Should I buy an Audi?

[Eric Jensen <erjens@malthus.morton.wm.edu>]

I'm not a subscriber to the list, so kindly respond directly to me at
erjens@malthus.morton.wm.edu.  

I now have a Saab 900 which has put the traditional bits of metal out into
the gearbox.  It's not dead, but the vitals aren't good.  I bought an Audi
5000 the first "swoopy" year ('84? '85?) that I loved, but that my ex-wife
got custody of ten years ago.  I can't fit in any Audi with a sunroof,
until the A4, and so, since the 100/A6 series went upscale after I bought
mine (for $16,100, BTW), Audis haven't been a live possibility.  But, the
A4 comes without a sunroof, and I can even sqeeze in with one.  So now
Audis are live possibilities again.

I really like the cars.  But they don't have the best reputation.  I
*know*, Saabs don't either.  I've also had MGs and other Saabs, so I'm
willing to trade fun/safety/etc. for a little reliability.  But the last
friend I had buy an Audi (90S) ate its V6 at 5K miles with some kind of oil
pump overpressure problem, and my ex-wife claimed the old 5000 became a
lemon (of course, she may have said the same thing about me).

So please, no flames, no rah-rah, I'd like an honest assessment of what's
likely to cause me trouble with, say, an A turbo, and how much expense and
DIY difficulty I'd be looking at.  Thanks a lot, Eric Jensen