I Think I Got Lucky Buying This Audi A3 E-Tron

I have been without a daily driver for a couple of years, and this little plug-in-hybrid runabout is stepping in to fill that slot in the driveway. This week I flew to Southern California to pick up my new-to-me 2018 Audi A3 E-Tron, and I’m pretty sure I did alright with this one. It looks great from about 10 feet away, and as near as I can tell all of the flaws with it are mild cosmetic issues. I don’t think it’ll have any issue making the 2,300-mile drive back home. For now, let’s take a look at all the things wrong (and right) with my new car.

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For the last few months I’ve been half-heartedly looking for an A3 E-Tron because I wanted a car with a plug and a premium interior that wasn’t boring. I had yet to pull the trigger, because every one I saw was silver or white with a boring black interior, and I just can’t abide driving a greyscale car. When this one came up for sale with red paint and a chocolate brown interior, I had to jump on it. So far I’m really glad I did.

Image: Bradley Brownell

The interior has the kind of patina you’d associate with a car that has 65,000 miles on the odometer. The driver’s seat has some mild wrinkles and wear, but no cuts or tears. I think a bit of leather conditioner will go a long way here, and it looks worse in photos than it does in person. Likewise, the lower half of the door has some scuffs from shoes getting in and out of the car. This is another thing that’s much better to my eyes than to a camera lens. I can probably clean most of this up.

Image: Bradley Brownell

On the outside, you can tell it’s spent six years in the Southern California sun. Below you’ll see the worst of it, where a small section of the clear coat, maybe three or four inches across, has been eaten through. Based on the shape, I’m guessing this was the work of a big splotch of particularly acidic bird shit that didn’t get cleaned up and dried on the bodywork.

Image: Bradley Brownell

The car also has a quartet of these CalDOT high occupancy vehicle lane access stickers, which will need to be removed and cleaned up. This one on the front bumper is looking rough, but I’m afraid to pull it the rest of the way off for fear of further paint damage. With some heat and some Goo Gone, it should be fairly quick work. I removed these from my old Leaf project as well, and they’re a huge pain in the ass.

Image: Bradley Brownell

Do the stock wheels have curb rash? You bet your sweet ass they do.

Image: Bradley Brownell

This front plate nonsense is definitely going to have to go. The fact that people put up with this horrifying visual on a daily basis is appalling.

Image: Bradley Brownell

Because I can’t leave well enough alone with a perfectly good everyday car, I already have some ideas for a full spate of modifications. Before I even picked up the car I bought a set of used Fifteen52 Tarmac wheels from Facebook Marketplace for just $400. I had plans for something a little more off the beaten path, but the price was right for these, so on they go.

Image: Bradley Brownell

According to the car’s onboard computer, it has averaged 36.4 miles per gallon across its lifetime. I would wager that the person who owned this before didn’t plug it in very often to get these kinds of numbers. I fully expect to see this number increase dramatically across my ownership. The car even came with a Level 2 charger plug in the back, so I’ll get that installed in my driveway and enjoy consistent daily charging and gas-free propulsion.

Image: Bradley Brownell

I wanted to see what this car looked like on public charging, so I threw it on a L2 charger while grabbing lunch at a Panera Bread. The onboard charger is limited to just 3.2 kW, so it’s not a quick charger. This added a few miles of EV range to my total, but it’s hardly an efficient use of time. Unless I find a nice overnight charger at a hotel along the way, I don’t expect I’ll be doing much charging between here and Ohio. Being a small battery PHEV, this car doesn’t have DC fast charging in any capacity, so it doesn’t even make sense to plug in while I’m getting lunch or anything.

Image: Bradley Brownell

I do like that the charger is hidden behind the four rings in the grille. It’s a trick little piece of the PHEV puzzle that I enjoy.

Image: Bradley Brownell

So far I’m really enjoying this little machine, and it’ll serve well as an around town driver. I’m going to give the car a bit of a tarmac rally kind of vibe, as it’ll still need some chunky tires and decent suspension to survive the streets of Cleveland, Ohio without doing damage. I figure a mild set of one-inch lowering sport springs, a set of sway bars, wheels and tires, and a few cosmetic modifications will do the trick. This will be a good little car for me, I think. I might have lucked out.