Have you ever ever gained an internet public sale for a automobile you’ve by no means seen or pushed? Man, it’s exhilarating. Final night time, proper earlier than I went to sleep, I put in a bid on this Audi A3 E-tron that I believed was acceptable, however was hit with the dreaded “You’re the highest bidder, however your bid has not met reserve.” I put my telephone down and went to sleep. Oh properly, I assume I’m not taking this one house. Or am I?
I’ve been searching for an acceptable each day driver for just a few months after promoting our beloved Buick Regal TourX. My spouse has the Porsche Cayenne Diesel, and loves it, however all of my automobiles are on a collector automobile insurance coverage coverage and might’t actually be used for on a regular basis driving, and positively can’t be road parked at our metropolis residence with no storage. I used to be searching for a considerably enjoyable each day driver that I might road park within the metropolis with out feeling dangerous about it, put the canine in, haul some furnishings, and do Residence Depot runs.
I had kind of settled on the A3 E-tron and had been wanting round for one, however by no means discovered one within the spec I needed. For just a few months I used to be all however satisfied that each single one in every of these automobiles was bought in fucking silver. I don’t need something greyscale, so I needed to hunt down one of many uncommon colourful examples, and that’s when this one popped up. I’m not a lot of a pink automobile man, but it surely’s head and shoulders above gray or silver, and the chocolate brown leather-based inside was sufficient to place me excessive. I’m type of jazzed to go get this machine and take it on a prolonged street journey.
I fell in love with this chassis after I examined its S3 sibling. It’s the right mix of nimble and small that I would like in a enjoyable driver, however with sufficient luxurious that I don’t really feel like I’m being penalized. Plus I gained’t must get fuel fairly often what with its 16 miles of electrical vary, diminutive 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, and hybrid drive effectivity.
If the S3 had been out there with a protracted roof, I may need purchased a kind of as an alternative. However I’m additionally just a little acutely aware of my gasoline consumption and know electrical and hybrid are the best way ahead. I miss having an EV round the home, however Ohio’s charging infrastructure is a goddamn mess, so it’s in all probability not the precise transfer for me for the time being.
I noticed this automobile listed someplace just a few weeks in the past for $14,000-ish, which was a bit greater than I needed to pay, but it surely scratched the precise itch. I let it go. I noticed the exact same automobile on eBay just a few days in the past, and began placing in some bids. My reserve-not-met bid was $12,000, but it surely wasn’t accepted, so I used to be prepared to let it go once more. This morning the itemizing was up to date with a Purchase It Now worth of $11,999. No person was bidding in opposition to me, so I made a decision to let the time run out and see if I might haggle them down just a few extra bucks. Then, simply because the public sale ran out, the vendor dumped the reserve to $11,575 and my bid was accepted. I’d gained!
With 68,000 miles on the odometer, it’s a bit extra well-used than I’d hoped for, but it surely appears to be like clear sufficient within the admittedly-low-resolution images. We’ll see what I’ve gotten myself into after I fly out to California in a few weeks to choose it up. Watch this area, it must be fascinating.
