Okay, okay, I get it: No more project cars. For a while, anyway. May I interest you in a couple of rarely-seen executive sedans from the late 1980s? I sure hope so, because that’s what we’re going to look at.
Yesterday’s 4x4s went over like a lead balloon. Honestly, I get it; they’re both objectively terrible ideas, and I don’t have a whole lot of gumption when it comes to potential projects myself, these days. But I try to mix it up a litle, you know? I still think they’re both viable projects, but someone is going to have to put in some time and money into both of them, and I get the impression that that someone isn’t going to be anyone here.
The Toyota won handily, because it looks like it has a better chance of once again becoming a car. I guess, if pressed, I’d go the other way: the Land Rover is cheaper, and it would be a more interesting conversation piece sitting disassembled in the barn. Anybody can have a Toyota, but who do you know who owns a derelict ’50s Land Rover?
Nothing said you’d arrived in the 1980s like a European sedan. BMW and Mercedes were selling cars like hotcakes to young execs flush with their first big paychecks, Volvo somehow convinced Americans its cars were luxurious, Audi was kicking ass until, well, you know, and even Peugeot and Saab were getting in on the action. If it came from Europe, everyone knew it was expensive, and they all knew you had someone named Hans or Gunter on speed-dial to keep it humming like it should. No Cadillac or Lincoln carried the same status. For your consideration today, I’ve found a couple rare members of this class, one from a British outsider that got some help from the Japanese, and one from the unfairly-maligned black sheep of German automakers. Let’s take a look.
1988 Sterling 825SL – $3,800
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter OHC V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Tacoma, WA
Odometer reading: 39,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Whole books could be, and have been, written about the disaster that was British Leyland/Rover Group in the 1970s and ’80s. The conglomerate left US shores in 1981, after a long and graceless decline from its ’60s heyday, but then it did something smart: it partnered with Honda. This car was one result of that partnership. It’s mechanically the same as the Acura Legend, but – and this is crucial – it was built in England, not Japan. Rover chose not to use its own name for this car, which was probably a wise move. The last Rover sedan sold in the US was the SD1 3500, a wedge of sadness and despair that not even a V8 could save. Instead, it chose the Sterling nameplate.
Powering this Japanese/British mixed breed is a Honda C25A six-cylinder, making 151 horsepower and driving the front wheels through a four-speed automatic. You could get a five-speed manual, but it’s rare in the Acura Legend and almost unheard-of in the Sterling. This one hardly has any miles on it; the six-digit odometer is clearly visible in the ad and shows 39,344 miles. It runs and drives great, according to the seller, which it ought to.
Because of Jaguar, British sedans had a reputation for luxury in America that Rover had to live up to with the Sterling. There was a base S model of this car available, with cloth seats, but if you’re going to get one, this SL model is the version to get. That’s real wood on the dash and door panels, too, just so you know. It has a trip computer in the dash with banks of buttons befitting its status as a European (this was way before Brexit, remember) luxury car. Hopefully it all still works; Rover did the electrical design for this car, not Honda.
I’ve been looking at photos of this car next to the Legend, and as far as I can tell, they don’t actually share any sheetmetal. They sure do look a lot alike, though, in that angular ’80s sedan way. It’s as clean and straight as you would expect for such a low-mileage car, but the trim on the rear bumper is a little wonky. Then again, it could have been that way from the factory. Build quality was not one of this car’s hallmarks.
1990 Audi 100 – $3,995
Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter OHC inline 5, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Everett, WA
Odometer reading: 137,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It’s really a shame that the 60 Minutes malarkey is all that this car is known for. Nobody ever talks about how nice they are. We had three Audi 5000s in my family when I was in high school and college – an ’83 Turbo, an ’86 CS, and an ’87 standard model, all automatics – and they were all an absolute delight. The scandal hit Audi so hard that in 1989 it renamed its entire range in the US, realigning model names with Europe. Hence, this car, which was once the 5000, became the 100. It didn’t help sales much, sadly. This is a rare car.
The heart and soul of this car is the same as it was in the 5000: Audi’s signature inline five, sticking out ahead of the front axle and driving the front wheels through a three-speed automatic. It’s the tamest drivetrain Audi offered in this car, but it doesn’t feel underpowered. There’s no overdrive, but I can personally attest to the fact that this car will cruise smoothly and quietly along at 90 miles an hour for as long as you want it to. This one has 137,000 miles on it, and the seller (a dealership, just FYI) says it runs and drives great.
The driver’s seat shows a little wear, but the rest of the interior looks really clean. It looks like another one of those cars that did most of its miles with only a driver on board. It’s a pretty basic car as 100s go, but even the standard equipment includes an automatic HVAC system, power windows and locks, and some other goodies.
This car looked like a spaceship when it first appeared in the ’80s, and it has aged very well. This light blue was a really popular color for these, and this one is in really good shape. The paint is nice and shiny, and apart from a couple scuffs on the bumper, it’s untouched. It’s rare to see these with any rust, by the way; Audi galvanized all the sheetmetal throughout the whole car.
As nice as both of these cars are now, the reality is that neither one is going to be easy to find certain parts for. Basic mechanical and maintenance stuff shouldn’t be a problem, but if some interior trim breaks, or an electrical switch goes out, you could be in for an epic quest to find a replacement. In short, if you choose a car like this, you have to love it, or you’ll end up hating it. So my question for you is this: Which one do you think you could love?
“It’s as clean and straight as you would expect for such a low-mileage car, but the trim on the rear bumper is a little wonky.”
The top shot of the Sterling shows the front to be rather more wonky with the headlights & the hood not quite lining up…
My dad had a grad student from Brazil who let us drive her new ’85 manual (!!) Audi 5000 for a few months when she was out of the country and didn’t want it sitting idle. It was absolutely great! It had the same plush upholstery as this ’90 Audi and it was extremely nice. Of all the cars I’ve ever driven or ridden in my favorite seats have all been VWs and that ’85 Audi. So of course I voted for the ’90 Audi, automatic transmission notwithstanding.
In the late 80s or very early 90s there was an incident at a local nightclub where there was a crowd outside and someone in a car hit and seriously injured a pedestrian and then fled the scene. In a surprising act of competence the police actually found the perpetrator because multiple witnesses identified the car as a Sterling; because there were so few Sterlings registered around here it was quite easy to track down the car in question. It was commented at the time that if it’d been a regular hit and run in the street witnesses most likely would have just identified the car as a Honda or Acura because of the similarity from a distance but because this incident was in a parking lot in the midst of a crowd plenty of people were close enough to see the Sterling badges. After that every time I saw a Sterling I always remembered that (yes, there were still a *few* Sterlings running around here well into the 21st century and I saw one on the road just a couple years ago… anyway, actually there were more of those Sterlings than those Audis around here, guess 60 Minutes was popular around here, lol.)
I didn’t even bother reading about the Audi before voting Sterling.
I like cars from obscure defunct brands that are unfamiliar to non car nerds (Merkur, Sterling, Eagle, Imperial, etc.). I forgot Sterling existed, so I presume the vast majority of normies have as well, if they were ever aware Sterling existed in the first place.
Also, I know English cars have a bad reputation, but at least this one has a Honda engine – that has to count for something, right? I presume it could be made to run even if the rest of the car is particularly British. Plus, this is a very nice looking car. If nothing else, it will look great on the back of a tow truck.
As an owner of an 87 Audi GT I have to go with the devil I know, plus I already own two Hondas, but I might have regrets over my choice. Having a strange Honda seems pretty compelling.
I voted Stirling partly out of patriotism to my home country but also because a low mileage survivor must be a pretty rare thing. Ideal for a Radwood.
These are both really nice examples that would clean up at your local Cars and Coffee, but I don’t want either of them in my garage. I’ll go Audi as I’ve always liked the 100. I briefly had the next generation 100 with the old 12 valve V6 and a five speed. Good car.
You said no project cars, then you post an Audi and a fucking British POS LOL
Audi doesn’t make good cars either 😛
I voted for the Sterling because at least eh engine is Honda. As long as the shitty Lucas electrical shit doesn’t affect the car running and driving, you can limp your way to wherever better than in the possibly even more catastrophic Audi.
They should’ve had Honda do everything but the interior.
Both are crackhead priced. Neither is worth more than $2000.
The Audi is clearly going to win, but I am voting for the Sterling.
My family owned one that looked exactly like this one, and it was truly amazing. This was the first car I ever drove! We sold it with 125k miles, and we never had any mechanical problems with it.
Fit and finish… that is a different story: the bar between the taillights came a good half inch off-center from the factory (and the dealer refused to fix it), the top of the dashboard warped after a couple of summers, and the A-pillars weirdly started discoloring and ended up white.
The fact that this example only seems to have a broken corner light and slightly banged-up bumpers is a miracle.
Back in the late 80’s, when the 60 Minutes hatchet job came out, you couldn’t give those Audis away. My uncle had a job where he drove a lot of miles across West Texas. The story set off his BS detector, so he would buy those worthless Audis and blast down those deserted highways like they were the Autobahn. If it broke, he bought another one for next to nothing.
So in a nod to Uncle Jack, I voted Audi!
Back in the late ’90s I lived close to a self serve junkyard and over the years I made several hundred bucks finding intact Sterling front corner lights and selling them on eBay. I imagine the market for those isn’t as hot anymore.
I just saw a clean Sterling at the Crazy 80s Car Museum that Mercedes wrote about awhile back.
The guy fired it up and showed me how ‘somehow, everything still works.’ I’ll go with the Sterling.
First job out of the Navy in ’91 was a dealership that included Sterling. I had never heard of them. There were plenty of less than stellar examples, but I remember a few fun ones to drive. I even remember a couple manuals. I’d take the chance.
Definitely a neither day.
As far as the Audi’s reputation it was deserved. There were two problem points with the system, one the brakes and the other the extremely crude EFI system.
The brakes were a hydro boost system, ie hydraulically operated off of the power steering pump. The problems were two fold, one the power steering was given priority and two the accumulator which is supposed to store some fluid under pressure to give a couple assisted pedal strokes even if the engine died. The problem was that some times the check valve intended to hold that reserve pressure didn’t always seal properly. That meant that overnight it could bleed down and putting your foot on the brake before you started the car could drain whatever remaining pressure there was. That meant that on start up you may not have assist and it could take a bit until you did have full assist.
The system was designed without any way for the computer to control the idle. The base idle was set with a screw opening the throttle plate, just like with a carb. The problem was cold starting, to achieve that they used a cold start injector and a F.Idle valve that was controlled by a coolant temp switch. If the coolant temp was below 120 degrees, if I remember correctly, it would enter fast idle mode. That opened the Fidle, which was an all or nothing affair, and ran the extra injector that injected in plenum. The fidle was sized so that it would keep the car running even in the coldest temps. What that meant in the real world was a too fast idle when the temps were warmer.
So yeah no brake assist and a 2500 rpm or higher idle speed on that 70 degree day meant minimal braking and lots of rpm and a recipe for a problem.
Now I understand the accumulator problem wasn’t going to be easy to reproduce, but they should have condemned them for the Fidle all day long and twice on Sunday.
That’s the nicest Sterling I’ve seen since they were new, I’m voting for it without any hesitation whatsoever. These are essentially nearly extinct so I hope this goes to a proper caretaker. If my economic situation were different I’d probably already be arranging shipping. My wife will understand, won’t she?
Oh, definitely the Audi. Sterlings were interesting, nicely finished, but also garbage.
Best of luck getting replacement parts (I mean, they were an Acura-based Rover, so maybe it’s not as dire as it seems, but…)
The Audi 100 is the one.
And sudden acceleration was BS
i almost bought that exact sterling probably a year ago now – looks like it’s for sale again, in the same area, for the same price, i wonder what happened? nothing could deter me from adding such a clean sterling to my collection, i’m well accustomed with fabricating components for finicky british cars at this point. lemme whisper to her, she’ll be perfect
I can’t fully explain it but I have always felt the Audi 100 is the vehicular equivalent of a university prof’s brown tweed jacket with elbow patches.
And leave it to Nigel to make a Honda unreliable. “Why do the British drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes refrigerators, too!” hardyharhar
I voted for the Sterling after reading the ad for the Audi. Everything about that ad screams high-pressure sales with prices that mysteriously keep getting higher with every document that gets rammed into your face. They probably have an employee who stands 3 inches behind you and breathes onto your neck until you accept whatever the final price becomes. That’s Mouth-Breathin’ Mike, and boy does he love sour scream and onion potato chips!
With the Sterling I can show up with $3,800 in cash and drive away happy. Kind of happy. It’s not the most interesting car out there, but you could do a lot worse.
The ‘Onda has so few miles and is so nice. I can’t resist.
But as I’ve said many times, put a manual in the Audi and suddenly it wins!
Mark: Fine, no project cars! Now check out this British built car with British electricals.
The Sterling is a project car, it is just a matter of time. I’ll pick the Audi.
I actually like both today but that Audi looks SO good inside and out! Those have aged so well. Too bad it doesn’t have a 5 speed.
I just want to spend some time in that Audi interior. That upholstery looks damn pleasant.
No one in their right mind was fooled by British luxury. The Sterling had a bad reputation for gremlins in the 80s. Can’t imagine it’s better now. Take the audi or save some money for a real legend.
OK, first, these are both overpriced. Second, neither are known for their reliability, tho I think the Audi is a bit better in this regard. The Sterling is a real unicorn, makes it more interesting. It has very few miles, has a 4 speed automatic, and is being sold by an individual. The Audi is a better looking car, but has more miles, a 3 speed automatic, and is being sold by a dealer. I’ll take a gamble on the Sterling just for the novelty, but only if I can talk the seller down significantly, which shouldn’t be too hard because no one but car nerds remember these, and no car nerd would want to buy it.
Audi FTW. Anything with British build quality and Britich electrical should come with a disclaimer.
So much this. Didn’t Cammisa do a Revelations on these cars?
“Rover did the electrical design for this car, not Honda.” and there is the final point that tipped me away from the Honda to the Audi.