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Someone here knew what they were doing. Generally, when product allocators sit in their cubicles somewhere in state that gave them the biggest tax break to set up operations there, they cast a far and wide net mixed with a little bit of strategy. They want vehicles that are appealing and easy to sell to the most amount of people possible. That means lots of neutral colors, but also understanding that cars that have certain options go to certain places. A car with the Cold Weather Package probably doesn’t need to be dumped at a dealer in Miami, and a convertible in Speed Yellow isn’t likely to get allocated to Fargo, North Dakota. However, you do have that handful of custom orders that don’t need any of that given you know exactly where the car is going and who is buying it.
Today, I think we might have one of those cases based on the specification, but sadly it looks like it never went into the garage of the person who ordered it given it has just 81 miles. You’ll see what I mean.
The B5 Audi RS4 Avant was my first realistic dream car. Back when I was 18 years old, I scratched together all $10,000 I made over multiple summers washing cars and cutting grass and a bought a 1998.5 (that half year is important) Audi A4 1.8t. I loved that thing. I had it for nearly nine years and the whole time I owned it, the RS4 was the forbidden fruit. Back then, you had to get by with some grainy videos on YouTube and totally legally download episodes of Clarkson’s Top 100 Cars where he tested this car. I even remember ordering the OEM RS4 grille from Suncoast Porsche and installing it, sans badge of course. Now, we are almost knocking on the door of them finally legal for 25 year import if you don’t want to spend a ton of money for a car that is already federalized.
Today, we have my favorite colors that I looked at a few years ago, Goodwood Green. Although when you look closely at this one, you can see something a little different. That being the steering wheel on the other side. Why I am featuring a right-hand-drive UK car? A very good reason. Price.
My first real car was a B5 Audi A4 1.8t, which means everything related to the B5 RS4 was “it.” That was the holy grail and everything the B5 chassis aspired to be. It had all the little special touches and had just enough differences that made it far from just a B5 S4 Avant with more power. Even more, you are waiting until 2025 to even see one in the US outside of a few rare examples that made their way in. This was the car. Even now that these cars are 20 years-old, the want is still there and the prices reflect that. Today’s example, a 2001 finished in Goodwood Green, is checking all the boxes for me. Just four more years, right?
I’ll be honest. There are only two reasons I’m looking at these 2003 Audi S6 Avants – their colors. Seemingly 90% of the S6 Avants that came to the United States were Silver, Silverer, or Black. As a result, it’s somewhat of a celebration to look at the more inspired tones. And there were a few; you could, for example, opt for Amulet Red, a striking deep crimson. You could get Audi’s signature Pearlescent White Metallic, one of the few extra-cost options on the S6. Or you could go with one of today’s two tones: LY5X Aqua Blue Pearl Effect or LZ6X Goodwood Green Pearl Effect.
Both are pretty stunning colors in their own right, but in each case here the transform the S6 Avant to another level of desirability. And in both cases here, the condition is outstanding and well documented; both sellers claim theirs to be one of the best in the U.S., and both are probably right. So which is the one to get?
Last week, Paul wrote up a nice 2005 Audi S4 Avant, one of the few manual V8 wagon options ever offered to Americans. The package of the B6 and B7 Avant were certainly quite desirable and as Paul also noted, they developed quite an enthusiastic following. As they should have; as enthusiasts, we hear constant whining about all of the cars that aren’t offered to U.S. markets; yet when afforded the option to buy these cars, often the folks doing the complaining won’t ante up and buy them. Consequently, we’ve seen the S4 Avant model leave U.S. shores in favor of more and more “sport” utility vehicles. What are we to do as enthusiasts? Snap up the remaining clean examples of Avants, that’s what. And today, if you want to stand a bit apart from the crowd, there is one of the rarest color combination B6 Avants available:
