Audi

Great little convertible if you want a cost effective smart looking head turner with awesome sound

It's an Audi and it's German: reliable, good looking, great drive feel, comfortable and solid and FUN.

If looked after, you can hand this car down to your son or daughter to drive to college or work.

It's simple lay out and easy functionality doesn't disappoint. For a car that's 20 years old, you get a lot for your hard earned money: ABS brakes, ok sound system, fog lamps, air con, electric roof, ok road handling, and a fair degree of power.

You can buy one cash, and its yours. No finance and interest. It is a great little car to drive around in with the roof down (mine is up only when it rains). You never look like anyone else on the road and the car stands out in public and is quite showy but in a neatly refined manner.

The consumption is high compared to today's standards of course, but not that far off cars of similar engine size. The little you spend on road tax and higher fuel consumption (avg 28 < 35mpg or 420 miles t/ 70 litres 95 RON). It depends how you drive it.

All you need to do is keep them clean and service them. The engines want good clean oil and they must not run hot.

The engines like to sit between 70 < 90 degrees C.
The 1.8 < 2.3 uses timing belts and these should be changed every 60000 miles.
Check the oil and coolant level every two weeks. Make sure not to overfill these levels.

The body is heavy for such a small car. The handling and ride is soft and smooth, but that leads to wear on the front suspension. Check the wishbones and ball joints for wear. They are not expensive to source and replace and if going it alone, these are easy jobs to perform if you have the correct tools.

The shocks are Macpherson Strut inserts. They have been known to stick due to corrosion in the struts. If you do replace them, make sure you allow some new oil inside the strut cylinder once you've slipped the shock inserts to allow effective heat dissipation for longer lasting performance.

Handling is ok if you not going too fast, but you can have fun going about 65MPH on B roads.

Manual is more responsive than Auto around corners naturally. I wish it had a 6 speed box, but it is 20 y/o after all.

The sound they make is awesome. From the time you start it, idle and high rev, it sounds great. The engine makes a little backfire every now and then and burns clean with no smoke. On high revs, the exhaust is loud but inside the cab it is quiet and refined even with the top down.

You would want a powerful sound system in this type of car so the bass does not get carried away when driving with the top down.

It is wise to invest ca £130.00 for a back seat fitted wind deflector. It seriously reduces wind in the car. I also fit a fleece blanket into the lower half, this prevents cold air rushing in without blocking your view and helps keep the cab hot in winter.

In conclusion, these cars are Good looking, FUN to drive and CHEAP to run. If you look after it, it will look after you!

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