Well, my plan was to do cars of the same color all week, and today was going to be red. But then I found this silly old Studebaker, and I mean, I couldn’t not write about it. So I did, along with an old Audi that I already had lined up. It’s an odd pairing, but what the hell.
It’s not like yesterday’s cars had all that much in common either. And I honestly didn’t know which way it was going to go. Many of you expressed concern with the van’s high mileage, and it does have a lot of miles, but fleets like DHL depend on their vehicles, and they take care of them. The final tally was close, but the van won by a couple dozen votes.
I get it; small vans are incredibly useful, even nearly-used-up like that one, but part of me was really pulling for that Beetle. It’s one of those cars I keep wanting to like, and I think I could enjoy one in the right spec. This isn’t the one I’d want; I would insist on a manual transmission, and I think I’d skip the convertible. But I can see how it might be a good little runabout for someone. Yeah, you’ll have some electrical problems here and there, but to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever owned a car that didn’t have at least one gremlin lurking in the wiring.
I did have another red car lined up for today, a Nissan Rogue, but when I took a second look at the ad, I honestly couldn’t think of a single thing to say about it. So screw it; we’ll stick with a fake cop car Studebaker and a fake rally car Audi. Here they are.
1959 Studebaker Lark VI – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 170 cubic inch flathead inline 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: St. Charles, MO
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: “Runs good” is all we get
American cars spent the 1950s getting longer and wider, and sprouting tailfins and chrome bric-a-brac. But a new little insect-shaped import proved there was a market for small cars, and domestic makers took note. Newly-formed AMC led the charge, but Studebaker wasn’t far behind. In 1959, it introduced the Lark, a compact car made from the basic structure of its full-size car. Studebaker shortened the front and rear, leaving the middle passenger area the same size, resulting in a smaller, lighter car with plenty of interior room.
The Lark was available with six or eight cylinder engines. The six was Studebaker’s long-running flathead, which would be replaced a couple years later by a new OHV six. It drives the rear wheels through a three-speed manual with a column-mounted shifter. We don’t get much information about this one; the seller’s only comment is a terse “Runs Good!”
I seriously doubt this was originally a police car; I think the spotlight might date back to 1959, but it looks like the original color was a seafoam green. It looks like this was a promotional vehicle for an RV dealership, though I’m not sure why they wanted it to look like a cop car. At least they did a nice job fixing it up; the black and white vinyl upholstery looks sharp, and it’s in good condition.
I don’t know about any of you, but I’d ditch the cop cosplay outfit in a heartbeat if this car were mine. Actual vintage cop cars are one thing, but this just seems silly. A heat gun and a scraper will take care of the decals, and then you can set about repainting it – maybe as a tribute to a more famous Studebaker. It also has a couple of cracked side windows that need replacing, but they’re just flat glass, so replacements shouldn’t be hard to get.
1985 Audi 4000S Quattro – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 5, five-speed manual, AWD
Location: Fridley, MN
Odometer reading: 268,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Until the early 80s, Audi sedans were not much more than expensive Volkswagens. But when it stuck a full-time 4WD system under its Coupe body and drove up a ski slope, and then proceeded to devastate the competition on the rally circuit, Audi came into its own. This car, the 4000S Quattro, was the first Quattro to sell in any real volume in the US; the original Quattro coupe was sold here, but hardly anybody bought one.
Unlike the Quattro coupe, the 4000 is not turbocharged. It’s powered by a 2.2 liter five-cylinder delivering 115 horsepower to all four wheels. The early Quattros were only built with manual transmissions, and had open differentials front, center, and rear. A vacuum-operated switch in the center console controls locking mechanisms for the center and rear diffs for slippery conditions. This one has a few modifications, including a hotter cam and a free-flowing exhaust, and the seller says it runs and drives great. It does have a noisy power steering pump, and one rear wheel bearing is making noise as well, but those are fixable.
Audi wanted to make sure you knew this car was special; the “Quattro” badging is everywhere: on the dash, all over the interior fabric, and of course in the lines of the rear defroster. A lot of these old 4000 Quattros are absolutely trashed inside, but this one looks pretty good, especially considering its high mileage. The driver’s seat padding is beaten down, but the upholstery looks all right.
It has some rust outside, but only a little; I think this is after Audi started galvanizing its bodies. The paint is dull, and the plastic trim doesn’t look great, but again, it’s nowhere near as bad as a lot of them I’ve seen. It rides on five-spoke wheels from a later Audi, and it has been lowered a bit. It has a crack in the windshield, and the seller says one headlight cuts out intermittently, but it wouldn’t be an old Audi without something electrical needing to be fixed.
These two don’t have a whole lot in common, but they are both four-door manual transmission sedans that you don’t see for sale very often. And either one would be fun to tinker with and tool around in on the weekends. So what will it be – the fake-cop-car Studebaker, or the all-wheel-drive Audi?
Unfortunately for me, I dig 1980s Audis. 😉
I had a ’88 Audi 90 with an automatic in a particularly sleepy metallic beige/gold/putty color, and it had those sexy factory alloys that looked so much like AMG Monoblocks (I actually purchased a set for a Mercedes CLK about a decade later, not having yet learned my lesson about German cars). I think it had a five-cylinder engine, but it might have been a four (this was a lot of years ago… my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details 😉 ). It was the first car with ABS that I ever owned. I purchased it on a whim used from Rusnak Audi in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd., while I was there helping an friend/employee shop for his first new A4. I drove it for about five years before eventually donating it (the auction proceeds) to the Red Cross right after 9/11. It was not a performance car: it exuded English Professor vibes (to me)… really kind of staid and conservative. Not that big at all, it would seat four in reasonable comfort on some of the thickest/most durable black leather I’ve ever experienced (makes the 21-year-old leather in my Volvo seem like actual cray paper in comparison). It felt heavy for its size, and the doors did shut with a bank-vault-like authority. The dark interior had a bit of real wood on the dash, though it was sort of slapped on rather than laboriously inlaid as in bigger, more expensive German sedans.
Overall, the car felt really solid and well screwed together, and to be honest, I liked it a lot (you didn’t see too many on the street, even here in car-crazy SoCal). However, the thing would suddenly turn off without warning: you could be driving through a busy intersection, or doing 75 on the freeway, and one moment everything would be fine and then next you’d be coasting without power. And then it wouldn’t restart for something between several minutes to several hours (I walked miles home and retrieved it days later more than once… nine miles across LA one time, but the weather was great per usual, and I had decent shoes on, so I sort of enjoyed it). My very good Pasadena mechanic at the time (sadly, now retired: I miss you a so much Eric Gorzinsky!) levelled with me and said it wasn’t clear exactly what the problem was, though it was almost certainly electronic. He said we could start replacing this or that little black box (at a considerable cost each time) and see if/when the problem resolves. He really was a super mechanic (I know this comes off like a lazy response) but I don’t think he ran into too many of these, and maybe didn’t have the right kind of scanner for it. The issue could probably be more efficiently resolved today, what with the internet so full of forums and factoids and all. Audis were (are?) really just bigger/heavier/more expensive Volkswagens, and by this point in my life, I was already well aware of how painful/expensive it can be to daily an older VW, so the Audi’s problems weren’t a complete surprise. Hence my decision to donate the car eventually (I do miss it).
I still love the way these look… even my humble 90, which was really a fairly entry-level Audi, with the 80/90 being somewhat comparable to the 4000 in today’s Shitbox Showdown. They’re not over-adorned and very solid, with a handsome three-box shape and nice proportions, but without the remote-feeling recirculating-ball steering common to Mercedes at the time. They drive pretty well and IMO, they hold their own with BMWs and Benzes back then: really feeling a lot like a bigger, sturdier, and better-screwed-together Jetta or Passat of the era. Upmarket models like the 100/200 and of course Quattros were genuine objects of lust for a longtime reader of VW & Porsche Magazine (later renamed European Car) as I was.
If they had only been built by Toyota or Honda instead of by Audi, I’d still have one in my garage right now.
I went Audi today. Not that anyone should care. I’m a sucker for halogen headlights vs sealed beams. And a 5M and Quattro sound like fun until something breaks. Which with 268K on the clock is inevitable. But a 21-year-older Lark will probably have some issues as well.
The car my wife had when I met her was the VW version of the 4000 (complete with manual transmission), so that gets my vote today. A fun little car to drive around even if it always had some malady going on with it.
Had an 86 4000CS Quattro in this exact color. Miss that car to this day.
Car 54 where are you? I’ll take the Studebaker and laugh like Fred Gwynne the whole drive.
I had forgotten that he was in that show. I can remember the theme song, but I don’t remember the plot line of a single episode. I was almost 6 when it finished its run. Fred will always be Herman Munster to me. Now I’ll have to see if clips are available online.
I’m all over that Stude. That’s a cute, rare, and low-cost classic–and that’s factoring in the cost of a new paint job.
This was sorta difficult, but gotta go Audi for the fun factor. Both would be fun but the 4000 wins for being a Quattro and regular stick. Even though it’s pretty crusty (DT would love all the rust) it’s still got enough positives where I would fix it up real good and enjoy cruising in it. The Lark is pretty cool too, for the classic factor: body style, column shift, etc
If the Lark was a wagon, or even better, a Champ pickup version it’d be no contest, but I don’t dig the sedan or the cop regalia. I’m rallying round the Audi by default. And also dis fault, and dat one over dere, too. All defaults, you betcha!
I did have another red car lined up for today, a Nissan Rogue, but when I took a second look at the ad, I honestly couldn’t think of a single thing to say about it.
I used to travel a lot for work, like a lot a lot. I made it a point to try every car National had to offer. I got a rouge once, for the first time since renting cars, and never again since, I lost it in a parking lot. Even when standing right in front of it, I just didn’t see it. Literally, so boring a car, it was invisible..
Me too, lots of travel, and did the same thing with National. 2015 BMW 318i with the little turbo 3 cylinder was the biggest disappointment.
Most pleasant surprise was the GLA250, most shocking was a Jeep Patriot with 7 miles that rattled and whistled more than my 240K mile Subaru, most frightening was the Jeep Renegade that I was sure was going to throw a wheel bearing before I got to the airport ad struggled to get to highway speed. My all time favorite was the Grand Cherokee, would 100% own one IRL.
Man, if ever there was a day for a both button.
Voted Lark, mostly because of Fozzy Bear.
The Audi is a no brainer here (but I do like Studebakers).
I want to see some evidence of how well that Studebaker would hold up to hood slides.
I’ll go Audi, I have fond memories of my father’s 84 4000 Quattro so as long as the rust is minimal I want the fun to drive not the boring to drive
Wow! The front of the engine in the Audi is alarmingly close to the grille! That’s wild!
Would do a partial repaint to solid white on the Studebaker and be very happy with it.
Spotlights were all the rage in the 50s and 60s from what I’ve heard…
The Studebaker is cooler.
If it were still the seafoam green color it’d be the Lark all the way. I always liked their combination of late ’50s detailing with modern proportions (but what idiot decided to paint the wheels black instead of white? Seriously, the nice big wheel pushed out to each corner is part of the appeal.)
Even just painting the lower 2/3 of the doors black to make a less gimmicky two-tone would be pricey to do decently well.
This just reminds me of how much I used to love Audi vs. how I rarely even pay attention to them now. sigh.
My vote goes to the Audi for a few reasons… first, it will be much better to drive. Second, I like how it looks better. Third, the seller provides a lot more info and detail compared to the “Great shape! Runs good” Studebaker seller… and where the pictures clearly show it has some issues with the glass, really faded rear tail lights and looks like it has been sitting for a while… and there is clearly some kind of story behind it.
My dad had an ’85 4000 in the same color (albeit it wasn’t a Quattro). He really liked that car but when I was 5 he traded it in for a Taurus LX wagon.
Don’t have kids.
Pretty bad choices all around. I guess I’ll take the Audi to go Hoon some dirt roads and then leave it in a ditch after I’m done.
I owned an 87 Audi Coupe GT in my 20s, and it’s monthly repair bills drove me to trade it in on a brand new Dakota, but I still miss that thing. I’ll go for the good time, not a long time Quattro, thanks!
I had an 86 Coupe GT that I used as a delivery vehicle for a few years, and it was pretty cheap to operate. Main problem was some parts were a little difficult to find as they were Coupe specific. I’ve also owned both the Quattro and non-quattro versions of the 4000. In all three cases, I found them all (for the time) to get pretty good gas mileage, handle well, and still have a good ride. The last one I got was the 4kq, sadly it was totaled in a rear end collision just a couple of months after I bought it.
Mine was just suffering from age, I had no tools, lived in an apartment; and little wrenching confidence; so it was in the shop every three weeks or so for something. The interior plastics were disintegrating, the visor clips had failed, the rear view mirror was deteriorated around the rim so it bounced, and everything required a gentle hand. This was in 1998-99 so the internet wasn’t much help for parts or knowledge yet and I was doing a LOT of cross-country driving, so I just opted for a new car after the whole cooling system blew up in New Orleans 12 hours from home. I very much enjoyed driving it while I had it though.