The Quattro is finally getting some market recognition, as automotive collector trends are celebrating both landmark vehicles and rally stars of the 1980s. Of course, Audi’s halo vehicle combined and defined both of these attributes into one package capable of capturing imagination and launching a brand. But with only 664 originally imported to the United States and a fair bit less than that still here today, coming across examples for sale is very much harder than what you see in the Porsche, Mercedes-Benz or BMW market. As a result, it’s cause for celebration every time one pops up, and wallets full of internet cash emerge at the ready to click “Buy It Now”.
In this case, though, not so fast….
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Audi Quattro on eBay
Year: 1983
Model: Quattro
Engine: 2.1 liter turbocharged inline-5
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: “120,313” mi
Price: $35,000 Buy It Now
I bought the car 4 years ago with the intention of building it into a rally car. However, the project never took off the ground. I bought it and then shipped it to Poland where it was kept by a rally preparation shop. The car just sat there for the last 4 years. For a 35 year old car, this car is in excellent condition as you can see from recent pictures. There are some rust spots, but over all it is in very good shape.
I recently purchased an Audi Quattro rally car, so this car is no longer needed. So I am selling it to raise money to update the rally car. The car is currently in Poland. I will pay for the shipping to get the car to you. So you can expect delivery of the car about 45 days after you pay for the auction.
An original Ur Quattro. Value is going up all the time. A real collector’s car.
Selling the car as it is.
On Jul-13-17 at 03:31:20 PDT, seller added the following information:
I bought the car 4 years ago with the intention of building it into a rally car. However, the project never took off the ground. I bought it and then shipped it to Poland where it was kept by a rally preparation shop. The car just sat there for the last 4 years. For a 35 year old car, this car is in excellent condition as you can see from recent pictures. There are some rust spots, but over all it is in very good shape. I recently purchased an Audi Quattro rally car, so this car is no longer needed. So I am selling it to raise money to update the rally car. The car is currently in Poland. I will pay for the shipping to get the car to you. So you can expect delivery of the car about 45 days after you pay for the auction. An original Ur Quattro. Value is going up all the time. A real collector’s car. Selling the car as it is. Note….. One of the bidder mentioned that this car is not original from looking at the photo that it has a different engine and it has more than 200,000 miles according to electronic database. I have to say that I think he may be right. I bought the car 4 years ago but I never seen the car. I am also no expert in Quattro, so whatever I wrote down is base on what I was told. You will need to look at the photos carefully.
On Jul-14-17 at 08:42:27 PDT, seller added the following information:
The actual mileage on the odometer is 192501 km (120,313 miles) This is after actual physical check.
Also, VAT and import duty are paid in the EU. A sale in EU will also require VAT.
Question & Answer Answered On
Q: Hi Do you have a Tiltle for it ? Jul-13-17
A: Yes I do. A New York title.
Q: Autocheck shows over 200k miles, selling as 65k. What is the real mileage of this car? Is it repainted or OEM color? Looks to have an mc1/2 engine it it. The throttle position sensor is a dead giveaway. So the car clearly is not original condition as stated? Regards, Remigijus Jul-12-17
A: The truth is, I never saw the car in real life. I bought the car on eBay. Arranged a shipping company and then sent it to Poland and I never saw the car. So all information that I have is from when i bid on the car. On mileage, I have asked my garage in Poland to check the actual odometer. When I get the actual number, I will repost. However, I do not guarantee it to be the “real” number. However, I guarantee that I never touched the odometer. Color and paint – The garage told me that it is not original paint. They also mentioned that there might be some rear end repair. Engine – you are the expert here. I would not know. I am just posting what I was told. This car was destined to be a rally car so I did not evaluate it as buying an original classic car which I know nothing about.
Q: Now it’s in Poland, do you know if it has officially been imported into the EU (ie have the import duties been paid?) or was it just shipped in on a carnet or similar? Jul-12-17
A: The duty was paid. It was intended to be turned into a rally car in Europe, but we never got to it.
Just as we saw with the E30 market explosion which resulted in a lot of hot messes coming to market, today’s Quattro is piggybacking on the recent value increase in the model. At first glance, this one doesn’t appear too bad, but several things are immediately wrong. First is the paint on the rear; lack of the “quattro” sticker on the right of the trunklid and glossy paint on the top surface and spoiler immediate indicate this is a repaint. That’s backed up by the blocked off rear wiper; the raised sprayer from the right side of the C-pillar has been removed. Down the side, the fading Audi rings have also been removed, and in the respray someone re-mounted the wipers backwards, with the “aero” blade on the passenger, rather than driver, side. Then there are the wheels, which appear to be TSW models. They’re just plain ugly and certainly don’t fit the car.
Inside is more of a mish-mash of Audis, as a later 4000/Coupe GT steering wheel and shift knob look good but aren’t correct. Interesting are the redone seats and door cards in some sort of leather/suede combination, but again they’re far from proper. Also a standout is the manual window cranks; all U.S. bound Quattros had electric windows, and in fact on closer inspection of the not very detailed photos you can see a piece of plastic has been either screwed or riveted to the central console to block the original switch location. There’s an ominous-looking red switch on the left side of the knee bolster too, for some undisclosed electrical addition.
But then the next step is the location; this is one of the 240 U.S. specification cars as plainly witnessed by the bumpers, but it’s in Poland. And it’s at a body shop. These should be, and are, immediate concerns that are further compounded when the seller indicates that they’ve bought this car sight-unseen and apparently still haven’t seen it. Under the hood, too, comments have pointed out that the motor is a later MC1/MC2 turbo. It also appears that the car may or may not have been a accident at some point. And the mileage is shown as a discrepancy, as well. Thanks to the B2 Resource Guide, we find out this car was originally sold in November 1982 and is supposed to be LY1V Gobi Beige with GE Mocha cloth.
To top this off, the seller discloses there is some rust. Which, in Quattro terms, means almost certainly there’s a lot of rust if you pull it apart. And for all this joy, the seller is asking $35,000, plus if you want the car in the U.S. you’ll need to import it for a few thousand dollars more. Luckily, despite being located in Eastern Europe, the car retains its New York title (did I mention rust?). That the seller was willing to buy this car, ship it across an ocean and convert it into a replica rally car without ever having seen it (still, to this day!) probably tells you all you need to know about whether or not you should be buying it.
-Carter
Run far, far away from this complete mess.