RE: Ur Quattro's

[Dave Lawson <dlawson@ball.com>]

Hi Eric,

So you are thinking of an ur-quattro, otherwise known as turbo quattro 
coupe?
How about quirky, POS, the-hand-built-audi, nightmare, lots-o-fun, 
headaches, world-rally-champion, deep-pockets, great-in-the-snow, 
looks-good-on-a-flatbed, raise-that-charge-card-limit, 
no-one-knows-what-it-is, 4wd-dasher... and I still have one of these.

>Are they relaible? (as in can they be used as daily drivers?)

>From the latest talk on the list, the answer looks like no, but I have been 
driving mine on pretty much a daily basis for coming up two years[knock on 
wood]. Glen seems to have put on many miles using his as a daily driver. 
IMHO, they like to be driven rather than sitting around. It is best to look 
at it as a third car which will most likely be off the road every now and 
then. I wouldn't want to depend on a TQC as my sole mode of transportation.

>Just how expensive (I already have a small idea!) are they to run?
Other than normal maintainance, look out for water pumps, hydraulic 
systems(accumulator, brake and clutch master cylinders), window regulators, 
exhaust system, motor/transmission/differential mounts and the now infamous 
heads and electrical systems. Life comes in $500 increments. Real life 
starts at $2k. The new suspension on my car came in around $1500.

>What years were they brought into the states?

In the US they were imported as model years 83, 84 and 85. Canada got a few 
86's.

>What should I look for?

IMHO, maintainance records are the most important. If the car wasn't 
maintained, it will most likely be a nightmare. And it can be trouble even 
with maintainance records. Mileage seems to be less of a factor. There are 
quite a few 40-60k mile cars which will be more trouble than a maintained 
and driven 100k mile car. Kent Anderson(quattro club president) knows of a 
TQC in the southest with over 350k miles on it and still going strong.

On the early cars, look out for electrical systems(need I say more) and head 
work is usually needed around 80k miles +/- 10K. On the later cars(84/85) 
the electrical systems aren't as much a problem, right glen?, and the heads 
seem to last longer. The turbos can last a long time if properly cared for. 
The 83s are starting to show surface rust here and there. Any car from the 
north east will likely have underbody rust.

>How much am I going to spend?

83s are going for $4000-9000. The ones in the $8-9k range have been in the 
paper for a couple of months. In 89, an 83 with 180k miles went for $2900, 
the lowest I know of. I know of a guy who recently traded in an 84 with 
about 90k miles, new head, and the dealer gave him $4k. A few months ago an 
original 85 with 140k miles traded hands for $6500. I think the people 
asking >$15k for these cars are dreaming. You will be the one loosing money 
here. Realistically, expect to pay $5000-$10k. Anything over $10k had better 
be immaculate, low miles and have all new parts[IMHO].

I have been tracking the prices of these cars since 1986[I now have over 330 
TQC 'for sale' listings] and  I haven't seen the prices of these cars 
starting to rise. They are still bottoming out.

>And lastly anyone know of any for sale?

There are a few around Denver for sale

83, silver, new tires, runs good, $5200, 303.688.3682

83, 81k miles, well maintained, extras, 8in wheels, $7800/offer, 
303.388.1187, pager 303.891.0453

I also know an owner who might be interested in selling his 83, mars red, 
brown leather, ~90k miles, colorado car, very clean, gauges in diff lock 
location, fogs, new exhaust manifold studs, stock engine.

And from the latest Autoweek,

83, black, brown lthr, updated dash[converted with an 85-87 4000Q dash and 
center console], 8in wheels, sport springs, euro computer and chip, a/c, 
cruise, phone, body and interior excellent, $11500, 916.582.4862 California

83, black, black interior, intended acceleration, buffum, very quick, 120k 
miles, $9000, 617.489.6548, Mass

and if you really want a fun car

1990 TQC, 90-92 US overall champion rally car[ I think this was Paul 
Choiniers[sp] winning rally car before he switched to an S2] $30000, 
802.655.3533, Vermont

Send me you e-mail address and I can send out the TQC FAQ I have been 
working on.

 -
Dave Lawson  dlawson@ball.com