Have you ever ever received a web-based public sale for a automobile you’ve by no means seen or pushed? Man, it’s exhilarating. Final evening, proper earlier than I went to sleep, I put in a bid on this Audi A3 E-tron that I assumed 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 effectively, I suppose I’m not taking this one dwelling. Or am I?
I’ve been in search of an acceptable each day driver for a number of months after promoting our beloved Buick Regal TourX. My spouse has the Porsche Cayenne Diesel, and loves it, however all of my vehicles are on a collector automobile insurance coverage coverage and may’t actually be used for on a regular basis driving, and undoubtedly can’t be avenue parked at our metropolis condo with no storage. I used to be in search of a considerably enjoyable each day driver that I may avenue park within the metropolis with out feeling dangerous about it, put the canine in, haul some furnishings, and do Dwelling Depot runs.
I had type of settled on the A3 E-tron and had been trying round for one, however by no means discovered one within the spec I needed. For a number of months I used to be all however satisfied that each single certainly one of these vehicles 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, however it’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 highway journey.
I fell in love with this chassis once I examined its S3 sibling. It’s the proper mix of nimble and small that I need in a enjoyable driver, however with sufficient luxurious that I don’t really feel like I’m being penalized. Plus I received’t should get gasoline 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 an extended roof, I might need purchased a type of as a substitute. However I’m additionally somewhat aware of my gasoline consumption and know electrical and hybrid are the way in which ahead. I miss having an EV round the home, however Ohio’s charging infrastructure is a goddamn mess, so it’s most likely not the proper transfer for me in the mean time.
I noticed this automobile listed someplace a number of weeks in the past for $14,000-ish, which was a bit greater than I needed to pay, however it scratched the proper itch. I let it go. I noticed the exact same automobile on eBay a number of days in the past, and began placing in some bids. My reserve-not-met bid was $12,000, however it 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 value of $11,999. No one was bidding towards me, so I made a decision to let the time run out and see if I may haggle them down a number of 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 received!
With 68,000 miles on the odometer, it’s a bit extra well-used than I’d hoped for, however it appears clear sufficient within the admittedly-low-resolution pictures. We’ll see what I’ve gotten myself into once I fly out to California in a few weeks to select it up. Watch this area, it needs to be fascinating.
