First time post and former Audi owner (well, a 1984 Quantum is about the same thing!) is looking to step back into the ring and pick up another Audi. It has been a while, but as I searched around I narrowed it to a few options -- 1993 90 CSQ (~$1800, 140k), 1995 90 CSQ (~$3k, 170k) (I believe they're both 'sport') or the darkhorse 1990 20V Q ($cheap, 165k) 4-door. All cars need a timing belt all cars are in the snowbelt.

1993 - bad paint, timing belt needed, rear window motor broken, functioning AC, no leaks, brakes ok, rear muffler going, tires ok, rear shocks (struts?) a little springy
1995 - timing belt needed, rear window motor broken, AC broken, minor hood damage, tires ok, suspension ok, brakes ok, muffler going, no leaks
1990 - timing belt needed, wheel bearing, you guessed it..rear window motor toast, unknown AC issue

I've test driven the '93 and '95 but haven't looked at the '90 yet (it's far away). They both felt pretty solid and strong. In the end, I assume the cost of the 1993 vs 1995 are about the same given the immediate repairs that are necessary. Would there be any other issue that would sway someone to pick one over the other? I'm nostalgic for the 20v because, well, the Quantum was a 5cyl and it had decent power and was easy to work on. I'm not sure whether it's the same for the 20v.

 

go for the 20v ... less rust if nothing else and timing belt change is easy

 

yep I agree the 5 cylinder 20v 1990 was a favourite of mine because of its smooth but brutal take off at lights plus it doesn't have all the new slow me down crap on it like EGR/CAT and computers all over the place

 

its hard to choose, I would get 1995, couse its more newer, so like if 90' has less problems, I would go with it. and swap the hood later on, for B4 looks.