i have this 84 5000S. it was given to me when i turned 16. im now 21 and it has been sitting for 2 years inside. it needs some work, but it is in good shape and has 70000 miles. i had to put in a new tranny when i was driving it, so it has that and almost new tires, now it is other stuff. like power steering pump leaks, exhaust manifold, 2 windows, brakes, etc.

i really want to drive it and it has sentimental value, but everytime i look at it i find something else. i dont expect it to be like a new car, but this is a little overwhelming. i love Audis and if i dont get this one going it will be another one, like a 200 or something. i can do alot of work myself. anyone else been in this situation? any advice?

 

Been there done that, given the age, you can expect many things to break down and in need of replacement. I have a '91 100Q and every few months there is something to repair. I like my car and plan to keep it for a while. I have never held on to a car for sentimental reasons but to each is own. If you enjoy your Audi and the body is solid then keeping it might not be a bad idea, especially if you can fix and maintain it yourself. My 91 isn't too bad when it comes to parts availability but an 84 5000 might be a different story.

steering pump leak fix

 

I think a LOT of the mechanical parts are the same.

Audi has a habit, as does its parent VW, of "over-engineering". They condone this by not changing major parts, bearings, pistons, cranks, PS Pumps, and the like with every model year change, as most US car makers do.

Their Diesel engines, for 1, were not just converted from the gas analogue, which nearly killed GM in diesel. The VW-Audi gas engine was designed so strongly that converting to diesel was simply a change in the heads to accept a fuel injector in place of a spark plug, and a precombustion chamber. The lower end simply needed about 1/16 larger crankpins.

And, other than headlight changes year to year, you can't tell an 84 from an 88, or an 89 from a 92, or whatever their cycle is. And tail lights, too. On the corners, or across the whole *** end. Elsewise, you get in 1, you got in them all, for that cycle.

But they can be confusing to a non owner. Was a couple years between my last and my present. Bought it 1 day, went to go to work in the AM next day, forgot how to turn on the headlights. "Audis for Dummies", anyone?

Cheers,

George

 

"Over-engineering" there are many parts that are certainly not, engines and manual tranys are good as for other parts I can certainly say, "what the hell have they been smoking". The 5-cyl are well built but the 4 bangers are not as good even though it is supposedly the same motor with an extra cylinder. Many parts are overly complex in design, fragile and expensive to replace.

The small diesels were far better than anything that Detroit could produce but the Audi/VW diesel could not reach the longevity of Mercedes diesels. I love the new Euro TDI and CD diesels and wish they were offered here.[&o]

Many parts seem to be interchangeable between the years (84-91) but some will require quite a bit of work to make them fit.