Selling a junk or non-running Audi Cabriolet

Whether it runs or not, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.

One convertible, built long past its platform

The Cabriolet is a two-door convertible that Wikipedia dates 1991–2000, built on the Volkswagen Group B3 platform and assembled in Ingolstadt from 1991 to 1996. Wikipedia says the convertible took so much expensive re-engineering that Audi kept building it until 2000, long after the other B3 models had been replaced by B4 and even B5 cars. The A4 Cabriolet followed it. The EPA lists it here for 1994-1998, as a minicompact.

Recalls and complaints, 1994-1998

There was one US generation, so the split below follows the recalls.

1994-1996: the ignition switch years

Recall 96V017000 covers 1994-1996 cars. Their ignition switches were made improperly and can make some electrical accessories malfunction. Dealers replaced the switch. The campaign counts 24,000 vehicles, which may include other models.

Recall 97V175000 covers 1995-1997 cars. When the air is dry, static from the driver climbing in or out can fire the driver's air bag. The fix was a ground wire on that air bag. Its 39,300 vehicles span more than the Cabriolet.

Recall 98V332000 covers V6 cars from 1993-1995. An internal seal in a fuel injector can fail and leak fuel into the engine compartment, and dealers replaced all the injectors. The campaign starts a year before the Cabriolet's EPA years, so its 37,200 vehicles include other Audis.

The 1996 holds half of all Cabriolet complaints: 8, with 6 naming the electrical system. The two 1994 complaints report one crash and one death between them, and name visibility, side and rear, and the electrical system.

1997-1998: the last two years

Three complaints between them. The 1997's two name steering and vehicle speed control. The 1998's one names the gasoline fuel system. No recall listed here covers the 1998.

The numbers by model year

Owner complaints below come from NHTSA as of October 10, 2026. Because a recall can stretch across years, the same campaign may sit in two or three rows.

You can check any Cabriolet model year at NHTSA's recall page.

Worth fixing?

Electrical trouble on a car this old can be one bad switch or a dozen tired connections. Before you spend on it, find out whether the 96V017000 ignition switch was ever replaced, because that recall describes exactly this kind of accessory trouble. Then get a written diagnosis and set it against what a running Cabriolet in the same shape sells for.

If the fuel smell is strong on a V6 car, stop driving it and check whether the 98V332000 injectors were done. The electrical problems guide covers the wiring side. Car doesn't run covers the choice when it won't start at all.

Handing over a Cabriolet as it sits

1. Note the VIN, the mileage, whether it's the V6, and what works and what doesn't.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it's parked, under a cover in a garage, on the street, in a side yard, and whether it rolls.
4. Sell the whole car as it sits, top and all. If the stereo, a seat or a wheel has already left the car, tell us, because that changes the offer.

Other Audis we cover: the A4, TT, A5 and every Audi model.