As the last year for the Audi 200 model and the one-and-only year for the 20-valve DOHC turbo Quattro car in the US market, this 1991 Audi 200 20V Turbo Quattro sedan is somewhat rare to see today. The seller has this car posted here on craigslist in Arvada, Colorado and they’re asking a mere $2,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mark_K for sending in this tip!
The Audi 200 20V Turbo Quattro was the last of the flagship Audis with fewer than eight cylinders as they were replaced by the V8 cars the following year. I’m sad to say that I have never seen one in person and I’ve been an Audi fan for many decades and Audi owner for the last couple of decades. The seller doesn’t show us the driver’s side at all or any other exterior photos than the opening photo of the passenger side. They say that there is a little rust and the paint is poor.
The Audi 200 was the top sedan, above the 100 series, and the C3 Audis (1983 to 1992) came in four-door sedans and four-door wagons, or five-door estates as some might say. Both the sedan and wagon versions came with either front-wheel-drive or Audi’s AWD system known as quattro. The seller of this 200 turbo says that this car was their daily driver years ago but has been sitting outside in their driveway for several years and has”deteriorated”. What a crying shame.
As a “big” Audi, this 200 20V turbo quattro is about three inches shorter than a new Honda Accord, so that tells you how much vehicles have changed over the decades when a big, luxurious, exotic-for-the-time Audi is shorter than a Honda Accord. Of course, the new Honda Accord is probably a much more luxurious car in almost every way now than this Audi was in 1991. For the record, and you most likely could predict this: the new Accord is a little faster from 0-60 and gets about 10 more MPG, too. Of course, there were around 1,000 Audi 200 20V turbo quattro sedans sold in the US in 1991 and over 200,000 Accords sold last year. So if you want exclusivity, it isn’t an Accord.
The engine is the big deal with this Audi, it’s their 2.2L inline-five DOHC turbo with four valves per cylinder, hence the 20V portion of the name. This engine was factory-rated at 217 horsepower and 227 lb-ft of torque and the seller says that it starts but runs rough. They say that it’s been chipped and a rare car like this deserves to be restored back to bone-stock spec and condition, in my opinion. Have any of you heard of this model?
The car is worth the asking just for the engine alone. Somebody will probably scarf this up for a UR Quattro engine swap. I had a Audi 5000 CS Turbo with the 5-speed. Not a quick car by todays standards but what a highway cruiser it was. 70-80mph on a trip and I was pushing 30mpg. Very quiet at speed and comfortable. And who doesn’t love the 5-cylinder drone. It’s a very pleasing sounding engine that needs no phony synthetic noise to polish a turd. Cars are also very capable in the snow. Always liked the vacuum diff locks.
I would take this in a heartbeat to swap this out in my 1973 Audi 100
You would need to either add length to the nose or move the firewall. That engine is long.
That engine is shockingly clean given the state of the exterior. Sad to see this car in this shape. These were awesome back in the day.
Red is always a tough color to keep from fading like this.
I consider myself blessed having owned a 200 quattro. Oh, did I mention it was the 200 quattro Avant? Only 149 imported into the U.S. Talk about rare. Fantastic car!
A “little rust” (without explanation or pictures of it).
Is that like being “a little pregnant”?
1988…Audi ruled the Trans AM race series with the 200 Quattro! If this could be had for $500 this would be an amazing Tour De Lemons car!
I remember when these were new. All new Audis came with the “Audi Card”, which meant ALL service was paid for by Audi for a specified time/mileage (warranty period). It covered Everything, including wear-items like brakes, tires, shocks, as well as oil-changes, tune-ups ect. . If you made “friends” with the Service Manager, you could get your car almost completely rebuilt for free, just before the card expired.
Interestingly, used Audi values plummeted after the card expired.
I remember that. Audi had to pull the stops to regain customer confidence in the early 90’s after the 60 minutes smear campaign claiming unintended acceleration. Even had a hack screw with the idle stabilizer (IAC in SAE speak) to make the theory more plausible. You couldn’t even fault low vacuum causing brake boost issues since these systems were hydro boosted. Like everything else it was driver error but Audi dug their heels in and fought the allegations but power of media won out in the end.
Beautiful looking car. If only more pics were posted. When you advertise a car, the more pics posted, the better. IMHO, this was Audi’s last best looking car. My only complaint would be the lack of a Turbo Diesel engine. I remember when Audi offered for a painfully short time a turbo diesel engine back in the early to mid 1980s. Why they stopped is beyond me. For a Quattro AWD, I would think it’d be the perfect engine.
I drove a 200 20V sedan ‘loaner car’ for two days while I had my ’93 S4 in the shop for the Unintended Acceleration treatment by Alex, the keeper of Ned Ritchie’s chips. What a transformation for so little cash. The 200 20V (C3) and the S4 and S6 (C4)were relatively easy to work on with room under the hood and longitudinally mounted inline 5 engine with a single turbo and one O2 sensor before OBD2. The five appeared in the 1978 5000 and was used in vans and small trucks.
To keep them running well these days, you should become friends with members of forums or a mechanic who knows these cars’ quirks.
There were turbo diesel 2.2 fives in C4 sedans in markets outside of North America.
I just purchased one to restore. I replaced the front end and working my way into the car’s body and interior. I can’t wait to get her painted and repair the seats. The car has 284k miles but runs like a top.
I own a mate to this in Glacier Blue Metallic with black leather interior; a 5 speed with one previous owner and 70,000 miles. I purchased it from the Dr. who bought it new for his wife. She had preference for the automatic and so it was rarely driven. It is a very well preserved, garage kept beauty and will cruise all day at over triple digit speeds if asked to do it. Solid as a rock, built like a vault, and truly THE vintage Audi to own in 5 speed, 5 cylinder, sport touring configuration. With even the mileage shown on this red car, it is a bargain and deserves a good paint resurrection and mechanical rehab. I surely hope it’s not parted or decline into a further downward spiral. I was told by my Audi specialist that only 79 of the 5 speed cars came to North America….. and mine is only the second I have driven / owned. (I do also own 6 other pristine 200 turbos but they are either automatics or 2 wheel drive)
gone.