'88 Urquattro in my garage...

["Jouko Haapanen" <joukoh@vtoy.fi>]

The search is over.  Call me crazy.  I purchased the '88 MB engined
Urquattro I've been waiting to see for a while this afternoon.  All things
(including the mileage) considered the car is in good to excellent shape. 
What things considered?  The car is ten years old.  The car has 374 108 km
on the odometer.

The car is one of the four (4) existing 88's in Finland (one 89, one 90,
total of 46 Urq's in the country), Q1 metallic black (cannot remeber the
name now), with the not-so-nineties brown wool(y) plaid interior.  Original
except for stubby cell phone antenna on roof, Personal steering wheel, and
a visit by the department of rape and pillage to the audio side - no
equipment, just (factory) holes.

Power antenna has been bent/broken, original 8" Ronals are worn and
oxidized, driver's seat is wobbly and worn etc. etc.  The tires are a
little worn - I cannot make out any tread pattern on the two rear ones...

I think it needs shock absorbers too.

Bomb's dead and the brakes pulsate slightly and seem uneven.  AC works. 
Compression is 11bar across - not bad for the mileage (ringed/honed at 300
000km).  Boost seems a little lacking - did not have time to hook up the
gauge before having to make up my mind.  Performance is adequate, but I
seem to recall it being better on these cars.  I'll measure that tomorrow. 
A little rust on the left side trunk hinge mount.  Undercarriage good, rear
subframe needs (some) bushings.  Nothing on the diagnostic side came up, I
actually used the VAG 1551 for this - did not remember that I could
initially.

I drove it back 300km from our rendezvous, making my buddy who was along
with me drive the insignificant other (a loaded new A6 Avant) back.  What a
nice car to drive.

I'm rambling, I better make a plan of attack to get this project on the
move.


Jouko Haapanen
Pori, Finland
'88 Urquattro, 374 000km
'89 Carrera 3.2, 37 000km