Real World Reviews: Audi 80 1.8S

I’ve owned this Type 89 80 1.8S for a little over ten years, and before that, it belonged to my father who bought it brand new back in March 1989, replacing a 1979 Type 85 80 GLS.

I distinctly remember sitting in the back of the black 1.8S with my brother as we pulled out of Mann Egerton in Christchurch, full of excitement at the new family wagon. A lot of this excitement was down to the fact that, at the time at least, with the lights on, it felt like the dash and console lit up like a Christmas tree. Today, it looks very spartan, in a very efficient German way of course. Dad was very selective in his choice of options. Either that, or there weren’t many, which I suspect is more the case. A sunroof, electric rear windows and the three extra dials for oil temp, oil pressure and battery positioned in the console all made their way into the Audi, all for the bargain price of a smudge over £13,000 (I still have the receipt). This meant that they were a rare sight on the roads of the late 80s early 90s, and even more so these days. Although with a fully galvanised body, a well-cared for example should survive intact.

Over the next decade, the 80 was a reliable and faithful friend. Just as happy at commuting in the Christchurch rush hour as it was taking the family on holiday. How the four of us and luggage ever managed to fit in, I’ll never know, but we did.

And then of course, a desire for a new car started to materialise. I had a 2 litre Capri auto at the time and fancied a change myself, so a deal was stuck between the two of us and the 80 remained in the family. I decided fairly quickly that I didn’t want to keep the standard steel wheels, so I bought some Speedlines from a later Coupé and had them refurbished and fitted with some pretty wide (for the car) Goodyear rubber. On standard suspension, it looked a little strange, but general wear and tear dictated replacement of the springs and dampers anyway. I took the plunge and had a set of Boge gas dampers and H&R lowering springs fitted. They’re still fitted to this day, and will no doubt, need replacing sooner rather than later. I suspect that it will retain the springs, but the dampers will be replaced by standard items in an attempt to soften the ride up a tad. The only other change was to replace the Blaupunkt cassette player with a Kenwood CD unit, and latterly, an Alpine version. In a bout of nostalgia, I recently put the old Blaupunkt back in, which had been in my loft since its removal. The sound isn’t great but as I basically only listen to the radio these days, it’s not much of a problem. It does, however, look the part.

So how does a 20 year old Audi drive? Well, apart from the tracking requiring attention, pretty good. Rattles and squeaks are non-existent even though the ride is firm. The seats are from a time when soft and comfy were the name of the game with Germany's finest velour still looking relatively fresh and un-worn. The un-assisted steering is incredibly heavy at very low speeds, so much so, that I’ll quite happily spend a few extra minutes looking for a larger space if parallel parking, but perfectly weighted once moving. The hydraulically operated clutch is again on the heavy side (according to my wife) but is beautifully smooth in operation helping the car to remain on its original. The gearbox is standard Audi of the time, notchy and long lasting. Don’t rush a change and there’s no problem, and being a decidedly non-sporty version (a mighty 90bhp when new), there really is no need to rush. Contemporary reviews praised the 80 for its handling and I have to say, I’m always pleasantly surprised when I do go for a slightly more sprinted drive than usual of its abilities.

There have been a few occasions where it’s let me down (tensioner seized, fuel pump failed and shorted boot harness drained the battery) but generally, it’s been as reliable as it was during its first ten years. Mind you, there’s not much to go wrong. With the 1.8 carb feed engine lifted straight from the VW parts bin, it’s effectively the GTi engine minus the ‘i’ and these things are well known to cover big miles. At 180K it’s just run in nicely. Since the engine is so simple, I carry out the routine work myself, which is a strangely enjoyable exercise, with just the odd rusted in bolt causing a string of colourful language. It’s partly this simplicity that stopped me moving on, with the fear that with a newer car will come increased running costs. But if I’m honest, I don’t think I could move on, at least not just yet. It became part of the family many years ago, and I suspect, would be the cause of great sadness were it ever to go. I still have a few plans to carry out anyway, a new Weber carb, some Ronal R8s to be refurbished and fitted. And of course, there’s the satisfaction of polishing and waxing black paintwork to be factored in.

I’m more than happy to spend a bit of time and money on what for most is a car at the bottom end of the Bangernomics scale, but, and like all German cars of this period, it was built to last. Audi has galvanised all their cars for the better part of two decades, and I suspect the early ones got a better ‘engineered to last’ treatment rather than a ‘to a cost’ treatment of todays. Look after it, and it’ll never die.

For the last seven or so years, I’ve been fortunate enough to live within walking distance of work, leaving the 80 in a state of semi-retirement, covering only a couple of thousand miles a year. With a relocation on the cards however, that won’t last much longer. The 80 will again be pressed into service on the daily trudge, and I for one am greatly looking forward to spending more time with my old friend.