Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Want to get into motorsport but lacking the budget to pick up a budget-racer like the Porsche 912 I wrote up earlier? Perhaps you own that 912, and just don’t want to trash it? Well, there are plenty of fun alternatives, and not all of them are on the beaten path. Take today’s twin 90s, for example. One has all the fun stuff to go through corners, and the other gets you there more quickly. Which would you prefer? Let’s start with the carver:
It was just a few days ago that we saw the last Audi C4 grace these pages, that time a Emerald Green S6. That car sure looked quite nice but was a little suspect given the lack of information regarding maintenance and was certainly well overpriced. Most of these sleeper super sedans fall in the $3,000 to $6,000 range, and while they’re not spring chickens they offer a tremendous amount of performance for that investment. Considering what that amount buys you in the Audi 4000 market these days, these S4 and S6 sedans are a downright bargain. If you’re willing to forgo looking for a low mileage example that is 100% pristine and instead focus on a solid driver that has been maintained, there are even more options that are affordable than just about any competition. Today’s first year 1992 S4 is no exception to this rule, with a strong history of recent maintenance and a desirable 01E S4 6-speed swapped in place of the original 5-speed:
I’m not going to hide my love of the Audi V8 quattro. It was one of the most challenging cars I have ever owned, but it was also the one that I find myself still looking at and wanting in spite of the many repairs and several headaches. I’ve like the V8 quattro since it first came out; a hunkered down, V8 engined, heavily modified 200 quattro, it managed to feel almost nothing like the C3 chassis it was based on. Audi seemed to agree, renaming the V8 “D11”, effectively creating a new chassis class despite the nearly identical dimensions to the 200 that ran alongside the V8. Recently I wrote up a first year 4.2 V8 quattro that was in great shape, evoking memories of both my ownership and the DTM series that Audi dominated with the slightly portly but very powerful V8 quattro. Today, I’ve decided to round up all of the model years; we’ll cover 1990-1994 V8s that are currently for sale. Let’s start where it all began:
The third generation Audi Coupe had big shoes to fill. The first generation 100 Coupe S, while not a big seller and not available in the U.S., is generally regarded as one of the more attractive German car designs in recent memory. Then there was the second generation Coupe, which in GT form was voted one of the best handling GT cars of the 1980s and was also an attractive design in its own right. But of course, both paled in comparison to the legendary Quattro, its impact celebrated universally now and rightfully afforded a place amongst the best and most influential cars in history. The replacement for these cars, then, had to be pretty special – and in many eyes, it just wasn’t – especially in U.S. form. Sure, the 20V normally aspirated engine was a great motor – but it was saddled with too much weight and the styling was rather bland compared to the fluid looks of the 100 and the angular awesomeness of the B2. Consequently and coupled with Audi’s image issues following the 60 minute debacle, not many of these Coupes sold in the U.S.. In spite of that, as there were with nearly every Audi model there was a devoted fan base that saw through the expensive pricing, the so-so performance and not particularly exciting styling to what was a quite competent highway car, capable of carrying a much better load than the cars it replaced with the new hatchback configuration, and as ever a snow machine. As these fell into second and third ownership, many turned towards the much more potent European versions for inspiration on how to correct the car that Audi sent to the U.S., and for good reason – the Euro versions were hands down better looking in either B3 or B4 version than what was sent here. Two decades on, the styling of this GT has aged pretty well compared to some of the contemporaries’ styling and these are handsome coupes overall. Today’s example is the last of the run for the U.S., but has been refreshed with Euro goodies and some paintwork that help it shrug off its many miles:
In a new location, from a new seller and with 700 more miles, the “White Christmas” Audi 200 20V Avant I wrote up in late December is now back up on the market. I included both descriptions as there was information in the original that was not present in the new advertisement. The car sold in the mid $3,000 range last time, so expect that’s where the reserve is set this time too.
-Carter
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