Have i pretty much missed the boat on purchasing one of these? They seem to be extremely thin on the ground, and i've wanted another one very badly for a long time.
These pictures aren't helping. I'd even forgive the red paint job.
Have i pretty much missed the boat on purchasing one of these? They seem to be extremely thin on the ground, and i've wanted another one very badly for a long time.
These pictures aren't helping. I'd even forgive the red paint job.
if you ever have to do a heater core on one you'll pray for it to burn to the ground, possibly even while you're still completing the job and you'll never want another audi product ever again
Solid cars as far as drivetrain goes. The older 10v versions are incredibly slow, the 20v ones slightly less so. They have the typical late '80's early '90's issues with hvac and electrical switches.
Hard to find, they didn't sell a ton of them and they were used as daily drivers, so many have disappeared due to high mileage and neglect.
A newer S4 or a 5000 would be a better bet to find as there were more sold.
I owned a white one about two years ago. I needed a car bad and a buddy new about one of these for sale for $1,000. The catch was that the front was pretty smashed up. The bumper was in pieces, the headlights were crooked and the hood was smashed up. The car ran like a champ for a couple of months then I sold it to a buddy that needed a car since I was ready to move on. I contemplated fixing it up and keeping it but after searching around for a front end decided not to. I was quoted at about $700 for a bumper. Knowing it would take a full front end to really get it to my standards I opted not. If you can find a clean example i'd snatch it up in a heartbeat.
captdownshift wrote: if you ever have to do a heater core on one you'll pray for it to burn to the ground, possibly even while you're still completing the job and you'll never want another audi product ever again
There's few cars i'd ever want to bother doing a heater core on in the first place. I'm paying someone to do it on my Cherokee, thanks. 
turboswede wrote: A newer S4 or a 5000 would be a better bet to find as there were more sold.
It's just... not the same. 
I find the UrS4 to be hideous, and only forgive it because of the awesome powertrain. The 90 is the opposite. The proportions are just "right," and i can forgive (or fix.... teeeehehehehehehe) the weak power levels.
Great cars. I have done a heater core replacement. Yes, it was tedious but I had heat and felt good about the job when done. A worse car for heater core replacement -- Saab 900! But if you can find a good 80/90/200 at a good price. Grab it. Snag it fast.
Mike Kirby
Swank Force One wrote:turboswede wrote: A newer S4 or a 5000 would be a better bet to find as there were more sold.It's just... not the same.
Probably because they kinda look like and MX and a Celica GT4 had a love child.
turboswede wrote:Swank Force One wrote:Probably because they kinda look like and MX and a Celica GT4 had a love child.turboswede wrote: A newer S4 or a 5000 would be a better bet to find as there were more sold.It's just... not the same.
The 90? Good analogy! 
You only go round once. You should enjoy all the automotive folly you can. That's why I'm seriously considering replacing a perfectly reliable Miata with a problematic Saab. Just because I haven't owned a Saab, yet.
You should admire the wires Audi used in them. They look more like threads than wires. I can only imagine how hyper sensitive the car is to electrical corrosion as a result.
Rationalization is a powerful tool.
The thing is, i've had one of these before. But that was before i really knew about the glory that is the Audi 5 cylinder.
KNowing what i know now, i'd never have gotten rid of it, and my usernames over the years on this board would have been entirely different.
They are still fairly thick on the ground here in the upper left corner. Usually at least one or two on the Portland CL, I would assume Seattle would be the same. As an added bonus, our cars don't really rust up here. Something to consider if you're looking for a fly-n-drive.
I remember there was a 10v 90 that was passed around my group of friends a few years ago. I believe the general consensus was that is was really fun in low traction conditions, but a dog everywhere else.
I would hold out for a 4000 myself, but I tend to like overly-square cars.
my buddy in high school had one his parents bought him (dad worked as an audi salesman, think they got it on trade-in). I think it was the red pictured above.
I remember it being freaking awesome for most things.
Then, being 16, he bashed up the front end, neglected much maintenance (after the front was bashed, he couldn't get the hood open...), did bad things to the interior. I imagine many have seen a similar fate.
I do remember driving my car to go skiing because his was out of washer fluid and he couldn't get the hood open. which can be problematic in poor weather.
Well, he's been up here before, so I don't think you'd have to twist his arm to come back, except for the drive across the country thing.
I almost bought a black one a few years back. It already had upgraded suspension, poly bushings, etc. It just needed a 5000 Turbo motor to finish the job.
I have to say that it is one of the only cars that I regret missing out on.
They are cool cars, but a PITA to work on. The engine bays are a total nightmare (whole front clip basically has to come off to do a timing belt), and in that era Audi really liked running every string-thin wire through the driver's door hinge for whatever reason. Electrical nightmares! Plus, Audi is famous for using a plastic distributor drive gear in this era...of course it will crack and break at the worst possible time, and your "replacement part" is a new $400 distributor with the metal gear.
I had a Coupe Quattro 20V for a while (same car basically minus two doors). It sure sounded good, but was waaay too heavy to be any fun and cost me about $400/mo in parts to run. One of the few cars I've owned that I totally lost my ass on when I sold it. 
Never again after the audi urs4 debacle I had. One of the worst car purchases I 've ever made (the car wad awesome though, besides for everything breaking). I'll keep my race cars insane and my daily drivers plain-ish.
I had a neighbor growing up that had a white coupe version of this with all the little flag emblems on the back. It was stock but had very high mileage and looked nice still. Something like 250k miles in the mid 90s.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/nmna-audi-8090-550/78749/page1/
also NMNA: http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=137508352&listingRecNum=6&criteria=feedSegId%3D28705%26rpp%3D250%26transTypeId%3D28112%26alMkId%3D20049%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26sf2Nm%3Dprice%26requestorTrackingInfo%3DRTB_SEARCH%26sf1Nm%3Dlocation%26sf2Dir%3DDESC%26stkTypId%3D28881%26PMmt%3D1-0-0%26rn%3D0%26zc%3D48108%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-pseudoPrice-drvTrnId-transTypeId%26stkTyp%3DU%26mkId%3D20049%26prMn%3D0%26drvTrnId%3D27102%26sf1Dir%3DASC%26prMx%3D5000&aff=national&listType=3
The B3 quattro chassis is one of the best winter cars around. Worth having if you like driving in snow. The 10 valve is slow, if you want to test your fabrication skills put a turbo motor in. Cheap but technically challenging. The 20 valve is decnt stock though. Gotta love a 7000 rpm motor. Yes there are issues. Door locks break, heater core is a pain and the parking brakes hang up all the time. But they are solid cars and deserve a spot on the must have list. The 5000 chassis is a long distance cruiser and has the ability to lock the center diff from inside the car. Neat feature in really bad conditions. But not as tossable in the snow as the 90. Different sort of ride. Nice but not sporty. I have both in the garage now, a 5KQ with 65K miles and a 20valve sedan with 105K. After having driven 5 bangers since 98 these two are low mileage keepers. So yes try one. Look for a low mileage one, they do exist. Or buy a high mileage one cheap and beat the crap out of it. Either way, a worthy ride.
5 cyl turbo isn' t a bolt in affair?
The turbo engine is a bolt in. It's the intercooler, its plumbing, and relocating the battery for wastegate clearance that is kind of a pain. On B2 and B3 cars you also have to modify the passenger side tie rod for downpipe/wastegate clearance.
B3 cars have a bolt in core support that makes them a little easier than B2 cars. On the B2 cars, all the front core support metal is welded in. There are people who have modified it so it can be removed.
theenico wrote: The turbo engine is a bolt in. It's the intercooler, its plumbing, and relocating the battery for wastegate clearance that is kind of a pain. On B2 and B3 cars you have to modify the passenger side tie rod for downpipe/wastegate clearance also.
Sounds like a typical Sunday here in GRM. Knowing Swank, he'd not use a factory intercooler, wastegate, turbo, etc. anyway :)
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