Just bought a 1995 Audi 80 TDI Estate

[c4koh]

As the title says, I've just bought off ebay a 95 Audi 80 TDI Estate in dark blue. Although it has 177K on the clock, MOT'd to October 2008 and taxed to April 2008... I got it for £750 which I think seems reasonable enough.

OK - will collect it likely tomorrow, so would welcome advice from you folks: this is my first Audi.

Is £750 reasonable?
Anything to look out for particularly with those? Mentions a slight miss at low rpms, which I'm reckoning are probably clogs in the lines or injectors?
Any other advice / things to look out for?
Oh - can I do odd jobs easily enough at home, i.e. brakes, discs, oil etc.? Or is it a pain?

Thanks - and I'm looking forward to this new change. My other family car is a Cadillac 300hp STS, so this Audi Estate probably couldn't be more different...

[Dr G]

All the bits are cheap from GSF; do the glow plugs if they haven't seen attention in the last 50k, if these are grubby they tend to run fairly rough.

Tough old boats these, no reason why it won't do the same mileage again.

[c4koh]

Dr G - thanks for the reply.

OK will add glow plugs to the list of to-dos. Picking the car up this afternoon, so will see it then.

All the reading I've done has suggested as you say - they're old tanks and should be good for a fair bit yet! My parents recently let go of a 1995 Volvo 960 (a bit thirsty now) and it was on 250000 miles! So my 177K is nothing.

[c4koh]

Picked the car up, nice enough. Electric door mirrors and sunroof, but somehow no electric windows. Pah. Still, drive home was quite good - nice and solid car. Power steering erring on the light side - very little connection between wheel and road.

Performance isn't stellar, not that I expected it for a 177,000 mile, 12 year old diesel! But respectable enough. 85mph on the motorway in 5th and very little acceleration, didn't try going down to 4th from there.

Car drives OK, turbo very gradual and doesn't seem to have huge lag.

Only concern is the slight missing: manifests itself intermittently between 1200rpm and 2500rpm and felt through the gear stick more than anything; downshift and >2500rpm and it's gone. Intermittent as I said, happened under acceleration, coasting and slowdown, and various times not at all.

Other than missing as described, seems good.

And now... the Haynes manual: er, there isn't one. In fact, there seems to be very little around like it... any clues?

[Dr G]

Try the one from Bentley publishing, they're much better than HBOLs.

[A S P]

My friend in Germany has one of these and yesterday he told me it just went past 350k KM's. You're right it's not the sprightliest of things but we've hammered it up and down the Autobahns and it was rock solid, apart from obvious wear and tear there have been no major breakages or costs whilst he's had it for the last 10 yrs or so, it seems to be built like a tank.