1993 Audi 80 Avant E review from UK and Ireland

The throttle position sensor failed (causing loss of kickdown).

Heater hose bleeder started leaking and the replacement hose was almost 50 pounds.

Drive shaft came away from front hub, making a very loud clunking noise.

Water leaked into the front footwell.

Rear hatch shut mechanism came loose.

Bad pinking under acceleration, especially when the engine was cold.

Auto box judders when changing down during braking.

Lambda sensor failure.

The horn stopped working as it was full of water!!!

The car was bought with a full Audi main-dealer service history.

Good confidence inspiring anti-lock brakes and handling.

Comfortable seats, but my left leg was hurting for a few days after a 250 mile journey (as it was needed to drive the auto box).

Estate boot not as accommodating as the Ford Escort that replaced it.

Fuel consumption rarely beat 20 miles per gallon. 17 MPG was typical of urban driving.

The car felt very solid and there was only a tiny failure in the galvanising that had caused rust on the tailgate.

When it was working properly the auto box was responsive in both sport and economy mode.

None of the faults (apart from a suspicion of the water leak) I experienced were evident when the car was inspected at purchase.

The dealers couldn't find or fix the pinking problem and the expensive fix they did do (i.e. the lambda sensor) made no difference.

With 150 brake-horse-power and only front wheel drive, this car desperately needed traction control in anything other than dry road conditions.

A non dealer cam-belt change was well over 200 pounds - over 4 hours work (which at 58 pounds an hour at an Audi dealer was out of the question).

Friends and relatives who have also owned Audis and VWs have also found the dealers unhelpful and often cannot fix persistent problems.

Very expensive to insure, at over 800 pounds a year with full no claims and I'm the only driver, 30 years old with a clean license.