner or later we each reach that point where we decide that the
> time has come to part company with our old Audi.  Having not experienced
> that yet, I’m curious to hear as much as I can about the decision, from
> those of you who have parted ways with your classic Audis.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for any insights,
> 
> MC
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, Jan 30, 2018 at 4:13 PM, Vincent Gelinas <vrgelinas at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> Though, now that the OE parts are NLA, would a clean Avant shell be worth
>> having fun with for an LS swap or something of that ilk?  Tuned ALH swap,
>> perhaps?
>> 
>> VM
>> 
>> On Tue, Jan 30, 2018 at 3:10 PM, Kent McLean <kentmclean at comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Cody Forbes wrote:
>>>> There was a time when I would have driven the 14 hours and been
>> knocking
>>> at your door last night.
>>> 
>>> I’m with Cody on this one.  I have owned a few 200 Avants, including one
>>> with a transplanted V8. I’m a wagon kind of guy, and the Avant is the one
>>> Audi that still tugs at my heart strings. But even though I have good
>>> support locally (Force 5 and a choice of independent Audi mechanics), I
>>> won’t own another Audi. Love the cars, hate the repairs, doubly so with
>> the
>>> dwindling supply of parts.  I hope yours finds a good home.
>>> 
>>> -
>>> Kent McLean
>>> lots of ex-Audis, now a ’06 Grand Cherokee, a V8 Quattro wagon that works
>>> for me
>>> 
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