Junkyard Gem: 1998 Audi A4 1.8T

After Audi ditched their bewildering car-naming scheme during the middle 1990s, the Audi 80/90/4000 was replaced by the A4. If you were a car shopper during this period, looking for a quick, good-looking German compact with a double scoop of high-tech gadgetry and a status-enhancing brand, the A4 with Quattro and turbocharged engine was the obvious choice. These first-generation A4s depreciated very quickly, though, due to their need for not-typical-for-American-car-owners conscientious maintenance; now that they're 15 to 20 years old and on their fourth owners, A4s are very easy to find at U-Wrench-It wrecking yards. Here's a '98 that I spotted in a San Francisco Bay Area yard.



The naturally-aspirated V6 made more horsepower than the 1.8T on paper (190 versus 140), but the turbocharged car was better-balanced and more fun to drive.



While the digital odometer made it impossible for me to determine the total mileage on this car, the nice condition of the interior suggests that it didn't rack up 30-year-old-Cressida miles during its 19-year career.



Most BMW 3-Series cars I see in junkyards have automatic transmissions, but such is not the case with first-gen A4s.



Why is it here? Most likely because of some mechanical ailment that would have cost four figures to fix; it's not worth pouring that kind of money into a car that will fetch not much over a grand in good condition. Next stop, junkyard!



Elderly German men approve of attractive young women in A4s, according to this commercial.