Four Buy Four - Buyers Guide

What to look for
At first glance, a Coupe Quattro would look like a reasonably affordable way to get into supercar ownership. That glance would be a bit deceiving however. Audis of this period suffer from the same maladies as most other European cars of the same era. Air conditioning, electric window switches and motors, fan motors and light switches all fail about as regularly on these cars as they do on similar Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volvo models.

While some Audi parts are reasonably priced, others are extremely expensive. Add to that the rarity of special Quattro parts and the high labor costs for relatively routine procedures and it's easy to see that the purchase price is just the beginning of the real cost of owning an Audi Quattro. The real key to buying a Quattro is condition. Because of their all-wheel-drive capabilities, these supercars were frequently driven all year round and may suffer from rust and corrosion more extensively than a summer car like a Porsche. Make sure you check and recheck every seam and panel for telltale signs of rust repairs. Check the car's color and interior against the paint codes stamped onto the body plate.

A good Ur-Quattro should come with a thick sheath of bills and repair history. These were not maintenance-free automobiles and there should be a nice paper trail of factory service and general upkeep. The engines are long-lived, but as they are turbocharged, may have been abused significantly in the past. Make sure all of the interior accessories like the door locks and power windows work, as fixing them can get expensive. The tappets in the engine may rattle a bit on starting, but this isn't a problem as long as the sound goes away after a few minutes. Watch out for exhaust leaks from the exhaust manifold, an expensive item to replace or repair. The power steering pumps on these older Audis are notorious for leaking and making noise. Check to see that there is enough fluid in the reservoir. Also, the rear brakes use a lever that pushes the rear pads onto the disc to actuate the handbrakes. If the rear calipers are frozen, the handbrake might not work at all. Check to see if it does. You can also feel the center of the wheels after a drive to see if the brakes are dragging and heating up the wheels.

The air conditioning is also problematic, so make sure it's working properly. Drive the car for a long enough period to make sure it isn't overheating and then look under the car for drips and leaks. You might also check the CV joint boots, a known weak point on Audis and an expensive repair if they're ripped and have allowed dirt and grunge to get at the CV joints.

Last, the receipts should show a timing belt change some time within the past 60,000 miles. If not, you better budget for one right away if you decide to buy the car.

What to pay
Audi Quattro Coupes were expensive cars when new. They haven't really kept their value the same way a Porsche 911 has, however. The prices are all over the board, reflecting their condition and their rarity. The average price seems to be in the $4,000 to $6,000 range for cars with more than 100,000 miles, but that have been cared for properly. Low-mileage examples of later cars can easily top $10,000, and those once-in-a-lifetime, all-original, low-mileage cars that appear once in a while can go upward from there. Still, for such a limited production, usable, high performance machine that sparked a revolution, these prices seem pretty reasonable.

Summary
Most of our buyers guides deal with cars that are fairly common and whose production numbers run into the tens of thousands. The Audi Coupe Quattro is something completely different. A major manufacturer, not at the time known for its performance cars, built it for a price higher than a Porsche 911. It led the way in the ultimate acceptance of all-wheel-drive performance cars and was the vanguard of a revolution in the world of motorsports. Audi Coupe Quattros are still available at a reasonable price. It won't be this way forever as enthusiasts begin to discover what amazing machines they were. With so few to go around, it won't be long before their prices rise and the Audi Coupe Quattro, the car that started a revolution, takes its rightful place among the truly collectable classics.

Notable: Quattros have come in a variety of guises over the years, all fantastic in their own right.