words: Bill, photos: Bring A Trailer
I’ve seen this Avant before…well, I’m 91% certain I’ve seen it before. Many moons ago in a different life, I was volunteering at a United Way Day of Caring and our assignment was in a park in Nazareth, PA. It was hot, we were moving rocks the size of Beetles from one pile to another, and out of a crew of 7, there were only 3 of us moving those rocks. Needless to say, I was not in the best of moods. We took a break and as I was drinking some water, I glanced across the park and saw a sight that made me smile. A black Audi 200 Avant was sitting in a driveway and the soreness melted away. Afterwards, I wandered over to admire it. It was in great shape and I recognized the dealer on the plate frame as I was just looking at a car on their website.
Flash forward to yesterday. While looking for a new FOTD, I stumbled across this Avant. As I was looking at the picture, I was startled to see the plate frame. I glanced at the seller’s location and said No way…this can’t be the same Avant. Here’s the ad:
This 1991 Audi 200 Quattro Avant is a black-over-tan wagon that is powered by a turbocharged 2.2-liter 3B 20-valve inline-five mated to a five-speed manual transaxle and Quattro all-wheel drive. Equipment includes forged 15” BBS wheels, automatic climate control, a factory cassette stereo, heated and power-adjustable front seats, roof rails, fog lights, a rear spoiler, and a locking rear differential. The car spent time in New Jersey before it was acquired by the seller’s father in 2013, and recent work included replacement of the tires, alternator belt, a window regulator, and the front wheel liners and lower fender trim, as well as servicing the air-conditioning system. Now showing 97k miles, this Type 44 is offered by the seller on behalf of his father with partial service records, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Pennsylvania title.
This 20V Avant is one of a claimed 149 examples exported to the US for the model year and the bodywork is finished in black. Features include roof rails, front and rear fog lights, and a rear spoiler. The seller reports the rear wiper does not work, the sunroof will open but does not close, and the lower front fender trim and wheel well liners were replaced in May 2021. Close-up photos of the paint, trim, and blemishes are provided in the gallery below.
Forged 15” BBS wheels are wrapped in Yokohama Avid Touring S tires that were fitted in May 2021. The car retains its original ‘UFO’ front brake discs with internally mounted calipers, and the front brake pad sensors were repaired in May 2021. The rear trailing arm bushings were replaced at the same time.
The heated and power-adjustable front seats are upholstered in tan leather, and wood trim accents the center stack, dashboard, and door panels. Amenities include power windows, cruise control, and a factory cassette stereo, and a differential activation switch and indicator are mounted in the center console. Recent work included replacement of the driver’s window regulator, repair of the shift boot, re-gluing the headliner, and servicing and recharging the air-conditioning system.
The four-spoke airbag steering wheel frames a 170-mph speedometer and a tachometer, as well as gauges for coolant temperature, fuel, oil temperature, oil pressure, and voltage. The six-digit odometer shows 97k miles, approximately 8k of which were added during current ownership.
The turbocharged 2.2-liter 3B 20-valve inline-five was factory rated at 217 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque. The timing belt was most recently changed in 2014 at 90k miles, and service in May 2021 includes replacing the alternator belt and the temperature sensor o-ring. Service records from current ownership are provided in the gallery below.
Power is sent to all four wheels through a five-speed manual transaxle and Quattro all-wheel drive. Additional photos of the underside can be seen in the gallery below.
The Carfax report shows no accidents or damage and lists history in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
I would love to acquire this Avant. 200s are getting harder and harder to find especially in this condition. Unfortunately, my wife just informed me that the air conditioner unit is making the same grinding noise it made the other day and after we spent a good amount of money on repairs/parts. So instead of a classic Audi Avant in my driveway, it looks like a new a/c unit will be there instead. Oh joy. If you are interested, there’s about 5 days left and the top bid is $7,300…the same amount I’m probably going to pay for a new a/c unit. You can find this Avant HERE and me in the background…sobbing but at least cool.
