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Exactly what the title says, my father owns this car, and we were thinking of selling it. What is your opinion, and would anyone be interested. Located in NJ
i bought one a year ago, and the seller messed up on the bill of sale so i had to pay taxes on the fair market value which was $4,500. i was pissed because i payed 2k for the car.
so basically you are looking at between 4-5k
Thanks! Anything noteworthy about these cars? Are they rare in the states now?
they are rare, always were.
sought after by a relatively small group.
many people will agree that they are money pits (lol)
they were made with the worst transmission (from what i hear)
a/c was also pretty bad.
it'll sell. not too sure about full book value though, most cars don't sell for kbb value
mrprism is right..they are rare and have just started migrating into the DIY crowd. Impossibly expensive if you use a mechanic for simple tasks.
That said..they are easy to work on..a little tight..but easy enough. Very nice ride..not a hot-rod..but fun.
Items these cars always need..the a/c will never work well as the flaps in the air box, by this time, have lost all the insulation exposing the lightening holes. The heater core (if it is not plugged up due to infrequent coolant changes) is "ON" all the time and the flaps will not deflect the hot air..so the /c never can cool the car well. And the additional bonus..the vacuum recirculation motor is probably defective by this time too..and the dash has to come out to replace it.
So..the dash comes out, remove the air box and you recover the flaps, replace the vacuum motor and heater core. Recharge the a/c and now it works fine. DIY cost $200/$250..in the shop..$2000+
The automatic transmissions get a bad rap..because Audi sold the cars as having "lifetime" ATF. Fact is they need to be serviced. A new filter (filters get plugged and low flow then contaminate the modulators) and fresh ATF every 60k miles. The early Cabriolets had a transmission that was more fragile (temp sensor in the very delicate transmission harness was poor) ..by 97-98 the harness/sensor was better. DIY cost $75
If the car has not had shock mounts and new shocks, particularly on the front..at 100K miles it will need them. The "A" arm bushing will need to be changed too. The rubber breaks down..Easy job if you have press..bushings are not too pricey. DIY Sachs front shocks, 034 shock mounts and new "A" arm bushings, about $300
Hopefully you are not getting any CELs..the catalytic converters are good for about 100K/150K miles, maybe more..much less if the car has been routinely over-filled with engine oil. Easy to do..the oil dipstick will mislead you on un-level ground or when hot. New cats are available aftermarket..$750
There is a reason these cars go for cheap money..and have the money pit reputation. Getting one up to very good condition DIY will require some time and effort. The bright side is you cannot look at these rare jems as an investment, rather fix them up and enjoy them. The engines are solid. They were near a hand built car with many quality components. Once back up to a good running standard they are a great car. Sure beats paying $600 a month for a new one.
Valuation..depends on much of the above required work.
not to mention the hydro lines for the top, mine are all blown out.
but besides all the semi-negative talk, these cars are great. mine is 21 years old, and still drives strong, still very solid feeling. definitely worth keeping rather than selling
most of the stuff that 'rusty spokes' talked about has either been done, or hasn't faulted in the car. (yet). AC and heat are good, i think we had a recharge a couple years back. lots of suspension work, probably all new down there at this point. And most of the vacuum lines have been replaced over the years, so its breathing right.
05-22-2016, 01:52 PM
1997 Cabriolet, 115k miles, Thoughts?
