[V8] Winter musings about the Type 44

[sdewitt at stx.rr.com]

Hmm I think you should buy something anything at all! , this has to be the 10th email about replacing your avant...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at adelphia.net> 
Date: Sunday, January 14, 2007 10:25 am 
Subject: [V8] Winter musings about the Type 44 
To: v8 at audifans.com, 20valve at audifans.com 

> It has finally become cold enough here to allow some snow to fall. 
> This is 
> VERY unusual for eastern Maine in winter. But all that we are 
> getting is a 
> light flurry, and I don't think that we are going to see even the 
> 2-4" 
> promised by the weatherman. All of which has prompted me to think 
> about my 
> Quattro Avants. 
> 
> Last Monday I had to go to Portland, and I rolled out of here 
> around 9:30 in 
> the morning. It was raining very hard, and it was a wet 
> trip...but the 
> aging 20Valve Avant didn't really notice, and I arrived in 
> Portland on time 
> for my appointment. The car is well into the 170,000 mile range 
> and runs 
> far better than it looks. 
> 
> But the time is drawing nigh: either plan on a LOT more work, or 
> replaceit. There is no middle ground as I have written before, so 
> I have been 
> actively pursuing alternatives. 
> 
> Recently I have been following eBay auctions for a replacement 
> vehicle. The 
> logic that I have been following is that unless the car is 
> exceptional in 
> every regard, the Type 44 that I have will not be replaced by 
> another Type 
> 44 of any stripe. What would be "exceptional"? Well, certainly 
> the car 
> would at a minimum have to have less than 100,000 miles. 
> Preferably a one 
> owner with verifiable ownership history to day one, and ideally, a 
> perfectlyunbroken folder of service records, especially in the 
> last five years. 
> 
> Right now it doesn't seem possible. Three weeks ago the Audi 
> dealer in 
> Naples, Florida, sold a burgundy 20valve Avant for $4995. The car had 
> 80,000 miles. I was too late to do more than wave bye-bye at the 
> message on 
> my computer from the dealer saying that the car had just been 
> sold. 
> 
> We are going to build a new home in another year, so an Avant isn't 
> mandatory....how about another V8? 
> 
> Well, ok. Another V8. My preference, actually. Right now, in 
> all the 
> world as far as I can tell, there is ONE V8 that might be of 
> interest, and 
> that is in Ohio or someplace. It has less than 115,000 miles, is 
> a '93, and 
> could be of interest. I have sent two emails to the dealer that 
> has the car 
> and have zero response. That is not encouraging. In fact it about 
> eliminates my interest. I could call the place, but if they are 
> going to 
> put their ad, and business information in a classified ad on the 
> Internet, I 
> want to receive an answer by email before I waste my time or 
> theirs seeing 
> if they even HAVE a telephone. 
> 
> Then there is the very high mileage car in Indiana. That is 
> interesting,actually, except it is simply too much money. I have 
> exchanged email with 
> the owner, but I KNOW that the car will require a LOT of work, so 
> what's the 
> point. I think that over 200,000 miles is probably just too many 
> miles. 
> On the surface of it all, the best VALUE seems to be a 99-01 A6 
> Avant. They 
> are pretty plentiful as Audi had made a big push to get those cars 
> out on 
> leases. A lot of them are in very nice condition with relatively 
> low miles. 
> I watched a nice looking A6 in New Jersey go through the eBay auction 
> process three times, and it failed to meet reserve. The reserve 
> was set at 
> average retail value, and in the last auction, the car missed that 
> by two 
> thousand dollars! The final total was $5500. 80,000 miles. 
> 
> There was an 02 A6 Avant that was being sold at auction by a 
> Cadillac dealer 
> in Michigan. It went for the mid teens, and had 31,000 miles. 
> That was a 
> couple of grand below retail and was probably a great buy. A 3.0 
> litre. 
> 
> Yesterday I went through the ATM at my bank. As I drove out from 
> under the 
> roof with my window down, I could hear my 20Valve engine purring 
> along.Quiet, perfect, smooth, inexpensive to operate..... 
> 
> Right now, I do NOT want an A6. Of any kind. I don't want the 
> new body 
> style. Of any variety. 
> 
> So I have asked the wrench to give me an estimate for replacing 
> the UFO's, 
> replacing the rear struts and mounts and a few other things. I 
> will hold 
> that information in my back pocket against next summer's 
> inspection time for 
> my car. 
> 
> Maybe the enemy I know will be better than the enemy that I don't 
> know. 
> 
> Do you think? 
> 
> Roger 
> 
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