i finally found a Red USP avant 1.8T/6spd!!!

[fritzner]

after emailing 50 dealers every 2 wks and checking 5 websites daily for 4 months i finally freakin found a Red USP avant 1.8T/6spd and i have a deposit down on it!!!!.. i was going to fly out to pick it up, but it is a bit far so i think i am just going to ship it..

its an 05 Red USP Avant 1.8T 6spd with 54k, bose, cold weather, gray bi-xenons, and i believe premium package as well - but i need to confirm..

the only down side is the USP wheels are missing - it has the 17" 5-spoke sport package wheels on it.. the silver lining is USP wheels are not my favorite and i am moving back to PA this fall so the 17" will be good winter setup..

i am thinking about 18" RS6 (B7 S-Line) or B7 RS4.. not sure yet.. RS6 = i dont want to copy Sable, RS4 = lots of them out there..

beside swapping the mods from my sedan which include
-- RNS-E
-- cooled glovebox
-- 3.0L 12.3" brakes

the near term mod list includes (in no particular order)
-- APR 1+
-- RS4 rear sway
-- RS4 pedals
-- tinted windows
-- podi boost gauge
-- 18" RS6 (B7 S-line) or 18" B7 RS4 rims

i would also like to do
-- exhaust
-- B6S4 brakes
but will probably work on the top list 1st

thanks for all the encouragement and help finding one..

[michgo]

Congratulations man! I know you have been looking FOREVER for one! Cant wait to see what ya do with it. Pics immediately

[jrau13]

Just posted in the B6 forum but Congrats on the great find!!!!

[fritzner]

thanks.. i need to get some reasonable rims on it before i post any more pics.. it looks a little silly with 17" 5 spoke sport package wheels on it..

[michgo]

Stunning. Have fun with it, I am sure Sable will chime in at some point.

[fikes]

thanks.. i need to get some reasonable rims on it before i post any more pics.. it looks a little silly with 17" 5 spoke sport package wheels on it..

See thats why it pays to wait becasue something good comes along that you really want. I actually like those rims so chill with them for a little until you find a replacement.

[InTTruder]

17" Sport Rims look fine IMO!



Your red devil looks just fine!

[dichiee]

Congrats man! Finally you found it :)

[Sablea4]

it has some potential.....:P
congrats on the find. and i dont mind if you rock the rs6's because they look good. plus you are on the west coast so i guess ill allow it.

now i dont have to worry about you showing up at my house and stealing my car

[fritzner]

i do like the 17" sports in general, but they make it look like a DIY USP.. also they are on my red sedan (for the past 6.5 years) so it feels more like the same car.. new/different rims would have helped.. thanks for the vote of confidence, i will chill for a bit (i am going to have to, my bank account is empty)..

thanks Sable.. i still cant believe your RS6s are 18", i would have sworn they were 19".. is it the offset that makes them look so good??.. is the offset really the only difference between your RS6 reps and B7 S-Lines??..

[SoCalS4Avant]

Very nice buddy - welcome to the Avant club. If you get it by 7/19, come to our Avant GTG and mountain run.

[CARTEL]

So cool man, I'm glad that you finally found it!

[SilverThing]

Congratulations - gotta hand it to you, your persistence and patience are truly admirable (much more than I would/could be). Enjoy your new wheels!

[Colt556]

Nice car! The wheels are fine, sleeper mode sorta. Looks as if it needs a good clay bar and wax job. I wish that I would have been more patient and waited for a 6spd, but I'm stuck with my car for a while so I do the best I can. Looks good.....

[XwalkerX]

nice find. dont see usp avants everyday

[Sablea4]

i think its the offset. they are 18x8.5 et 30

[fritzner]

yeah, i think B7 S-Lines are 8" et 43.. so comparatively yours looks like you are running spacers essentially..

there are so many group buys and things in the classifieds that i want now that i got this car..

[Sablea4]

the important thing is that they clear b5 s4 brakes

[fritzner]

yes i know that was important for you.. i am hoping to do B6 S4 brakes someday, so i wont have that concern..

but your RS6s look so much better than B7 S-Lines.. there is a guy selling new OEM B7 S-Lines and there are probably many other used ones around, but again yours look so much better..

though i may go with a different OEM rep.. (1) so i am not compared or confused with yours and (2) since i will be running the 17" 5-spokes in the winter (likely moving to Pittsburgh this fall) it might be nice to have a greater difference in summer vs winter set up..


of course i am getting ahead of myself.. the deal is not done yet, i dont have keys in my hand.. and i dont even know where i am going to have it shipped.. if i do move to pittsburgh in a few months it may make more sense to just ship it there (to my sister's) then to ship it all the way out here, then ship it all the way back.. taxes / registration and shipping are all more to CA.. then to do it all over again in a few months.. but man it would be torture to finally find one and buy it, but not even see it for a few more months.. well, we'll see..

i need to figure it out fast.. a friend is going to check it out for me on Sunday, then i need to wire the money and arrange shipping..

[bigmerle]

congrats!!! i was getting tired of hearing you lust for one j/k

[CARTEL]

my vote is for 19x8 B5 RS4 reps...

[fritzner]

my vote is for 19x8 B5 RS4 reps...

very interesting suggestion.. definitely an OEM+ approach!!.. i love 19" but i am not sure i want to run them..

[[email protected]]

Congrats on the find as I know how painful it is trying to find exactly what you want.

But how I would love a chance to mod out a red Avant.

I'd start with...

[Poopie]

wow such a rare find. congrats

[WantAvant]

The car is listed on Cars.com right? If so, that is a really good price man, I don't blame you for jumping all over that one......Congrats!!!!

[AvantNoir]

Nice! Congrats!

[fritzner]

yep i found it on car.com the 1st day it was listed..

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?paId=279705330

there were no pics and the interior said "gray", but it was a manual so i clicked on it.. the description said ultrasport.. the black or officially "ebony" interior does appear dark gray so that was reasonable mistake.. i called the guy immediately, asked a few questions and told him i would buy it as soon as i saw some pics.. unfortunately he was leaving for the 4th wknd, so i had to wait 3 days for pics.. once i saw them, put down a deposit and arranged for a forum friend to check it out for me.. it should be on its way next wk!!..

the great price was enough to get over the missing USP wheels..

[ewytt]

man, prices have dropped.

[pyro]

lucky sob! I WANT THAT CAR!!!

[fritzner]

not to pat myself on the back, but if you do a nationwide search for 05 avants this one of the cheapest one out there.. just got lucky i guess.. the other 2 i missed in the last 4 months were 04 with less options and they went for low to mid 20s.. and there is red USP avant 3.0 auto on autotrader.com listed for high 20s!!..

this one is missing the USP wheels which is going to be $1-2k depending whether you replace them with new, used, oem, reps..

but i was able to reach the service manager at the dealership that serviced it and he said it was well maintained and clarified some of the carfax service items (some items were not 100% correct)..

i'm anxious to get my hand on it and run through the gears!!.. i already signed up for the RS4 rear sway group buy 3..

[JJPA4SE]

now i dont have to worry about you showing up at my house and stealing my car

^^ 2nd... congrats man!! when you get out here we need to have a red usp avant photo op!! i'll drive somewhere to make sure sablea4 is in too..

[Sablea4]

that is an AMAZING price. i feel like i was mugged by a man with a wooden club after seeing that price. i dot even want to mention what i payed 2 years ago for mine with nearly the same miles. of course mine has some performance goodies but damn thats a big difference.

and ill be at waterfest if you want to park together jjpa4se

[fritzner]

you guys are right, i was getting close to swooping in at night in dark clothes!!..

the photo op would be very cool.. i'll be in touch when i get back..

i am pretty excited about the price.. i hope it doesnt have a bunch of issues, but its not like i have many to choose from it and for the money i have some room for repairs if necessary..

[JJPA4SE]

that is an AMAZING price. i feel like i was mugged by a man with a wooden club after seeing that price. i dot even want to mention what i payed 2 years ago for mine with nearly the same miles. of course mine has some performance goodies but damn thats a big difference.

and ill be at waterfest if you want to park together jjpa4se

thanks for the offer but i'll be heading to NC for vacation that weekend... there is always next year...

[fritzner]

well, a forum friend checked it out for me and said it was pretty solid.. so the papers are signed, money is sent, and shipping is being finalized.. i should have it in a wk or 2..

i am already on the RS4 rear sway GB list and the RS4 pedals are ordered!!..

i really want to jump in on the APR sale, but it would be nice to drive it a bit stock just to make sure there are no issues.. i guess with the sale i could get stock mode for free, but i probably wouldnt use it.. plus i will just have to reflash it when i move to PA for the good gas.. CA=91 vs PA=93

i am still deciding on RS4 or RS6 or other wheels and whether to 18" or 19".. i will be moving back to PA soon and i think the roads are too rough for 19".. i am thinking RS4's, but not sure yet.. anyone with pics of RS4s on an USP??.. anyone interested in photoshopping for me??..

i also need to decide on tint.. my sedan is 20% rears, 35% front and i like it alot.. PA has stricter tint laws, so ??.. Jim has 35% all the way around on his Red USP and it looks good, but he said he wishes it was darker.. Sable what % is yours??..

comments welcome..

[lookaught]

Where in PA are you moving to? PA tint is illegal, but I've run around with it for 8 years or so without a ticket with 35%.

[d.p]

I would go with 19's man, 18's just look small on wagons. Hell 19's with lip look small too, but 19" with no lip look good.

[lookaught]

I would go with 19's man, 18's just look small on wagons. Hell 19's with lip look small too, but 19" with no lip look good.

I have 18s on my B6 avant and think they look just fine, plus tires and the wheels themselves are less expensive. 19s are a risky choice with potholes. Even 18s bend easily if they are cheaply made.

[fritzner]

Pittsburgh actually.. i need to throw up a post in the crazy long Pittsburgh thread to say hay, ask about tint, 18 vs 19, even some engineering work..

i do like 19".. but agree with Jon 19" are pretty risky especially in PA and more expensive..

yours look great with 18", so do Sable's and Jim's Red USP Avants..

Jon, is that the 35% tint in those pics??.. is it 35% all the way around??.. (minus windshield of course)..

[pyro]

get OEM USP wheels meng, they look clean and are relatively cheap to get. i love the fat5's tho like sable...yummm.
b7 rs4's are too played out IMO, and you can't beat rs6's on an avant that is lowered.