[V8] FW: 20Valve Avant update

[Roger Woodbury]

  _____  

From: Roger Woodbury [mailto:rmwoodbury at roadrunner.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:18 AM
To: 'v8 at audifans.com'
Subject: 20Valve Avant update - Part Deux  (That's French!  SORRY!  Should
have been:  DREI!)

 

 

What I saw was a relatively average mileage Audi Avant.ten or eleven
thousand miles a year up here isn't much, so at 200,000+ miles that appear
to have no damage history, this might be a good restoration project that
could yield a good driver.  Here is my arithmetic:

 

*         Purchase price:  LESS than $1,000, and preferably about $500.
Mouse nest and mice NOT included.

*         Restoration:    Start and drive the car.  If clutch is weak,
remove the engine

o        Engine: Budget:  $3000.  

*         Timing belt service complete

*         Replace fuel injection hoses, rubber grommets and gizzies

*         Inspect and replace plastic liquid containers if required

*         Replace heater control valve

*         Compression leak down test and evaluate.

*         Probably replace the clutch

 

*         Body:  Budget:  $2500-3000

  Remove roof rack and as much trim as possible.  Remove F&R bumpers.

Repair/recover and repaint all corroded areas.  Complete repaint and
re-clear coat.  The glass looked pretty good as far as I could see.  Still
it would be nice to replace the windshield at this point, also.

European headlights.

 

*         Underneath:  Ah, yes. The great abyss. The totally unknown.  The
really, really ugly.

o        Brakes:  All four rotors and pads.  Brake lines probably.
$1200-1500.

o        I gotta believe that all control arms, bushings, and probably at
least one or two CV joints will need to be replaced.  Let's say that
EVERYthing needs to be done here:  $2000.  

o        Exhaust system:  I don't want to think about this, but if
necessary, I guess a Stebro could be sourced at a cost of $1800 or so
installed.  Otherwise I might be tempted to do something else, but in Maine,
having custom fabrication done is difficult outside of greater Portland.  

o        Tires:  About $500 the set, and not much selection from Tire Rack
at the moment.  I am assuming that this car has 15" wheels and I didn't
check, but I think they looked like "normal" BBS wheels for this car.

o        I am sure that the rear differential and rear transmission seal
will need to be replaced, and probably, or rather, UNDOUBTEDLY the
driveshaft center bearing will be toast.  Allow:  $500.  these seals must
NOT be weaping to any significant degree because Maine's inspection laws are
very clear about this, and there are fewer and fewer places that will
inspect a vehicle without putting it up on a lift.  I don't go to those
places and in fact don't actually know where any are in this part of the
state.

o        Shocks and shock mounts and bushings.  Probably:  $1,000 allowance.

 

Unknowns but presumed to be evil lurking out there:  air conditioning
compressor, receiver, dryer.  This will be expensive and I would be very,
very surprised if they are not inop.  Heater core and radiator?  Well, the
radiator looked OK from what I could see, so nothing obvious.  The heater
core?  If one of the issues was poor heat you can be guaranteed that it was
a contributor to the car being parked.  

 

The rest of the electrics?  I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine.
Switches, interior gizzies like heated seats and so forth?  I would assume
that these are all inop although the interior looked more like a 75,000 mile
car from what I could see. the two front seats and the rear seat back.  The
rear seat bench was up exposing the battery, and it looked clean underneath
it.

 

Now, of course if you have the time the space, the tools and the knowledge
to do all of the repairs yourself, then you could easily have a decent
driver, like new, for a lot less than I have shown above.  But I am assuming
that John will do all of my work on this car, and I know from experience
what to expect.  MOST of the parts will be OEM, wherever possible.

The car would then be set for another 200,000 miles with normal maintenance.


 

Total Budget:  Oh, I'll guess $12-15,000 if everything was done at once.  

 

Would it be worth it?  The best thought that I have is: maybe.  Here are the
plusses for me:

 

1.    The car is located about 50 miles from me.  The cost of getting it and
getting it here is very, very low.

2.    There is a certain known history to the car.  The people who own it
have owned it for a while.  The bad part of that is that the husband has the
Bentley books and has done a lot of work himself.  If he kept notes and
records then that would help:  I doubt that he has more than his momories.

3.    The car might be really, really cheap.  So for little front end money,
the cost of the car is restoration and can then be done to whatever degree
is necessary for the intended purpose.  What else can you buy for $15 grand?

Nothing like this.

 

The minuses for me:

 

1.        From time to time there are better cars than this available.  The
most that I have seen anyone even THINK of asking for one of these cars is
around $7500.  That would be for a car with less than 170,000 miles and
service records intact, although the car would have half a continent or more
distant.   There is one in Colorado right now like this.

2.        For fifteen grand you can buy a very nice A6 Avant with half the
miles or less.  As much as I really like the Type 44 cars, it makes little
sense to buy something like this and pour a lot of money into it.  The
savings on excise tax are simply not enough to justify it.  Not even for a
Twenty Valve.  

 

So in sum, if it could be bought for a grand or less, this might be a decent
donor car for a V8 five speed conversion, or a general parts car.   But as a
restoration candidate, I am afraid for me its time has passed.  

 

Anybody else?

 

Roger