I don't know why I get hung up certain cars, but I do. The Audi Coupe Quattro has been on my radar since February and I wanted one when I bought the 1990 V8 Quattro. That's why even when that car arrived in March, I kept looking for a CQ.
For a car that's been pulling strong money on the auction circuit, the few cars that came up for sale are all needy in some way. Some blame parts supply, but really, it's more to do with the fact that everyone just saw them as a rally car for the street, so they were treated as such. Despite being limited production and expensive to buy new, their values were pretty flat for a long time. Lately, though, good ones are reliably pulling into the high teens - and making me acutely aware of how hard it was going to get to find an affordable driver that needs some love.
A guy reached out to a wanted ad I placed on an obscure Audi forum and mentioned his friend had a '90 CQ in the fairly typical color of Pearl Metallic. I gave him a call and learned the car was a driver with cosmetic needs and some deferred maintenance. As an added bonus, he was willing to perform a cold compression test - with photos - and the engine seems very healthy. It needs a timing belt and water pump before I do any real driving, and my friend who inspected the car said he felt it was worthy of rescuing. The front bumper, exclusive to the CQ, needs to be replaced, and I have one purchased at a salvage yard in Missouri. The CQ will be delivered on Monday, when I'll find out for sure if my instincts about the honesty of the seller hold water.