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An ad for this car could read like that:
Audi 100, built in 1981, twodoor, white 150000km, second owner, 12 years in first hand, 87PS, automatic transmission, all services at Audi till 120000km, technic ok, optically imperfect, price to negotiate.
No lies, but wrong nevertheless.
before
before

During my first semester (1997) at the Technical University of Darmstadt I saw an white Audi on day. At first I thought "Oh, an old Audi 100!" Then I doubted: "? Audi 80 ?" because I knew that the Audi 80 was built as a two-door. When I got nearer I became sure that this indeed was a two-door Audi 100. Till that day I never heard a thing of it. Neither did my father. Following research revealed the reason: low quantities were sold (only in Germany).
Even back then the car was in a bad condition. In the following weeks and months I often walked to the parking lot where it would stand. I already had the idea to redo the car some time. Time passing by and new dents, new rust and new dirt on the car enlarged my compassion on the car. It had TUeV (a german certificate that the car has passed the two-year examination) unti March, 2000. So I wrote a letter and put it behind the windscreen wipers. When the owner did not respond I suspected that he had taken this as a joke. I feared that the owner might bring the car to a scrap yard and therefore wrote a second letter confirming my wish to buy the car. The owner phoned back and admitted that he did not take it seriously the first time. We agreed that he would sell it to me when when he had found another car. In the last week of march it happened. We agreed on the 30th of March for the transaction and 100DM (about 50 Euro or 50 US-Dollar) for the price. I then had to fetch the special license plate and the insurance card and soon we (my father and me) were on or wayto Dramstadt.
The contact was signed the money was handed over, the license plates were mounted in the dark and rain and we were on our way. Me in the 43, my father following in his C5. Well, at first the engine would not do as I would have liked it to do. It stalled seconds after the start and then again on the first crossing (remember, it is automatic!). Well, we made it with a really bad electric system to the Autobahn heading towards Wiesbaden. Besides the headlights nearly everything would not work as it should. My father had my back and even the police in Darmstadt did not see anything. With my speed I adjusted to a bus. I did not have to drive full power, but it was loud and frightening enough nevertheless.
Back home, the family inspected the new members. On the next day washing was the thing to do. The dirt had to come down to analyse the condition. After 6 hours of intensive washing and cleaning here is the result: Besides brake fluid, battery acid and some rain water there was no fluid in the car. I had to get rid of a couple of hands full dirt and leaves, that did hide in places like the air cleaner box! Not to forget the glas fragments resulting from a breking-in some years ago. I removed the rear seats and layed them in the "sun" to dry. Disgusting! The rear windows was not sealed and so the rain had over the years been sucked up by the rear seats: heaviest rust on the disk that closes the hole for the fuel pump was the result. Many chrom trim was bent and blind, too. In the interieur: One side window mechanism malfunctioning, the window cranks nearly broken, dash board partially ripped, radio removed, the carpet was as moldy as the rear seats.
No posive things to mention? Sure: the lower ends of the doors were intact, the car has nearly no rust beneath, and the technical side (brakes, engine, transmission) seems to be in rather good condition.
And all that in 7 years and 30 thousand kilometers? From an "all services first hand car" to an optical breakdown? Well, when your only goal is to survive the next TUeV and you only see your car as a mean of transportation, always standing beneath trees and never being washed, that happens.

now
Still much work!


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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 by
Jens
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