1985 Audi 5000 S Wagon

Summary:

Undervalued, costly to maintain (properly), but a marvel of automotive engineering

Faults:

Nothing major.

Driver side door handle due to -40 degree Canadian winter.

Headliner started to come loose.

Exhaust flange.

Poor stock wiring was draining the battery.

General Comments:

By far the best car that I have ever owned.

Like any car, will usually service you as you service it.

The handling was spectacular, but lacks in acceleration. This of course due to 100% pure German steel.

Seats were still extremely comfortable after hours of driving.

Needs more frequent oil changes.

Written off in a Head-on, but didn't feel a thing. Even without airbags.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2005

1985 Audi 5000 S turbo

Summary:

A sweet, sweet car with an unfortunate transmission habit.

Faults:

Replaced transmission 3 times over life of car.

Air conditioning no longer works.

Power windows/locks no longer work (windows don't open at all).

Speedometer, tachometer, odometer work only intermittently.

A hose connector failed suddenly and all the water & antifreeze leaked out.

General Comments:

This was my first car, and I absolutely loved it. It was previously owned by two family members, for five or six years before I got it. So, in eight years, the transmission was replaced three times. I still love this car, but don't drive it any more because it needs yet another transmission (the differential is going & car seizes for no reason).

A speedy, neat little car. You can drive 85 mph and not even feel how fast you're going. The steering spoiled me for any other car--the car felt heavy and solid, but let me take corners at right angles.

Good gas mileage, never burned or leaked oil, and did I mention fast?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th December, 2003

16th Dec 2003, 13:07

Fix the tranny.. the car is worth it. I'd recommend converting to a Manual transmission, which will give you less (if any) problems.

1985 Audi 5000 S 2.3

Summary:

Absolutely mind blowing deal, would buy another

Faults:

Hydraulic pump at 200k.

Eats brake pads (every 40-50,000K), has to be the driving style.

The vacuum servo for the locks is quite problematic, had to use lots of Teflon tape to fix that.

Stereo system was a hard install, requires re-wiring.

Kind of low on power, must be the automatic transmission.

General Comments:

Absolutely amazing car, is great in the city and the highway. I can comfortably cruise at X kilometers above the speed limit and the car has that secure German car stability and solidity. Got a fully loaded German sedan for less than what I paid for my Mustang.

Great car for winter ski trips - stable and sticks to icy roads. HUGE trunk fits my and my girlfriend's camping equipment. I am sold on Audi and German cars period, would not buy anything else.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th April, 2001

29th Jan 2002, 09:22

I owned a 85' 5000s and it was a jet.

Maybe a poorly maintained car?

1985 Audi 5000 Wagon 2.2 gas

Summary:

Despite its bad press of the time, I enjoyed this car and will be buying my fourth Audi next month

Faults:

Replaced heater core at 85k.

Replaced entire exhaust from cat down with (OEM) at 90k.

Front brakes at 90k.

Replaced gas pump relay and replaced CV boots at 95k.

Replaced hydraulic pump with a used unit at 150k.

Back brakes at 130k.

Replaced pneumatic controller with a used unit at 150k.

Replaced drivers door handle exterior at 155k.

Drivers window operator motor at 160k.

Second exhaust system (OEM) at 175k.

Replaced gas pump relay at 180K.

CV boots at 180k.

Replaced hydraulic pump with used unit at 185k.

Dress valves at 190k.

Replaced front brakes and rotors at 195k.

Replaced rear brake cylinders and drums (leaking), installed new pads while there at 200K.

Replaced distributor at 203k.

Cooling fan at 205K.

Gas pump replay at 210k.

Odometer stopped working at 213K... that was about 2 years ago.

Transmission failed at 230 replaced with rebuilt unit, also did transaxle.

Replaced muffler (OEM) @ 240K.

Replaced 6+ power window buttons over the life of the car.

4 repairs to the door wiring harness to repair broken wires.

Recharged air conditioning twice about 150k and 175k.

Air conditioning pneumatic controller (servo) failed at 200k... did not replace... regulated heat temp by adjusting the cable manually.

Roof liner began deteriorating about 200K as well.

General Comments:

I loved this car. I am 6-3 tall and the ergonomics were perfect for me. The seat/steering wheel/pedal and arm rest configuration seemed to be tailor made especially the seat itself. More comfortable with much less fatigue than a Mercedes 500, Jaguar and Lexus on long trips over 6 hours. It was the most comfortable car I have driven.

Suspension was reasonably firm.

Power was somewhat disappointing, but the mileage was good.

The air conditioning system was plagued with numerous problems after 160k miles that became cost prohibitive to repair.

Reliability was excellent. In the 175k miles that I have owned the car it only needed towing once. Fortunately on two other occasions I was able to diagnose the gas pump relay failure and had a jumper wire handy to bypass the relay contacts.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th March, 2001

3rd Jul 2001, 18:51

I have over 350K on my car, similar problems as this person. I love this car. I used to hate Audi's till I got one as a trade on a painting job I did for someone. I replaced the trainy and was off. I drove it through Canada (Toronto to Vancouver) with over 220K on it. That was the 1984 Wagon. The 1985 that I got, was driven through the jungles of Mexico. No problems.

It is an easy car to work on and I have replaced many things myself. the engine and transmission keep on going.

I bought the 1985 model in 1997 and have it currently. It has over 350K miles on it. I bought it with 220K on it.

It drives great, holds well cornering and at high speeds, reliable and sporty and still looks great.

Tads125@hotmail.com.

31st May 2009, 09:00

A major reason to love my now old 1980's Audi is because of the remarkable Galvanized Metal Body. These cars typically remain relatively rust free much longer than most other brands. This applies to the 1984 to 1988 series which I'm familiar with.

And I think all manufacturers should adopt this type of metal in their quality cars and trucks. It's just the civilized thing to do!