I actually bought my Audi 4000S because the wife and I are trying to be more frugal. We have little kids and thus we really can't travel, so why have a brand-new car plus a huge payment? I've grown up around older cars all of my life and understand what usually needs to be done even if I don't prefer to do it myself.

The notion that because it's an Audi it's somehow more expensive to fix really isn't true. Any older car costs money to maintain, foreign or domestic.

I've spent around $3000 to purchase and then repair things on the Audi in the past 7 months. I've also put over 6000 miles on it. It's my daily driver to-and-from work (64 miles round-trip). Insurance is $20 a month for liability. License renewal is less than $25.

Contrast this to my last car, a leased 2000 Toyota Corolla. I drove it an average of 7500 miles in a year (shorter work commute then...) Payment + insurance was $300 a month. License was $180 a year. No sunroof. No Alpine CD (Toyota's CD player was crap and skipped horribly), no Nokian Hakkas. No Soul.

I figure I'll have my Audi at least a couple more years. If I still had my leased Corolla I'd have an additional $7500 to shell out in payments, insurance, and license. It's unlikely I'll be spending $7500 on fixits on my 4000S between now and 2005.

I got into a really nasty accident, Now im on SR-22 high risk. Did you have an accident or some really bad ticket. Heh I remember my friend got a "critical offense" for going 116 in a 55 zone, You dont even want to know what his insurance was.

They rape you for insurance in Alberta... Literally...

Ive never had an accident or a ticket, EVER and im still paying $150/mo, with NO COLLISION!

I guess because im young.. That was nothing tho, compared to the BMW, which is almost 500 a month for full coverage!! YIKES!

all of which makes for a nasty premium. took a lot of work...

I live in cheap insurance Iowa. I think this state and North Dakota are the cheapest in the country.

Just the other day I got a letter from State Farm saying I've been with them 10 years, all accident-free, so I get another 5% off plus they can supposedly now never refuse coverage on me. Being married with kids helps. So does being 35 years old and a home owner.

I haven't had an accident that's been my fault since 1984 I think. High school days. Fender bender stuff.

I haven't had a speeding ticket which I've been found guilty of since about 1983 or 1984. I remember it, too. Going 36 in a 25 down a steep hill in my '65 Valiant. What a racket! I learned my lesson - never show up in court without a lawyer. In 1987 I spent $150 on a mouthpiece and he got my 71-in-a-55 (it's now a 70 mph zone) reduced to some non-moving violation "defective equipment" or whatever. $50 fine. Back then I was 20 years old so it was money well-spent.

10 years ago I got busted on I-70 nears Royals Stadium in Kansas City in my wife's 1981 BMW 320i going 65 in a 55 zone, but that got thrown out after I had the odometer recalibrated or whatever it is they do. $120 bucks. Didn't get a lawyer that time. And the cops made me show up twice. I was last on the docket both times. You know the drill. All the guilty pleas and continuences get priority. Case got thrown out. Victory!

i cant say the frugal part for me cause I'll be spending $2500 a year, if im lucky ! is it even worth it? but its a hobby and something i enjoy very much, so what can i do ? I would say a very very expensive hobby, and all the $$$ for what ? an 84 car thats worth no more than $1000.
Otherwise you are correct in every aspect you just listed, these old audis are so much fun in every way... just don't live in the NYC area and be 17... haha

Your spending a fraction of what I am going to though ):

I know when a hailstorm hit 3 years ago here in the DC area, they just simply totalled my 4kq rather than try to fix it. They gave me $2100 in cash, and even let me keep it. Repairing these old cars is way too expensive, and they really aren't worth that much in the used market.

I'm paying about $375-400 a year for the coupe, about $300 for the jetta and about $500 for the F150. I have a relatively clean record (1 speeding, 1 seatbelt violation and one hitting a stupid ass women who just happened to be jay walking and milked the insurance company for close to 75 grand for soft tissue injuries.... I was going less than 2MPH {in heavy traffic} she never left her feet ticket). I'm sure you fellas are familiar with dick heads like that. The cop agreed with me that I was not in the wrong, but had to ticket me because it's the law. It was a $280 fine. My 2 cents worth.

Dan

I've got 3 tickets in my whole life.

#1. Was for J-Walking in Memphis, TN. They had a J-Walking trap set up in the middle of Beale Street (Mardi Gras every night). I sucked $35!

#2. Made a left on red at 3am. I swear I sat at that light for 10 minutes! Well the judge let me off, just had to pay court costs $115 (the ticket was $105)!!!

#3. Ran a stop sign on campus. Issued a campus citation $20.

Not much. I'm such a Villan

Man im suprised any company will still insure you. My insurance company dropped me after my accident. (Oh well I found a much cheaper auto insurance, and I got a chance to tell my old company off.) Ive been lucky enough to have only accumalated a few traffic tickets (One nasty one for wreckless driving) I guess thats our punishment for having fun while driving :)