Audi is a company that has become renowned for building cars of the highest quality, and are not afraid of pushing the boundaries of engineering and performance. Earlier Audis didn’t tend to push engineering as far as some of their competitors, but their cars have always been built to the highest standards. Introduced in 1968, the 100 exemplified this desire to achieve quality excellence, and if this 1973 model is as described by the owner, then it amply demonstrates this trait. Located in Roslyn, New York, you will find the Audi listed for sale here on eBay.
The owner claims that the paint is original, and if this is true, it is in remarkable condition. The gloss is simply amazing for a car of this age, and while there are a few small stone-chips, there doesn’t appear to be any signs of rust in the panels. There is a shot of the trunk floor, and it looks as good as it did the day that the car rolled off the production line. What I did notice that seems to be completely at odds with the rest of the car is that the chrome is peeling off the rear bumper, just below the license plate.
The mechanical state of the car is where things become a bit cloudy, as we get no engine photos and very little other information. The engine should be the 1.9-liter 4-cylinder engine, which produces 91hp. We do know that the transmission is automatic and that the car has recently had the tank cleaned, the carburetor and fuel pump rebuilt, and some minor brake work. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. The owner does state that the car has covered a claimed 26,000 original miles, but like so much about this car, he doesn’t indicate whether he holds any evidence to back this claim.
The interior of the Audi is in nice condition, but it isn’t perfect. There is a pretty substantial crack in the dash pad, and it’s a bit hard to tell whether this could be repaired, or whether the pad would require replacement. The seats and upholstery look good, but the carpet is quite tired, and could probably stand to be replaced. It would be quite easy to just gloss over these issues and to live with them, but there is a very good reason why you would want to achieve perfection with this car, and we’re about to come to it.
There is no arguing that the general presentation of this Audi is quite impressive, but it is by no means perfect. These are a nice car to drive, but the performance of this one would be blunted by the automatic transmission. The reason that I would be seeking perfection from this car revolves around the price. The owner has set a BIN price of $13,000 for the Audi, but the option is there to make an offer. However, the price does come with a certain level of justification. The 100 was the first Audi that was sold in the USA, with sales commencing in 1970. From then until the model was updated in 1976, there were something like 300,000 of the first-generation 100 model sold in the US. Today, there are less than 1,000 roadworthy examples known to exist. That makes the 100 a surprisingly rare car. Is that rarity enough to justify the price?
My grandfather had one of these when I was little. They are beautiful, but generally considered terrible cars. His caught fire while crossing the Verrazano-Narrows bridge and that was the end of it.
A 1976 100 LS was the subject of the famous U.S Supreme Court case World Wide Volkswagen v. Woodson, which is taught to all first-year law students for its precedent on state court jurisdiction.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World-Wide_Volkswagen_Corp._v._Woodson
To my eye that interior isn’t a 26,000 mile car. Because the exterior looks so great I expect more from the interior than what is shown. If there’s documentation to support the mileage claim then okay.
I like it, but I’m not seeing anywhere near 13k for it, “rare” or not. As nice as it is, it’s a forgettable car and most people that spend money like that want to be seen and remembered.
There’s a lot of wear on the heater controls, radio, and glove box door for 26K miles. I’m thinking more like +200K and a repaint. I have an ’80 Dasher in mint condition with 60K miles that I thought would be worth 5-6K, maybe I should put it up for 13K since it’s just as rare….
Our 1974 100LS rusted faster than it accelerated.
Anyone who has owned one, and I have, will never accept statements about these being “highest quality” or built to exceptional standards etc.
They made that generation until 1977. I had several in the 1977 was the best one. The interior doesn’t match the exterior in regards to low mileage.
We had one when I was 15. 3 door handles opened one way and one opened the opposite way. We went through a period when it wouldn’t start my mom would let me try while she stood outside the door and I always got it started. We finally realized the door had to be open for it to start. My father eventually gave it away.
Looks like a tidy example, albeit with more miles on the clock than advertised.
Frankly, I’m more interested in the Commer van parked behind it…
You know, you write that there were over 300,000 examples sold here yet less than a thousand still roadworthy . . . so how could anyone think these were well built cars?? The numbers speak for themselves.
Exactly my thoughts…create perceived rarity by crushing 299,000 of them.
This is the nicest looking example I have ever seen, even counting the ones that were fairly new at the time.
I don’t remember Audi using such bold colors on their cars.
My friends mom had one that was light blue. His father was a former fighter pilot in Vietnam and she was a college professor. They loved and hated that car (nothing to unique with German cars). I remember it wiped heads and while it looked beautiful, I learned that German cars rust inside out, and American did the reverse.
According to Carsalebase, the total sales in USA of the C1 was 146,500ish. I doubt there’s 100 in this country in that condition by now. I’m originally from Michigan and completely agree they “rusted faster than they accelerated”. I thought the Fox was a much better car all around. 500lbs lighter and much more nimble, but it rusted just as fast…
I worked in a Porsche+Audi dealership in early 1973 and they were selling a bunch of these without much enthusiasm. We would swap out “interiors” by sliding out the front seats and flipping out the backs. The cars were so basic they resembled a front wheel drive VW beetle. Not much fun to drive, especially compared to the contemporary 914’s. The air shop was on the other side of LA and if you had to drive an Audi across town it was a real chore. The Porsches on the other hand were a real treat.
To Audi’s credit they hung in there and eventually made some cars that lived up to the hype. But there’s a good reason so few of this generation are left.
This is one “collectible” that is far surpassed by the proverbial used Civic.
My immediate superior drove one of these. I thought it was nice & checked them out. The dealer wouldn’t budge on price, but Peter Fuller Cad-Olds would give me a hefty discount on a ’73 Olds convertible. Bought the Olds.
“Peter Fuller Cadillac” That brings back several memories. One is the Cadillacs being displayed on oriental carpets. The other is that after Peter Fuller was elected governor, for generations, Massachusetts BOUGHT it’s Governor a Cadillac, while the other states leased Lincolns,
My first project car!!! Found it in an uncle’s shed. Probably should have left it there, but I spent a month of sundays getting it running. On the 75 mile drive home the master cylinder failed and I had to use the e brake to nurse it home. While waiting on a new one ($300, a lot for a 17 year old in 1992) my dad decided it was a waste of my time and had it hauled off. After showing him what I had into it he found a nice Mercury Capri (1980, had a 5.0 in place of the original 2.3) and brought it home, he was forgiven.
I’ve owned three “modern Audi’s” and two left me by the side of the road Life is too short to settle for mediocrity.
Don’t think I ever saw a 2door 100.This generation is very typical ‘European’ stylewise ,highly reminisent of the BMW 3.0 or Fiat 124 coupe.
As for the mechanicals ,Audi had yet not become that Vorsprung durch Technik automaker as we know it today – this and also the coming gen 80 were more or less jazzed-up Passats, and Audis didn’t really start moving until they got the 5cyl.A slushbox coupled to that tiny 4cyl doesn’t really break any barriers.
I’m born in 77 and got into cars extremely early;remember these 100’s were rarely seen even in the early 80s,and those times I did it would be a rusted beater!As VAG got into the water-cooled age they still struggled for years with sheetmetal issues we remember with Beetles and Buses…
As for this specific 100 pro:extremely rare 2door Ur-Audi in (seemingly)good condition,hardly plausible you’ll spot another on your next VW/Audi gathering con:extremely rare vehicle as a result of being low quality rather than good,making Italian cars seem like being made of stainless steel…!
I definately like this Audi, but 13K?That’s steep, however I wouldn’t be surprised should some dedicated Audi guy snatch it
I have one and will try to restore it but not sure if the engine will stay original but I really like the style and shape!
That’s a cool Audi you have there Aleksei, have you ever measured whether it’s possible to fit a later 5cyl to it? I’ve enclosed some inspiriation for you…!
I had a 73 and I agree totally with all of the comments about rust and bad quality. The issue with these cars is that they are great to drive when they work but the problem is they don’t work a lot of the time. It was difficult to find someone that could work on them in the small town I was in and FWD was a very unusual thing at the time. Oh, and let’s not forget the overheating issue so many, including mine, had. The Audi 5000 was supposed to be the saving grace of Audi in the US but they had numerous problems as well (speaking from experience as a foreign car mechanic). I hope the Audi sold in the US are as good as claimed because the sure do cost a lot of money.
These were TERRIBLE vehicles! The Audi of the late 60’s/early 70’s is nothing like today’s Audi.
Did you ever own a 100? If not, why comment? I had 2, and they were both great cars, and I used to haul ass everywhere I went in them.
You couldn’t pay me to own an Audi, current or classic. I knew a guy who had a 99, and it was probably the worst car ever made. Much later, a friend bought a brand new A6, and soon the defective fuel gauge left him stranded on a New York City freeway. My sister in law had an A6 a few years back…she spent a fortune fixing that car. Now my aunt, who is 81, tells me she bought a used A6 from some dealership. I didn’t have the heart to tell her…
I bought a 73 100LS new. I also had a love/hate relationship with the car. In 73, they changed the intake and the cars had a proclivity to burn valves and valve seals. I fought with VW over it and eventually, they fixed it, but it always used oil. Eventually, the head gasket needed to be replaced. It was fun to drive between issues. I had two Rabbits after that and a Jetta GLI which was a good car.
Nomex suit included.
My roommate while stationed in germany bought one of these for $100.00 from a guy going back to the states. Such a deal! Well until he tried to get it inspected. That thing was rusted so bad it had been rejected by the German inspections years before and ended up going to an american as most old german cars did at the time. The american insp wasn’t near as tough. But this one was a gonner. It did run exceptionally well. My roomy sold it to newby that just arrived at the unit. He got so frustrated trying to get it on the road he got drunk one night and took the car in front of the MP station where he proceeded to do donuts until he blew the motor. Good times. LMAO.
nice car and I know the current owner because I sold him some parts but the car is coming from Maryland, I think, and there is rust underneath. Well, the 100 never really worked well out here in the States but it worked just fine in Europe. I don”t know why that is though. I still have 3 of those, one is a beat up daily driver, the other 2 are good original ones but except for some minor stuff none of the cars really gave me a big problem
Like a couple of other posters I questioned the originality of that paint color. It looks identical to one on Earl Scheib’s basic color charts [ “Reds and metallics extra”].
But it is an original Audi 100 color: Bermuda Green.
For me the Audi 100 is one of the best looking designs ever, especially without the federalized bumpers. It’s just…… right.
However, I have rarely read anything positive about them as far as reliability and they even made it into the book “Lemon Cars” that included such luminaries as the Vega.
I had a 100, light creme/yellowish. Beautiful car with big soft seats, never gave any problems and looked very good build quality. My wife had a “downer” pill problem and made the car look like it had been in multiple demo derbys. I also had a wonderful 5000. I live in Cen. Fla. You guys must all live in the rustbelt. I’d love to have this 100, but his price beyond funny. It will not sell.
The first car I ever owned in high school in 1978 was a used 1973 Audi 100GL, the one with the “vinyl roof” (yep, betcha didn’t know some Audi’s have vinyl roofs!).
But, being as that it was in Michigan, and the terribly salted winter roads made this car a Fred Flintstone mobile in just a couple of years …
Eventually, rust got the better of it and I did manage to drive it to a salvage yard under it’s own power. Replacing th3 ’73 100GL car was a 1972 Audi 100LS …
I am currently on my 7th Audi (’04 A6) and still also own the 5th Audi (’03 A6 Avant) & 6th Audi (1990 Coupe Quattro).
Own an ’02 A-4 with 185,000 miles, in the shop with some mysterious electrical bugs at the moment, and a ’14 Q5 that had 10 days in the shop in the first 50,000 miles (warranty covered) all electrical issues, (Audi electronics are a match for Lucas in the old days) but the A-4 sedan handles better than about anything else I have ever owned except the Jag XK 150 S. Both are great in snow, neither has any rust despite years in New England, except where the paint has been scratched. Both are as fast as you can practically drive in the US, both can go from 60 to 90 or so in a flash, necessary in the rural west, where we now reside, with 2 lane roads, to pass the tourists and the big rigs.
Terrible cars yes, but they established the brand in the US and any Audi enthusiast should want what is probably the best one in existence. I don’t like them, I am interested however in the Commer van behind it.
I worked for an Audi dealer when these were new.
Run away.
Run fast. Run hard.
Don’t look back.
RUN!!!!!!!!!
Plus one on the Commer….
This thread is getting a lot of mileage, I’m impressed. I’ve had Fox’s, Dasher, and Rabbits. It must be hit and miss on quality and reliability because I’ve had no unusual issues with any of mine other than rusting. Audi’s were expensive to work on until you discover all the parts are VW (after the 100). Pic is my current toy, until I find another Fox, or maybe a Mk1 GTi…
GTiDave; I absolutely agree the response to this Audi is shocking!I never owned one,a guy in high school class inherited one from a long deceased relative and it was pristine when he got his driver’s license.I believe it gave him two winters before it kneeled to rust…
Apart from the rust issues(like all similar Euro cars had), this C1 should indeed be a very important model for any VW/Audi enthusiast.By today’s standards it’s no technical marvel,but it deserves the Ur-Audi designation as it’s the first VAG Audi sold after VW aquired Auto-Union,NSU and DKW brands.From a technical-historical point it’s also vital, as the development of this C1 created the basis for VW’s transition from air-cooled RR cars to the water-cooled FF they have to this day.The C1 paved way for further development into Audi80/Fox, your VW Dasher/Passat, and later Golf/Rabbit/Scirocco and the much more successful C2 Audi100/5000.
The one featured here definately deserves being with some dedicated VW/Audi enthusiast, it’s shocking and great it’s alive.Never saw any 2door around except a couple of fastback coupe’s. Don’t think they were sold in US?
Of the 8 VAG water cooled vehicles I’ve owned, the only ones that were genuinely trouble free were the two (Brazil built) Foxes I bought in ‘89. The worst was the ‘75 Rabbit I bought new (from my father, a VW dealer!) and runner up was my ‘00 Golf Cabrio, my last VW.😖
Very happy with the last 3 Toyota’s I’ve owned…😊
My two cents; I had an ’80 Audi 4000S, 4-door, manual transmission. It braked and cornered and handled very well, however, when it got below 10 degrees F (not often in Chicago, but…) it wouldn’t start. Not a jump, not a replaced battery, nothing. Better yet, the low profile tires and factory wheels didn’t hold up hitting shallow pot holes or rail road tracks, even at slower speeds. Replacement cost, $500/tire and wheel, twice. In the early 80’s that was a lot of money. What finished me off was after nine years and only 44k miles, I had to have the clutch replaced, $1,500, sold it right after for $2,200. Nice car, but never again. Audi….more like ouchie.
p.s. Given the parts were stamped with the Audi symbol and VW symbol, I figured the parts were interchangeable. I convinced the local VW dealership to service my car and saved a small bundle on the labor charge. I’m not sure many other VW dealerships would’ve agreed. Different era.
I did the same with my 356 Porsche, back in the 60’s. Sometimes I had to use machinists blue to bring up numbers that had been ground off.