Faults:

Engine oil leaks.

Breather pipes disintegrated.

Catalytic converter needed renewing.

New fuel lines needed.

New front pads and disks needed.

Power steering pump total failure, power steering rack replacement needed.

Power steering leaked from a pipe and a pin.

New radiator required.

General Comments:

This car is the second Audi I've owned, and to be fair to it it's a fairly decent vehicle. If I'd known the amount of work and money needed to get the car up to a decent standard, I think I would have sold it right on the spot.

The 2.8 engine is very good and has excellent low down acceleration; 0-30mph especially. A great cruiser which will comfortably take you on long journeys. A large boot with plenty of space for shopping, although the back seats are surprisingly cramped for passengers.

This car came with an automatic gearbox and I often wondered why someone would spec this car with an automatic box instead of with a manual box and the quattro option. The automatic box is a pig, which holds onto gears for too long, spins the front wheels awfully in anything but dry conditions, and spoils the overall fuel economy of the car.

The economy from the box is quite bad, and you can expect 20-24 in town and 30-33 on the motorway if you're careful. I don't mind low economy, but only if I'm driving a car that makes you feel it's worth it. I'm sure the newer generation of autos nowadays are fantastic, but the 4 speed box in this car was/is dreadful.

In short, if you're looking for one of these cars, don't be tempted to buy an auto thinking you might enjoy it; if you're used to a manual then you won't. Well worth seeking out a quattro manual version which is brilliant in comparison to the car I had.

The things that I've listed as going wrong with the car are worth bearing in mind when buying this model of car. Definitely worth checking the car has had the cam-belt and water-pump changed, these should have been done at the same time. Check for a leaky PAS system as this can be expensive to fix; a groaning steering rack can be a sign of bad things to come.

I can't say I've enjoyed owning this car very much. If you can find a well sorted model with FSH, then you'll doubtless have years of happy motoring ahead of you.

Faults:

Gearbox replaced at 70000 miles under warranty.

Normal wear and tear from 16 years of daily use. The drivers seat has started to warp and the corner has frayed.

The turbo was reconditioned at 150000 miles after we were told that the car was only fit to be scrapped. We were told to scrap it by many garages many times.

Air pipe into the turbo had a giant rip in it and we thought that it had reached the end of the road. This was at 260000 and it was belching black smoke and making a meal out of hills. A 20 euro pipe later and it was as good as new.

The bonnet strut gave up at 200000 miles. We used part of an old door frame to keep it open for about a year until the car test was due, and we paid 220 Euros to get a bonnet strut. Ouch.

Like other reviewers, we have noted that it eats front bushings on a regular basis.

The only trim to fall off was the little Audi 80 badge over the glove-box. A slight problem and was most likely something we did with the many things we hauled in it.

General Comments:

This car is slow off the mark, but once you get it warmed up, it keeps up with motorway traffic. I did 1000 miles in it in one weekend.

The brakes are rubbish. They do work, but your foot is at the firewall when they decide that its time to stop. The brakes are fine, just not as modern as I would like. You have to hang back in traffic a bit because cars in front with ABS, when they slam on will stop very fast, and this thing will pile on into the back of them. Or straight through them it feels like.

This one was one of the first batch into Ireland in Feb '92, and has been passed onto me by my folks who still own the old bus. This car will go forever. We keep it well maintained and check the oil often.

We put fully synthetic oil in the car from day 1. The guy at the motor factors thinks we are nuts, but the car still goes.

The car is worth more to us than the market price. It's given 16 years of service, and there is no benefit bar comfort and snobbery in getting another car. I added some toys like sat nav and a Nokia car kit.

Everything works in it apart from the little lights in the glove box and boot, and the alarm. The bulbs blew, and we lost the key to the alarm and the key fobs disintegrated about 10 years ago. Nobody has tried to steal it, and nobody has broken into it.

Not a single rattle from anywhere.

The handling isn't fabulous. The steering is as vague as an election promise, and you won't make any fast getaways in it. Bank robbers look elsewhere.

I hate taking it on back road because it doesn't like to be rushed, and when it is eventually rushed it doesn't like slowing down too much. This thing takes a long term view of everything it does.

But for sheer endurance, and looking at the condition of the many Audi 80s still on the road, it is the best built car Audi made.