Evening all.
My brother, Xmas bonus in hand (alright for some!), is looking for a new car now that he can afford to get out of his decrepit Volvo 440, which has reached the end of his useful life, and has asked me to vet potential purchases.
He has a maximum of £2,000 to spend, and whittling through his list of what he wants from a car, he has shortlisted the Audi 80 2.0E, in either 8 valve or 16 valve guise, or a BMW 3-series.
Looking at Autotrader I was surprised to see you can get an E36 3-series for under £2k these days, but personally think the Audi is the better bet at this age and mileage (K/L-plate with around 100k on the clock). I make it a golden rule never to consider anything without a full service history, which means there are a lot more Audis in the frame than Beemers.
8 valve 80's seem to abound more than the 16-valve version, but my brother has done his homework on the insurance front and seems dead set on the 16-valve version. Has anyone had experience of running one of these cars, and knows what to look for? I've consulted Car-By-Car Breakdown of course, but any other points would be much appreciated. I used to run a 1984 80 quattro which was good as gold, but I have no experience of later Audis. Another possibility is an early Coupe which uses the same underpinnings as the 80 - I've seen a J-plate 2.0E in his price range.
He's only really interested in a 320i BMW-wise, in order to get the six-cylinder engine, but I personally think (if we can find an unmolested one) an E30 318is would be a good choice. Failing that, there seem to be quite a few 518is and 520is about (E34 model), in some cases for less than the equivalent age/mileage 3. Again, any points to note?
Failing that (tall order I know), are there any other cars in the price bracket that would suit? Insurance group 15 is a maximum (he's 23 with two years NCB), something reliable and with a bit of class. Honda Preludes and late Mk2 Golf GTIs (8 valve) have been considered, but the Hondas in the price range seem a bit ropey and it's a tall order to find an unmolested Golf.
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
PS The Volvo in question is bodily shot (offside badly creased, although doesn't affect chassis or door function) but has 11 months MOT. Are dealers likely to turn their noses up if he tries for a trade-in, even at a nominal value of £50-£100?
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The Audi 80 is widely known as a good car for 'bangernomics', so i guess that points in its favour a bit?!
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Audi 80...
We've had one of these in the past, a very well built car with a real quality feel.
Funny you should mention one as I noticed an immaculate 2.0E M-reg today (with OE alloys), it looked really good.
They are only off our list for a good value used vehicle because we only have diesels and I don't like theirs, they are quite small for family use plus no hatch.... and most of all their sporting short travel suspension is terrible on our local roads.
For someone who wasn't concerend with those issues I'd get one without even looking at a BMW.
If your contact is looking at Dealer's L-regs for £2K then I'm damn sure they'll give something on the Volvo. An example trade in value for a mint 1995 2.0 Sport is only up to £1500. Recently 1994 2.0E's with under 90K have been going at auction for £600-£1000.
Far better to give the Volvo to a scrapper and buy a mint 1994/5 from a genuine private owner for perhaps £1000 to £1500. Let the dealers save up a bit longer for their 2004 holidays!
M.M
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Thanks for the comments chaps.
Interesting point about trade values M.M, I think the best route will be to sell the Volvo in the free paper for £100 (or even start it on eBay at £25 or so) as space is not a problem. Might be worth going to look at a car at a dealer so he can at least drive one to see what it's like.
My brother doesn't like diesels and doesn't need a hatchback, so the 80 seems the one to go for.
Mind you, I did see a J-plate 80 2.8V6 quattro for sale the other day which was highly tempting...
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Things to Lookk for:
Audi: front suspension arms: rust/balljoints. Possibly dangerous. Usual engine maladies. Clutch.
BMW: rear suspension arm joints. Engine gaskets/oil in water ££££££s. Radiator rust/leaks (obvious cos of stains)..
Personally I would go for the Audi... and buy spares for the equivalent VW model as likely cheaper.. Old BMWs tend to be thrashed and RWD! but watch the front suspension on AUdis...
madf
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I had a 1994 Audi Coupe with the 2.0 16v engine. After about 40k miles, the engine gets very noisy in idle. It has two cams, one a chain, the other a belt! The chain needed replacing to shut the engine up.
It was always OK under load, but the sewing machine impression when I was stationary really got on my nerves!
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I recently bought a Saab 900S ( 1996 P ) 3 door for a shade over £ 2000 with full history from a decent private seller. These might be worth considering, they have a powerful 16 Valve CHAIN CAM engine, mine has done 130 000 miles but feels like it could do the same again, it is probably not as "sporty" to drive as a BMW, but is really well built, well equipped, ABS, 6CD, etc, and looks very nice - in Black. I'm sure you could get one of these, most people who have them are more thoughtful types who look after them. For the Audi, you are better off with an 8V model, but watch the timing belt, and the cooling system, at this sort of mileage these engines are usually ready for a Head Gasket. Ive also seen Honda Accord coupes for this sort of money, but we were beaten to a nice L reg one for £1600.... Hence we got the Saab. when you are looking at this price range it is more important who has had the car, how they've treated it, than what car it is. Good luck.
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My dad had three 80s when they were new to five years old (an 88E and 2 91Hs, one kept up to 98k before being written off). I'd be inclined to go for the 8v, because you have more choice, and they're surprisingly torquey. (I think the same engine is still used in the Golf/Bora and Sharan).
The boot is small, but the interior is pleasant, the styling still works, the build quality is phenomenal, they're rust free and they're rarely abused.
A £2k 3 Series is going to be one of the worst; a £2k Audi 80 will be one of the best. A trader recently had a mint 93L 80 2.6E Estate with FASH, 2 owners and 70k up at £2100, in red with factory alloys and it looked absolutely fantastic.
eBay for the Ovlov though and see what you can get, as its trade value is virtually zero or less and anything you get will be instead of a discount - and will mean more work for the dealer, hence less money offered.
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Avoid red at that age, it goes as flat as a pancake on VAG (and other) cars.
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Thanks for the comments again folks.
Colin M - you're spot-on with that comment, the VAG red (is it Mars or Tornado Red at that age? I should get out more for even asking!) oxidises to white very rapidly. I personally favour a black, dark green, dark blue or metallic grey car, so we'll see what's out there. Have seen a lot of red ones though! Will certainly listen out for any odd engine noises, my brother has a "cash cushion" of £500 and will take it straight to our local trustworthy mechanic for a cambelt change (unless there's documented proof of a recent one) and an order to fix anything he finds wrong with it.
DavidHM - I know what you mean about the BMW's, hence why we can't see anything with FSH for under 2 grand. A mint E30 318is would still tempt, though...
Mr Fox - hadn't considered a new-shape 900, another decent choice actually. Will keep a lookout. Accord Coupe is indeed another possibility, but as most are automatics and the rest of the family has (3!) automatic Hondas, he's keen to stand out...!
PS Anybody interested in a 90H Volvo 440GL, 120k miles with FSH, 11 months MOT but with scruffy interior and small dents down driver's side (just under window level) for £100???!
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Ahem...any prospective buyers for the Volvo please note I will post an ad in the Classifieds section once we get a replacement for it - hopefully in the next week or so, if you can wait that long...!
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Thanks to all who commented, we went out today and bought a 2.0E 8 valve, 92 on the J with 108k up for £1,450. Not the cheapest by a long chalk, but the nicest one (Sport alloys and spoiler) and it was the only one that wasn't red (nice dark metallic green). Icing on the cake was a full VAG history and it had been owned by a rabid enthusiast for the last 5 years.
If anyone wants a £100 90H Volvo 440 with 11 months MOT, check the ad in Classifieds :)
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