Last winter, I bought a beater. The Basics
Year: 1985
Make: Audi
Model: 4000 Quattro
Mileage at Purchase: ~235,000
Miles Driven: 12,000 miles
Purchase Price: $750
Sold Price: $1,000
Extras: Box of parts, Bag of door handles, snow tires mounted on separate rims, shop manuals, extensive maintenance records (now google-ized)
Repairs and Mods
Torn CV boot replaced ($50)
Brake vacuum push-rod removed ($0)
Driver door seal re-glued ($1?)
Roundup
What worked: Faultless engine, transmission and brakes
What didn't: Door seals, sunroof, a/c, radio
What sucked: bad paint job, oil drips, torn seats, and my wife's complaints about it parked in front of our house
What rocked: fuel mileage, handling in the snow, and parking a little too close to the luxury ego-machines at the office.
I bought the car because I wanted something to drive to work during the winter and this Audi was almost cheaper than the snow tires I would have needed for the Mazdaspeed Miata I owned at the time. I admit, I was a little nervous when I brought it home. I was gunshy because of a horrendously expensive ownership experience with a 1989 Audi 200 Quattro. But a little research showed that the 4000 has few of the wicked pricey and failure prone parts of the Type 44's. Parts for this car were cheap and Audi 4000's with more than 300,000 are common.
Alas, Frau Blucher has now been sold. The new owner promises to take good care of it.
Online Resources
Audiworld Forum
Wikipedia Entry
Huw Powell's Site
Slang
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