Faults:

The catalytic converter had to be replaced along with the lambda sensor (140,000 miles) at a cost of £800.

The front wishbone bushes and front subframe bushes had to be replaced at 160,000 miles.

The valve stem oil seals had to be replaced at 135,000 miles.

The distributer and hall effect sensor packed up at 208,000 miles.

General Comments:

This was an extremely well built and reliable car which never broke down in the four years that I owned it. It always started first time, apart from when the distributer packed up, and ran smoothly.

For a car of it's size the 2.0 8v (117 b.h.p) engine seemed a bit small and lacked urgency in it's acceleration (11.5 seconds 0-60m.p.h). However, it was a fine motorway cruiser where it was refined, quiet and fairly economical and capable of reaching its top speed of 120 m.p.h even after 200,000 miles.

On the down side the car did guzzle fuel a bit when driving around town.

The engine was absolutely bombproof and you could rev it up to the red line all day and the bodywork was equally as good. After a Ford Focus pulled out in front of me from a side road the only damage to the Audi was the headlights and washers, fog-lights and grille while the Focus' B pillar was were the handbrake sat. (no joke!)

Well equipped with height adjustment and heating on both front seats, air conditioning, ABS, electric everything, even heated windscreen washers and door locks. The power steering was a peach!!

Faults:

Oil filter housing failed days after buying.

Poor (Early) Tornado Red paint that fades despite what you do with it.

Seized rear calipers at 150,000.

Front indicator fell out twice!

Suspension bushes and drive-shafts replaced at 180,00.

Clutch failed at 190,00.

Dampers failed at 200,000.

Water pump replaced at 202,000.

Fan relay failed causing head gasket failure at 205,00.

Drivers door lock failed at 210,00.

Persistent problems with brakes, poor feel with heavy pad and disc wear. Cured by changing to later brake disc size.

Brake master cylinder failed at 220,000, rear brake bias valve showed water ingress and replaced at same time.

Timing solenoid in injection pump failed at 304,00 causing advance in timing then head gasket failure and all four pistons to crack.

General Comments:

That's an extensive list of faults, but it's the best car we've EVER owned.

We live in Ireland and in the country at that where roads are poor and violent on your car, plus we're farmers too!

The car is worked ridiculously hard all the time.

Without fail it would return a minimum of 42mpg, normally 46mpg and up to 48mpg. Wheter towing a half a ton behind you or driving at 100mph or a combination of the two the fuel economy was always astounding.

It's performance is decent, not astoundingly fast, but relentless up to its 125mph top speed.

As we approached 300,000 noticeable oil burning of a litre every 1000.

It's a car that handles partcularly well over poor surfaces.

I used this car to commute a 100 miles a day to my second job, along poor roads at high speed, averaging 75mph.

The chassis was not as rigid as a MK2 Jetta and did not handle jumping humpback bridges to the same degree.

Galvanised chassis meaning a complete absence of rust.

High class looks that age very slowly.

Fabulous interior build quality and feel.

We found this car so good we're having the engine rebuilt to do 500,000 this time!