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1986 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro

To say that the Audi 5000 has an interesting story is an understatement. When introduced to the US market in 1983 it was the top of the market in aerodynamics, achieving some of the lowest drag coefficients to date. With flush mounted glass, tight body gaps, and simple (yet slippery) body panels, it appeared as though the car of the future was here. With the legendary 2.2l turbo 5, Quattro AWD, and great styling, the future looked bright.

This all came to a screeching halt when Audi issued a series of recalls on the 5000 citing instances of “sudden unintended acceleration”. Owners were complaining that the car would accelerate, even under breaking, which resulted in a 60 Minutes segment, and several law suits for wrongful injury and even death.

Audi later eliminated the 5000 name plate all together, with the C4 generation leaving it only as a fond memory for Audi nerds all over.

This 1986 5000 CSQ for sale in Brooklyn, NY sent to us by one of our readers is a great example of why these cars are so beloved.

1986 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro on eBay

I have tons of spares for this car that are also for sale.
The car has 221k on the clock, runs very well, does not consume oil and is a very solid car. I wouldn’t hesitate to drive this car across the country. If you’d like to run a carfax, the VIN is WAUHE0449GN051010 Since purchasing the car this past february I’ve …

  • flushed the cooling system with g12++ (everything came out super clean from the flush).
  • Replaced the thermostat and fan switch with low temp (80 degree) units.
  • replaced the radiator, and upgraded the fan to a quiet s-blade unit with seven blades.
  • As of this week the suspension has been overhauled, and all reused parts were cleaned and painted (including the spring hats that you can’t even see).
  • The car sits on bilstein sports and H&R springs that provide a 1.4″ drop from what you see in the photo below.
  • New control arms.
  • sway bar bushings
  • strut bearings
  • front and rear upper bushings, dust boots, etc….
  • the car sits on 16×8 A8 monoblock wheels with new Kumho’s that though “modern” still look like they could be period correct.
  • Ben Swann Software w/ a 2.1 bar wastegate spring.
  • the K26 is in perfect condition and feeds into to a two piece downpipe.
  • the diverter valve feeds a samco hose to keep things in check when you let off the accelerator.
  • very clean boost and air/fuel gauges installed in center vents, center vent modified and still works!
  • The car has a new alternator and battery as well.
  • Rewired all harnesses that go to driver’s door controls with factory repair wire and correct harness tape.
  • i also replaced the wiper blades. 😉

On the highway I get 31.5mpg all day long.
additional work which will all be addressed before the car changes hands:

  • the car came with a lifter tick due to stuck cam followers/lifters, rebuilt lifters will be going in.
  • i have a vacuum leak in the heater control that prevents the vents from blowing hot air, this will be fixed. the previous owner replaced the heater core, and i think the unhooked vacuum line was just a byproduct of that job.
  • the previous owner pulled the headliner fabric (i assume it was sagging), so i can pull and re-trim the headliner and (perfectly working) sunroof.

work that i can do, but won’t mess with unless you want me to.

  • fix a dent above the rear bumper below the trunk from when the previous owner got tapped in a parking lot
  • fix another small dent along the bodyline just below the rear right wheel opening from the same tapping
  • repaint the car

photos detailing any of the cars flaws (minimal) will be provided up on request.
the car will be thoroughly detailed inside, outside, and underhood before delivery. you’ll be able to eat off of it.
currently there is a properly and well installed Zex nitrous system on the car, big bottle, very full. I can include this kit with the car, or uninstall it, depending on what the buyer wants to do.
Full specs of the car can be found here http://www.audiworld.com/model/5000/86-5000.shtml

Anyone that has driven one of these knows the definition of a tank. The heavy weight, ample power, and Quattro make these cars virtually unstoppable no matter what mother nature throws at you. The owner of this car has done extensive maintenance, and has turned this 26 year old car in to a solid daily driver. With a BIN price of $3800, this car is priced to sell, average retail value on these is $4200, and with all of the maintenance, clean interior, and solid body, this is well above average.

-Brian

 

11 Comments

  1. Dallas
    Dallas July 19, 2012

    Nitrous kit?!?!?!

  2. Larry
    Larry July 19, 2012

    A reminder of how Audi got so badly screwed by the “unintended acceleration” fiasco. Almost killed the brand in the US market – sales dropped to something like 1/5 what they were previously. Even though Toyota and others experienced similar “unintended acceleration” type scares more recently, none of them suffered as much as Audi. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?

    Compared to some of the other automotive crap being produced in the 80’s, these were fantastic cars. Luxurious, all-weather capable, well-built and pretty quick for the time. Unfortunately, I didn’t grab one when they were nearly new and their resale values were in the toilet. Missed opportunities…

  3. Nater Kane
    Nater Kane July 19, 2012

    The interesting thing about the unintended acceleration nonsense back in the 80’s was that it was simply a matter of pedal confusion on the automatic transmission cars.

    I’m the seller of the car, and the nitrous kit can be explained as this… It was installed by a person who owned the car before me. It’s a proper wet kit, that injects a nitrous/fuel mix into the intercooler just before the throttle body when the TPS hits 80%. the bottle in the trunk requires manual opening, but the system is activated by turning on the seat memory switch in the door. sneaky, clean, and well sorted. i’d have never installed the kit myself, but i tell you, it certainly pushes you into the seat.

  4. insertenemy
    insertenemy July 19, 2012

    The 5000/200 never came with the AAN…..only the 91 200 came with the 3B motor, which is close to the AAN, but has a distributor and a different intake manifold.

  5. Nater Kane
    Nater Kane July 19, 2012

    Who said it came with an AAN?

  6. Raymond
    Raymond July 19, 2012

    It is interesting to me that Audi (1) never paid a dime under the BS “unintended acceleration” cases; and (2) that the average person never realized that what was charged (that the car wouldn’t stop despite the brakes being depressed fully) could not be true. That whole episode really damaged the credibility of the Audi brand at a time when the company was doing a lot to deliver innovative and fun cars to the market. This car looks like it has been refreshed well and for less than $4k, unless the description is dishonest it looks like a no-brainer for an Audi enthusiast. I also think it is a tribute to the design of the car that it still looks relatively fresh after all these years. Comparable age W123 MBs and E28 BMWs look old (classy, but old) by now.

  7. Carter J
    Carter J July 19, 2012

    The only problem with the 5000 TQs in value is the 200 – what few of them are left. For about the same money, you can get a pretty nice, similar mileage 200 20V TQ w/ the 3B as mentioned above. Actually, for about the same sum, you could also have a pretty nice V8 Quattro 4.2 or a 92-94 S4. Unfortunately there are a lot of performance values at that 3-5K price point. No disrespect intended and I hope all works out for the seller, but the 5000/10V 200 market is and has continued to be dead – I sold my similar mileage similar condition 200 10V TQA for 500$ because no one wanted it. Sad, but true. Having owned a few, they’re great cars if you stay on top of the small niggling repairs and can easily top 350-400,000 miles without major concern.

  8. insertenemy
    insertenemy July 19, 2012

    @nater

    The little post about the 5000 at the top did….until it was edited.

  9. Sam
    Sam July 20, 2012

    One of the few times later model alloys work on an older model.

  10. ggkthx
    ggkthx July 30, 2012

    “Toyota and others experienced similar “unintended acceleration” type scares more recently, none of them suffered as much as Audi.”

    The reason for that was the Audi issue was real where investigators found that the people suffering from the toyota issue was actually lying to deflect blame from accidents and then mass hysteria of where people who were terrible at driving simply thought it was the car’s fault. The difference between 80s and 2000s culture I guess…. all blame must be deflected.

  11. Nater Kane
    Nater Kane July 30, 2012

    you’re absolutely right.

    the car is still for sale by the way. if anyone is interested, please contact me directly.

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