'85 Ur-Q questions...

[audidudi@delphi.com (Jeffrey J. Goggin)]

As everyone knows, I bought an '85 Ur-Q Wednesday evening ... it was very
much an impulse decision but given the price and the car's condition --
thanks to Ben Howell for quickly clueing me in on what to look for -- I
quickly decided I couldn't pass it up.

On the negative side, this means my 4k racecar project just ground to a halt
for the next year or so since I can't afford to maintain two mistresses (4k
& Ur-Q) as well as a wife (my '89 200q).  On the positive side, I've
discovered the Arizona DMV thinks it's a 4000 and annual registration last
time around was only $71 ... haven't called my insurance company yet but
I'll bet they know the difference!  Also, because it's full-time FWD, it's
only subject to an idle-only emissions test until Arizona buys some AWD
chassis dynos ... rumor is that this isn't likely to happen for at least
another three or four years.

Anyway, a couple of questions:

1) The build date is 2/85 and the VIN ends with 900802 ... any idea where
this fits with the production run?

2) Can anyone with a crystal ball tell me how collectible this car is going
to become?  The reason I ask is
because I'd be very tempted to leave it absolutely stock if it's going to
appreciate somewhat over the next few years; if not, then I'd be tempted to
tinker with it instead.

3) Is my 200q quicker than I realize or is the Ur-Q slower than I thought
... the two cars are quite a bit different in character.  Surprisingly, my
200q (admittedly modified) feels a lot more "sporty" and the Ur-Q feels more
like a Grand Tourer a la a Porker 928.  I'd always assumed the opposite
would be true.

4) Does everyone bang their heads getting in-and-out of these cars?  I'm
6'1" tall and sit very close to the steering wheel, racer-style ... with the
seat adjusted accordingly, I have a difficult time getting in-and-out
without smacking my head on the roof.  I also find the rear-view mirror's a
lot closer than I've grown used to over the years.  I can't imagine driving
this car while wearing a suit...

5) Has anyone ever autocrossed one of these cars?  For SCCA Solo II stuff,
it runs in G-Stock, where it's up against the Probe GT, Mazda MX-6 and V6
Camaro ... since I won't be competing with my 4k for a while, I was thinking
maybe this car might be competitive.  Certainly the 8" wheels give it an
advantage but it's a little bit heavier than two of the three cars listed
above and down on power compared to the other...

No doubt I'll have more questions as I start to sort out the various minor
problems that need to be addressed -- is there ever an Audi that doesn't
have at least ONE minor problem? -- but any input on the above will be
greatly appreciated.     

 

 

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