I first posted this in the New Members section. But then I found this section and thought it would be more relevant here.

First I would like to say that I am very excited to have found this site and am glad to be here. Thank you Audi Forums!

Back to business...I owned a '88 80 FWD 4 cyl for 3 years, it had about 180k miles when I traded it in for a '02 Nissan Xterra (yeah, I know...). I have sold the Xterra and have been sans car for about a year. I really miss having an Audi and recently found a 1990 Coupe Quattro with 203k miles for $4900. It's a later production '90 with the rear sway bar and the driver side airbag (#5254).

Honestly, the high miles scare me a bit, but this is the second owner of this car who bought it certified used in 1995 from a local dealer. It has all available options; the pearl white paint, the cold weather package, and the 8-way adjustable front seats. He has a stack of repair records about 3 inches thick. The car looks and drives like it has half the miles. It did have some minor body work and paint done on the front passenger quarter panel, the job was well done and he went through his insurance company.

I've visited 20v.org and picked up a bunch of tips (very good site, BTW). I sifted through the repair records and it seems that all maintenance that 20v.org recommends has been completed. All belts and pulleys, including timing belt, has been changed within the last 3k miles. This guy won free oil changes for life at a local reputable Audi/BMW/Porche repair shop and took advantage of it. At the same shop he has replaced the AC compressor, the hydraulic pressure accumulator, all fuel injectors, the muffler, the muffler supports (replaced the rubber versions with the steel reinforced versions), the catalytic converter, the suspension, the tie rod ends, and the list goes on... He's installed the brighter Euro headlights and some nice Enkei rims. This car is definitely in better shape than my 80 ever was and even that car was very reilable and ran good at 180k miles. The CARFAX report checks out fine. We visited his mechanic who serviced the car for the 10 years he has owned it, he basically told me this owner is the best customer he has.

So my question to the group is, what do you think? Is this a decent deal for $4900? Are 203k miles an issue? Have I done my homework? Or is there anything else I should be looking for? I've already talked him down about $600 and don't think he will go any lower. I have pictures of the car, but the upload file feature currently isn't working (maybe because I'm on a Mac?). I appreciate any input. Thank you!

 

its sounds like a very nice deal. but a bit price for me. if the person changed all that and also check clutch and heater core. if heater core was not changed its probably has to be changed soon. clutch, well just see where clutch catches. I would go for a 4500. not considering that coupe is rare here in USA.

 

Thanks kakarot. I'm not sure when the heater core was changed, I'll look into that on Monday. I do know it has the original clutch, but on the test drive it felt fine.

 

the coupe even here is considered trapped in a timeless warp and holds its value even better than some of the newer ones and a classic in its own right, 203k miles is nothing if the car has been well maintained and I dare bet more things are new or replaced the you will ever know like the clutch for instance, it sounds like a good deal to me and they are getting just as rare over here in the UK so price wise they will go up in value

 

Hey thanks for you input, avant. I'm so used to vehicle depreciation, I hadn't even thought about the possibility of the value increasing.

 

here in US values vary from 3000 to 6000 buks on coupes quatro. I wanted to get one before my 90 but they were to expensive and when I bought my car they droped in price and then in month jumped even higher. Wiered but cool. it has shorter wheel base giving better handling and 5cyl 20V turbo engine gives enough power to the wheels.

 

The 20V Coupe is nice car but never sold well in the US due to it’s steep price ($40K) and rather poor performance. Some critics complained that it had too much body roll and was rather underpowered (165hp) for an AWD system.

At 203K, the very least I would worry about is a possible head job if it has not been done already. I find that in general the valve stem seals don't last long and by 150K start to crack and seep oil. Changing seals without taking the head off, while I heard that it is possible, personally I have never tried it on any of my cars. Also it is possible to have good compression but the oil scraper rings could be gone. In my state if you are burning oil you will fail the state inspection.

The suspension is another thing to consider. Have the suspension bushings been replaced, especially in the rear? The bushings are cheap but the work is not.

I find that the Audi models hold up rather well but are prone to maintenance issues just like any other model. The standard 2.3L 10V motor is known for it’s reliability and ability to go well past the 300K mark. Can the same thing be said about the 20V is hard to say considering how few of them were sold.

While this particular find of yours sounds great it is still has 203K which is not bad considering that the average driver puts on about 15K/yr which would add up to 225K. However at 203K you can expect something’s to go south at any time regardless of how well the car was maintained.

As for the price an undocumented 20V coupe will run about $3800

 

Thanks, Offramp. I'll see what I can find out regarding the head job and the suspension bushings.

 

I have to agree with offramp "to a point" because 203k miles is high but if it has a good history then its been looked after so should pose no problems as much work will have been done, high mileage is a problem with any make of car rule of thumb is "don't fix something that doesnt need fixing" like the cylinder head and bushings (if ok leave them alone)

 

If the rubber bushings have not been replaced then they are shot. Just like one shouldn't drive with 15 year old tires. From my experience I have noticed that the rubber bushings go after about 120K regardless of make or model. The problem with bushings is that they are out of sight and out of mind, very difficult to visually inspect them. The rubber gets hard and brittle no way to get around it. My 1991 with 179K seems to ride tight but recently developed a squeak, a really annoying and embracing squeak. I pulled the rear wheel and noticed that the rubber bushing has almost separated from the inner metal tube and yet the car has passed NJ's computerized suspension shaker during inspection. The day I went for inspection it mysteriously stopped squeaking. Last week I replaced the shock cartridge and discovered that just about all the bushings have changed to sponge. The bushings are cheap but the labor is a real PITA.