Got this car from a local used car dealer who had no idea whatsoever what he had.
He got it from a wholesaler who was also totally clueless - all service records were discarded!
Car has 139,000 miles on it, and has had a number of minor issues (like any used car), none of which have cost much to fix.
This is absolutely NOT a car for someone who goes running to the dealer for every little thing (in fact, for anything - USA Audi dealers have a *TERRIBLE* reputation, and they have fully earned it.)
Before you get into one of these, it is a good idea to have owned an earlier Audi, preferably a 5000 series (type 44) for a few years, and to have done much of your own work.
That said, this car is the equivalent of the Millennium Falcon from the first Star Wars movie - obsolete, cranky, hard to work on, wildly complicated, but man, oh man, when you get this car on the highway, hang on tight! Remember the scene where they finally get the warp drive working and all the stars blur past backwards? Well that's what happens from 75 mph up when you nail this - all the other cars on the highway just blur past backwards!
Get AAA plus, it comes with a bail bond certificate (you'll need it), join the Audi discussion group on the internet (you'll need that, too), and enjoy.
Wonderful, delightful ride, comfortable, goes like stink, handles superbly, stops on a dime and gives change, I don't care if it only gets 15 mpg around town.
Amen!Couldn't have said it better myself, you are right on with this wonderful car.Thanks.
I have driven the 4.2 quattro, from 1992, and I can say that that it must be looked after well if it is to work, because the engine is old technology, and I really flied with the car, I mean I put it into automatic first gear, it started with a little wheelspin (!) then put it into second and your already around 60 mph at the middle of second gear, its crazy. Driving it is another story, silky smooth responsive steering along with no body roll, and as you know there is a switch which has buttons like M, S and I don't know the third one, well I used it on S which I think is sport, and it literally flied away, this year I'm buying the 2001 A6 V8 Avant 4.2 Quattro. So you can say I have a love for these beyond reality cars...
What went wrong with this vehicle? Where do I start. Bought it at a auction for $6900 Cdn 4 years ago. First the auto tranny went. $4000 to replace (got ripped off) but they were the only guys that would work on it. The the Idle sensor went, then the rpm sensor. Replaced both myself. At the same time fuel pump went. Had that changed at a garage. Drove to Mexico and the radiator went. Had that replaced in Mexico. I am now going to change the lights in the dash and what a pain to remove it. Had the front brakes redone, but that is normal wear and tear.
Having said all that this is one beautiful car! The interior is comfortable, spacious and nicely laid out. The sound system is just awsome. Only 4 speakers but tuned for this car and is unbeatable! On the highway it is whisper quiet. I have lived in Mexico with this car for 1.5 years and the roads generally are not the best but this baby takes it in stride. Not a rattle to be heard! This is one awsome highway car! When I park this car in a car lot it gets the most looks of any car. In a word "Great"!
There are 192000 miles on my Audi V8Q 1990. Great car from any perspective.
Have repaired most everything, and happy to do it and drive again.
Among the things I replaced are an injector, CV boots, idle control valve, repaired sunroof, replaced noisy electric motor for intake of air for the temperature control, bypassed the heater core, dropped transmission to replace rear main seal on the engine, replaced the bushings on the parallel bar, have gone through few fuel pumps, few sensors for top dead center, practically all hydraulic hoses, rebuilt the rack and pinion, front shocks, engine mounts... and so on.
I got the car in 1997 on 70000 miles. Just smog checked it - the results showed close to zero emissions.
A few weeks ago, something funny began happening. I did all of the above repairs myself, but now I have no idea where this comes from. The car starts normally, and after about 10-15 minutes it kind of misfires on idle. Not all the time, but roughly once every second. It is doing it randomly, the rpm goes up and down (between 600 and 850), and if I give little gas, to about 1100 rpm, engine begins to run much smoother.
Has anyone experienced anything similar to that?
Would be very helpful in the troubleshooting process, since I am planning to try to fix it myself.
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