Compare E30 driving to Audi 90 Coupe Quattro

[Baxter]

i had a 1990 90q20v sedan a while ago. its honestly been too long to really compare driving dynamics between the 2 cars but i can tell you that the aftermarket for that era of audis is virtually non existant. the wheels had a 4x108 bolt pattern which left you with very limited options. stock parts were also fairly expensive to replace. the awd system was kick ass though. i went from the audi to a 2002 wrx and i always liked audis quattro system better. you could feel it transfer the torque much faster than the wrx's viscous system. the 2.3l I5 had a power band much like a turbo'd car- no power below 3000rpm and then a sudden delivery after 3k.

[SIGMeister04]

I owned one and had a lot of fun with it. Mine was prone to electrical problems, I had to change a few relays and they were only available at the dealer and very expensive. As has been previously stated, the after market bolt on parts supply is basically non-existent and there are only a few shops in the states where you can purchase from which makes things very spendy. You can get upside down in these cars very quickly as they are just not worth that much. If you realy want to spend some time and money you can do an S2 conversion with the turbo motor. The updated hood and light conversion looks realy sweet on CQ's as well. Fun car, but you would probably have more fun with an IX that can be had for similiar money and is an E30!!

As far as driving comps go, the Audi has good low end torque but needs to be reved to get anything out of it on the high end. A little bit heavy and kind of sloppy steering. It feels like a boat where an E30 (with newer/fresh suspension) feels like a train... ie on rails.

Oh yeah, as far as internet forums and club support go, the Audi (especially the CQ) crowd is not nearly as active as the BMW crowd. That's not to say they are not out there, just less people and knowledge floating around the web.

Good luck and have fun.

[gearheadE30]

There was a comparo between an e30, an audi 90 coupe (s2, I think) and the mercedes 2.3-16. The e30 came in first, mercedes second, and audi last. The audi was apparently very heavy, understeered badly, and wasn't as high of quality as the other two. The mercedes was a great road car but it was too heavy for the little 4-cyl and the tranny wasn't very good. The e30 (I think it was an m3) was great except it didn't have any torque and was difficult to drive around town.

I'll try to find the link, but I'm not on my computer right now.

[LINUS]

That $900 will be a drop in the bucket compared to what down the line costs will be.

That said, CQ's would be the only Audi I would care to throw that kind of money at ever again. I had a 4000 Quattro & a '85 5000 5 speed. I wanted either car to run well & to keep either long term, but they both broke & had electrical problems, like every other Audi. Jean said the new ones aren't any better either. I never had problems with the motor, just electrical gremlins(once had my DS window stick down @ Mt. Baker, many others too), and the fricking HVAC controls were broken more than they worked.

Beautiful car, unreliable car. Audi. - If there was truth in advertising, that would be their slogan.

[schmidty]

power wise there isnt that much of a difference. Everyone is acting like the thing is underpowered but it only makes about 10hp less than the e30, granted its a little heavier.

Biggest difference of course is RWD vs AWD. that's really a matter of personal preference. oversteer vs understeer, traction vs tail happy...

The coupe is pretty sexy, much more so than the sedan, and as mentioned is pretty rare. For $900, if its in 'good' shape mechanically and cosmetically, I'd get it to accompany my e30 :D


oh, my buddy has one and he hasn't had any major electrical or mechanical problems with his over the past couple years that he's had it.

[einstein57]

if it is in fact an awd coupe i would jump on it for $900. The awd's are hard to come by.

[GarrettM]

The ones based of the 90 are, 1700 were imported. The 1980s ones are also very hard to find, and very expensive. Kind of like an E30 M3 but rare I think.

[defekt]

I was considering buying a coupe last year, I even found one locally and test drove it. It definately feels heavier than an e30, but safer (at least on wet roads). I opted not to buy it though. This era of Audi has a braking system that relys on pressurized nitrogen, and they pretty much all fail. Second, the coupe was limited to 1700 units, so used replacement parts are hard to find. Third - and this is what scared me off - it seems the windshield is made of unobtainium. As of last year there were 3 (let me repeat that, THREE) windshields left in the country, and they were going for big $$. The 80/90 series windshields are different. One rock and you're screwed.

I'm actually a big fan of VW/ Audi, but that car had too much going against it. I owned an '88 Audi 90 and it was fun, but not as much as my e30. Now if you were to say, look at a B5 A4, That car is fantastic, I doubt I will ever get rid of mine.

[GarrettM]

I'm not so much a fan of the A4 AWD. I heard it very easy to break and does not abuse well.

[PУCCKAЯ_e30ka]

i remember sitting in audi 100cs and I really liked the interior!!!

[defekt]

Mine's been pretty tough to break :D
7 yrs, 100k miles and I'm still in love with it. It's been a fantastic car for me.

[e30 Luv]

Heres an article from Road&Track Nov.1988 comparing the E30vsAudi90. Not really too helpful, but a good read for an interested buyer.
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[GarrettM]

That article is missing a page!