The Audi 5000 Was One of the Best Cars of the 1980s Before 60 Minutes Killed It

The Audi 5000 was a sleek and terrific 80s sedan that hit the right look at the right time, and was launching Audi in to the top tier of German imports. This all came crashing down when Ed Bradley and 60 Minutes ran a hit piece that decimated their sales - all very unfairly.
Full review and test drive of a 1987 Audi 500 S
Review by Bill of Curious Cars
Vehicle is for sale by a private owner - if you're interested, email [e-mail].

[@LearnAboutFlow]

I remember two things from this. One was that Audi was pereceived to be blaming the owners (which was probably true) and you don't blame the owners for your 'death car'. The second was the old Rodney Dangerfield-type joke: "You think you had a bad day? I was stuck at a stop light with a Pinto in front of me and an Audi behind me."

[@christopherconard2831]

Customers blamed Audi, Audi blamed the customers. (Well, each other's lawyers did.) It was a little of both. The footwell was slightly more narrow than average and the peddles closer together than average for the time. I can see how a person not used to it, especially during a panic stop, could hit the accelerator and brake at the same time. I have a similar problem with the clutch and brake in my Corolla if I wear boots. Though I do think the issue was way overblown.

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

6:22 imagine saying that to the cop

[@michaelbenardo5695]

The heart of the problem was weak engine mounts. The driver's side would break.

[@user-sf7kl9uh7k]

Audi aren't much better today

[@LynxStarAuto]

@@user-sf7kl9uh7kNight and day difference. In fact, VWAG was quietly climbed to the top as the most reliable automotive products out of Germany. You want to talk pure junk? Look no further than BMW. An absolute joke, and a shell of their former selves. Mercedes is not far behind with the protocols they follow for assembly, and locking away parts behind TRP. Mercedes has never been good at small engines or FWD either. So they outsourced that to Renault 🤢 Their range of 4 cylinders like the M271, M274, and now M260/264 are practically throw away junk. Cost of repair is too high for the shit buckets they place those engines into.

[@davidmwood560]

I still own a 1988 Audi 100 Avant with 490,00miles on it. It still gets regular use, lovely car. Thanks for a great review Bill, even here in the UK you're a breath of fresh air

[@robhodder1687]

Snap, ‘88 2.0E Avant here. I’ve had it since 2000. Still going strong at ‘only’ 213k miles.

[@G4RY1159]

That's insane miles

[@johanbrand8601]

This daunting life is made exponentially better with Bill's video's. Thanks for your content, Bill. I hope life is treating you well.

[@michaelwhite2823]

This daunting life sounds like a Billie Holiday or Peggy Lee song

[@timhiltonsuperstar]

What does exponentially mean?

[@vincentcardenas776]

If you can't appreciate Bill's cynicism, sarcasm and overall angst with the state of the world today, you're probably a snowflake.😂

[@COJones43]

@@vincentcardenas776hey I’m a snowflake and I totally get it.

[@tientrinh943]

I’m straight

[@forestarius]

My mom had a 1985 Audi 5000. She said it was the most reliable car she ever owned. Thinking back, she was correct, it was more reliable than the Ford, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac cars she had before that. The other cars left her stranded several times. The closest the Audi came to that was when she would accidentally leave the headlights on when she went to work in the morning. She would call me for a battery boost. I miss those days.

[@etow8034]

The battery was in the right hand back seat to balance the weight and kept warm during those cold winter mornings, but the battery terminals were under the hood.

[@LynxStarAuto]

These cars weren't unreliable as most peg them. In fact, there were much more unreliable junk on the roads at that time. The Ford Tempo comes to mind, or the plethora of GM diesel garbage. Or the other Frankenstein crackpipe engineering GM adopted during the era The problem with these Audi cars was that they were *hard to fix* as most mechanics of the time were clueless as to how to approach them. With the problematic Murican junk, at least it was *familiar* and most shops would have you back on the road same day. With these cars it required a specialist, and not just in repairs, but in parts as well. If the counter guys at the dealer didn't know the tricks and tips of the parts catalog, you could see yourself paying a pretty penny, or waiting a long time to receive your parts. Present day tho, these cars a venerable little road warriors. If you live in extreme hot climates, you need to upgrade the cooling system as Germany just didn't have experience with that back then like they do now.

[@LynxStarAuto]

@@etow8034Not the terminals, but there were jump ports available under hood so you didn't have to go to the battery directly to jump start it.

[@etow8034]

@@LynxStarAuto Yes, that is what I meant.

[@etow8034]

@@LynxStarAuto There were actually made to be easy for mechanics if you knew how to service them with the right tools. Take for example changing the MacPherson struts, with the right tool the mechanic could change the struts just from the engine bay without lifting the car.

[@davidraezer5937]

I cut my teeth on these cars as a technician. It wasn’t just the 60 minutes scandal that ruined Audi. It was poor reliability on the 84-86 models. By 87 the quality was improving. You mentioned the Quattro was more problematic but it was actually very robust. Bosch did not have the technology to work around locked axles so when the center or rear differential was locked the ABS was disengaged. The 87 model you are reviewing had a bumped compression ratio to 10:1 with KE-Jetronic and EZL ignition with a knock sensor. Early models suffered from bad window switches, bad window regulators, climate control issue’s everything from leaking heater cores to blower motor issues HVAC vacuum solenoids getting oil in them and blend door motor failure. Hydraulic boost issues with the tandem pumps leaking, hoses leaking, rack and pinion failure (a lot), j-hose failure. Automatic cars would have differential failure with less than a quart capacity and nobody knew how to check the fluid level. Engines suffered from warped exhaust manifolds up to 86. Turbo failure on 84-85 models without water cooled center sections. Cooling systems were also failure prone. Plastic nipple would break off the radiator and many toasted engines. Other than that the 87 was a good car and the low mileage makes this a true unicorn.

[@fonz323]

I agree totally. I could never get ahead of all the failures. Every weekend it was something else on the list. Usually something that had already been replaced. Ridiculous.

[@stevenbeall9637]

My brother was an Audi tech back then when I was looking at a used 4000, and he said he'd disown me if I bought it, and he wouldn't help me work on it if it needed anything. He was a great mechanic and graduated very top of his class from the Technical Institute. After two years working on these cars, he decided to become a plumber. Lol

[@OldheadBoomer]

@@fonz323I had one, beige exterior, brown interior. Loved it at first, but repairs were expensive. I remember doing 3 window regulators... and the worst nightmare was the heater core, which went out in the middle of the blizzard of '93

[@Gnofg]

I ad a 85 500o and a 88 5000CS . I am a current owner of a '94 S$. The parts on the S4 started to wear out at the 25 year mark. The S4 was basically indestructible. Mine has 265K and it is on the original clutch. The S4 is a totally different animal.

[@fonz323]

@@OldheadBoomer Mine was the same colors. I loved driving it and went on many long trips to Florida at the 55mph freeway speed of the time. I kept it for way too long, long enough to replace parts that I had already replaced at way too few miles. Everything was overly complex and made with the maximum amount of parts. The window switches were particularly insane.

[@JZ_Cars]

Another video from Uncle Billy in less than a week!!!!! This makes us all very happy fella, thanks for another video!

[@ArthurZakaryan23]

Back when German cars were actually well built, not plastic lego pieces they are today but German cars aren't the exception today, they are all built that way. I loved the door handles of this era from Euro cars, VW, Audi, pretty sure Porsche had them as well and Volvos where the small tab on the inside of the handle was pressed to pop the door open, it was always so satisfying to open the door that way. And how the doors of German cars of this era closed, just put a smile on your face. Such a well preserved car this one, I'd take it over majority of what is on the market today.

[@axe2grind244]

100%. I have a 1995.5 S6 Avant and an ‘03 GTI VR6 and they are built so well and so solidly its insane. The doors sound like bank vaults, and both have black leather that looks new still.

[@stoneylonesome4062]

I love Old Audi’s styling. Same with BMW. The less plastics and electronics, the better.

[@user-sf7kl9uh7k]

Plastic Lego maybe, but any post 1995 VAG product would turn one inside out in a crash.

[@axe2grind244]

@@user-sf7kl9uh7k Someone crashed right into my ‘07 Passat turbo in a Hyundai and the driver had to go to the hospital and his car was totaled, I didn’t even have a scratch and my VW only had a cracked headlight and radiator so that’s inaccurate.

[@ArthurZakaryan23]

@@user-sf7kl9uh7k No question that today's cars have much better crash structures and general safety when it comes to the greenhouse of the car but the overall outside being majority plastic, it takes very little to completely mangle a car to the point you'd think it was in a 80MPH accident when in reality it might have only been 30 or 35MPH. That's where the more metal exterior of the 80s and up to mid 90s cars were a lot more stronger, able to take smaller hits way better. It takes almost nothing to total a new car today.

[@jeanc6333]

"An Audi and a child, this is a very bad mix." One of his best lines

[@jaysimpson6857]

First review I’ve ever seen from this guy, really like his delivery with various unrelated insights, definitely not the usual format.

[@tapper701]

At least it wasn't a Canadian child ...

[@christopherkraft1327]

What a treat to get a video from Bill on a Monday!!! I was worried that a swamp creature was going to lunge out & attache itself to you face!!! I'm glad that you are safe & sound. These Audi's were so popular in the eighties!! I wonder how many little old ladies were mowed down by these cars!!! Thanks for sharing this fun video!!! 👍🖖🥃

[@clintonsager2233]

As a 10 Audi owner and former Audi salesman, I loved this video Bill! Worked at Inskip in Warwick, RI in the early 80s. These cars were our bread and butter. Don't see many anymore. Great driving and riding cars with great seats. Miss them! My demo was a 4000S Quattro with manual "tranny"! Mostly automatics were sold back in the day. The 5000S Quattro was top of the line, but we had MB, Porsche and BMW too so many opted for the other two at the higher prices - easier sell honestly. Price aside, I just gravitated to the Audi's. Kind of the ugly stepchild of The German marques back then but still my preference. Miss those days when cars were not all SUVs with uncomfortable seats!

[@egold2071]

*sigh*... Oh for the love of God; Transmission! 🤟

[@tonyvargas368]

Sometimes when I’m driving around SoCal I will see one of these. Beautiful car.

[@Gnofg]

I had a 5000, 5000CS and am currently driving a 1994 S4 with 265,000 miles on it. The parts finally starting to wear out after 25 years. I am still on the original clutch. The S4 is a totally different animal. Mine is stage 1.

[@egold2071]

@@Gnofg Love the original S4! I hear that burly turbo 5 banger is puttin' aht 200 lb/ft of torque before to even turn it on! 👌

[@Gnofg]

@@egold2071 I have more people stop me when they see mine. There are probably only about 300-500 left and mine is really nice. The car is basically indestructible. I have a performance exhaust. It is pearl with a black interior. My brother had a 200 and he asked me if I want the headlights. The headlights on the 5000 to the 200 were pretty bad. The S4 had current headlights and it was the first car that had a coil on every cylinder. The first modern car and as you knw it has a phone in it. It probably has 270 lbs of torque with a stage 1. The S4 only came in a manual. My mechanic has one also.

[@mytriton54]

I've had 4 of these. An 85 5000s Turbo, an 87 5000cs Turbo Quattro, an 87.5 5000cs Turbo Quattro and a 1990 100s. They were all 5 cylinders. Loved all of them. Other than steering racks and brake accumulators, they had very few common problems and were EXTRAORDINARILY reliable. Never had an engine problem on any of them. Few years ago I was surprised when I cracked the hood on a TT and saw a modern version of that old five cylinder engine.

[@mattgee5609]

Bill's on a roll, 2nd beauty of a video within a week, he is hardest working man in the auto business!

[@vwestlife]

Part of the problem is that the Audi 5000 was designed primarily for the European market, where most people drive manual transmission cars, and those who ordered it with an automatic had all learned how to drive on a manual car, so they were used to the pedal placement of one. But many Americans who bought the Audi with an automatic had only ever driven automatics, so they weren't familiar with its brake pedal being smaller and in a slightly different position than on most American cars. So that led to American drivers mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake, while European drivers almost never had that problem.

[@derrickray9894]

Thank you so much for this video Bill!! You are an automotive historian with a storytelling ability second to none. It's hilarious, engaging, and insanely informative. I died laughing at the final comments about the toddler. Keep up the amazing work! I hope your channel is monetized.

[@vincezab1]

I can tell you first hand what the cause of the "unintended acceleration" was. I floored my 1985 5000 S one day, and the throttle stuck. I was going maybe 60-70 mph and was approaching a turn, so I turned the engine off to "accessory" so I could still steer. Braked to a stop. When I opened the hood, I saw that the looped wire that formed the top of the oil dipstick had an interference with the throttle, and if the throttle mechanism and the dipstick aligned, the throttle mechanism could be caught on the loop of the dipstick. Go to a salvage yard and see for yourself. The fix was putting some duct tape around the loop on the dipstick. My 1990 Audi 100 curiously had a completely re-designed dipstick, with a plastic T handle. But the 60 minutes story is BS- there is no way that tiny engine can overcome the brakes in an scenario. You only get to where I did by flooring the gas pedal. All said though, it was a major design flaw that I think explains why a pedal misapplication caused such tragic outcomes.

[@shawna7813]

A beautiful bright red one is on the cover of LL Cool J's 1986 hit album. It was sitting in his grandmother's garage in Queens accumulating rust for almost 35 years. He recently had it completely restored for $35K and donated it to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. There's a video on the entire story on youtube...

[@sheldontaylor2002]

Yes. The car cost around 35-50k in its time. When I saw the cover in 87 I thought it was a Jag

[@teslapontus954]

wrong my dad ordered one $17.800

[@lightmarker3146]

Mama said " Knock You Out " !

[@cashkenterprises5584]

We need the long awaited Q&A video!

[@scottdelong1]

I remember the 60 Minutes Audi segment. They drilled a hole in the gearbox and pumped air into it which made it rev. I',m thinking "so WHAT." Also, I was thanking that no car was capable of overcoming the full application of brakes with the throttle. At least 20 20 got caught installing model rocket engines into the gas tank of a pickup truck!

[@jeffcullen6573]

A family friend had an '81 4000 5+5 when I was young. That car left a big impression!

[@hertzair1186]

I had one in Mars red.

[@cardiffchris]

My 5+5 was "Saturn Red" which was like Pink Champagne.

[@addiewinnie]

Very nostalgic for me!!! When I was a kid in the 80s my parents had a brand new 87 Audi 5000.. same exact same color!!! Bought brand new for Coastal VW Audi in Eureka California… ours never had the unintended acceleration issues, but it was far from perfect!!! My mom loved the car until it had electrical issues!!! Sometimes the windows worked sometimes they didn’t, the sunroof wasn’t always working properly, the power antenna would go up but not down, some of the interior lights didn’t work, but it you hit a speed bump then they would come back on!!!! It got to the point my mom was done with the car after only 4 years!!! This Audi video was a great memory for me!!! My parents eventually traded it in for a brand new Acura Legend in 1991 !! The Acura was by far a much more reliable car than the Audi!!! Too this day my parents still only buy Honda brand vehicles!! And sadly based on the experience of how unreliable the Audi was and how extremely excellent the Acura was!!! Just a little funny 1984 side note, before the 1987 Audi 5000, my parents had a 1984 Volvo 760… it was a bit square and ugly, but was a really good car, my parents kept it when they got the Audi, ( my dad drove it) years later after the Audi came and went, the Volvo was still going strong, In fact it was both my older sister and my first car as we entered the driving world at 16 !! Love the Audi 5000 such a great part of my childhood

[@kevinlowercase]

As a kid I recall watching the 60 Minutes hit piece about the “Unintended Acceleration” hype surrounding these Audis. Damn shame.

[@dominikjarych6065]

In Poland we used to call them "cigar" Thank you Bill.

[@thegamingguy1]

Man I was surprised to hear this car was from 1987, the styling is way ahead of its time, and it's almost even more impressive to me that Audi has been able to keep the clean timeless styling going for so long! They've really mastered the art of creating understated, beautiful and timeless designs. Thanks for the video!

[@TheOzthewiz]

Ford obviously used some of the Audi styling design when they created the "radical" Ford Taurus!

[@ericharrison619]

I have the final version of this car. 91 200 20v Turbo Quattro Avant in Pearl White. The best mix of road feel and smoothness at high speeds I've had with any car. The car actually seems most content at high speeds eating up miles. It is quick for what it is unless you're below 3k rpm and not on boost, then it's an absolute dog. The rear defog spells out "Quattro" with the heating elements. Neat surprises like that you don't find often anymore.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Only 150 of those imported to the USA? A true unicorn.

[@Gnofg]

My brother had a 200. I have a '94 S4. The S4 is a different animal. I had a 5000, 5000 CS but the S$ is a beast. 227 hp 258 torque standard. Mine is chipped with a performance exhaust. They never came with an automatic.

[@Rumpleforeskin77]

That is the proper 2.3 L 5 cyl big turbo engine ..beautifully engineered

[@Gnofg]

@@Rumpleforeskin77 great driving car.

[@stevemurray710]

Me too, mine is a bland light blue.

[@brettb8825]

My Mom had the diesel. There was absolutely ZERO chance of having unintended acceleration. That thing was slooooowwwwww. But it was also reliable as all get out. That gauge cluster takes me back to every VW at the time. I hate to admit it, but I also added the 3rd brake light to my 85 Golf GTI. It was off an 86 that I found in a junkyard. That GTI was probably the best car I've ever owned. Thanks, Bill.

[@koolkeiths]

People didnt shift all the way into P on the autos lol, it ran over some old ladies. I believe all cars added a "Shift Lock" on autos after this era.

[@koolkeiths]

Separately, if this were a TQ (turboQuattro) I could see it fetching $70K+... I doubt any of those exist with 60K miles, those were drivers cars.

[@orbiterL]

And believe it or not: There is not a single cup holder in this car. Bill, one day You must go into the story of German Automakers and cupholders. American vs. German driving culture in a nutshell!

[@charlesmoore2485]

I’ve been watching Bill for years. I was delighted with the Saab 900. But this. My first car was a 1984 5000S. Gobi beige with sort of a chocolate brown velour interior. My grandparents gave it to me for my 16th B day in 1999. My grandmother had bought a new 94 BMW E36 , and this Audi was idle for some time. I rode in it as a kid, and ended up with it. I cherished that car. I had problems with it. I learned a lot. I only got rid of it about 4 years ago. Leaky pwr steering pump. Some Windows didn’t work etc. but it never left me stranded. And they drove so well. Very very resistant to corrosion. Awesome seats. Miss the sound. I miss it very much. Thank you Bill this video really means a lot.

[@ronmccullock1407]

Good evening Bill from Ron in a windy and cool Manchester, sorry the weather is shity with you Bill. Fantastic choice of car.

[@curiouscars9282]

Thank you, Ron - I had to travel for this one, but was happy to do it.

[@user-sr6yb1ic7j]

Bill when U post a new video it makes my life better. U go, Bro!

[@oscargeorge1]

One of my favorite cars ever! My parents had a few and I remember how much they loved their first one (1984) until the power windows dropped into the doors by themselves in the middle of winter (usually one at a time but consistently in the winter). But we all loved those cars. A couple of additions to your always excellent videos... 1986 was the first year of the flush headlamps, the battery is located under the rear seat. Also, those flat wheels had flush valve stems located in the wheel pockets. Power seat motors and switches were also from GM. Ours were all automatics and we never had the unintended acceleration issues. My favorite was our last 5000s(before they became 100's) which was an '88 champagne exterior with navy velour (my parents always loaded the car with options except leather as we lived in New England). 60 minutes was sued with a cease and desist and was not allowed to re- broadcast that episode based on the grounds that they tampered with the transmission and it was only in the last few years that you could find even the most remote clips of that episode. Now the entire episode is on youtube *last time I checked.

[@eddiejones856]

When I was stationed in Germany during the mid 80’s the Audio 5000 along with the Saab 900 were the cars most folks E-7 and above bought and shipped back the United States. They were very popular with military personnel in Europe.

[@severinlourenco8355]

Excellent German car, i remember a neighbor has the smaller 4k, then a friend bought an 80 series in the early 90s, then a few years ago i splurged and bought myself an Audi A6 Supercharged, and love my Audi for comfort and performance.

[@Russ_C]

Two back to back vids in two days; what a treat! Thanks Bill! We all look forward to them.

[@pray4mojo35]

I still say “I’m Audi 5000” when I’m leaving from somewhere. Sad actually 😔

[@curiouscars9282]

Wow - you and LL Cool J

[@danielknepper6884]

Public enemy flavor Flav said it the most

[@robertdiehl9003]

Me too. Gen Z & millennials are clueless when I say it....

[@tpolerex7282]

@@robertdiehl9003Haha, I’m a young boomer and had to quickly reference Urban Dictionary to catch the phrase meaning but I get it!

[@ronbarnes3453]

I remember LL Cool J had one of these way back then .

[@81cb750fss]

Battery is under the rear seat if I recall correctly. Dad had an '84 5000S, then a '88 5000CS, both stick. Nice cars, he roasted my brother's ass with the seat heater in the CS when he took us out in it the first time, we'd never heard of such witchcraft before! I'll never forget watching brother squirm and squirm until he finally said "Dad, uh, this seat is kinda hot!" Laughed our asses off. I did follow suit, loved my VWAG cars, did get a red '86 4000 Coupe GT, it looked the rally part, mostly, but the auto and five cylinder didn't add up to a fast car!😂 Cheers Bill!

[@Gnofg]

I had a 5000CS and I currently have a '94 S4. The S4 is a really fast car It came with 227 hp and 258 lbs. of torque. Mine is stage 1 with a performance exhaust. It is a FAST car.

[@robertvance1873]

Nice Car Bill, I hope someday you find a Audi Fox to Review it's one of my favorite cars.

[@Guido.Fawkes.1]

7:55 I love that you mentioned the popular 80’s rap music phrase “I’m Audi 5000,” or “I’m outty” which is slang for “Outta here.”

[@michaelmihalis9057]

Bill, I love your reaction to the cash,umtom.Mike the Greek

[@albertseabra9226]

In the 80s we were in the States, attending a University in Boston. We were able to purchase 2 loaded, identical , extremely low mileage Audi 5.000 for a song. My wife and I drove both cars for 6 years, having no mechanical problems whatsoever. 60 Minutes never appologized for that sordid Show.

[@alpac2756]

I really like all your videos and the way you describe the cars you review.

[@robs1852]

Another excellent video, Bill! Informative as always and the humor mixed in is the icing on the cake. You get an A1 for the stripper reference and putting up a pic, not once but twice, of a nice example.

[@tapper701]

Only thing that would have made it stripper reference better is if she were a Canadian ...

[@jllen729]

You make even the shittiest days happy for me with your reviews! I look forward to every one of them!

[@roxiebeagle]

Bill- I feel like a corporate drone. I wake up, take a shower, go to work, come home, have dinner and surf the internet. The only thing that breaks up the mundane schedule of my life are your videos.

[@hkm_865]

Break the chains my brother

[@josephdonnelly3169]

Nice content. Funny you brought up the Magnum PI reference, it’s the first thing I thought about when I saw the car in the thumbnail!

[@MrSpartanPaul]

My parents bought an 86 in 87 from a German Army officer. It was identical in appearance to the car you showed except that it was an automatic. It had really good power for a 2.2 liter automatic. I unintentionally spun the tires at a toll booth with my whole family in the car. I think it must’ve had excellent low end torque with those long intake runners. It was a really nice car and I inherited it when they bought their next car. Rear calipers had a tendency to seize up but otherwise very good. Had to change the front passenger CV axle and that’s when I decided to sell it. I’m now exclusively a rear wheel drive guy since I work on my own vehicles.

[@normblais7527]

🇨🇦 enjoy your videos .I must chime in to say in the early 80s I worked at a Volkswagen/Audi dealership as an apprentice and the acceleration thing happened to me one day with a brand new Audi 4000 I was intending on pulling out of the dealer lot as I started to slow down for traffic to go by it started launching out onto the sidewalk. I finally managed to come to a stop before traffic, and had the presence of mine to look down at my foot and sure enough, my work boot Overlap The brake pedal, so the more I press on the break the more I was pressing on the gas ,that was a scary two seconds, till I shut the ignition off. if I would have gotten T-bond and killed, they would’ve wondered what the hell I was thinking.

[@Gr8thxAlot]

Great review, Bill! I thought these were odd ducks back in the 1980's, but knew nothing about them. This 5000 reminds me a lot of early 1990's Japanese sedans. I think this might have been what inspired them.

[@AsherMorgan3353]

I was named after my uncle who was killed in an Audi 5000 when it was new, the specific issue was the vehicle not getting power when it was needed, RV ran a red and the car wouldn’t move when the gas was floored to avoid the accident. Pretty deadly issue, my family has driven it into me that one of the most important things in a car is a lot of power accessible immediately.

[@borismcfinnigan3430]

You named after the fact he was cremated?

[@Jack_Stafford]

How in the world did Ford manage to build such an incredible identical clone with the first-generation Taurus in less than a year or two, much cheaper, and I can say some first-hand experience leaps and bounds better than what we came before it from Ford. Obviously not a European luxury car but a very solid well-built engineered sleek and comfortable car that was even more aerodynamic than this car it was modeled after. Also front-wheel drive, affordable great-looking with lots of details that are missing on a lot of cars even today. I think the biggest mistake they made is not making a coupe vision of the Taurus but what an incredible car that was. Of course they made millions of them so they don't seem that special anymore but Ford never has been able to capture that kind of groundbreaking enthusiasm at an affordable price again. Thank you Audi 5000, for inspiring my 1992 Ford Taurus which was one of the best cars I've ever owned.

[@gabriel.954]

I remember the Unintended Acceleration "scandal" very well. 60 Minutes really blasted Audi. A few neighbors had niggling issues with theirs, and when this story broke they traded theirs in ASAP. I even recall some people joking that Audi's new motto was: Audi - the car that takes you shopping whether you want to or not. If I recall correctly, it was because of this issue that a notched shift-gate for the gear selectors was introduced, as well as that interlock you mentioned. Thanks for this video! Great as always Bill.

[@stevemurray710]

The original FAKE NEWS!

[@youtbe999]

If I could buy a new car just like that today😥 Big and simple.

[@peterlindop4491]

Bill,we all miss your regular reports on any car.

[@Tonyk24]

Ahh love seeing older audis

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

This is awesome. Restoring a '91 Audi 200 Avant 20V Quattro for a customer at the moment... Ever heard of "UFO brake rotors" Bill? Customer somehow found a set for sale, shipped from Europe...yup 2 GRAND just for two brake rotors!!!

[@philhamilton8731]

I have never heard "Brake Rotors," but Strangers In The Night is a heck of a live album.

[@tomschwartz786]

Beautiful example, thanks for the video Bill. I drove an 86 5000 Turbo Quattro 5 speed for many years. Great driving car, plenty of power as the car weighed about 3000 lbs. But it did have issues and parts were expensive and sometimes hard to find (e.g. steering racks). Thanks for the trip down memory lane. If I lived anywhere near there I’d come and check that car out - might be a worthy nostalgia purchase!

[@Kmzhr]

Ah, Bill, the uncle I wish I had. God bless you. We missed your videos and weather rants. ❤

[@glenncarr2121]

Hey there Bill , I was one of those unfortunate owners that felt the full brunt of loss of value ! I bought a brand new 1985 Audi 5000s turbo , although I never had the problem that you are speaking about mine had other issues being engineered failure from Audi ! Everything from steering and brake pump failure to window regulators and door handles breaking for no reason ! I could not sell it or even give it away ! I even tried to give it to the dealership free of charge with title in hand and the refused it , and told me why would we want another one when we already have a whole parking lot full of them ! That was in 1991 and having spent $40k for it new , I guess you could say I was upset with the whole situation ! I love your shows but I can't support your thoughts on this one 😕

[@curiouscars9282]

That's an absolute horror story - and the loss of resale must have horrible, although it's more 60 Minutes fault than Audi's. The reliability issues you had is squarely on their shoulders, however.

[@GoldenCroc]

Just a question, why would you want to give it to a dealership free of charge? Were you concerned that you would have a lawsuit on your hands if you sold it to someone for a low price?

[@ricardoalon3826]

What a classic car for the 80s Era, absolutely fantastic video extremely educational. Thank you for doing these amazing videos.!

[@2packs4sure]

I remember reading the report back in the day when all that was going down with these Audis and reading the description of what the car was supposedly doing and the actual horsepower rating of the car and saying no damn way. These people just screwed up and hit the gas just like people do all the time today...

[@michaelbenardo5695]

Not necessarily. The driver's side engine mount would break and these cars used throttle linkage not a throttle cable.

[@2packs4sure]

That's not the issue,, the issue is 130 horsepower,, 160 max,, versus EXCELLENT brakes.... @@michaelbenardo5695

[@youareright5431]

I've been a mechanic for over 40 yrs and I can tell you that unintentional acceleration is real!!It happened to me on my Dad's first 85 5000 and and 35 yrs later on a 2008 Honda Accord one of the best cars Ever made! I actually talked to engineers in Honda,I told them I figured out what the problem was, Nobody shuts off the main cruise control switch they just turn off the regular part of the cruise control, What do you think happens if the Resume button on the Cruise control gets wonky? It brings you back to the last speed you had set on it!! Never heard anything but I figured it out one day when I was cruising on the hwy( Thank god) The cruise light went on and my car accelerated up to 75 mph!!

[@Jack_Stafford]

I had this happened on a mustang I had, I inadvertently knocked the car into neutral and the engine revved pass the red line and it can take a second to realize what's going on. The cruise control was on and trying to force the car to maintain a speed without being in drive, so the computer told the engine to keep adding more power without knowing that the car wasn't in drive. Now most cars automatically turn off the cruise control when it is put out of drive which solves the problem of most completely.

[@rustybearden1800]

My buddy's dad was a die hard Audi fan from the time he was stationed in West Germany for the US Army. He had a couple of 100s, an early 5000 and then the 5000 Avant Wagon. My father in law was also an Audi nut favoring the early 4000 Sedans, in particular, a black on black fully optioned 4000 Sedan Quattro. I spent a lot of time in Audis and really grew to love them for their subtle styling and unique engineering. In addition to the very advanced styling it was the overall smoothness (that 5 cylinder was very nice) and quiet nature of these cars that was unique - just a beautiful car to drive and travel in. And the Quattro was out of this world crazy, always distinguishable by the inner vertical upright square headlights. Unstoppable in frozen treacherous conditions while coddling the passengers in heated sport seats and a fantastic Blaupunkt stereo. These cars were the "cat's ass" as my father in law would've said. Very few have survived as they were prone to rusting away and their poor resale value. I would LOVE to have one as nice as this just to cruise around on weekends. A gorgeous survivor!

[@jimgalin2278]

My dad purchased a 1984 5000 Turbo when I was a junior in college and I will never forget the first time I saw it when he picked me up at school. It was unlike anything else on the road and we truly loved that car. We put well over 100K miles on it and though in the later years it developed some unusual problems strictly due to wear, it remained one of our favorite cars - especially so to my dad because he traded in his 1982 Buick diesel station wagon for it! Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Bill!

[@platec4798]

This was awesome! Special thanks to the cool dude that owns this car and let Bill do his wonderful and fair minded review. I just love these cars and the review was perfect. Seriously Bill, thanks! I had a shit day at the office and it was nice to come home and listen to this video! Plate C

[@bluegrassbabe1]

I bought a new 500oS in 87 and loved that car. This video brought back so many good memories! I had it for 15 years. Tornado Red with a beige leather interior.

[@jayc3110]

That was a wonderful review on a very exceptional car. It brings back memories. I've spent scores and scores of hours riding in this car (as a passenger), going to multiple long-distance meetings. Those drives in the Audi 5000 were exceptionally pleasant, effortless, quiet, comfortable with confidence-inspiring handling at high speeds. One thing you forgot to mention (unless I missed it), was exceptionally low drag coefficient. If I remember correctly, the drag coefficient was 0.22. Possibly the highest recorded in that era.. Thanks and best wishes..

[@charlesrob3969]

Dang it bill. I was still used to auto europa naples channel name. Didn't know it went by curious cars now. Either way, good to see you.

[@maxhenry1977]

Good thing you caught yourself before you said “tranny hump.” Lol. Also, i gotta say, i love it when you struggle to open and lift a hood. Makes me laugh every time. Thanks, Bill.

[@dmcars147]

Haven't seen one this nice in a long time, especially a non-turbo. Had same car, but Quattro, unstoppable in snow, far superior to the AWD systems on my current cars.

[@richardelson3261]

Thanks Bill. I have a soft spot. I had a 1986 Audi Coupé GT 2.2 Quattro for a few years when I was single and young. I did 120 miles in that every day and I loved t at the time. Very practical and fast and handled well. Very robust, It was too attractive for its own good as it was popular with car thieves so I use to remove the HT lead at night which stopped two attempted thefts when they drilled into the lock and opened the thing up and of course it wouldn't start.

[@galeng73]

I had a VW Quantum 5 with that same exact engine. It was the wagon and it retained the Audi logos on the engine. You missed the most important thing from under the hood. For the most part, everything the driver had to work on was on the left of the engine bay. The engine was slightly on the passenger side - where the driver's weight would counteract and correct the balance. But, they're so simple to maintain - intentionally so.

[@briansenecal3071]

Your intros are the best. I live in southwest fl. Spot on my man.😜🍻

[@johnplovanich9564]

Awesome video Bill.

[@erik149]

Hello, thank you for the great video. I drove those cars for over 20 years until 4 years ago. The feeling inside is very nice, feels roomy and not boxed up like in modern cars. Seats are great, like suspension and noise level when driving. The 5-cylinder can easily get to 200K miles when maintained well. Build quality is solid, no rattling at all on bad roads. It was a masterpiece of Ferdinand Piech. Fuel consumption is moderate for such a spacious car. Because the body is protected by a layer of Zinc, rust issues are rare, unlike old Benzes that start creating paint bubbles and rust when a bucket of water is near. Maintenance is easy for an average hobby mechanic, just things related to the front wheel drive like torn boots or wheel bearings are a bit of a struggle. They still would make great daily drivers, downsides are the part availability and the infamous Bosch K-Jetronic system or its later version KE-Jetronic. This fuel supply system could perhaps be the real culprit if there was ever "unintended acceleration". In case of vacuum leaks and rpm dropping below threshold, it would compensate resulting in a surge of rpm. When in drive with an automatic gearbox, an event where the K-Jet would compensate results in the car accelerating. Maybe a surge also occurs when the air conditioning system is engaged. Typically K-Jet issues result in ocsillating idle rpm between 1000-2000 rpm. The later KE-Jetronic is a maintenance nightmare. Its operation depends on several pressure and temperature sensors combined with Oxygen sensors. When any of these give wrong values, the system would also compensate resulting in not running, lean running or even rich running up to a level where the plugs foul and fail in sooth. A primitive diagnostics system, lack of documentation and Bosch charging aerospace prices for parts, there is no alternative, makes it hard to keep those cars on the road.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

RPM oscillation? That sounds pretty dangerous to me, and probably never happened in Europe, as they didn't have an EPA back then.

[@gmugrumbach]

If I remember my trip to Germany well enough, I believe the 5000 was also their first CAD designed vehicle. Audi was on their way very early in the game :)

[@russstover6837]

Bill you didn’t mention the Canadians for the back seat 😀. Love your videos

[@michaelmallorca5600]

Hi Bill ! Now you are on the right track. Reviewing cars that you don't have to buy. That's what you wanted for a long time. Now get your RV repaired and go on the road 😊 👍

[@sidefx996]

Another fantastic review as always. This actually wasn’t before airbags as General Motors introduced them way back in 1973.

[@auntbarbara5576]

I loved these when i was a kid, great looking niw as it was then, aged beautifully. Remember Ferris's father had one! 👌

[@hardusmichaelmuller7283]

Wow, that car looks absolutely amazing for it's age. Well kept in every way. The 5 cylinder was an amazing sounding engine. Would be hard to find another one in that condition.

[@jaspal666]

I had a C2 automatic in the 80’s. Got it cheap after the 60Min show. There was a 1” spacer on the brake pedal. Great driving car. Next I had a ‘88 5000s quattro. Another great car. Enjoyed the video!

[@stevemurray710]

I got an 83 CGT cheap thanks to fake news. Yea fake news. Still have the CGT.

[@jaspal666]

@@stevemurray710 Congrats for keeping that machine going!!

[@markb3756]

What a treat! Such a fantastic car and even more fantastic reviewer! I've always had a soft spot for these Audi's. I can't believe that I've never heard of the Audi problem back then, of course at 19 yo I was probably into many other things while ignoring the important stuff. 😉 Jeep/Eagle made a car in the 90's that was sizewise and lookwise very similar to these. Can't remember what they were called but had a friend who had one. Thank you for such a Monday treat! Wish I was in the position to buy this one. 😪

[@Incountry]

I had a 1988 5000Cs stick and a 1986 5000 Turbo auto.. both good cars, always wanted a Turbo Avant (James Bond drove one The Living Daylights) remember when they were released in ‘83, it had 0.33 drag coefficient, 10 year anti-body corrosion, 3 speed auto box, GM Aircon system with that useless digital system. Drove well, albeit the window regulators were replaced multiple of times and the sunroof system, power steering pump also ran the brake system with the sphere pressure system that leaked all the time.

[@savedin87ify]

My dad had a brand new 85GT 5 speed. Awesome car. It's what I learned to drive a stick in.

[@leeperrin7141]

I owned a 1985 5000, it was one of the best cars I ever owned. Turbo diesel got 35-40 mph on the highway. Nice leather interior, sunroof, comfortable seats. I would buy another one if the right one came along.

[@kennethprocak5176]

Nice content Bill.

[@Dac54]

One of the owners of the store I worked for in the middle 1980s had an Audi 5000; it was a wonderful driving vehicle. However, I remember when the vehicle started revving on its own accord while I was stopped at a red light. The idle control valve was replaced under warranty; this cured the problem. As we saw with 60 Minutes, the media unscrupulously shaping stories to fit predetermined narratives is nothing new.

[@Ghostrider-71]

Great looking car, very good shape for its age. Thank you for posting.

[@Rene67]

Thank you again, mr. Bill!

[@adriennefoley2906]

Great review 👍🏻🤓

[@jeffcarruthers2605]

I was a tech at a Canadian VW/Audi dealer from 1973 to the late 80s. The Audi 5000 was plagued with many problems from it's inception. It took until the 1987 model year to it finally becoming a decent car. The turbo models suffered the same problems with a host of their own to add to the grief. Specifically the recall involving carbon blasting the valves and the other for engine fires. We sold a ton of turbos and they all had to be done. Kept us very busy for a long time. The unintended acceleration hoax decimated sales. Interestingly, the Audi 4000 models were relatively trouble free after the first couple of model years. I owned several 1986 4000 Quattros with very high mileages and they were the best cars I have ever owned. One thing I must say is the 5 cylinder engine was bomb proof. I replaced only two and that was due to owner abuse. "Sleek, maybe, "Terrific", I don't think so.

[@sasothestrategizer]

I owned a 1989 Audi 100E. I was 19 and I had a ball! It had the ignition on the dash, heated seats. The engine was nice. 2.3 inline5.

[@doalwa]

Double thumbs up for that Magnum P.I. reference. Loved that show as a kid and always loved the understated design of the Audi 5000.

[@CarsofGlasgow]

wow great video Bill

[@cardiffchris]

I have experienced the 5 Cylinder idle being stuck at about 2500 to 3000 rpm, and if you were not a good driver it could catch you off guard. The pedals on the automatic are somewhat skewed to the left, so the gas pedal is more centered than other cars. These are delightful cars, I had a 1981 4000 5+5, a 1985 VW 5 cylinder Quantum , a 1985 Audi 5000s and a 1990 Audi 100S Audi was punching above it's weigh class with the 1984 5000S The 1990 100S was purchased at a giant discount due to bad resale value.

[@donst.pierre2283]

I always thought the 5 cylinder engine was a mistake, just not enough power for the size of the car. I remember it driving like a heavy car. Grew up with an 84 model. Dad loved the car, but hated taking it in for service, super expensive. We also had a 73 Audi Fox, you should do an episode on that car. It was hard to kill. We got over 300K miles on it before rust drove it to the junk yard. I drove it for almost a year in college without a starter motor, just made sure I was parked on a flat surface or aimed down hill and start rolling, pop the clutch, it started right up. It was light enough where a one legged push would get it going.

[@Jack_Stafford]

5 cylinders are weird, kind of promising most of the power of a V6 with the economy of a 4-cylinder, but you actually get the power of a 4-cylinder with the gas mileage of a 6 and a weird off cadence drone from the engine. I drove a Volkswagen with the same engine and although it wasn't horrible, it's just a weird sound with an uneven amount of cylinders and a bit rough.

[@davidgold5961]

17:16 A neat feature is that the bodyside moldings on the doors are not just moldings. Inside those plastic moldings are heavy aluminum beams, which serve as the side guard beams. I always thought it was clever that the beams were the first thing that a car would hit in a side impact - they were not inside the door skin itself.

[@user-xo7up9vl4y]

The Audi 5000 is and always will be my favorite car!! My first experience with the 5000 was when I was around 14ish. My parents needed another car and we knew of one located at the Subaru dealership.. It was a 1984 white with blue plush cloth and automatic. Ohh those seats the red ambiance lights the head rests the keys the grill. I was in love.. we never ended up buying that car because my parents only bought American. 🤮🤮 Fast forward a few years when I got a job and turned 16 I was determined to get a 5000 when I was in high school.. Well I did finally find a used 5000 and everything was wrong with it but I love the car anyway. It was originally gray painted red with black Leather and 5spd. After that I bought several more including another 84’5000 / 89’ 100/ 89’ 200TQ / 93’ 90 CSQ/ 01’ A64.2Q Cheers Bill

[@woodrow60]

This car looks almost new. A great reminder of why German cars developed such a great reputation 30-45 years ago.

[@jeffpittel6926]

I bought a used 1990 Audi 80 and found the original bill of sale in the glovebox. It was sold in July of 1992. It sat on a dealers lot for 2 1/2 years.