Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Audi 5000 hails from a brief period in the early 1980s when automakers embraced diesel engines to make cars more fuel-efficient in reaction to the gas crunch of the 1970s. Let’s see how bank-efficient this survivor proves to be in the present day.
According to the Motley Fool Money site, the median price of a home in the U.S. after the first half of this year was $410,800. While a good chunk of change, that’s only about half the $819,800 asked for the 2025 Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII with Mansory mods we looked at last Friday. Sure, the Roller was about as swank a ride as one could possibly find, but the fact that there is a viable choice between buying it and the purchase of a really nice house would naturally cause a good bit of consternation. In the comments, that proved less of a concern than did the car’s overall grotesque exhibition of wanton wealth. Ultimately, that’s what damned the Rolls to a massive 90% ‘No Dice’ loss in our voting.
The white whale
Let’s harken back to the early 1980s, shall we? The U.S. had just ended a decade categorized by political scandal, twin gas crises, and the birth of disco music. By the time this 1983 Audi 5000 turbo diesel hit the scene, things were starting to get back to normal, at least on the automotive front. Diesels at the time were becoming more popular amongst manufacturers as a way to meet increasingly tightening corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. However, acceptance among car buyers proved to be somewhat limited.
For Audi, this was also the era before the marque became inescapably associated with its iconic Quattro 4WD system, making this car’s FWD layout a bit of an anomaly to the modern mindset. The 5000 turbo diesel was a one-and-done model, as while it was sold for a couple of years here as a U.S. exclusive, the turbo diesel engine did not find its way under the hood of the succeeding model, which arrived in 1984. That makes this car a fairly rare duck.
Gimme five
Like Mercedes, Audi employed a five-cylinder layout for its diesel engine, an extrapolation of the four-pot oil burner that powered many a Volkswagen in Europe at the time. Even with the turbo mixing things up, the iron-block, aluminum-head 2.0-liter mill only managed a meager 84 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque when new. In a car of the 5000’s size, that was barely adequate, with contemporary tests suggesting that the A/C should be shut off at stoplights to allow for reasonable acceleration upon hitting the green.
Audi only offered one transmission on the 5000 turbo diesel, and that’s kind of an oddball, too. Basically just a three-speed automatic, the transaxle does have a party piece, which is the “E” indicator on the shift selector. That setting allows the engine to freewheel when the driver lifts off the accelerator, thus adding to the car’s fuel economy bona fides.
According to the seller, this 5000’s engine has benefitted from a new timing belt and water pump, along with a rebuild of its injector pump and cylinder injectors. They now claim that it “Runs and drives great.”
Showing its age
That doesn’t mean it’s all strudels and cream with this old Audi, however. Per the seller, the A/C, which has been converted from its environmentally unfriendly R12 to something a bit less toxic, is leaking and thus remains a scofflaw. The power door locks are also on the fritz, so plan on using the key and door-top buttons to secure the car.
Everything else—power seats, windows, sunroof, etc.—is said to work as it should. Aesthetically, it appears to be in pretty solid shape, too, despite being over 4 decades old. Additionally, it only has a mere 93,221 miles on the clock, so it’s not worn to a frazzle. The bodywork is painted institutional white; however, the top coat appears to have held up very well. There are no apparent signs of damage or road rot, and the factory alloys still have their center caps. Speaking of looks, can we all agree that the Virginia antique vehicle plates this Audi wears look like something secreted out from behind the Iron Curtain?
The Audi’s interior, with leather seating surfaces and a typical monochrome German black color scheme, also looks to be holding up its end of the bargain. It even has its original Panasonic-sourced AM/FM cassette stereo in the center stack.
For whom?
A clean title wraps up this Audi’s resume and leads us to consider its seller’s set asking price of $8,900. That’s an aggressive amount, but before we consider the car’s value, we need to postulate who this car’s target audience might be. Is there a big enough classic Audi fanbase for this car to find a buyer? This is a rare, although glacially slow, classic car that really is little more than a blip on the Audi timeline. It was also overshadowed in its era by the shameful tarnishing of the brand in the middle of the decade over false claims of unintended acceleration, enflamed by a lurid segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes TV show.
What do you think? Could this Audi find a fan? And once it does, will that $8,900 asking price make that fan even happier with the find?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Richmond, Virginia, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Michael Brown for the hookup!
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