Audi 80 TDi Estate - are they any good?

**Rorty_Corty** · 03-02-2008,11:06 PM

Hello folks,

This is a repeat of a question I put in the general area before I found this model specific bit and thought I'd ask in here aswell incase it gets missed by the experts.

I'm looking to replace my daily driver with a diesel estate car. I've always liked the look of the Audi 80 though I've never owned an Audi, and have found that they have fallen into my meagre budget (about £1,000). I'm just a little concerned that I might be asking for trouble.

The classifieds are full of everyday french diesel estates such as pug 405 and 406 and Vectras for this money and they would seem the natural choice but I was thinking that prehaps the build quality of the Audi might make it more reliable and the fact that Audi are a bit more prestige than the others might mean they've been better looked after rather than used as a general hack.

Can anyone give me any idea as to how economical they are? Are they much worse than the newer A4 and A6? Is there anything to watch out for and how steep are parts prices?

Thanks for any help, all advice is much appreciated.

Cheers,

Smiler.

**S2AVANT** · 07-02-2008,10:16 AM

Simple answer yes they are good.
Parts are quite easy to find and cheap from GSF, ECP etc.
When you have a look for a cheap diesel see how many are advertised with 200k plus miles on them. I have seen quite a few 80 tdis with this mileage.
The engine is the same as the early A4 tdi so it should do the same mpg.

**allan_audi** · 08-02-2008,11:29 AM

They are excellent cars!

But, they do suffer a couple of niggles. Watch out for the infamous judder, when driving as you accelerate/decelerate the engine will judder. You can only drop the clutch to control, there is a temporary fix but no cure as yet! Watch for idle judder, engine should be steady at idle.

They do seem to eat through wishbone bushes (I've ordered Powerflex Poly bushes, harder wearing), and are generally hard on brakes etc, but I guess it depends on how you drive.

Apart from that, great car, I've done 25k in 10 months, it returns 50MPG, and has never let me down. Plus I still think it looks a good car, no rust, excellent handling too.

**Rorty_Corty** · 10-02-2008,03:13 PM

Thanks for the replies, I was begining to give up hope.

Sounds like it could be a good contender then. Most of the cars I have seen on autotrader have high miles on them, I guess it just comes down to how long it's been since the cambelt and tensioner were done. I've heard mention of this judder as well. What is the temporary fix? Just to give me some idea of what the problem may be.

Cheers again folks.

**allan_audi** · 13-02-2008,09:00 PM

Yeah just check the cambelt has been changed, interval is 60k Miles. I just changed mind as soon as I bought it for peace of mind.

The temporary fix for the judder is to disconnect the VSS (vehicle speed signal) to the ECU. We've discussed under another topic;

https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?p=66995

I still don't think anyone has discovered the actual cause yet!

**micheal balbrig** · 13-02-2008,10:58 PM

Originally Posted by allan_audi

Yeah just check the cambelt has been changed, interval is 60k Miles. I just changed mind as soon as I bought it for peace of mind.

The temporary fix for the judder is to disconnect the VSS (vehicle speed signal) to the ECU. We've discussed under another topic;

https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?p=66995

I still don't think anyone has discovered the actual cause yet!

This engine juddering problem can be caused by a faulty electronic throttle
control unit which is located on top of the fuel injection pump
the unit is not supplied as a seperate item

**Jabez** · 13-02-2008,11:24 PM

Hi
Yeh I can't recommend the late 80 Tdi's enough, they're great value for money, 50 mpg all day long, dont rust, great to drive, it'll be the grand you've ever spent no a motor, dont be frightened of hihm mile if the vehicle has good history,..... check cam belt has been done, if not, do it !!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Jabez

**Rorty_Corty** · 13-02-2008,11:25 PM

Hmm, other than potential economy issues(overfueling on the over-run etc...) does disconnecting the VSS cause any problems?

**jimmyhvac** · 16-02-2008,10:33 AM

I crashed my Audi 80, so i bought another one. My brother needed a new car so i sold him mine, and bought another one for myself. The audi 80 is the finest road car ever to grace the planet.