Am thinking about buying a 1996 A4 Quattro 2.8, 120k mi, 5 spd.

Previous owner bought it from an auction, so he has limited knowledge about its past. He says that he drove it for about 2 months with absolutely no problems.
Now, the car wont move. He says you can put it into gear with no problems, but when you let out the clutch, nothing happens. No noise, nothing, it just wont move. He says that it happened over night, one day it drove, the next it didn't. The rest of the car is in excellent shape, interior, exterior, etc.

Is this something I should stay away from? I have extensive auto experience as I raced/tuned hondas for 8+ years, but have never dealt with an Audi, let alone an AWD system.

Could it be as simple as the clutch, or is it probably more? I would be getting it for a great price.... 20% or so of KBB price

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alfred

 

well since you have pretty good knoledge of cars id say it wouldnt be a problem, but you know a 96 2.8 has little to no potential for power unless you plan on spending serious money on her...

 

Ya, Im not too worried about tons of power anymore, Im just more interested in a fun car that looks nice.

I love the way the A4 looks, and until I graduate, the newer cars are way outta my reach......even this car normally is, but since there are problems, that hopefully I can fix, its in my price range now.

I was mainly wondering about the complexity of the AWD system, and possible causes of the problem. Even if it was a clutch, it wouldn't just completely go out over night, would it?

Anyone care to make some guesses as to what else could cause that problem?

Thanks

Alfred

 

Sounds like the car youre looking at is this: https://www.audiforums.com/m_437708/tm.htm

 

Ya, I went through that post, and it seems to be the same vehicle. But for the price Im getting it, and the fact that I should be able to do all the work myself....

Im not so concerned about the engine work as I am about the transmission/drivetrain....If its simply a clutch, no problem, but besides the clutch, what would cause an AWD Audi to stop moving?

Thanks

Alfred