This 1993 Audi 100 CS is a fairly ordinary car by almost every measure, except for one: you don’t see them in this sort of condition anymore. Essentially from an era when Audi was still emerging from the “unintended acceleration” fiasco, the 100 was an inoffensive mid-sized luxury sedan that wasn’t particularly exceptional aside from offering the then-unique combination of standard all-wheel-drive in this vehicle segment. The car shown here is an anomaly, as most of these cars have been used, abused, and given to the scrap pile. It is a recent charitable donation with under 40,000 original miles and is listed here on eBay with no reserve and bids to $5,500.
I have a strangely similar story to the Audi 100 shown here, as I snagged its high-octane sibling – the Audi S6 – off of the original owner this past summer, who was planning to donate the vehicle after buying a new Tesla. The S6 featured a turbocharged five-cylinder engine, and mine is the rare wagon version. All bragging aside, the C4 chassis cars are still handsome all these years later, and have aged surprisingly well. It’s a shame we don’t see more of them pop up for sale in this sort of condition, as its relatively low value makes it a compelling option for an affordable entry-level classic that still functions as a suitable daily driver.
The cabins are straightforward and driver-focused, with a clear center stack typically featuring a factory Bose stereo. Driver and passenger get their own airbag, which wasn’t a given in 1993. The wood trim is surprisingly durable and the same goes for the heated leather seats. The seller notes that the air conditioning still works and that all of the power features are still working. One accident is noted in its history file, and I suspect I can spot where it happened as the badges on the trunk lid are in the wrong location; the “100 CS” badge should be on the left side of the lid, not the right.
The 2.8L V6 makes 172 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque, which is still adequate in today’s traffic patterns. The seller notes that the timing belt has been changed, which is a must-do job on Audis of this vintage. The listing notes that the brakes appear to be fairly recent and the tires are in good shape and evenly matched. The strong cosmetics all around, including in the engine compartment, help to lend credibility to the low mileage reading as well as the fact that the deceased previous owner took great care of their 100 CS sedan. While it won’t ever be worth appreciably more than it is right now, I doubt you’ll find one this nice any time soon.
Not sure about these older Audis,but I’ve been told that
with the newer ones you need to sell them before the warranty
expires,or lease one,so you don’t have to deal with all of the
expensive problems that will turn up afterwards.
Jeff I agree this is a handsome car that aged well. Few can remember that 93 was a tough year for Audi. They were coming out of a dark time where pulling from the US market was on the table if sales didn’t improve. The 60 minutes scandal and poor quality control were nails in Audi’s coffin. For 93 the Audi 100 and 200 were mechanically revamped and are some of the best products Audi produced. They ditched Bosch in favor of Hitachi for the fuel injection and when we saw them at the dealer they were rock solid. I would say the only weak link was that 4-speed auto box. Not a bad ZF unit but not as robust as the later 5 and 6speed units. Shouldn’t be an issue with this one with low miles.
my 92 cs Quattro was one of 77 imported with a 5 speed and color combination. the car was over-engineered and ostensibly bulletproof. still on the road with its new owner up in Seattle area. should have never sold it. have had 23 cars… that was possibly the best and easily in my top 3.
For at least one year–1987–the predecessor Audi 5000CS Quattro Turbo, was mechanically the Audi Ur-Quattro race car with a sedan body slapped on it. That was the year Quattros got banned from Group B rally racing, for just being too good. I rode in one, five-cylinder refitted with a more robust Porsche turbo, snapped up by a former racer, and saw him routinely outrace Corvettes and Trans-Ams on the open road, and rank very high in the slalom races at the VW-family “Bug-Out” shows. He planned to swap in a 20-valve header at some point, but hit a deer in Vermont and ended up losing the car in litigation with the garage over whether or not the suspension was indeed rectified…….. I recall someone snapped it up out of a storage auction……
I’ve always wondered if grabbing one of these “interim” Audis–the 100/200s that preceded the TTs–would come anywhere near the testosterone rush of that “closet Ur-Quattro”………..
You could eat off that engine. A real testament to the guy who maintained this vehicle.
One of the last Audi models I admired the looks of at all, when Audi design was still a distinctively clean, rational, geometric Statement. You can imagine this might’ve been laid out in 4-view drawings at a tilted drafting table with technical pens using a straightedge, French curves, and circle templates for the radiused corners — or at least their early digital equivalents, no Bézier curves or 3D modeling software need apply.
Audi’s introduction of their contrived, gimmicky “tombstone” grill was the beginning of the end for me; IMO when they wanted to “bling up” the front end as an upscale signifier, they should have just enlarged the chrome Auto Union rings to become the entire grille opening and otherwise stuck to their rational design principles.
Since that fateful misstep, I haven’t much cared for anything they’ve made. Pleasant enough, sure, but overwrought-yet-anonymous like so much else out there lately. Absent arbitrary branding signatures like the logo and grille, they could have been put out by nearly anybody.
When everyone is shouting and gesticulating wildly for attention, nobody gets seen or heard above the din… except maybe the one guy sitting calmly amid the throng, patiently whispering reason in the ears of those who take note of him as the exception to the prevailing rule.
May have been worked at both ends..who knows. You’re correct on the rear logos, but accident was in the front per Carfax. These are wonderful driving cars..had one exactly like it and it was a pleasure to drive.
That sidewalk is getting to be a popular place to sell cars from. First a Subaru, now an Audi. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
FWD, auto, limits the market for sure on this one. Nice specimen for someone looking for this car, though. Parts are becoming obsolete as well.
The best era of Audi. As everything was on top. Fitment.
Quality. Reliability. Haptic. Materials. 6 of 6 stars.
This models today still receive high sell prices for clean
eyamples. Clean means not this molested and dirty cars
usually seen overseas.