Faults:

Got this car from a local used car dealer who had no idea whatsoever what he had.

He got it from a wholesaler who was also totally clueless - all service records were discarded!

Car has 139,000 miles on it, and has had a number of minor issues (like any used car), none of which have cost much to fix.

General Comments:

This is absolutely NOT a car for someone who goes running to the dealer for every little thing (in fact, for anything - USA Audi dealers have a *TERRIBLE* reputation, and they have fully earned it.)

Before you get into one of these, it is a good idea to have owned an earlier Audi, preferably a 5000 series (type 44) for a few years, and to have done much of your own work.

That said, this car is the equivalent of the Millennium Falcon from the first Star Wars movie - obsolete, cranky, hard to work on, wildly complicated, but man, oh man, when you get this car on the highway, hang on tight! Remember the scene where they finally get the warp drive working and all the stars blur past backwards? Well that's what happens from 75 mph up when you nail this - all the other cars on the highway just blur past backwards!

Get AAA plus, it comes with a bail bond certificate (you'll need it), join the Audi discussion group on the internet (you'll need that, too), and enjoy.

Wonderful, delightful ride, comfortable, goes like stink, handles superbly, stops on a dime and gives change, I don't care if it only gets 15 mpg around town.

Faults:

Thus far, the major thing that has "gone wrong" is the oxygen sensor. However, maintenance on a car of this age should be expected as part of the package. The only other problem observed is a fluctuating speedometer, which we are still trying to diagnose/fix. A major tuneup is in the offing, again a part of standard maintenance.

General Comments:

Goes like stink! Handles fabulously. Turns only the really observant heads because it carries subtlety to a screaming extreme. (No V-8 badges, only an understated "quattro" woven into the rear window deicer. Etc.) I have owned many odd and delightful cars (New BMW in 1968, current others include 1989 Merkur and 1976 Cordoba) but this is not (a) the most outstanding car I've ever owned and even (b) the most outstanding car I've ever driven. By the way, did I mention I love this car?

The 1990 also is the only one of these great V-8's that DOES NOT have the electronic speed governor that holds the later ones down to 135 mph. (Handy if you need to get across eastern Montana and right now!!!