At $8,900, Could You 'i Heart The '80s' In This 1983 Audi 5000 Turbo Diesel?

Today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Audi 5000 hails from a little play successful nan early 1980s erstwhile automakers embraced diesel engines to make cars much fuel-efficient successful guidance to nan state crunch of nan 1970s. Let's spot really bank-efficient this subsister proves to beryllium successful nan coming day.

According to nan Motley Fool Money site, nan median value of a location successful nan U.S. aft nan first half of this twelvemonth was $410,800. While a bully chunk of change, that's only astir half nan $819,800 asked for nan 2025 Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII pinch Mansory mods we looked astatine past Friday. Sure, nan Roller was astir arsenic swank a thrust arsenic 1 could perchance find, but nan truth that location is simply a viable prime betwixt buying it and nan acquisition of a really bully location would people origin a bully spot of consternation. In nan comments, that proved little of a interest than did nan car's wide grotesque accumulation of wanton wealth. Ultimately, that's what damned nan Rolls to a monolithic 90% 'No Dice' nonaccomplishment successful our voting.

Let's harken backmost to nan early 1980s, shall we? The U.S. had conscionable ended a decade categorized by governmental scandal, copy state crises, and nan commencement of disco music. By nan clip this 1983 Audi 5000 turbo diesel deed nan scene, things were starting to get backmost to normal, astatine slightest connected nan automotive front. Diesels astatine nan clip were becoming much celebrated amongst manufacturers arsenic a measurement to meet progressively tightening firm mean substance system (CAFE) standards. However, acceptance among car buyers proved to beryllium somewhat limited.

For Audi, this was besides nan era earlier nan marque became inescapably associated pinch its iconic Quattro 4WD system, making this car's FWD layout a spot of an anomaly to nan modern mindset. The 5000 turbo diesel was a one-and-done model, arsenic while it was sold for a mates of years present arsenic a U.S. exclusive, nan turbo diesel motor did not find its measurement nether nan hood of nan succeeding model, which arrived successful 1984. That makes this car a reasonably uncommon duck.

Like Mercedes, Audi employed a five-cylinder layout for its diesel engine, an extrapolation of nan four-pot lipid burner that powered galore a Volkswagen successful Europe astatine nan time. Even pinch nan turbo mixing things up, nan iron-block, aluminum-head 2.0-liter mill only managed a meager 84 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque erstwhile new. In a car of nan 5000's size, that was hardly adequate, pinch modern tests suggesting that nan A/C should beryllium unopen disconnected astatine stoplights to let for reasonable acceleration upon hitting nan green.

Audi only offered 1 transmission connected nan 5000 turbo diesel, and that's benignant of an oddball, too. Basically conscionable a three-speed automatic, nan transaxle does person a statement piece, which is nan "E" parameter connected nan displacement selector. That mounting allows nan motor to freewheel erstwhile nan driver lifts disconnected nan accelerator, frankincense adding to nan car's substance system bona fides.

According to nan seller, this 5000's motor has benefitted from a caller timing loop and h2o pump, on pinch a rebuild of its injector pump and cylinder injectors. They now declare that it "Runs and drives great."

That doesn't mean it's each strudels and pick pinch this aged Audi, however. Per nan seller, nan A/C, which has been converted from its environmentally unfriendly R12 to thing a spot little toxic, is leaking and frankincense remains a scofflaw. The powerfulness doorway locks are besides connected nan fritz, truthful scheme connected utilizing nan cardinal and door-top buttons to unafraid nan car.

Everything else—power seats, windows, sunroof, etc.—is said to activity arsenic it should. Aesthetically, it appears to beryllium successful beautiful coagulated shape, too, contempt being complete 4 decades old. Additionally, it only has a specified 93,221 miles connected nan clock, truthful it's not worn to a frazzle. The bodywork is painted organization white; however, nan apical overgarment appears to person held up very well. There are nary evident signs of harm aliases roadworthy rot, and nan mill alloys still person their halfway caps. Speaking of looks, tin we each work together that nan Virginia ancient conveyance plates this Audi wears look for illustration thing secreted retired from down nan Iron Curtain?

The Audi's interior, pinch leather seating surfaces and a emblematic monochrome German achromatic colour scheme, besides looks to beryllium holding up its extremity of nan bargain. It moreover has its original Panasonic-sourced AM/FM cassette stereo successful nan halfway stack.

A cleanable title wraps up this Audi's resume and leads america to see its seller's group asking value of $8,900. That's an fierce amount, but earlier we see nan car's value, we request to postulate who this car's target assemblage mightiness be. Is location a large capable classical Audi fanbase for this car to find a buyer? This is simply a rare, though glacially slow, classical car that really is small much than a blip connected nan Audi timeline. It was besides overshadowed successful its era by nan shameful tarnishing of nan marque successful nan mediate of nan decade complete mendacious claims of unintended acceleration, enflamed by a lurid conception connected CBS's 60 Minutes TV show.

What do you think? Could this Audi find a fan? And erstwhile it does, will that $8,900 asking value make that instrumentality moreover happier pinch nan find?

You decide!

Nice Price aliases No Dice:

Richmond, Virginia, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T to Michael Brown for nan hookup!

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