Audi coupe?

[scruff]

Hey gang, what can you tell me about these? I'm talking about the "quattro" shape B2 (?) ones from the 80s.I've always liked them and one has come up which could be ideal for a plan I'm forming. I'm getting married next summer and Miss Scruff and I want to do a road trip to Italy (the scenic route!) then onto Malta (car-less) then drive back. At the mo we have two Land Rovers, no probz taking them abroad and have done numerous times but it's the honeymoon and 1300 miles each way at 65mph at 50000000 decibels probably isn't too kind/wouldn't go down well on this occasion; the Rover is boring and you can't get fuck-all in the Mini without it being a royal pain in the arse...So what do I need to look for on a Coupe - it's a 1.8 GT, 1986 or 87. Thanks in advance

[Milford Cubicle]

A good choice for a continental road trip. They are rugged and good over long distances.Any reason why you're going for a 1.8 in particular? Shame to miss out on the 5 cylinder woofle of the bigger engines.They like to rust a bit, the worst areas are the A pillars and boot floor.

[Rod/b]

Hey Mr Scruff - Got any pics of the one you're after? I've had two of them in the last few years, and I've just sold my last, a 1.8GT, and they are flipping rare in the grand scheme of things. Most got the 5 pot engines but the 1.8DZ is what ended up in the Golf GTi, as the DS, so it's no slouch in it's own right. It's a lighter lump too so the famed GT understeer isn't as much of a problem.I had mine for a couple of years and drove it to Prague and back twice, via the Nurburgring with zero problems. They are seriously good fun. It had 213,000 miles on it with no evidence of a rebuild, just regualr servicing.They are fairly robust but look out for:-Noisy fuel pump. They will go for ages making a racket but if it sounds like an angry hornets nest, time to change it.-Front suspension top mounts are weak. If they knock on bumpy raods they can sometimes be nipped up but could need changing.-Front suspension drop links.-Rear dampers leak.-Brittle switchgear - it's easy to snap stalks off. -Electric window motors are a bit shit. They're NLA and expensive second hand.-Manual window mechs are NLA, and virtually extinct. -Rear lights (if smoked) are fucking expensive to buy. Again, NLA... Some bloke is thinking of getting them remade. £400 a pair...-Boot floors can rust out. No pattern parts available. -Rust in the a-pillars. If you can see it at the base of the a-pillars, it's worse in the windscreen surround, believe me. Screen out bastard of a job.-Bosch injection can be a bit of a pain, but i like it. Make sure the bellows (the rubber tube on top of the air meter) has no splits, that the metering plate is nice and clean and you should be alright. Idle speed and mixture is adjusted with a screw and a 3mm allen key. Nice and easy!-A lot of the engine management (for what it is) sensors are NLA, officially, but if you've got the part numbers have a look on Ebay.de and you can usually find them. -Cambelt is a piece of piss - £70 inc labour at my garage.If you don't know already, sign up to the forum at VAGCAT.com, and get access to a full online EPAS style parts catalogue. Handy for parts numbers and exploded views if nothing else.Where and when are you planning to leave it in Italy? I could be up for a repatriation as I already miss mine, 4 weeks later, and could see another one in my life in the not too distant future!

[Rod/b]

Ooh, and - if the heater channel under the bonnet isn't kept clear so it can drain properly, water can get into the heater fan assembly and into the car via the foot vents. Not ideal.

 

Seat mounts need a plastic packing piece in the runners to stop them rattling about. Readily available for pennies. Seat tilt cables can snap but I know a man who makes them, so PM me if you need any.

 

What else? Rear wheel bearings seemed to need nipping up for every MOT on my red one. Bit odd, but no hassle.

 

[scruff]

That's cosmic, thanks gents! A 5 pot would be nice but this one belongs to a friend and I trust his judgement that it's good - just didn't want to go in totally blind! Pics later, I hope

[Milford Cubicle]

Most got the 5 pot engines but the 1.8DZ is what ended up in the Golf GTi, as the DS, so it's no slouch in it's own right. It's a lighter lump too so the famed GT understeer isn't as much of a problem.

I thought my 5-pot GT was a fairly neutral handler. Maybe I just like understeer. It's oversteer's anti-hero!

[Rusty Pelican]

Gear linkage is a sea of rods and bushes , least it was on my 5 pot and gets floopy , if first is a problem then thats usually the cause , bits are pricy and adjustment is fun to do , one link on mine cost £180

[dollywobbler]

Ah, methinks I know which one you're on about - Mr A by any chance? They're nice, but I'd always be missing the warbling five-pot. Non-quattro coupes are superb though, and much less likely to be piloted by cocks.

[Rod/b]

Gear linkage is a sea of rods and bushes , least it was on my 5 pot and gets floopy , if first is a problem then thats usually the cause , bits are pricy and adjustment is fun to do , one link on mine cost £180

Both of my 4 pots had really good gearchanges, and both were high-milers. Maybe a different gearlinkage arrangement?

[darkfour]

I had an 84 GT with the non fuel injected engine. The carb body was worn and the float kept getting stuck and the engine would cut out.It used to eat through front tires and exhausts too. Only car I ever had where the center section fell apart on a trip and I had to lash it up with my then GFs scarf.Seem to remember the central locking was vacuum operated and not electric.I traded it for a MkIII Zephyr 6

[scruff]

Well, I'm now the proud owner of this. Well chuffed, it's GR8!

 

 

Rod, Keith said if anything went wrong to ring you, that OK?

[MrRegieRitmo]

My next car wants to be either one of these, pref at least 2 litre, hopefully 2.2, or one of the final shape Mitsubishi Galant. Can you still pick these up for a few ton or has scene tax (read Ashes to Ashes tax) caught up with them? More pics please!

[Milford Cubicle]

My 2.0 GT was £350 last summer, it wasn't the tidiest and had a few niggly problems (knackered electric windows) but it was solid enough and had a decent wedge of T&T.

[scruff]

Well mine was £400 - what it owed the very nice man I bought it from - first impressions are very positive, the drive back from Wellingborough to Rutland was a good one, for a 87 car with over 200k on the clock I am well impressed with the condition of it. I'll put a cambelt on it and get the boot patched up and enjoy the thing, hopefully it'll fit it's intended purpose a treat.Must admit the Gene Hunt connection was a big draw - especially for Miss S, who loves it - but my grandad had a blue quattro-ed one when I was younger and it brings back good memories.

[Rod/b]

Yeah ring me if it goes wrong, no worries! Did Keith demo the air horns for you?!As far as the price goes that's a bargain. You'll do well to find another at that price, especially one in as good shape as that. Ok so it needs a bit of tidying externally but it will drive anywhere!Rob.

[scruff]

More pics please!

OK Reg!

 

 

 

 

 

Haven't been far in it yet, I did spank it down the A1 to Peterborough last night to get some fuel and run it through a carwash, really like it - goes better than I thought it would. The 'box is a bit crunchy when cold but it has got a lot of miles and once warm the whole car comes into it's own. Missus loves it too! I really should drive it in daylight as I haven't yet, off over the Fens in it to a NYE party at March tonight, tomorrow I'm down the yard working on the steamers so I'll need the Land Rover - long drive at the weekend, perhaps, once I've given it a bloody good clean up.

[Rusty Pelican]

Really nice car , one thing , dont EVER close the doors with the door pockets , they rip clean off , I know Ive done it

[Milford Cubicle]

Manual windows, good job! As Rod mentioned the electric ones are a bit fragile.It looks in really good nick considering its mileage and history.

[trigger]

That is nice I have a soft spot for one of these lately, i guess A2A might have something to do with that though!.I'd lose the sticker of the back and spend a few hours giving it a good polish and clean like you say and it reckon it will then be spot on, Looks like it need lowering on the rear though?.

[Milford Cubicle]

Ashes to Ashes put me off these a bit, I'd have preferred an 80 saloon.

[scruff]

I think it sits fairly level but I'll check, ta Trig! There's a bit of de-stickering to do, not the cool Autobahn-busting tickets but the remains of various banger rally ones that haven't quite peeled all the way off.

[trigger]

I'm sure it is sitting level just looks high that's all but it may well be just the camera angle!.

[Rod/b]

The ride height is right for the 1.8 car, I checked. It does look a bit high though I agree.Hadn't realised the TPB stickers were still on the back, I thought they'd have gone by now. Has it still got the names on the back windows?!Looks like K never got round to fitting A back box either, Scruff?!Take it easy with the passenger side window winder, it's quite stiff. I was going to get the mech out and try to lube it all, but like all great plans. You'll want to do it before the first toll booth in France ;)Have you found the iPod lead yet? That will charge too! Let me know if you can't get it to talk to the head unit - you need a switch box from Maplins but I've got one I can send you!

[Rod/b]

It looks in really good nick considering its mileage and history.

It is really. Although we used it on a couple of banger rallies I really fell for the car so it got a lot more attention than the rest of them. The history file that I hope hS been passed on show that it was quite well looked after previously too, although like a lot of cars this age there's a gap in it.

 

Probably overkill but I changed the oil every 3000 miles while I had it!!

 

Previous show-plates used to answer the question we got asked all the time: (the quattro script in the rear windows used to have "nota" prefixing them too)

 

[Milford Cubicle]

All credit to you for taking it on a couple of banger rallies and not completely destroying or wacky-fying it.

[Rod/b]

I liked the car too much for that. Here's what the events mean to me anyway - having fun in the Alps in an old motor. I think this was taken overtaking a 1 litre Austin Metro on the way up Stelvio.

 

[Milford Cubicle]

The thought appeals to me too, it's just all the contrived wackiness that puts me off.

[dollywobbler]

I liked the car too much for that. Here's what the events mean to me anyway - having fun in the Alps in an old motor. I think this was taken overtaking a 1 litre Austin Metro on the way up Stelvio.

 

Definitely all credit to you! I have no plans to sell my BX after taking it on a 'banger' rally. I don't get the whole 'oooh, let's buy a really cheap car and thrash it into the ground' approach of some rallies. It's just Top Gear wannabes surely?

 

However, it is a touch wackified with its stripes... (which I'm refusing to remove!)

[Rod/b]

To be fair to most of the rallies, you always get the sort of people on them who want to kill that car, and those who have got a bit more respect for them. You get a huge mix of people on the ones we do, including two lads daft enough to bring a CF recovery wagon that was absolutely crap, then carry a 2cv custom on the back of it for 3 days.

 

 

I myself have had 1 car on these vents, which whilst not trying to kill it, I was certainly glad to see the back of it in an Italian scrapyard...

[MrRegieRitmo]

 

More pics please!

OK Reg!

 

Absolutely lovely stuff!