Hello,

I'm new to the forums and have never owned an Audi before (Saab 9000 Turbo was the closest thing to one in my book), but I found a clean 1991 Audi 100, no major dents / visible rust, with a power drain problem. The battery looses its charge after a day or two (new battery and alternator). I'm going to go look at it today in about 2 hours.

They are only asking $600 dollars for it.

What do you all think?

Thanks,

Jake

 

I just got a '92 100 and I had a '91 100 several years ago. I'd say for $600 you can't go wrong unless the car is just dead and doesn't run for some reason.

But a few things to look for would be any of the usual on a used car.

Straight body and any evidence of it ever being in a serious accident.
Check hard for leaks and if there are any try to determine the location and seriousness of the leak.
Check all of the functions of electronics (all windows go up and down, power mirrors, door locks stereo, lights, signals etc...)

Any problems or items you see wrong you can use to your advantage to talk the seller down a bit on the price.

Most of all drive it and see how it feels. How does the engine run at idle, and how well does it shift into all gears. Don't be afraid to even push that baby a little hard even if the owner rides along with you. See how the suspension feels over bumps and in turns and listen for any clicking or rattling when steering.

If you drive it and enjoy it and it seems to run pretty decent (consider the fact its old), I wouldn't be afraid to buy it for 600 bucks. It's a fine cheap automobile. Just be ready to have to do some repairs more than likely. If you can do them yourself all the better. Audi mechanics can tend to be on the pricey side. Audi's aren't what I'd call unreliable... but let's just say she might require a little extra love and care. I can guarantee the enjoyment you'll get while driving the car is well worth it. Look at it this way... you could easily get a $600 a month car payment for a new car. So at that price can you really lose?

 

Thanks for the input, I ended up buying the car. It seems ok, but has a charging problem (knew this going into it) and hopefully its a pretty easy fix.

The transmission does seem to shift rather sternly, and sometimes erratic. First and second gear also make a sort of grinding noise under hard acceleration (automatic FWD).

Think I am going to be needing a new transmission soon? OR a fluid / filter change should do it?

 

I'd start with a fluid filter change and see how it goes from there. It's possible it needs a new tranny, but I'd go with the fluid filter change first to see how that goes before buying a new tranny, which I'm sure will cost ya more than the car did!