TjRubley.com

My wife sent me this shot from her cel phone of a gray Audi R8 spotted in Corvallis this past weekend:

I briefly considered that in may be the Edmunds long term test car since they were heading up I-5 to Seattle. But I dismissed it as I figured they’d fly right by our little town.

Turns out, it was the Edmunds long term test car. They just posted a blog entry about hitting Mary’s Peak:

And btw, that’s when you know it’s true love. When your wife stops dead in her tracks to send you an IM with a picture of an R8 when you’re 350 miles from home

I have a handful of Mary’s Peak pictures on my Flickr, check ‘em out.

dc

If you haven’t heard yet, there is an epic thread on VWVortex about the guy who got his Audi booted in his own housing development by Arizona Parking Solutions and took matters into his own hands by moving his car with the boots on into his garage via jacks and dolly’s. Brilliant!

Unfortunately, the original thread was locked and a new forum, The Parking Enforcement Forum, has been created to continue the diary of this victim’s tale. Very entertaining! Best of luck to the original poster!

dc

My sister loves her A4 and went to great lengths to make it her own by custom ordering a very unique and striking option package. The pale and slightly custard color leather seats against the black w/ aluminum accent is very sharp. But she wants the grille, another German car status symbol, to stand out a bit more. Naturally, I told her I’d get on the case. I mean, it’s not often I have the opportunity to help her out these days!

She said it has to be OEM to support the manufacturer they supply however. Probably good news actually so she can get her oil changed and have the grille fitted at the same appointment.

Her car is a 2007 Audi A4 Avant, but is not an S-Line. Which turns out is significant because the S-Line, S4, and RS4 models have the more aggressive OEM upgrade grilles, but also a deeper front bumper, and a longer grille opening to match. So if she wants to stay OEM without replacing the bumper as well, her choices are limited:

OEM Audi Anniversary “Black Out” Grill

or the OEM Audi DTM Grill

For under $300US (or about the cost of three beers in Euros after conversion LOL), she has a couple of nice options that would look great on her Black A4.

Here’s a before and after photoshop I did:

You better send updated pics when you’re done Sis!

dc

My buddy Ed contacted me about a finding him a sub $5k car that fit the following criteria:

2:48 PM edwardwilson749: Up for a car challenge?

me: sure!

2:50 PM edwardwilson749: You can take your time with this one, but we are looking for a dog/visitor car. Open to all makes/models with a max of $5000. Looking for something we can haul the 3 dogs in comfortably, let visitors drive when they are here, and not be embarrassed to park out front.

2:51 PM So far we have been looking at wagons, but would be open to a small SUV, or anything if the right one comes along.

me: hmmm, interesting.

2:52 PM edwardwilson749: Figure pick something up, drive it for a couple years, then sell it for a little less than what we paid for it. Figure it’ll cost us a couple grand to own, as opposed to a complete junker that might cost that much in maintenance.

So it will need to have a fairly good service record as well.

2:53 PM And being located somewhere close to the SE as well

me: gotcha, sounds like fun!

You can fake having 3 dogs in a 4 door once in a while, but it’s sure not ideal. In my mind, that means wagon or SUV.

So I took a swing at some logical choices for Ed and G. I may have to come back to this later in the week with some more ‘creative’ examples though!

The first car to spring to mind was an e34 touring, that Ed also had found. His response was ‘meh’ for this 1993 525i Touring on Craigslist for $4k:

Right behind the BMW e34’s on my list was the W124 Benz Wagons:

1995 Mercedes 300TE Wagon on Craigslist in Orlando

1995 E320 Wagon on Craigslist $4595 in Orlando

And if you’re going to consider BMW’s and Merc’s, well you have to consider the Audi’s with Quattro:

1998 Audi A6 Avant on Craigslist Treasure Coast:

Or this 1998 A6 Avant with only 83k miles in Virginia on Autotrader.com:

I’ve always thought a Landy was a sharp buy for the money. I’d take a look at these as well:

2000 Land Rover Discovery on Craigslist West Palm, $4130, 123k miles:

And this 1997 Land Rover Discovery SE with only 92k miles for $4996:

And it’s hard to ignore a Japanese option:

1997 Infiniti QX4 on Craigslist Birmingham ($4950):

But of all the cars I looked at tonight, the value leader and enthusiast bargain has got to be the Volvo R series wagons from the late 90’s. Check out these two barn burners for under $5k:

1996 Volvo 850R Wagon on Craigslist Atlanta. I really dig the beech interior and the stout black exterior.

And along the same lines, this newer 1998 Volvo V70R on Craigslist Savannah:

Honorable Mentions:

Fiat 500 Station Wagon on eBay (exceeds price limit by $2k )

1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Hearse on eBay (too creepy, but probably meets or beats most of his criteria LOL!)

dc

The Audi S2 and RS2 were never imported to the states. This recreation is about as close as you could likely get and nearly no expense was spared in its development as the extensive modification list details.

1990 Audi Coupe Quattro For Sale on VWVortex

[...] The car has been awesome for me. It really is everything I want and it is definitely a head-turner to everyone. However, now just isn’t the time with an infant and the purchase of a house. I never tracked the car and didn’t even drive it much. I put maybe 2k miles on it since I bought it in May of ’07 and it has been in the garage since. I just had it into Redmond Werkshop for an oil change and they checked everything over and said it all looked good (fluid levels, CV’s, etc.).

ASKING $20,000
I AM TAKING OFFERS! However, please do not lowball me and I will not part anything out. I also have a book full of receipts from time of swap, as well as an itemized list with prices. To rebuild this car would cost over $30k.

I am located in Seattle

Follow the link above for quite an impressive list of work and rare parts. The standouts in my mind are the rebuilt S4 long block, the 6 speed transmission, RS2 bodywork, and numerous replacement/upgrades of related parts.

It’s always difficult to put a price on a completed, personal project car like this one. No doubt if it were an authentic, gray market, and plated car, it would be worth more. But many of the choices made with this car, like the unusual Audi gray, sport buckets, and wheel selection are very individual in taste. But for $20k and the list of rare and rebuilt components, it’s got to be a bargain to the right buyer.

dc

A very cool, modern, gray-market import in the Pacific Northwest: 1998 Audi A3 on Craigslist

For Sale - 1998 Audi A3 in Seattle, WA, USA

Full German Specification Car
All Paperwork And Maintenance Records
More Pictures Here
Ming Blue Pearl Effect Paint
Caractere full body kit (front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, rear wing, front grill and surround, with Caractere RS3 body kit badging)
Clear side marker lights
European headlights/fogs with height adjustability on headlights
Evolution Sports Fog Light Wiring Harness

18″x8″ Porsche 996 Twin Turbo wheels (Hollow Spokes) - mint condition
225/40-18 Michelin Pilot Sports - 3,000 miles on them
H&R wheel adapters for 5×130 pattern from 5×100
H&R Coilovers (custom matched by H&R for this car)
H&R Front Sway Bar
Autotech Hollow Rear Sway Bar
Car is full corner balanced
Autotech drilled/slotted front rotors
Mintex Pads
Silver painted calipers

1.8T engine
5-speed transmission
125,xxx Kilometers (~77,500 miles)
DigiTec Chip/ECU Upgrade (German Chip)
Supersprint Mid Pipe Section
Supersprint Rear Section with DTM tips
Forge “Stealth” Diverter Valve
Mobil1 Synthetic Oil
K&N air filter

Gray interior
Staccato pattern on factory sport seats (Cloth)
Full Climate Control
Audi TT pedals
Audi TT Dead pedal
Metric gauge cluster (KPH only)

One of only 4 known early Audi A3/S3 models in the United States, and the only fully registered one to my knowledge. The car was imported by H&R Special Springs in 1998 and used as a demonstration car for a year. After that the car was sold to a private party in Washington state, and purchased by my friend whom I bought it from 5 years ago makin gme the 4th ownerof the vehicle.

The car is a real treat to own and drive, simply from all the people that you get to meet. Every time you stop at a light or to get gas, the crowd seems to form to ask you “How did you get that over here?” or “What is that?” The car is just like any other Audi in terms of high build quality and handsome looks. The vehicle is a German spec import, but can be serviced by any Audi dealer in North America in terms of mechanical/electrical maintenance and repair. This car would be a great addition to any Audi collector’s garage, or an enthusiast that wants a rare and unique car for motoring enjoyment.
Serious buyers only, please.

$17,000 USD

Contact Jeff - a3turbo@gmail.com or at 206.650.8854

Pictures -

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg44/ballardjeffrey/Audi%20A3/

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Brief History of the car:

1998
• Imported into the United States by H&R for demonstration purposes.
• Displayed at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas. The car was located in the main entrance foyer, for thousands to see.
• Displayed at the Los Angeles International Auto Show at the request of Audi of North America.
• Honored by Audi AG at the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca in California.
• Vehicle was photographed by Turbo Magazine for feature coverage after the SEMA show.
• Vehicle was photographed by European Car Magazine for feature coverage after the SEMA show.

1999
• Displayed at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas. The vehicle was located in the H&R display booth.
• Vehicle was photographed by Max Power Magazine for feature coverage after the SEMA show.
• Turbo Magazine feature came out in the June 1999 issue.
• Displayed at the Los Angeles International Auto Show at the request of Audi of North America
• Vehicle became fully registered in the state of Washington.
• Car was honored at the Audi A4/VW Passat Motorsports Exposition at Sears Point Raceway in conjunction with the Norcal Audi Club.

2000-2001
• Max Power Magazine feature came out in the June 2000 issue.
• H&R advertisement showing the vehicle came out in the Fall 2000 issue of Quattro Quarterly.
• Sold to private party in Washington State.

I’ve seen this car many times when I was in the PNW scene (if you can call simply owning a 337 and showing up at events ‘in the scene’ ) and it’s really hot and well cared for. For only $17k, I’m sure the right buyer will find their way to this car.

dc