I have an agreement in principle to buy a 1990 Audi Quattro Coupe that has numerous needs of the mechanical and cosmetic sort. The timing belt hasn't been done; the cooling system untouched; the headliner is covered in mold; numerous electrical faults exist; and the obsolete front bumper is cracked to the point of being irreparably harmed.
On that last part, I've already solved the problem. I found a parts car CQ in Missouri with a good front bumper assembly, and I have a friend there who routinely ships parts around the world. The CQ bumper is unique to the model, and spares are notoriously hard to find. This is the car's biggest obvious cosmetic flaw, that of the nose section looking pretty beat.
Of course, this is pretty standard operating procedure for me at this point, which is to own parts for cars I've yet to buy, but I'm feeling confident about this one. The seller owes me more pictures and a compression test, but I'm getting a little cagey at this point as to why he hasn't yet sent me a PayPal address for a deposit - perhaps it's a sign he doesn't want to sell as badly as I want to buy it, and truth be told, that would put my mind at ease to some extent.
The car in the picture is the wreck from Missouri I'm harvesting from; the real shame here is the smashed-out windshield, as that part is CQ-specific and near impossible to find.