At $2,500, Is This 2005 Audi Allroad 4.2 A Broken Bargain?

The seller of today's Nice Price or No Dice Audi warns that it is rife with problems, calling it a "mechanic's special" and setting a price that they think acknowledges those issues. Let's see if that price makes it worth rolling our sleeves up and diving in.

Amateur auto racing is generally considered to be a rich person's hobby, although, at $3,500, yesterday's 1975 Fiat 128 coupe proved that even us poors could get the chance to turn a wheel in anger every now and then. Well-kitted for the track and accompanied by what was promised were boxes of extra parts, that little racer proved pretty endearing. So, too, did its easy-going price tag, which earned it a solid 62 percent Nice Price win.

Hey, are you a mechanic? Or do you just play one on TV? If the former, then today's 2005 Audi Allroad 4.2 is right up your alley. And that's probably where it should stay until some wrenches are thrown at it since it sounds like it has a butt-load of niggling problems.

Some of the problems the seller lists are common wear items on these cars, and some are things I tackled on the old A6 2.8 Avant I used to keep. Among the easier repairs needed are a front suspension rebuild, brake pad and rotor replacement, a torn CV boot, bad motor mounts and a windshield washer pump re-fit. The more egregious, difficult and expensive problems the car suffers include what the seller says is a crapped-out A/C compressor, a coolant leak at the rear of the engine (which is likely the plastic crossover pipe between the heads and a pain in the butt to replace), and what is said to be a bad fuel pump but, based on the symptom described, is more likely an issue with the EVAP system.

All of this has proven too much for the current owner's skill set and wallet, and, hence, they are putting the car up for grabs. Is it worth saving at any price? Well, the rest of the car seems pretty solid. It shows no signs of road rot, upstairs or downstairs, and both paint and trim seem to be in good shape, except for the missing wheel caps all around. These also remain really good-looking cars, especially these later models that tone down all the boring black plastic trim.

In the cabin, things look good, although in need of a deep cleaning. Audi sure does know how to make a solid and tasteful interior, and the wood trim and two-tone leather in this one liven things up a good bit. According to the seller, all the features work, right down to the heated steering wheel.

Other plusses include the finicky air suspension having been replaced with set-it-and-forget-it coil-overs and a clean title. Then there's the sweet 4.2 under the hood. That all-alloy 32-valve V8 brings 296 horsepower and 295 pounds-feet of torque to the table. The rest of the drivetrain is comprised of a five-speed automatic and Audi's venerable Quattro AWD. That drivetrain has pushed the Allroad to 122,250 miles in total, and the seller says that, with all the repairs completed, "it's probably good for 250K miles without worry."

We might not all concur with that contention, but I think we all can agree with the seller's assertion that this Audi is worth saving. It is, after all, in pretty good shape aside from the mechanical malfeasance, which mostly seems to be stuff that any decent shade tree mechanic could handle. Even the big stuff like the coolant leak and A/C compressor replacement is pretty standard stuff for a repair shop. The question is, then, would any of you pay $2,500 to take it all on?

That's the asking price for this compromised Quattro, and we'll now need to weigh in and see if we think that's a fair price—or even if it's worth saving at all. What's your opinion? Is $2,500 a deal even if you have to get your hands a little dirty? Or does the tsunami of issues mean this Audi should rightfully go to the scrapper?

You decide!

POLL:

Nice Price or No Dice:

2005 Audi Allroad 4.2 for $2,500.

Charlotte, North Carolina, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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