[V8] Just to cause a little trouble....

[Roger M. Woodbury]

I really believe that all the best cars have been built.  Yes, it is true
that new cars have better emissions systems, at enormous cost and complexity
of electronic components.  It is true that new cars have far better safety
systems.  And it is very true that new cars in general get better overall
fuel economy than did cars even as new  as ten years old.  All this "good"
stuff comes at a very stiff price tag, with commensurate stiff costs of
insurance and taxes and service.

 

As my wife's 100CS gets older by the minute, every time I drive it I remark
to myself that the a/c compressor bearings are NOT nearly as loud as they
were last summer and the compressor hasn't failed.yet.  The engine still
runs smoothly, delivering its rather marginal performance and using (or
leaking) it's usual 1 quart of oil per 800 miles or so, and the car
continues to crank out around 21 miles per gallon of pump gas doing the job
that we need the car to do.

 

It is going to need paint soon.  Next spring, most likely would be best.  In
addition, the rear door windows are inop, and the front passenger side
window doesn't go down with the door switch (goes up, though), although it
works fine from the driver's side.  The rear hatch washer is inop, although
the motor works, so I suspect a mud wasp has built a nest in the thing
somewhere, and the stud that holds the floor mat on the driver's side is
missing, so the stud that keeps readjusting the position of the floor mat is
me.  We need new fog lights in the nose as one got taken out by a rodent on
the road, and I removed the other in order to pass inspection about six
years ago.

 

Other than that the car is 100% after ten years and 120,000 miles of Maine
day in day out, summer, spring, fall, and rust season driving.  Underneath
the car is rust free, and although I did have a couple of exhaust hangers
replaced last week, the exhaust system appears remarkably like new.  

 

In the end, I suspect that we will keep the car running and running and
running.  There is not one single vehicle on the road to day that will
deliver the service to us that this car delivers at any sort of price that a
reasonable person would consider paying.  

 

Well, maybe just one at the moment.

 

Down in Rowley, Massachusetts (which is along the north shore of
Massachusetts, not very far from Ipswich/Gloucester area), there is a little
used car dealer who apparently got lucky at the auto auction and bought what
might be a one owner 2003 Allroad that has just under 100,000 miles.  It is
dark red and forgiving that goofy two tone interior, appears to be a very
nice car.  On eBay right now, and the auction is being rerun because of a
non-paying bidder.  NO bids at under eight grand!  I wonder why?

 

I also wonder if a "non-paying" buyer came to get the car and saw something
terrible.like the rear axle was missing or something, and walked away?  

 

My wife and I actually sat in the mate to this car back in 2004.  We were
getting her car serviced at the dealer and there was a "left over" 2003 just
like this one that both of us liked a lot.it felt like the right car size
wise for us, and probably is a good alternative to her green car.  If we had
a bunch of money lying around without any friends, I think I might actually
get excited about the one down in Rowley this morning. 

 

So to do a little economic exercise this morning, I did a comparison between
the car we have with the things that it needs, and the newer car that has a
potential price that will fetch it in the next seven hours or so.  I thought
I'd run the numbers here for the fun of it, and because I know there are a
lot of Audi V8 fans here who are stealing time away from their jobs and
reading this on their Red Cherries or whatever the hell their handheld
assistants are called.

 

Let's say we spend around eight grand for  the "new" Allroad.  That's eight
grand out of pocket today, never to be seen again.  In a perfect world, I
might be able to convince someone to pay $3000 for the 1994 Audi 100CS, but
I might be months before it happened if at all possible.  That's a best case
net cost out of pocket of $5000.

 

Then it will be time to register the car.  In Maine we have a 5% sales tax
plus an annual excise tax that is paid to the town in which the car is
registered.  The excise tax is a personal property tax that is based on the
MSRP of the vehicle.  This is a hot political bone of contention right now,
as the MSRP is used to base the excise tax on EVERY vehicle of any age that
is bought and registered in Maine.  Thus a ten year old car's excise tax is
based on the ORIGINAL MSRP of the vehicle.  The excise mil rate goes down
every year for six years and then remains flat for the rest of time at .004.
Thus my V8 excise tax was $200.80 based on an MSRP of $50,200, and the 1994
100CS Excise tax was $188.80 based on its MSRP of around $47,500 or so.  

 

The 2003 Audi Allroad should have an MSRP of some where around $50,000 but I
can't for the life of me find and MSRP on the car quickly this morning. So I
am going to assume that the Allroad will cost a bit more in tax than the
100CS, perhaps about the same as my V8 at least.  

 

Since I will need to put new tires on the 100CS before inspection in
November, I did a quick run through Tire Rack's offerings this morning.  The
Allroad will cost just about twice as much as the 100CS to put on new tires,
and the end cost will likely be more because the overall owner's comments
for the Allroad is that the cars eat tires.  This was reinforced by the
dealer just after the Allroad was introduced, and tire longevity will likely
be not more than 20,000 miles considering Maine's rough rural roads which is
where we live.  Thus tires for the Allroad will probably cost $650 per set,
plus mounting and balancing, and the 100CS will be one half of that, with
anticipated tire wear about 1/3 longer for the older car. Right now the
Allroad will not need tires. 

 

If we bought the Allroad, we would have to pay an addition five percent
sales tax this year, which will not be the case with the 100CS.

 

Whenever I put a car on the road, I take it to my favorite mechanic and he
goes through it with me, from one end to another. We create a baseline of
the vehicle's condition, listing in his computer the things it needs NOW,
the things it will likely need later and perhaps, when.  That way there will
be no surprises, no sudden failures, and it will be easier to manage the
cost of ownership over time.  When the 100CS goes in for its sticker in
November I know that there are no items that the car will need as its
service is up to date.  The Allroad would have to receive the same treatment
and I don't care what kind of used car it is, there are ALWAYS a few things
that will need to be attended to at first.  Cost is unknown on this car, of
course, but it will cost something.  Let's say it balances out the cost of
new tires, mounting and balancing that I know lies ahead for the 100CS.

 

So, at the end of the day, we could buy a very nice looking 2003 Allroad for
about five grand, plus roughly another grand in taxes, registration fees.
$6 grand.

 

I did the insurance cost estimator on my insurance company's website.
Apples to apples, the Allroad will add $286.98 to the insurance bill
annually.  Right now the premium for the 100CS is $143.49 every six months,
and the Allroad will be $286.98 every six months.  

 

At the end of all of this is the simple comparison between the 100CS and
Allroad.  Next spring I would like to squeeze out the money to refinish the
100CS.  I know it will probably cost the best part of $5000 to do that job
properly, including full detailing and cleaning of the interior, restoration
of the exterior with replacement of the crummy looking trim pieces and
refinishing/restoration of the wheels.  So, if I do that, I will have an
absolutely like new 1994 Audi 100CS Avant Quattro, OR I could have the
Allroad for a few dollars more, PLUS the additional cost every year from
then on.

 

At the end of the day, we will keep the 100CS.  It's a known entity, fully
and carefully maintained for the past ten years with no signs of imminent
failure of systems that have not be identified.  I would probably feel
differently if I was forty and could deduct some of the vehicle expenses
against my business.  That makes a huge difference, of course.  But the
plain fact is that the 100CS isn't dying of body cancer, will do 95% of what
the Allroad will do, and is less expensive to own and operate.

 

And my wife truly loves the 100CS, so doing the cheap thing averts a civil
war, also.

 

Just another reason why all the best cars have been built.

 

Roger