1991 Audi 200 20V Quattro Avant

Last week, I wrote up one of the nicest 1991 Audi 200 20V quattro Avants that has graced these pages. Lower miles, a complete rebuild and professional respray with some desirable upgrades meant it was no surprise to see the car sell immediately; the seller reported it took 4 hours to sell it at the full $10,000 asking price, and there was a line of bidders all hoping to get in on it. Has the time finally come for recognition of how great these cars were? Well, shortly after the last listing another 200 20V quattro Avant popped up for sale. The asking price was exactly half of the first one, at $5,000. So this one is a supreme deal, right? Let’s have a look:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Audi 200 20V Quattro Avant on eBay

Year: 1991
Model: 200 20V Quattro Avant
Engine: 2.2 liter turbocharged inline-5
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: “209,825” mi
Price: $4,200 Buy It Now

“Great condition. All original with nothing restored except for some minor front end work. All paint in good shape with minor bubbling on hood. Interior in great condition for age. Seats are worn, but no cracks anywhere in the leather, just stress marks. Carpets are in great condition with minial spots. Floor mats good as well. Even the heated seats still work like a treat! Mechanically sound. Needs minor work (most of which I have spare parts for that come with the vehicle) such as a wheel bearing and spare gauge cluster. Car is drivable to anywhere you need to get it to (I have personally drive it cross country with no issues to report) Overall rating: 7/10”

PRICE JUST DROPPED $800!!!! NEED TO SELL ASAP!!!! REASONABLE OFFERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!! * I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END THIS AUCTION AT ANY TIME AS THE CAR IS FOR SALE LOCALLY!*

This is a great example of an amazing and unique automobile and my current daily driver! One thing to note first and formost is that this gauge cluster has been replace ( You get the original one with the sale, the odometer doesn’t work though). I estimate the car has between 104-106k miles on it and have documentation to prove it. I have owned this car for 6 months and have been in contact with it off and on for almost two years now and it has never let me down! These cars are exceptionally cool and rare. The good news is, the parts aren’t that rare though. This body style was common with Audi from the 80’s and into the early 90’s. What makes this model special is that it is the Wagon (avant in Audi terms) with the 20v, DOHC, 2.2 Liter, 220 HP inline 5 cylinder and the Quattro system with locking rear differential. That combination is what makes this car 1 out of only 150 imported into the United states!
Most everything works on the car except the two drivers side windows, gauge cluster (I have contacts who can have it rebuilt), sunroof (tilts but doesn’t slide) and cruise control. The heated seats, original R-12 A/C system, door locks, alarm, defrost, power seats, power locks, mirrors, windsheild washers and wipers, turbo, boost gauge and info display, cigarette lighters, locking rear differential, radio and parking brake all work like a royal treat. Especially the Air conditioner, which blows absolutely frigid cold!

Car comes with almost all original paperwork and every receipt from everything I’ve personally done to the car. It also comes with its original Missouri plates for added charcter, the original BBS Wheels along with the ones on the car, original gauge cluster, almost all original documentation including window sticker, radio guide, security stickers, manual, all service documents/receipts from me, Audi advantage membership card and booklet, warranty booklet, leather case for manual, maintenance manual, owners guide and Audi dealership directory, a new wheel bearing in package for the passenger side, original ignition switch (broken but fixable), original tool kit, spare tire and jack, Full 3 volume official factory repair manuals (a $250 value in itself with 2000+ pages describing EVERYTHING about how to fix the car), a spare window motor (from the drivers door which needs to be rebuilt), spare gear oil (for transmission and rear end) and engine oil filter, crankshaft seal, 10 washers for oil drain plug and several spare nuts and bolts.

Here is what has been done to this Audi so far:

New windshield on 8/30/14
Full timing belt service (Timing belt, drive belts, water pump, belt idler, camshaft seal, valve cover gasket and full coolant flush) as well as new spark plugs and valve stem seals all on 9/3/14 at 204,302 miles
New drivers side wheel bearing on 12/05/14 at 206,260
All new turbo charge tubes from 034 motorsport on 9/11/14
New air filter on 8/09/14
Magnetic oil drain plug on 8/28/14
Clutch slave cylinder and full brake/ clutch system service on 12/12/14 at 206,505 miles
New battery and alternator on 10/18/13 and 10/19/13 respectively at 201,625
New Pioneer bluetooth radio on 2/7/15
Newer Roadstone all season tires from Les Schwab on 10/17/13 at 200,090 miles
New transmission and differential fluids on 1/29/15

Car is in good condition. Only issues are as follows. Speedometer and tachometer and odometer work, but none of the auxiliary gauges do. It needs a rebuild. Passenger front wheel bearing is slowly dying (part is provided). Needs new engine mounts in the near future. Has an oil leak out the front of the engine which is common. Shouldn’t be a very difficult fix, but it hasn’t ever gotten worse since i’ve owned it. bits of the headliner has some sag such as D-pillars and sunroof. Two drivers windows don’t work. Sunroof tilts but won’t go back. Car is as is, but as is is in good condition for age and miles. First picture shows the original BBS rims. The rims currently on the car are from an A6 and are in the rest of the pictures Also I forgot to include it has the original UFO disk brakes still
Please feel free to message with any questions

Respect to the seller, his version of “great” condition and mine clearly are quite different. The Avant I wrote up last week was in great condition. I would probably describe the condition of this car at average or slightly below average. What we have, at its base, is a reasonably good looking 200 from the first photo. However, there are several exterior problems; bumps, scrapes, and most notably the red tailgate from a different model. That’s a pretty large problem in my book, and may indicate that there were rust issues on the previous hatch. It’s a common problem, and I don’t fault the change to a used hatch – but it’s obvious in the photos, looks pretty horrible, and isn’t mentioned in the listing. On top of that, a look at the front says something isn’t right – the hood and grill aren’t sitting properly and the seller reports the hood paint is bubbling, which may be an indication of an earlier accident since these cars were fully galvanized. Inside rests more issues; unlike last week’s Avant, this one has the less-than-comfortable comfort seats. The radio head unit has been replaced and doesn’t look horrible, though as more than one commenter has noted they never look right on these cars. But the big issues are the electronics; two windows aren’t working and the gauge cluster has been replaced and still doesn’t completely work. The headliner is also failing, and underneath is a sound-deadening foam which only seems to stick to things you don’t want it to and granulates, so you’ll want to replace that immediately lest you like being covered in sticky orange balls. There are some upgrades to the car like the 034 hoses and mechanically some work is completed, but the car has an undiagnosed oil leak, a bad wheel bearing and still runs the original “UFO” brakes; not a problem, as long as they’re not warped.

So, there’s a LOT wrong with this car, and to call it “great” in this case I think is a large overstatement. To me, this is a pretty typical example of the breed; used and used well, still in serviceable condition but in need of plenty of attention. Could it be fixed up? Absolutely, and I truly hope someone has the budget to do so. However, correcting the faults on this car and getting it into prime shape will cost a few thousand dollars, leaving you preciously close to the sale price of the other example – which was much better documented and overall far superior. It came as no surprise that over the weekend the seller dropped the price a substantial $800 to $4,200; however, I think it’s still likely about a $1,000 overpriced. To me, this is a $3,000 car that needs $3,000 – $4,000 worth of work to make it a viable classic. That may sound extreme, but having owned one of these Avants, if it was neglected for any length of time (which this one appears to have been at some point), you’ll pay for it – dearly. I do hope, though, that someone saves this example and brings it up to the level of the low mile car. They’re rare, fun and capable cars once you get them right!

-Carter