Wartburg Knight Reviews

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19th Feb 2009, 17:40

100 MPH with a two-stroke wartburg? Downhill, right? :rolleyes:

9th Apr 2009, 17:03

Many years ago I was begged to take a horsey lady to Tewksbury Car Auctions as she needed another car. (old one needed hundreds of pounds worth of welding to pass the MOT) The desired vehicle was a Volvo estate but they all made big money. The only car within her budget was the Wartburg Knight Estate. This was won for not too much money and it was a super car ideal for carrying bales of hay. I got her to buy a 5 gallon drum of 2T oil and showed her how to dose the petrol. Sadly I seem to remember the cars eventual demise resulted from someone not adding oil. (car lent to a "friend"?) Years later I owned an Audi 100 estate and definitely felt a case of deja-vu, no free-wheel but everything else felt so similar to the Wartburg. Perhaps governments should encourage free-wheels as these will reduce CO2 emissions. No need to spend billions on researching new technology as the old technology worked perfectly!

30th Mar 2010, 11:53

The Wartburg knight/353 is a very good car and a worthwhile classic, but they only do about 70mph flat out, so 100mph or over is not possible.

30th Mar 2010, 14:31

To the poster of 19th Feb 2009, 17:40:

- Downhill, no. Dropped out of a bomber, yes.

In reply to 9th Apr 2009, 17:03

15th Mar 2013, 04:29

I seem to remember that the two-stroke and later four-stroke tear-drop shaped Saabs of that era had freewheels too; and I'm pretty sure a friend's Rover 60 had one. But I think the reason why cars don't have them now, might be that if the brakes fail downhill, then you wouldn't want a freewheel operating (unless it can be overridden), as you can slow the car down somewhat by revving up and changing down.

1975 Wartburg Knight Tourist Estate 1.0 from UK and Ireland

Model year	1975
Year of manufacture	1975
First year of ownership	1987
Most recent year of ownership	1987
Engine and transmission	1.0 Manual
Performance marks	6 / 10
Reliability marks	9 / 10
Comfort marks	2 / 10
Dealer Service marks	0 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	2 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	3.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	30000 miles
Most recent distance	32000 miles
Previous car	Citroen Dyane

Summary:

I really slummed it..

Faults:

Woodruff key on fan drive pulley. Just bought another head and gasket with intact fan mechanism as it was cheaper and easier to fix this way. The woodruff key had damaged the shaft.

General Comments:

A hardy rough car built for the coldness and isolation of European winters. Easy to repair and cheap to repair, which was what was needed in the communist block at the time. However the only reason to wait two or more years in a queue to buy one was the lack of choice. Compared to a Trabi, the Wartburg is a luxury car (Trabi's are cuter though).

Gloomy low rent decor inside and lousy handling. Around a corner it feels like the most non responsive thing I have ever driven, apart from a tractor. Why should the steering be that lousy??

The one I owned had sheepskin seat covers and at least the seats seemed to be OK. Decor though was painted cardboard, and I remember the window winders being particularly slow?? Or hard and slow?? A lot of turns for just up and down...

I have pictures of it which remind me how bad the interior was.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd May, 2007

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1981 Wartburg Knight 353W 1.0 2-stroke from Hungary

Year of manufacture	1981
First year of ownership	2004
Most recent year of ownership	2004
Engine and transmission	1.0 2-stroke Manual
Performance marks	7 / 10
Reliability marks	9 / 10
Comfort marks	10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	10 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	9.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	46000 kilometres
Most recent distance	49000 kilometres

Summary:

A long lasting car with great performance

Faults:

Brake master cylinder had to be replaced as well as the two rear brake cylinders. Had some problems replacing the master cylinder because it is very well hidden.

Windscreen washer pump replaced.

Water pump bearings replaced. After this the fuel consumption was reduced by 1-2 l/100km.

Clutch cable broke. Real easy job in minutes.

Bit of rust around the body.

Fuel tank had to be replaced after long storage.

Carburettor replaced with a Jikov type. Much better than the old one.

General Comments:

Great car with good accelerating ability.

Pretty comfortable in the inside.

Loads of storage place in the trunk. It is huge compared to new cars.

Fuel consumption is affordable.

This car lasts forever.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th June, 2004

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28th Oct 2005, 04:05

I first saw a Wartburg (passing us out on the motorway!!!) while on holiday in Vienna a few years back. I didn't know what it was at first. I thought it was a Skoda, but I saw another like it later that week and found out what it really was. I liked the look of it and when I heard the sound of the engine I said to myself "Man I have to buy one of those." In Ireland, where I'm from, a handful of Wartburgs (so I'm told) were built from kits over here, but most were re-exported, and because Eastern European cars are taken as a joke in the West, very few are now left running. Which is a shame because I think they look great, I hear that they're great to drive and they must be very reliable because the engines only have 7 moving parts (3 pistons, 3 connecting rods, 1 crankshaft). Anyway all is not lost - once or twice I have seen Wartburgs advertised for sale (quite cheaply), so if one of these ads comes up when I get my driver's licence and the car is in good shape, I will more than likely go for it.