Found a 1993 Audi 100 Quattro - looks kind of interesting - an thoughts, suggestions, or warnings regarding this year/model, or with this vintage Audi's in general. Never owned one before! Any advice is much appriciated!

-Forest

I have a 95 A6,

I love the car in and out. Never had any sort of weather related problems, and I live in michigan so we get our share of snow.
Very comfortable, smooth riding, very stable.
Its at its age were I have to do alot of mantenence things, O2 Sensors, Spark Plugs, Fuel Filter.. regular things.

It can get expensive at times if you go to the dealer. Its probably best to do it yourself if you are able, or like Muhammad often says "Build a good relationship with an auto mechanic/shop".

These cars last a long time, I have talked to someone who had his up to 350k and it was running fine.

I bought a '94 100s last December and have been happy so far. Had to have a headlight assembly replaced ($75 labor, $80 for used assembly) and the back-up lights rewired ($126).

So far nothing else, knock wood.

I bought it used from a Lexus dealership in Buffalo and had it checked out thoroughly by a mechanic that specializes in European improts before purchasing.

Other than frightfully bad mileage (19 mph city, 23 highway) and the fact that she REALLY requires premium fuel(89+ octane), I love my Audi!

If you can find someone who will let you supply your own parts, it is ALOT cheaper.

If I were to have let my mechanic change my O2 sensors, it would have cost me $500 ($360 for parts!)

I did it myself for $150

Dealership would have charged me even more probably.

But its not the most expensive to fix out of all cars, when I was younger my dad had a mitsubishi 3000GT that was rediculess to fix. He sold it though ;)

First, understand that Audis require expensive maintenance at least every 30k if you plan to keep them running in good condition. Keep in mind other items like tires and brakes.

Considering maintenance and repairs, I've spent well over $2,000 on my A6 in the past year/22k miles. Some of the items I've "covered", and the costs, in random order, are:

(Starting June/00 @ 51k miles, ending today @ 73.5k miles)

6 oil changes - $225
F&R Brakes w/flush - $600
Belts/water pump/t-stat/etc - $525
Dash lights - $120
Dash gauge - $300*
Lower control arm bushings - $350*
Spark plugs, air/fuel filters/misc 60k service - $200 (tough break --- had to use OEM plugs @ $14/each)
Horn, power seat motor, wiper arm - $530*
Misc diagnostic charges or services - $200

* = covered by warranty (warranty cost $790 for 3/36 coverage)

Out of pocket = about $2660 in 12 months = about $222/month (before gas) to operate.

These aren't specific numbers, but approximate. Understand that the 50-75k time is when the most major services are done, and also the brakes usually need to be done, etc. And, I've been pretty obsessive with this car. If it was anywhere near needing to be fixed, I fixed it. I did the most I could while being sane with the timing belt service, and used upgraded parts on the brakes.

Latest round is a deductible on some paint work being done after three people hit the car while it was parked (fender, trim, bumpers).

Basically, with a car approaching a 60k interval, you could possibly be facing similar services to what I have done. The actual problems have totaled $1300, while the service/maintenance items have been $1750. I did use my own parts on a couple of the services, which saved me about $500.

I do consider the figures above to be expensive... and think the average owner can expect to pay about $1,200/year in maintenance and service (not repairs) for a C4 100/A6. As an example, my 100CS has cost a total of about $2,500 over 3 years/40k, in maintenance. But consider that I only did the front brakes, and didn't do as complete a timing belt service, and haven't replaced the O2 sensors yet, which will probably be done later this year. I have had a total of $350 in actual repairs done to the car. The antenna and DS infrared sensor were replaced with OEM parts at dealer cost some time last year, as was console light for the heated seat (covered by AudiAssured warranty). Absolutely nothing else.
Known spots to watch (make sure they are working when you buy the car) are:

- Transmission on early models ('92-'93)
- Suspension (tie rods, bearings, bushings, control arms. Clunking, squeaking, etc)
- Climate control (compressor)
- Valve cover gaskets (leaking)
- Catalytic converters (rattling, plugging up - VERY expensive!)
- O2 sensors (failure)
- Infrared locking system (sensors will go bad, keys EAT the batteries)
- Power antenna mast if equipped (pre-'94 - sticks, etc)

Ok, now that I have covered the bad part of owning an Audi, the good parts are...

This is really a great car. Although it doesn't sprint to 60mph quite as fast as the biturbo cousins we now have, but over 40mph I really don't have the need for more power.

Traction with quattro is simply amazing in the wet and snow. In the dry I don't really see a huge difference if you don't autox or race the car (not the ideal race car IMO). The quattro does use a lot of gas, slows the car down, and puts more wear on the suspension parts, for one.

The interior design is superb. Everything is completely logical. The material quality is far superior to even newer models from MB and BMW. Exterior design is great as well... plenty of people don't know what kind of car it is, and it isn't quite as common as a 5-series BMW or an E-class MB.

The ride quality is very good if you have the stock wheels and all season tires, but can easily be improved with 16/17" wheels with high performance tires, and also with a spring/shock upgrade. About $2,000-$2,500 for both of those upgrades, but it will instantly transform the car.

Everything about the car is so solid... drive one on the highway and then hop in a Toyota (see sig for loaner... *shiver*) and see if you want to drive 80-90mph, 1,000 miles/day (something I've done). I drove 2,700 miles in 3 days and didn't use one drop (well, maybe a drop? ;)) of oil or have any problems, as expected.

I'm very convinced of the quality of Audis both mechanically and cosmetically, as well as on an overall reliability scale. Just be prepared for maintenance and possible repairs of minor components.

HTH.

the trick is to find a good repair station. one that can fix it and do a good job for less then the dealer.

the couple of times i had to use a dealer were very pricey.

Independant bosch mechanic in town fixed it for $100 plus parts, ended up being less than $500

But actually, yeah it did cost around $750 a visit, even for regular mantienence things. Could the specific model of a car, but its still what I consider "normal"

Hey!

I'm a new 92 100cs owner (78.5k) and am new to Audi's, although I have a pretty good knowledge of cars in general.

How many miles does your's have?

Also,

I have been doing my homework, but want to ask you what I should be looking for/concerned with early on.

The car has 78k and appears to have been well maintained. However, all I have is the service book and no specific maintenance records.

1. What should I have checked out?
2. What things typically need to be replaced at this point in the car's life?
3. What are the typical costs of these repairs?
4. Would you recommend a good Audi specialist versus dealer service? I KNOW service can be very expensive.
5. How do I know if I have an early 1992 model? I have read about some transmission issues with these cars, especially early 1992 models and want to see if I am at higher risk for problems. Will the VIN help determine if I am at risk?

Any other tidbits of information would be helpful. I have owned older Acura Legends (1988, 89, 91) prior to this car and am familiar with with higher maintenance costs, so I trust this wont be too much of a shock. I have read that this model is very solid and tight, performs incredibly (with the exception of overall power) has a ton of great features and creature comforts and, when properly maintained, is very reliable.