Re: 90 200q purchase decision-need collective wisdom of the Q-list!

[Andrew Duane USG <duane@hunch.zk3.dec.com>]

Hairy green toads from Mars made kahng@nimo.com say:

> I checked out the 1990 200q (119k) this weekend.  The guy selling it is a
> part time used car dealer on the side.  Has about a half dozen cars at a
> time.  He bought this 200 from a local Audi dealer for about $4k.
> 
> I was able to contact PO (2nd owner). He had the car from around 61k and
> being a nonmechanical type, always had the car dealer serviced.  Good oil
> change history <3k.
> 
> I also was able to review the maintenance history at the local Audi dealer.
> 
> Dealer replaced stuff in the last 10K:
> 
> Starter
> AC blower fan
> Knock sensor
> LF wheel bearing
> Sparkplugs
> Multifunction switch
> Drivers window regulator
> Battery

Seems like a lot of recent work, unless he was just "prepping" it
to sell soon....


> Stuff it needs:
> RR caliper , pads and maybe all the rotors
> Hyd. pump may be leaking
> LR regulator non-functional
> Needs cruise control switch
> Struts-original
> Tires
> Timing belt-no record of replacement
> Drivers seat heater bad
> Car has more rust than my 86 5KS-around left side bumper, rt front  wheel
> well, couple of bubbling paint spots(rust). Spent its life in Syracuse, NY.
> Auto check (upper window) not working.  4 horizontal orange lines on
> screen.  Changed to a weird block pattern while driving.
> Bose radio pops loudly when shutting off.

The auto-check is easy: a crummy connection behind the instrument
cluster. The 5-minute fix has been discussed extensively in the
archives. Mike LaRosa I believe is the current record-holder :-)


However, if the car has rust, it has had body panels replaced.
These cars were galvanized, and should not rust at all. My 2
older cars, (a '90 90Q and an '89 100Q) live in salt-laden NH,
and neither has a speck of rust, despite several scratches and
dings in each. The exception is the trunk of my 100Q, which is
a cheap aftermarket replacement.

Strange that if her were prepping the car to sell, he wouldn't
do all the brakes, too. Those are standard items. And tires. Of
course, tires are up to individual taste, so maybe he wouldn't.

It will also need shocks/struts. Desparately. :-)


> Bottom line-  I figure it would take between $1500 and $2000 to get this
> car into the type of condition it deserves to be in.

Seems like a decent estimate. A good set of shocks/struts can easily
add up to $600-$800, and decent tires are $500. Pads/rotors and a
caliper are another $400-$600.


> Price is $4500.
> 
> Should I buy or fly?

Sounds like a halfway decent price, what does Kelly or Edmunds
have to say about it?


-- 

Andrew L. Duane (JOT-7)			duane@zk3.dec.com
Compaq Computer Corporation		(603)-884-1294
110 Spit Brook Road
M/S ZKO3-3/U14
Nashua, NH    03062-2698

Only my cat shares my opinions, and she's too psychotic to express it