Squeaky-Clean Audi 200 Quattro Avant Turbo Up For Grabs
This black-over-tan Audi 200 Quattro Avant Turbo has 97k on the clock, and appears to have lived a charmed life.
Call it a wagon, an estate, or a longroof, it doesn’t matter. Because as Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” These practical beauties are the enthusiast equivalent of comfort food, and wow, does this 1991 Audi 200 Quattro Avant on Bring a Trailer hit the spot. I’m a connoisseur of wagons, and this handsome, distinctive body style is among my very favorites. In person, these machines have true presence, and I’m always thrilled to see one in the wild.
This black-over-tan example has 97k on the clock, and appears to have lived a charmed life. According to the listing, it’s just one of 149 which made it to our shores for the model year. But I don’t think you need to Google production numbers to determine that an Audi wagon of this vintage is a rare bird. Power comes from a turbocharged 2.2-liter inline-five which pipes power to all four corners courtesy Ingolstadt’s famous quattro system, the icing on the cake is here the five-speed manual transmission. That should elevate the driving experience considerably.
Overall, everything looks pretty tidy. The basket weave BBS wheels complete the exterior perfectly, and are wearing fresh Yokohama rubber. Even the factory tape deck is unmolested, which scores big points in my book. The current owner inherited the car from their father, and drove the car around 8,000 miles during their stewardship.
Over that time, a host of maintenance items, including a timing belt replacement, rear trailing arm bushings, headliner repair, air conditioning recharge, and window regulator were done, though some issues still need to be addressed. Most glaringly, that includes a sunroof which “will open but not close.”
With four days left to go, this lovely longroof has already crested the 10k mark, and I’m curious to see how high it will go, as I’ve always had a soft spot for these Audis. Largely, that’s due to my best buddy Jamie Hunsdale, who before becoming an audio engineer extraordinaire, used one of these to deliver bread for Seattle’s Essential Baking Company. At the time, the machine had about 240,000 miles on it, and he reported it ran like a top, and drove beautifully — even over the Emerald City’s often-unruly pavement.
Hunsdale also said that the cargo area was cavernous, and that they Audi’s sole problem, even at that elevated age, was somewhat endearing. That problem? The tape deck had a copy of Boston’s Greatest Hits stuck in it. Thanks to the magic of auto-reverse, that meant that along with the smell of fresh-baked bread, the sound of the chart-topping stadium rockers were along for the ride — every time. For your peace of mind, no such problems have been reported with this Avant. Hopefully, it’ll live as long as that old trooper.
Photos: YouTube