SO a friend of mine is selling his 88 Audi A90, 4cyl, manual trans. and I was thinking it might be time to jump into the world of audi's.
I was hoping some people could just give me some information so I can make a decision on this car.
He's asking 1300$ canadian, it's a very nice looking car, body is in good shape, was repainted just a few years ago. Two previous owners (university professor and a local businessman) and after that hehad it for one year, he probably put some pretty good wear on it but before that the owners really babied it. It's had regular oil changes and is in very good shape apparently. He's getting an inspection done before he puts it up for sale. THe price is so high because he has a decent stereo in it, and he's replaing the brake pads and linings before he sells.
The car has about 300k on it, over 16 years. This is the biggest worry for me.
I have the money and I would like to purchase the car, I'm just wondering how much it's going to cost me (roughly) to keep it running for another 100-150k.
Posts: 2660
Joined: 5/25/2003 From: United States Status: offline
Stereo shmereo... who cares?!!
Have the control arms and struts checked along with the tranny and clutch. I'd get the rotors looked at to see if they are true (not warped) and if they have enough thickness for any future grinding. Lastly, I'd check into thermostat, fuel filter and pump, hoses, timing belt, and the entire ignition system.
These are all typical "must check" issues with any euro manual car over ten years old and/or over 150k miles.
In Owning a B3 Audi 80/90 series I would have to say be prepared to spend a large sum of money on the car for maintenance and repaires. If you haven't owned a higher end foreign car you are going to have to get use to high prices for parts, and slim availability (almost always the parts stores never have the part you need in stock). Also the more work you do your self the better, if you have to bring it into a shop make sure they are used to working on older audi's. My 91 80Q has definitely been a pleasure to drive, but it does have its problems, and not many of them have been cheap to fix
As for keeping it running for that long I think I have spent about a grand into my car for the last 8k, haha and I do my own work. But my car also needed a lot when i bought it.
Posts: 758
Joined: 3/9/2004 From: Swamplands of NJ Status: offline
A car this old needs quite a bit maintenance to keep it purring. Stereo…, might be nice to listen to when you are sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. If the owner is so concerned with the cost of stereo, tell him to take it out or offer to take it out for him. Babying a car doesn't mean jack s***. I have seen too many almost showroom looking vehicles but the rest was neglected. Does the owner have any receipts for any of the work performed? One thing that you have going against you is that this is the introductory year model. This might pose a problem with parts, especially if they have been superceded. Check the cooling/heating/AC system! Does the outside temp light flash on the temp control unit? Have the hoses been replaced, radiator, expansion tank, etc? Front shocks/struts go on these cars and you get that floating feeling. Audi's are notorious leakers and could mean big $$$ to fix. Hydraulic pump leak? Tie-rods, ball joints, etc.? What about water pump & timing belt (need a special tool to do this job)? As mentioned by Floored80Q you will need to do most of your own work if you want to keep the cost down. Everything else aside they are great handling cars and have that tight feel even after many years/miles of service. Good luck if you decide to purchase.
On a side note the 88-92 Audi 90 only came in a 5cyl engine, im not sure if it was different in Canada, but its the difference between 22 hp and a bit of torque. Count the plugs and you might be in for a pleasent surprise. Although it still wont be a power house.
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My first Audi... Should I buy? - 
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