Saturday, 04 September 2021 06:58

Audi Coupe B3 - old as good wine

Although not as well known as the legendary Quattro, Audi’s Coupe B3 is certainly one of the younger classics that absolutely deserves respect.

We sit briefly in the time machine and go back to 1986, when the four-ring brand introduced one of its most reliable and well-known models - the Audi 80 B3. At that time, this brand wanted to show that its vehicles are long-lasting, so the 80 and 100 models got a fully galvanized chassis and body.

 

Two years later, in 1988, the Bavarian manufacturer introduced the Coupe B3, a coupe variant of the aforementioned car, which had until then been available as a sedan. Of course, the coupe brought a slightly different style, and many then, but still today, criticized the "duck tail", ie the appearance of the spoiler on the rear of the vehicle.

The Audi Coupe B3 was initially only available with five-cylinder engines, to the delight of all fans of this brand. At the time, five-cylinder engines and quattro drive were the foundations on which Audi built its image in the world.

 

So, at the beginning, customers could choose a 2.3-liter unit with 136 or 170 hp, with the latter variant having as many as 20 valves! Later, in 1989, a two-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 113 horsepower entered the offer, but it survived only a year on the market. After that, an engine with the same volume and number of cylinders was offered, but 115 "heads".

Audi will then introduce a six-cylinder powertrain, but the crown of the offer remains the company's pride - a five-cylinder turbine in the Coupe S2 variant. This engine delivered 220 "horses".

 

Back in 1990, it was necessary to set aside 60,000 marks for the Audi Coupe S2 in Germany, for the basic version. For that money, they got a quattro drive, on-board computer, but also seats upholstered in satin. Cruise control, automatic air conditioning and electrically adjustable rear windows were offered as part of the options.

The Audi Type 89 Coupe ended its career in 1996. After that, this brand did not return to the traditional large coupes. The TT is the size of the class below this model, and the A5 Sportback is not a real coupe.

 

Why Coupe B3?
In short - it's a great vehicle, and who can't afford a Quattro, and we know the astronomical prices for that car, this is a great alternative. However, the B3 Coupe is slowly gaining in price, and as colleagues from Germany write, it is getting higher every year for well-preserved models.

Audi was then creating extremely reliable vehicles. The Coupe B3 is suitable for everyday use, it has a large enough trunk, and its two-liter gasolines also have a modest consumption - from 6 to 8 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers.

 

Availability and spare parts
Of course, it is almost impossible to see some coupes from the B3 generation on the domestic ads of used cars. The situation in Germany is quite different. Most are those with four-cylinder engines, while those with five- and six-cylinder units are somewhat rarer.

The Coupe S2 is a real rarity, what's more - some claim that today it is rarer than the original rally icon - the Quattro model. As for spare parts, German journalists from Spiegel state that the situation for components is far better for older Mercedes and BMW vehicles.

 

The set of front brakes costs approximately 120 euros, the toothed belt (change in service) is about 500 euros for a five-cylinder block. The sports exhaust made of stainless steel is 700 European banknotes.

Prices

In Germany, this Audi coupe can be purchased for some 3,500 euros, and that it is in running order. Five-cylinder units are more valued than those with more or less cylinders in this model. A special league is the Coupe S2, where prices for that version start at some 25,000 euros.

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