1992 Audi 100 E 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Classic executive saloon

Faults:

Lots but but mostly wear and tear; it is old and kept as a classic/second car for me.

Exhaust, suspension, brakes, you name it. All the expected consumables of a 25+ year old high mileage car.

The body has been waxed and looked after carefully since new, I knew the previous owner. No rust whatsoever, always garaged and rarely used in rain.

Engine was also serviced on time, has an oil leak now but never any major issues in the years I have had it.

Minor electronic issues such as windows being slow to move, etc.

General Comments:

Bloody love it!

What a good looking car. My black 100 saloon looks very much like the A6 that it was named a few years later in the mid 1990's; the early 90's Audi 100 was the last to carry the 100 name. It is very sharp in black metallic exterior and beige interior.

2.0 auto is OK, there were bigger engines that offer more performance. This can achieve over 30 MPG on long drives however, you will not get that out of the V6's. Performance is lethargic sometimes however; the auto box probably blunts the acceleration a bit.

The car is very nice to drive/ride in. Interior has a quality feel and has all the electrics expected of a car of this type. Audi has always been my favorite manufacturer for interiors, just such a solid feel, especially cars from this time period.

Overall I just love cruising in it. My previous Audi 80 was much the same, but the 100 being bigger in size is just a more relaxing car to be in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th August, 2021

8th Aug 2021, 00:59

I love this era of Audis, I had the '88 and '90 Audi 80. The dashboards were spot-on for design and ergonomics, a far cry from the gimmicky looking dashboards from Audi since around 2007 (I hate that MMI needed to control the radio). The Audi 100 was well-suited to the larger engines - I think a 5-cylinder 2.3 and the 2.8 6-cylinder, makes for the perfect relaxed cruiser. If your roads are flat, the automatic 2.0 will be adequate. Weak spot for 4-cylinder Audis is the plastic stuff for the cooling system, so things like the plastic elbow connecting the radiator hose to the head or block, fortunately they are cheap.

8th Aug 2021, 15:52

100% agree 1990's interiors for most cars were good. As for 2010 onward cars, myself I cannot stand them, manufacturers have an obsession it seems to make all cars now like a smart phone on wheels, certainly the very latest cars anyway. I'm not against technology, but analogue controls were just much better suited for some features. Check out the review of a 2020 VW Golf on here titled "all digital, all nonsense". Says it all.

1992 Audi 100 2.0 e 2.0 e from Lebanon

Summary:

Best car in the world if its not sooo solid

Faults:

Very very solid, like a track.

Oil leaking.

Interior illumination doesn't work properly.

Some dashboard lights doesn't lights.

Door panel become old.

General Comments:

This is a very good looking car.

Good fuel consumption.

15 years old and still looks like new, at least from exterior, but the interior is not very well.

I bought it 2 weeks ago, after my 1993 BMW 318i. From outside maybe its better, but the interior of the BMW looks better ,even the ride, specially in the country. The Audi makes noise if anything. Maybe because its very very solid, but I don't like that, specially in the road of our country.

It's great and very quiet on highway, like a boat on the road. Very easy to drive.

Except that everything is going well. But I'm not sure if I'll keep it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2007

1992 Audi 100 S 2.8L V6 from North America

Summary:

Comfortable and quiet luxo-cruiser

Faults:

New ball joints.

New driver's side outer CV joint and wheel bearing.

New rear subframe bushings.

New timing belt (service interval)

New engine mounts.

Check engine faults (undiagnosed)

New HVAC cabin fan.

Side trim pieces need replacing.

General Comments:

I bought this car in keeping with my annual ritual of purchasing a new daily-driver car (modified 944 Turbo toy). I picked this one up for $1000 needing the repairs listed above, although the car was and is in great cosmetic shape in and out. It's my first Audi after having owned many Saabs, a BMW and Subaru.

A general consensus regarding this model is something I'll maintain, that acceleration from a standstill is not overly impressive. It's not to say as though it's slow, because with enough drama the car can be launched briskly, but ease is one of the qualifiers, and this car requires quite a beating (working the clutch and drivetrain in some less-than-prudent ways) if you want it to get out of the hole fast.

I bought the car from another car-obsessed guy who actually warned me that it's a boat around town, and he is right. The car, despite being only slightly larger than my previous 1994 Saab 9000, feels quite a bit more substantial and more "floaty," particularly in the city. To its credit, however, it feels rock-solid at speed, especially on the freeway. The first journey I took with the car was roughly 500 miles, and it was much quieter, smooth and comfortable than any of my previous vehicles.

The car does tend to roll and plow a lot, even with new OEM-spec shocks, control arms, bushings, and the like having been replaced by the previous owner and myself. It doesn't surprise me a whole lot; it's a big luxury car and an Audi, which even an '02 S4 I drove felt soft for a car with such sporting intentions. My friend's all-OEM 1994 BMW 325i makes this car seem like a whale. I am expecting H&R springs with Bilstein shocks to arrive any time now, and I hope that these tie the car's cornering together a bit more.

I intended on buying a Volkswagen because I was (and presently still am) tired of high parts prices. I service all my vehicles myself barring alignments, and this car is definitely in the primo club. In replacing the engine mounts, subframe bushings, outer driver's CV and wheel bearing I spent a little under $500 - which in the Saab/Porsche world is to be expected, but in the VW/Honda world is outrageous. Kind of disappointed with this, though I can't say I see a ton of 100s, S4s, and 95-97 A6s running around. So expect high parts, and along with it labor, prices. The initial cost of these cars is low, so even with a repair budget the same as the purchase price the cost is more than reasonable for what you get.

The previous owner replaced the clutch and transmission, and I've found that kind of work often alters the original shift feel. The transmission is fairly quick and not too vague, though it's less precise than my Saab and BMW shifters (not high points in those cars, either), and about on par with Porsches I've driven. The engine is the first V6 I've owned, and it's adequate. As I stated prior, it's not impressive from a standstill, but it doesn't have the satisfying explosion of power that a turbocharged car provides once on the move either. Because of the flat torque curve, however, it doesn't need to be downshifted often.

Expect this car to have annoying electrical issues as it ages. Remember, if you're a U.S. customer this car is quite like the 5000 model it replaces, and that car was an electrical nightmare. I currently have three warnings on the status display, and they are all false. I also get a check engine light that when in diagnostic mode is reporting a repeated misfire, though there is none detectable.

All in all I'll say this car would be great for anyone who wants a larger european car for a nominal initial investment. I buy cheap cars to avoid payments, and this car even gets comments from people asking if I'm wealthy--which being a self-paying college student I am not. This car was also available in Quattro and in performance versions under the S4 and S6 badges. A drive in a Quattro 2.8L automatic 100 makes my car seem significantly quicker, though Quattro would be convenient during Wisconsin's winter.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd October, 2006