Newbie needs to know what to look for

[Joe Krepps <occupant@blazenet.net>]

Hello everyone,

The archives are (temporarily) closed or I would have looked there first. I
realize this question could have a l-o-n-g answer so feel free to e-mail me
directly if you don't want to pester fellow listers.

Here we go: What do I need to look for in a used Quattro? The local used
Eurocar dealer has a lovely '87 5000CSq turbo with ~125k, 5 spd, leather,
sunroof, blah blah blah. I know nearly zilch about Audis and a lot less about
Quattros. (He's asking $4995)

Further, NOT to sound sarcastic, but please don't tell me "nothing breaks,
just be kind to them"...everyone has (at least) one Achilles heal. I can tell
you from one year of Mercedes turbo diesel ownership that the previous owner
darn well better have changed the oil & filter because repairs due to timing
chain failure _start_ at $5k, adjust the valves, check for blow-by, how to
check if the vacuum(which runs more stuff than you might imagine, like door
locks) is working, what it means($$) when the cruise control isn't working,
"Rust: just ugly or a warning $ign?"

I have an '87 Renault GTA I bought new which I keep for snow/ice duties (even
though an '82 300D-T weighs 3,595lbs., _don't_ make it your 'snow car' -
they're terrible!). Frankly, I'd like to get back to one car. One with some
zip(a turbo does NOT make a diesel "Zippy", just tolerable), room for a bunch
of people and goes in sloppy eastern PA snow/ice/slush.

A followup question: Are they bears to work on? I can imagine that by '87, the
enginebay is crammed with more wires & plumbing than the Empire State
Building. I _really_ hate to say it, but "rumor" is that parts
are...well..."AlmostMercedesPriced". Any truth?

Thank you one & all! :)
Joe Krepps <-Euro-holic
'82 MB 300D-T, 198k, just had major $ervice but ready for the next 198k
'87 Renault GTA, 103k, semi-retired