Audi V8 Quattro

[TheIntrepid]

it's the other way around, m0ran $100 US is like $4000 Canuckian

Not anymore.

[Eye of the Tiger]

^
Yeah, but what happens when the brakes stop working?  Actually, the shop told me the rear calipers are alerady almost non-functional already, and I beleive it, considering the amount of premature front lockup I've experienced.

[280Z Turbo]

The Audi salvage place sells parts for wholesale... $698 total for the pads, rotors and calipers, but that's not even the half of it.

Rock Auto has loaded calipers for $62 + core for the front. Rears are $100 a piece loaded. Rotors are $50 a piece.

$200
$120
$200

=$520 for parts

[Eye of the Tiger]

Rock Auto has loaded calipers for $62 + core for the front. Rears are $100 a piece loaded. Rotors are $50 a piece.

$200
$120
$200

=$520 for parts

Hmm... does Rock Auto sell garages? 
I'll check that out.

Or, I can ditch the V8  and continue my quest for a Miata. 

[CJ]

Keep the Audi.  Once you put some more money into it, you'll have a really nice car.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Keep the Audi.  Once you put some more money into it, you'll have a really nice car.

Too bad it doesn't just have a little coin slot on the side that I can deposit money into to keep it running.

[Eye of the Tiger]

The Audi salvage place also sells used cars. They have this '97 Jetta GLS...
2.0L, 9/96, 127k, standard, dark blue with black cloth interior, power windows/mirrors/monn roof/locks, a/c, cruise control, tilt, Aiwa CD radio, 7 spoke 14" OEM alloy rims. Needs RR door molding.  Clean NH title.  $1800
http://www.force5auto.com/pages/usedcars/97j3blue.htm

If it is in good condtion, is valued around $2300-$3200. I would have them give me a complete report on the condition of the car, just to make sure I don't end up with an expensive repair bill anytime soon.
$1800-$550 =  $1250, and I could probably pull that off.
This would be very convenient. Hmm...

[280Z Turbo]

The Jetta 2.0 is a slow ugly POS.

[Eye of the Tiger]

The Jetta 2.0 is a slow ugly POS.

yup, it is slow. but, i n33d a car that can take a sticker!

[280Z Turbo]

yup, it is slow. but, i n33d a car that can take a sticker!

What kinda loser would even consider an Americanized version of a boring European commuter car built in Mexico.

Wait a minute...

[Eye of the Tiger]

What kinda loser would even consider an Americanized version of a boring European commuter car built in Mexico.

Wait a minute...

pwn3d

[Vinsanity]

Isn't there a state program available to help you if your car doesn't pass inspection?

In CA, if your car doesn't pass the smog test, you may be able to sell it to the state for $1,000 if it can still pass certain equipment and drivability tests. That's what I did with my old Q45.

[280Z Turbo]

I would buy it myself, but it's too far away, I can't afford it, and I don't want it.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Isn't there a state program available to help you if your car doesn't pass inspection?

In CA, if your car doesn't pass the smog test, you may be able to sell it to the state for $1,000 if it can still pass certain equipment and drivability tests. That's what I did with my old Q45.

California isn't part of the real world. In Maine, I seriously doubt we have anything like that, otherwise there wouldn't be craploads of cars on craigslist for $500 that need work for inspections. But, I'll see if I can find anything, just in case.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I would buy it myself, but it's too far away, I can't afford it, and I don't want it.

[280Z Turbo]

I know a VW guy here in Michigan that would probably buy it if it was here.

He's always talking about buying cheap cars.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I know a VW guy here in Michigan that would probably buy it if it was here.

He's always talking about buying cheap cars.

I would probably buy it again, too. I should just buy it from myself so I can re-justify having a broken car sitting around.

[the Teuton]

I told you the car was going to be a money pit, a succubus of great wealth, but since you've gone this far, you might as well go all the way.  Find a forum online and buy the parts.  Find out what is compatible and adapt it.  I don't think the loss is worth it at this point.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I would buy it myself, but it's too far away, I can't afford it, and I don't want it.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I told you the car was going to be a money pit, a succubus of great wealth, but since you've gone this far, you might as well go all the way.  Find a forum online and buy the parts.  Find out what is compatible and adapt it.  I don't think the loss is worth it at this point.

I'm looking at a loss of $1350 if I let it go for $550, and this is probably the best opportunity I will ever have to cut my losses.
For less than the amount of the parts needed for repairs, I could buy another car which most likely won't need any repairs.
BUT, if I keep the V8, I still need another car anyway! It seems that I am stuck between two rocks, a hard place, and a place that doesn't exist.

[the Teuton]

Nick, I say this with all of the honesty I have, you don't need a big V8 car.  You bought the V8 Quattro on a whim, and while I think it is an excellent car, it is expensive, old, and German.  That mix unfortunately makes for a very big proposition.  The money you've dumped in the car are sunk costs -- you're never going to get them back, so it isn't even worth worrying about.  I'm an idealist -- I wish you could keep the Quattro.  If you end up transferring colleges to Michigan, keep the car, work on it as you can.  Michigan has a lower cost of living, and college is paid for, so you don't have to worry about it.  If you're staying in Maine, then look at something worth keeping for a few years.  You, like me, like a lot of people, are a poor college student.  Be rational.  I am planning on keeping my 1993 Subaru my primary vehicle for the next five years at least.  That will make it 20 years old by the time I move on to something better and relegate it to dirt tracks on weekends.  It's worth planning that whatever you get should be cheap to insure, get 30 mpg, be reliable as night, and not cost you a whole lot.

In saying this, I've gone on several whims before, too.  Most of them are sitting in my garage right now with in a pile of car parts.  If you have to get rid of the Quattro, find an Audi community online and part it out or sell it whole.  There are people out there with your enthusiasm for old German cars with a lot more means to afford them than you.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Nick, I say this with all of the honesty I have, you don't need a big V8 car.  You bought the V8 Quattro on a whim, and while I think it is an excellent car, it is expensive, old, and German.  That mix unfortunately makes for a very big proposition.  The money you've dumped in the car are sunk costs -- you're never going to get them back, so it isn't even worth worrying about.  I'm an idealist -- I wish you could keep the Quattro.  If you end up transferring colleges to Michigan, keep the car, work on it as you can.  Michigan has a lower cost of living, and college is paid for, so you don't have to worry about it.  If you're staying in Maine, then look at something worth keeping for a few years.  You, like me, like a lot of people, are a poor college student.  Be rational.  I am planning on keeping my 1993 Subaru my primary vehicle for the next five years at least.  That will make it 20 years old by the time I move on to something better and relegate it to dirt tracks on weekends.  It's worth planning that whatever you get should be cheap to insure, get 30 mpg, be reliable as night, and not cost you a whole lot.

In saying this, I've gone on several whims before, too.  Most of them are sitting in my garage right now with in a pile of car parts.  If you have to get rid of the Quattro, find an Audi community online and part it out or sell it whole.  There are people out there with your enthusiasm for old German cars with a lot more means to afford them than you.

Yeah, I'm an idealist, too. I knew what I was getting into, and that I would never get any money back that I put into it. It was a gamble for sure, and the odds were not in my favor. Was it worth the price? Sure. When I'm 40-years old and up to my ears in money, I'll look back and say it was definately worth $1350 to experience this car for the time I had it. I have certainly made worse decisions before! If I was super smart about it, I would have had the car inspected completely before I bought it, but I didn't feel like it. Now I am faced with a ticket for not having an inspection, and two cars that can't pass without more work than I could possibly do right now.

The basic idea was to have one cheap car to get me around, and the Audi for fun. However, the Escort cannot be that cheap car, because the rotted subframe is basically beyond repair (or so I'm told). Right now, I could dump the Escort at the junkyard, get $100, and I'd have $1200 for a cheap, reliable car. I could still keep the Audi, but I wouldn't be able to do anything with it for a looooong time!

[the Teuton]

You wanted a rally car, go buy one.

http://maine.craigslist.org/car/551480165.html

[Eye of the Tiger]

You wanted a rally car, go buy one.

http://maine.craigslist.org/car/551480165.html

Bah. It may or may not be against the rules for a novice to do AWD rally cars, or maybe it's just the combination of turbo nd AWD... anyway, I don't want no stinking Legacy! It's probably a slushbox, and that is unacceptable.

[the Teuton]

I'm gonna have to find you a 5 speed Impreza then.  They're kinda expensive in your parts, though.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'm gonna have to find you a 5 speed Impreza then.  They're kinda expensive in your parts, though.

Expensive? Dude, Scoobaroos seem to grow on trees around here! They are mostly Legacy trees, though.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Tentatively, I think I have decided to hold onto the Audi for now, ditch the Escort, and buy a good $1000 car ASAP.

[the Teuton]

Holy schicksa!  This is a decent car that you should be able to widdle down on price with.  The Outback never came with the EJ18.  This person's engine probably died, leaving it with a smaller replacement.  Check it out and offer him $1,000.

http://maine.craigslist.org/car/529549202.html

[the Teuton]

http://maine.craigslist.org/car/514839313.html

[Eye of the Tiger]

Soobaroos!? I need a Festiva!