Scott Long

My friend just bought a silver 95 S6 Quattro. I love it to death and I am so jealous of him. He has it tinted limo black all around and just got some 18" SSR GT1 wheels and Summitomo tires. He also has a computer chip upgrade and will be getting a cat-back exhaust soon. Anyways he's selling his other Audi. And said he will offer it to me first since he knows I am as meticulous as him when it comes to keeping a car in excellent visual and mechanical condition.

Its a 1993 100CS Quattro 5-speed, black with black leather, power moonroof, factory foglights, heated seats. Upgrades are clear turn signals up front, re-wired fog lights, xenon blue headlights, Pioneer CD player with LCD displays, limo tint, 96 A6 5-spoke wheels with new Bridgestone Potenza SO-2 tires in 225/50/16, its in the shop now for a new transmission and new gaskets (had a slight oil leak). The car has 151,000 miles on it and runs good, has been well maintained. This car is beautiful, it looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor and I couldn't believe its a 1993 model year. He said he will be asking between $8000-$9500 for it but may let me get it for $8000. Does this sound like a deal? I really love the car. It would look nice sitting in my garage.

What kind of performance can I expect from this vehicle? Its a 2.8L V6 5-speed w/ quattro. I currently own two supercharged Thunderbirds. A 1990 Thunderbird SC automatic (silver w/ black leather) and a 1992 Thunderbird SC 5-speed (black with black leather and moonroof). They have a 3.8L V6 with an Eaton M-90 Supercharger and run approximately 12psi boost right now. I'm running in the 14 second range for the 1/4 mile and high 6's 0-60. How will the 100 CS compare. I am sure the SC's are quicker but I need a reliable luxury car to get to and from work and college with and this Audi has class, and looks brand new too. I will eventually lower the suspension, upgrade to 18" wheels, put on a cat-back exhaust, and a new intake if I can find one. I think the car is a very good candidate to suit my needs.

-Scott

Muhammad

Hands down one of the nicest looking 100CS... simply a beautiful car. I would imagine he has maintained it well since he seems to be an enthusiast, although I really don't know. Transmission being replaced? Well, I suppose that eliminates the need to worry as much about that, although the 5-speed is quite a bit more stable than the automatic, and makes for a much different car in the performance dept.

Audis are quite a bit different from Fords. A 8-year old 100CS with 151k will run better and smoother, grip the road better and be more of a real road car than most brand new American cars. I have a '94 100CS with 97k and it's running strong, with no signs of slowing... Audis are built to last and 151k isn't really a figure so high you won't be able to get many years of use out of it. 200-300k is very possible with proper maintenance.

Change the oil, spark plugs, timing belt/wp/thermostat/etc, at reasonable intervals and don't drive the car like it's a drag racer. If you want a 14-second Audi, you need to throw $20k+ down on an S4/S6. The 100CSQM is just a really really good sedan, that will be very reliable, fun to drive, enjoyable, extremely stylish and completely logical for almost anyone to drive in any situation. I've taken mine (well, one or the other) everywhere from 2' of snow in the driveway, to dirt roads, to midtown Manhattan. Not to mention a couple cross-country road trips featuring 1,000-mile runs at 80-90mph. It puts a big grin on your face to check the oil after driving the car 1,000 miles in a day and see it's right on full, where it was that morning.

100CSQM will run 60mph in about 8 seconds if you push it... and aren't too high above sea level (I'm maybe a couple hundred feet here where I am in NY). The stock braking system in my opinion isn't really designed to stop the car from high speeds, and an upgrade of pads and rotors might be a good idea, at the very least.

As for the price... when you're looking at enthusiast-owned Audis even with high mileage, the values won't always follow 'book values'. I was looking for something around $9500 for my '94 100CS FWD w/95k and a very solid reliability record, and complete maintenance history. I suppose you can say I decided not to sell it and have put another 2k on it since then.

BTW, once you own an Audi you probably won't want to go back to an American car. It's a very addictive car.

Style12v

Muhammad summed it up for you pretty good.

Gaskets and Transmission are the two common problems with the 100 that cost alot to repair. So if he is fixing them now, then there is little you should have to worry about beyond the basics (exhaust leaks, misalignment, etc).

If you want a speedy audi, its going to cost you alot of money one way or another. It is possible to do some performance upgrades for the 100, but their cost vs performance is pretty low. (figure around $100 per 1Hp, so 60 HP is about 6,000) Or you need to go get a 200/S4/S6. Just as a heads up, the new intake and catback exhaust will probably at 10hp tops.

The 100 Quattro's are really ment for a very enjoyable ride.. they are far from the american muscle car or the import rice rocket
They are very heavy, probably weighing close to some SUV's, with not a whole lot of HP, or options for HP.

I can really say nothing bad about my A6Q, even though I might enjoy a slightly faster car.. the cars other high points remove any thought of needing a faster car out of my head.

Zac

Not to long ago I moved to this country and bought an Audi 100s. It is by no means the fastest car I have owned (2nd slowest of 4). It is however the best car I have owned. Rock solid, and reliable, it can go anywhere and handles great (especially for a large sedan). The only problems with this car is maintenance, parts are expensive, dealers are expensive and most jobs require expensive special tools. If you plan to hold on to the car, and its condition is as good as you $8000 may be a fair price, although I have never seen one for sale at this price. If you want a car to drive hard and fast every now and again keep one of the T-birds. The Audi is a great car and more powerful than the average car I doubt anyone would describe them as fast. Modifying the car wont help, as there are few aftermarket parts, there improvement is minor and none are good value for money.

Scott Long

Yes this is my friend Levent's car. I've been trying to find his email address so I can get more information from him since I only see him about once or twice a week in the evenings. Last I heard was that this car is in the shop getting the transmission replaced. If I had to judge the way this car was driven, I'd say when he first got it he drove the hell out of it, I remember doing AWD donuts in the snow a few winters ago. But I also remember every time somthing was broken, it was repaired asap and he made a priority of keeping the vehicle properly maintained. As he grew up (literally) and matured, he started realizing this car wasn't a hot rod and then he drove it easier. I have only ridden in it a handful of times, and I did enjoy the smooth ride, and excellent handling of the vehicle. On the highway it seemed better suited than in the streets. It must be geared for the autobahn. What is the top speed of this vehicle? I have been looking on autotrader.com to try to compare some of the other 100's I find but I don't see any black on black 5-speed quattro's with factory fog lights. This is THE Audi I want. I would like to keep both of my Tbirds for when I get an itch to go fast, but I may sell one and buy this Audi. The new wheels on this vehicle make it look like an A6.

As for performance upgrades, again I am not trying to make it a race car, but I think that a cat back exhaust would sound pretty healthy on it. Also lowering the suspension would make it corner even better. Then soon I will upgrade to 18" wheels. Is there any body that does cam regrinds? I know I am probably getting ahead of myself, and if I ever was serious about making this car a rocketship I'd probably try to get a S4 motor swapped in. Are the trannys the same from the S4/S6 and 100CSQM?

I haven't seen the car in a few months since he purchased his S6 but I do remember the trim to be better looking on his than any other CS I've seen, I think he had it all painted and clearcoated body color. This is truly a sharp car. I think its a little over book value, but in the condition it is in and the new transmission make me not think twice before paying what he is asking. Hopefully he'll give the A6 wheels and the stock 100CS wheels. I think the 15's with skinnier tires would get through the snow better than the bigger wider A6 wheels with performance tires would.

-Scott

Muhammed, have you seen pictures of this car or seen it in person? Do you happen to know Levent's email address? I was considering a 89-95 BMW 525i or 750iL but they both can't touch the Audi in wet or snow. I live in Michigan and we get our fair share of snow here, so the Audi would be great, especially if they are as reliable as you all claim.

Muhammad

Make sure he's done the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, etc, sometime in the last 60k... otherwise that will need to be done.

Top speed on the 100CS is 130mph... electronically limited. Could exceed 145 without the limiter.

FYI, his last post to the forum can be found <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a6100/msgs/1782.phtml">here</a>. He mentioned using the 100CS for the winter. I've only seen photos of his car...

Style12v

blau, and tap sell cams.. you can also find shrick cams around.. those are good
www.audiquattroparts.com
www.tap1.com

a engine swap from a S4/S6 would be tough. You would need to swap the engine, transimission, ecu, and probably more. Not really a drop in/bolt on sort of operation.

Scott Long

Thanks Muhammad. He told me he may drive it this winter and then sell it in the spring. Or if I wanted it sooner we could work something out. He says he'd like to hang on to it, but will sell it. I think its pretty rare being a black/black 5-speed quattro w/ fog lights. I also think the newer A6 wheels make it look much newer than the stock wheels did.

How do you like the S6 he bought? I think those wheels would look very nice on the Black 100CSQM. I might get those, SSR Integrals, or Moda R6 in 18" since it seems its hard to get good performance from these cars, I think appearance and handling may come first. But I do want to do an exhaust on it. Lower back pressure should help out some.

I am interested in the engine. 2.8L V6. Is that a cast iron block and aluminum heads? If so the head gaskets are probably likely to go at some point correct? I know my Thunderbird SC has aluminum heads and cast iron block and head gaskets are common problems on them. Thats why an exhaust helps so much on the TBird, it lowers the back pressure. I think the same would be true of the Audi. Anyone make a new intake tube from the throttle body such as a cold air kit?

-Scott

Muhammad

1) Yes, it's a very nice car, and the A6 (I think he said he got them off an A8) wheels look very nice and update the car nicely.

2) LOVE the S6 he bought. I want one of my own some day! The wheels look very good, although personally I'd stick with 17" to avoid tire and rim damage since American roads are such junk (especially here in NY). Moda R6 would also be nice. Lowering makes the car look so much better with a wheel upgrade.

3) Exhaust will get you something but nothing major. Isn't worth it to me. Really, considering everything, I've left mine stock. I'd upgrade an S6, but not an A6. I just enjoy the car in stock form. But other have upgraded, so everyone is free to do whatever pleases them. =)

4) Yes, I'm pretty sure the 12v 2.8 V6 is cast iron w/aluminum heads and yes, the head gaskets (and valve cover gaskets) have been known to leak.

5) Don't know of any post-TB mods to the intake, just pre-TB mods... cone filter. Supposedly a good upgrade on this car, but I've avoided it for some reason/no reason.

Scott Long

Muhammad,

How big of a problem are the headgaskets on these cars? I mean I know its an expensive repair, but what is the probability of it happening to me. Say 1 in 10 12V's blows the head gaskets, or all 12V's blow head gaskets? Every TBird SC I've seen has blown head gaskets at least once in its lifetime. Its a surefire thing. I'm wondering about the Audi because I don't want to have to put head gaskets on it so soon. If I do the heads will recieve a valve job and a port and polish.

As for the cone filters, do you or anyone have pictures of this upgrade. From what I hear its somewhat of a pointless upgrade. I mean yeah you may be able to inhale more air through a cone filter since it has a bigger surface area than a panel filter, but if you inhale hot air from the engine compartment you won't see the true benefit of upgrading the filter. Hot air is less dense than cold air. Thats why cars run better on a cold morning than they do in a hot and humid afternoon. To see the true benefit of running a cone filter you'd need to get it in the federwell beneath the front bumper where it could have access to fresh air. Then you'd proably notice more power. Also are their any mass airflow sensor upgrades available? I think a true cold air intake with cone filter and a bigger MAF would be a good 15 hp increase. I don't think the cone filter in the engine compartment alone is worth much if any hp increase at all. By the time you calculate drivetrain loss you might notice 1 hp gain at the wheels, woohoo speedy!! I'd like to see some dyno numbers. Seat of the pants feel is one thing but a dyno never lies. Butt-dyno's (as I like to call them) aren't nearly as accurate as a true chasis dyno. How would one go about dyno testing a quattro equipped vehicle? Disconnect the front driveshaft? or is there no front driveshaft? Is this a front transaxle, and rear driveshaft run off of it?

I installed a 3" aluminum tube between the throttle body and mass airflow sensor on my tbird. I also upgraded to a 70mm MAF (stock was 55mm) and put a 9" cone filter on it. It sits in the engine compartment. I noticed a power increase from 3000rpm and up but I think another aftermarket intake would benefit me more by placing the filter outside of the engine compartment. Its not a bad starting point, but to me it still leaves much to be desired performance wise.

You seem to be pretty knowledgeable when it comes to these cars. You are the same way I am when it comes to talking about Thunderbird SC's. I know those cars inside and out. Heck I've got two, one with each transmission offered. I'd like to thank you for your time and information you offered me on this topic. I already consider myself an Audi enthusiast and I don't own one yet. I'm really hoping I get to purchase this car. It would make a great addition to my collection of fine rare autos.

Scott Long