WWAWD...I don't know what to do with the 1990 quattro Coupe
 

Here's the story...my father's quattro Coupe is burning about a quart of oil every 400 or so miles. We dropped $1,700 into it two months ago (because Dad still loves this car) to replace the valve seals (dealer) but it really hasn't slowed the oil burning much. We also know it's going to need a catalytic converter replacement sometime before 2008, which won't be cheap. To add to the misery, occasionally the HVAC blower can squeals like...well you can guess. Since Dad is in his late 70's, we decide we don't want him stuck anywhere...and he purchases a 225hp TT (would rather drive the Coupe).

My job is to clean up the Coupe and dispose of it....except as I clean it up, it's looking pretty good, and it's still a cool car, and I always wanted to own it, and the list to keep it goes on and on. Heart is overruling the head here. Now that I've got it all cleaned up, I've taken it for a ride, and I'm really not sure I want to let it go. It's never been hit and has been maintained pretty well over the past 16 years.

For 192,000 miles, it looks good, drives well, and is still unique. I think they averaged 1,500 units for the two years they sold them. This of course makes parts tough to find.

This wouldn't be my daily driver, but will be more difficult to maintain than my 1968 Buick. I can work on the Buick, but not the Audi....I'm a novice with doing my own repair work when it comes to an engine overhaul. I also have young kids that take up a lot of my free time.

But, it's not my daily driver and I can have it towed and parked until I can get to it.

What can I do with this 20v engine and how much of a black hole will it become for somebody with limited mechanical skills?

What would AudiWorld do?
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tree

keep it and learn. If you can work on the buick you can work on the coupe

looks like a candidate for a heart transplant...
 

I would either find someone locally to put in a new engine, turbo or non (they can be had fairly inenxpensively, non turbo that is) or send it to 2Bennett to do a turbo swap for you.

Good plan.

Keep it original, store it somewhere, then sell it in 15 years for good $$.

That's a keeper. Nice looking car, BTW.

I don't know about the engine...
 

but you can have a Magnaflow cat welded in for $150-200 including parts, the blower motor is an easy repair @ ~$100. What kind of oil are you using?

How much would you sell it for?

my guess is your main seals are done....
 

and probably a few other gaskets are shot. i say give the engine some TLC, drive and enjoy for a while then stuff it into a barn for another decade. that car is definitly a keeper, hasn't even succumbed to tornado "pinkness"

either that or give it to me for a case of beer :P