RE:200 TQ Fair Price-- now CO driver profile

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

Hey, nobody is perfect. In spite of regular maintenance, my
current list of flaws includes:
   inoperative driver's mirror
   intermittent radio reception (gotta know where to tap it back to life)
   cat heat shield rattle when cold
   cracked windshield
   sluggish electric windows
   driver's seat heater open circuited
   2-piece EM waiting for Dialynx to come loose one more time

My purpose in piping up is not to castigate people who do not
devote their lives to their automobiles but to try to reduce
unrealistically optimistic expectations on the part of potential new
owners of these cars. I think the relatively low, sometimes
shockingly low market prices of the type 44 cars tend to draw in
buyers who are not prepared to shoulder the expense of keeping
them in reasonable shape.

One of the most common questions put to the list goes something
like, "I love Audis and I have found a 1986 5000TQ for $1,200. I
think I can get it for $850. Are there any common maintenance
problems with these cars?" One for the FAQs?

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq

At 04:13 PM 11/4/98 -0700, Bill Lamb wrote:
>Geez DeWitt I may resemble your not so flattering Colorado Audi 
>driver description but I do not resent it. 
> I love my 89 200TQ, I work on it regularlly but have given up 
>on keeping all the little things working.  
>Currently I have all these common  200TQ @130K ailments: 
>	a quirky speedo, 
>	left rear passenger window inoperable,
>	pealing vinyl on doors,
>	clouded wood,
>	several instrument lights out,
>	heater seat lights sometimes out/on,
>	broken driver lock (but I have the kit to fix it now),
>	ISV getting flakey,
>	bad bomb,
>	inoperable reading lights and recently
>	inoperable windshield squirter (real bad situation in the
>upcoming CO winter).
>[ ... ]