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Tuner Tuesday Roll the Dice? 1986 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Tuner Tuesday Roll the Dice? 1986 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Published December 20, 2016 by Carter

A little over a week ago, I took a look at a 1992 GTI 16V. One of my absolute favorite cars, it was worth a look outside of the inherent appeal because of the survivor status and the prove-my-theory-right dirty pictures. I figured that it was about a $4,500 car, but was surprised that the bidding pushed upwards to $5,300.

Today we have another Volkswagen to consider. It, too, confirms many of my prejudices about the Volkswagen market. It, too, is a second generation water-cooled car. The asking price is right where I pegged the value of the last Mk.2 at $4,500. And it, too, has 16 valves under the hood – although in this case, it didn’t start there.

Speaking of not starting, it also doesn’t run.

Is this modded Jetta GLI worth a roll of the dice?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Volkswagen Jetta GLI on eBay

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1987 Audi Coupe GT Special Build

1987 Audi Coupe GT Special Build

Published November 30, 2016 by Carter

I spent a lot of bandwidth covering the many changes from the B2 to the B3 chassis Audi yesterday. However, there was a transitional model between the two chassis in the 1987 Audi Coupe GT Special Build. The Special Build carried many items that would appear in the production B3 front drive 90 the next year. As with yesterday’s 90 quattro, motivation came from the 130 horsepower 2.3 liter NG inline-5. This represented a substantial power upgrade over the outgoing KX 110 horsepower unit. The rear brakes were upgraded to discs, as well – the only Coupe GT to have this setup, which again would be seen on the B3. The interior was revised, too, with the Savoy Velour replacing the Kensington Velour. The easiest way to tell the difference was the triple (opposed to double) striping of the fabric, though several Special Builds were optioned with leather interiors.

In what was a mostly unnecessary move, Audi beefed up the standard gearbox with larger output shafts. The Special Build cars also came with a unique exterior treatment. The spoiler, B pillar and window surround, and mirror housings were all painted in the exterior color choice. This had partially been seen on the 1986 Commemorative Design cars, which often causes confusion between the two. However, the easy way to spot the difference without popping the hood or peering between the fourteen spokes of the Ronal R8s in back is that the rear spoilers on the ’86 models weren’t body color. As with the ’86 CD, color options were limited to Black, Alpine White, or Tornado Red. Also lightly revised was the digital dash, which changed color from Red in the ’86 CD and limited run non-CD models to an orange backlit unit.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Audi Coupe GT Special Build on Central New Jersey Craigslist

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1987 Audi 4000CS quattro

1987 Audi 4000CS quattro

Published November 19, 2016 by Carter

Well, here it is – my first car. Okay, mine was a 1986, but it too was Alpine White with Brazil Brown velour. For all intents and purposes, the opening photo for this advertisement could be the same as the one I bought back in 1995. It was a pretty popular color combination on the Type 85 quattro. Coming from a family with European cars but never an Audi, the technology was intriguing. And, being 18 when I bought it, I did all sorts of stupid stuff with that technology. Locking the diffs on the highway? Yup, I did that a few times, because light up indicators on the switchable differential board were the talk of my friends. I also redlined the car pretty much every chance I got. On my first drive, with the car not even registered, I crested 100 mph. Fall soon turned to winter, and I turned into Hannu Mikkola, sideways as every – and I mean every – opportunity. It was a particularly snowy winter in New England from 1995-6, and my work lot was covered in a solid layer of slushy ice. Every morning I’d arrive, get onto the ice, cut the wheel hard and pirouette in a 270 degree slide into my parking spot. I drove through one memorable blizzard from Westerly to Hartford and back in the high speed lane the entire way, only dipping below 65 when someone lost control in front of me. One time I challenged my lifted Jeep-owning friend to see who could make it through 2 feet of snow. By this time, my CSQ was lowered on Eibach springs, but even though the snow was up to the headlights, it didn’t stop. The Jeep? It got stuck. I’d like to think that all of this was because this was I was a driving God, but the reality was that the survival of my 4000CS quattro – and, more importantly, me – came down to how robustly that B2 was built.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Audi 4000CS quattro on eBay

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1985 Audi 90 quattro

1985 Audi 90 quattro

Published October 26, 2016 by Carter

No, it’s not a misprint. Though you may not have been able to buy an Audi 90 in the United States until the B3 in 1988, in the rest of the world the same model you could buy here as the B2 4000S/CS quattro was marketed as two different models – the basic 80 quattro, and the more upscale 90 quattro. Differences between the two were bumpers, lights, wheels, and interior options as well as different power plants. The 90 was closest to the more “loaded” U.S. spec 4000S/CS quattro, and in fact looking through this model you’d be hard pressed to see many differences – consequently, few even ponder importation of a European model. However, differences are there – so let’s go through them and see if this B2 is worth the steep asking price:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Audi 90 Quattro on eBay

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1983 Audi 5000 Turbo

1983 Audi 5000 Turbo

Published October 19, 2016 by Carter

I think I’m going to lose some credibility in my declaration of rarity of Type 43s, because for the third week in a row we get to view a very nice example. Unlike the previous two, today’s 5000 is one of the last Type 43 Turbo models to make it to these shores. Moving to the turbo model didn’t quite get you the power of the Quattro; without an intercooler, these cars only had 130 horsepower. However, that was a substantial bump over the standard 100 horse normally aspirated model, so they were reasonably quick for the time. The Turbo also featured upgraded 280 mm front brakes and 240 mm rear discs – other 5000 models had only drums. Holding those brakes up were 5-bolt hubs and Ronal R8 wheels shared with the Quattro, giving the 5000 a much more sporting presence. Usually these Turbo models were loaded, too – leather, air conditioning, and automatic transmissions were the norm. Pathetic residual value of the Type 43, though, ensured that very few have survived until today:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Audi 5000 Turbo on eBay

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