Audi strength/weaknesses?

["Graydon D. Stuckey" <graydon@apollo.kettering.edu>]

On Sat, 23 May 1998, Brooks Ellis wrote:

> The situation I'm in now, is that I am going to buy a car, and it is either
> going to be a Mitsu Galant VR-4, or a 200TQ. 

That would be a tough one but I think I'd lean towards the '91 200TQ

> My main concern is the engine blowing, or slowly loosening tolerances and
> having oil slide by, turbo blowing, etc. 

I wouldn't worry about it in either car.  Head gaskets maybe but not the 
engine.

> ferarri beater, just a moderate jump... Dunno if _either_ tranny can take
> it. I think the DSM might need a better clutch, and it seemed that the OOOO
> _manual_ tranny was actually fairly decent. 

Oh yes, the Audi 5-sp is very strong it seems.   Actually in one respect 
it seems like Audi simply put some dump truck parts in their cars to _MAKE 
SURE_ they don't break, but in the final outcome, the cars are remarkably 
light for their market segment and content.  This is perhaps the most 
amazing engineering aspect of Audi - they have excellent chassis 
structure design which is light weight and spacious while offering 
terrific crashworthiness and maintaining decent handling.  Then they 
sacrifice _some_ of that weight to build a bulletproof drivetrain.   I 
just wish they had sacrificed even a few more pounds to finish the details.

Later,
Graydon D. Stuckey

"There's alot more to Jazz than just wrong notes"