I’ve made only one New Year’s Resolution this year – I resolved to listen to my gut instinct more. Typically, I scoff at such tomfoolery; if you can’t get it done the other 364 days, a little champagne and a dropping ball isn’t going to change your life suddenly. But a few weeks back I made a poor decision that I immediately regretted. On my normal perusing of the local Craigslist advertisements, I came across a 1993 Audi S4. It was Pearlesant white with black leather – not my favorite combination admittedly, but a classic ’90s Audi hue. It was a bit lowered but not overly so, riding on 18″ BBS VZ wheels. The miles were in check and overall condition appeared to be very good, with a short list of needs. But the kicker was that it was only 2 miles from my house; even better yet, the asking price was below $3,000. I stared at the ad for some time, and multiple times later in the day I went back to look at it. “I shouldn’t do it” I said, “I don’t need another car.” It’s true, I don’t – but there was just something about this that made me think I was going to regret not at least driving by to see it.
I was right. On Monday, driving my son to school, I spotted the immediately recognizably silhouette of a C4 Audi up ahead. Now, C4s around me – especially sedans – are becoming rare sights, since most are at least 20 years old. Even with legendary longevity, the crumbling residual values have meant that many have disappeared into junk and scrap yards. But here was a pristine looking Pearlesant White example ahead of me. Despite the several hundred yards in between us, I also noted instantly that it was lowered and had large wheels. Getting closer, my eyes darted to the discrete S4 badge adorning the trunk, with an even more discrete “quattro” badge to the right. Like Ahab navigating a sea of mediocrity, the subtle S4 stuck out like a brilliant white star on the horizon. I let that car slip through my hands, and I immediately regretted it:
