RE: Should I consider this car?

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

Price sounds pretty incredible for a 91 200qw. They tend to go for at
least 50% more ($18K-$20K range), so I'd have it checked up in great
detail at a reputable *independent*, if possible, Audi mechanic.

You can tell about the UFO by looking through the front wheels. If you
can't really see the rotor surface because of a dish-like thing with
holes in it (very obvious), the car has UFO brakes. BTW, UFO brakes are
not necessarily an outright evil. They stop very well due to the bigger
swept area and only some of them warp. If they do warp, however, new
rotors are very expensive (they can't be turned, according to Audi) and
can only be replaced by Audi dealerships... Oh, and there doesn't seem
to be any aftermarket pads available :-(

93,000 miles is not bad at all with the I5 engine. Some people on the
list would claim that's just barely broken in and I have seen I5s with
way more miles on them and running very well (Ned Ritchie's comes to
mind - at least twice that mileage on the engine and it puts out around
400hp on a bad day).

Look for electrical problems in general, belts (has the timing belt been
changed? Is it cracking now? You can peel back a little tab on the left
of the cover and see the belt). How much boost can you get (1.8 is max
boost, but allow variation due to inaccurate gauge and air temp)?

That's about all I can think of now. If everything checks out, run,
don't walk, to the seller and buy the car. These are absolutely amazing
cars and I bet you'll be very happy with it. Good luck.
- peter, peterhe@microsoft.com, issaquah, wa, usa
  91 200qw
  94 acura legend gs
  80 mazda 626


>-----Original Message-----
From:	larrye@cris.com 
Sent:	Sunday, August 25, 1996 5:55 AM
To:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
Subject:	Should I consider this car?

Hi Folks,
   I just was offerred a most interesting vehicle, and I am seeking your
input to help my decision making process (which often tends to ba a
little
fuzzy around the edges).
   It is a burgandy 91 200 (20v) turbo wagon in absolulty perfect
inappearence which is available in the $12000 range from a private
seller
who is the 2nd owner having purchased it about 8 months ago from the
local
dealer who took it in on trade from the original owner who had
supposidly
taken excellent care of it at the dealership.  Sadly it has 93,000 miles
and
the current owner noted excessive oil consumption and the dealer did a
total
engine rebuild because of what I am told was a "cracked piston ring"
under a
100% warentee (which expires in about a month) and the car now appears
to be
running perfectly. The dealer (Langan Porsche-Audi of Albany) used to
enjoy
less than a sterling reputation however (though their repute does seem
to
have improved slightly in recent years), and I have never heard much
praise
for their work. I do not know if the car has had the UFO brake upgrade
and
do not have the first owner's total service history available.
   This is a beautiful car at a seemingly very attractive price. I have
been
looking for a much lower milage and slightly newer S4 for several years
now,
but it seems to make little sense to pay only about $10000 less for used
S4
than for a new S6 (I wonder if any S4's ever actually sell at the
$30000+
usually asked?). I am only worried that at 93000 miles I may be
obtaining an
expensive hobby (read that headache) rather than an interesting
entheusiast's car and good transportation. How can I tell if the front
brakes (those warping and costly UFO's) have been upgraded? What else
should
I look for and what do you all think?  I have loved my 84 4000Q for a
dozen
years and know its little quirks well, but I don't know what big
problems
may be lurking in this newer and higher performance and much more
complex
auto. Should I explore this further or keep looking for that elusive S4
or
give up and go the S6 route (too much to happily spend on a snowmobile
IMHO)? I look forward to hearing from you all and thanks again 
                            Larry Eisenberg
                              Schenectady,NY
84 4000Q
90 SHO
81 911SC