1989 Audi 200 Quattro Sedan review from North America
"Very expensive to maintain, but rewards with performance"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
About the only thing that has not gone wrong with the car is the engine internally. At any point in time, there is something leaking. Engine oil, or the very expensive Pentosin fluid that is used for power brakes and steering.
Power steering rack at 120,000 miles - $900
Numerous problems with heating and A/C have cost $1000 in the five years I've had the car, and at present the A/C does not work. Too scared to find out what the next repair bill is.
Every power window mechanism has had to be replaced, I did these myself for about $150 in parts each, and an afternoon. I don't have a lot of afternoons.
Most things in the cooling system have been replaced - radiator is expensive and hard to work on. And it's not repairable, it has plastic end caps and it doesn't just leak, it shatters. Between the radiator, auxiliary cooling pump and heater core, it was over $1000, and I did some of the work myself.
Fuel injectors needed replacing at 100,000 miles - cleaning was inadequate. Cost $250 and I spent an afternoon doing it.
It is worth noting that every time something has gone wrong with the car, the mechanic or the members of the Audi club all say "oh, yeah, they all do that".
By contrast, my Supra, with modifications to take it to nearly 400 horsepower, went 275,000 miles, with me spending less than $1,000 for all unscheduled maintenance over the life of the car.
General comments?
For a sedan, this is a very high performance car. With a simple chip in the engine, it can do better than 7 seconds 0-60, quickest sedan I've ever experienced. And it's BORING looking on the outside, so it hides very well in a crowd.
The suspension is a little on the soft side, but way tighter than any American sedan. Overall, the suspension makes this a fabulous freeway cruiser, only in tight city streets is the handling not really good enough.
It's plenty large inside, passengers always like the comfort.
Has way too many toys. Every automatic or power doodad (seats, windows, climate control, etc) has failed. If it weren't for the toys failing, this would be a reliable car.
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Fast and comfortable, but reliability.. | |
| 1989 - 200 Turbo quattro 2.2 5 clyinder, turbo Fast safe and reliable car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1989 |
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.2L 5 cylinder turbo (MC) Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 95000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 175000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Supra |
| Date of Entry | 4th November, 2004 |