1991 Audi 200Q 20V

My 1991 Audi 200 Quattro 20valve Turbo. One of the last of 1,200 cars imported to the U.S.

I bought this car 120,000 miles and 10 years ago. Within months of purchasing it from an Internet CFO for $12,000 the dreams of big turbos and big brakes ruled my thoughts while I waited for the small turbo to die.

Diligently, I replaced worn out parts with higher performance ones. Porche 996 monoblock front brakes, a Forge bypass valve, 2 sets of wheels, Samco intake hoses and probably a handful of other smaller things that escape my memory after all these years and miles.

She's been fairly reliable over the years and I certainly can't complain about the all wheel drive capability in the snow even with performance tires. I planned on upgrading to a Garret GT3071 ball bearing turbo with somekind of matching engine management software to increase the horse power into the 350+ range.

I was sure the turbo would die and I would be doing 4 wheel burnouts the following summer, but instead it's been a heater core, 2 timing belt replacements, a fuel pump, a blower motor, the AC compressor, a loose shift linkage and a new clutch, but not in that order.

I've reached the point in the car's life (200,000+ miles, nearly 20 years of service) where fellow audi enthusiasts have told me it's time to just drive her into the ground and find something else. Just the thing my wife has been preaching since about year 5 of my ownership when her co-worker sold his beloved GMC Typhoon. I supposed his only source of comfort was to try convince her get me to dump my beloved car too. Misery loves company, right?

There are still folks out there looking to pick up a car like this for the 20v turbo 5 cylinder engine (also known in the Audi circles as the "3B" because the engine serial numbers start with that prefix) and drop it into other things like go-carts, Audi 4000 quattros, Coupe quattros, Coupes, 80s and 90s and whatever else they might have readily available or free. A popular transplant is the 'ersatz S2' where the "3B" engine is transplanted into a smaller early 90s Audi coupe to replicate the rare Audi S2 which was never imported to the U.S.

So where do I go from here? My current interest in motorcycles has pretty much extinguished my desires of a large turbo and the capability to do 4 wheel burnouts.

Maybe I'm getting old or maybe it's because ridiculous speed is so much easier, cheaper and scarier on a light 2 wheeled motor vehicle compared to an all wheel drive 4 door sedan with leather heated seats, a stereo with subwoofer in the trunk and 17" wheels.

I'm not a speed demon in any sense of the word and many people behind me would probably exclaim that I drive like a granny when I cruise at the posted speed limit, but for those few occasions when I want to feel some serious acceleration, I want to have that capability at my disposal. I drive and ride like a squid (a derogatory term for inexperienced motorcyclists who ride the way a squid swims).

She's going to be one of those cars that I will regret selling some years later, but I don't want to be that guy with a bunch of cars under covers scattered over my lawn. I suppose I'll drive her into the ground, fixing only the necessities to keep her on the road.

First thing to fall by the wayside is the AC Compressor clutch. Started smoking at 200k miles so I cut off the belt. Now the blower motor is not giving me heat so I need to fix that to drive it this winter. I'm not happy that I just replaced the blower motor 2 years ago so I will look for shortcuts to make my life easier. Despite the car's relatively low production numbers, there seems to be no correlation to collector status or unmolested street value since there just aren't any people interested in this car the same way that people like Corvettes and Mustangs... I can't blame them, I want a Corvette or a Mustang too. (I'll take a c5 coupe or a newer Bullitt Mustang thanks for asking)

Who knows, I may decide to fix her up again someday.