EU Market Find: Great Spec B5 Audi A4 Avant in Laurel Green

What: 1999 Audi A4 Avant 2.8 quattro (MT6)
Color: Laurel Green Metallic (lorbeergrün; metallic uni; LY6R / 7N; Audi)
Chassis #: Unknown
Mileage: 185,664 km, 115,366 miles
Price: €11,350
CarFax: N/A
Window Sticker: N/A
Location: Lahn Dill Automotive, Herborn, Germany
Dealer listing: Link

Why We Love It:

It’s cars like this that make our staff come to blows. Why? Perhaps a better question is why not?

How does one define a “tailored driver” and thus, should a car be posted to this website? So far, we’ve focused with few exceptions on cars that are special ordered from a marque’s in-house tailoring department or others remastered by firms with a niche specialty for building consistent and commissioned reimagined automobiles.

So, what of a truly exceptional standard spec built from the factory order book? In their day (particularly days when brand order guides were vastly deep and rife with costly complexity), they were a clearly tasteful expression by a buyer who knew their way around the configurator without necessarily ringing up the tailor. Take for example this 1999 Audi A4 Avant we’ve found for sale in Germany.

We actually dug out our 1999 A4 catalogue to verify this one. Laurel Green Metallic (a.k.a. Vorbeer Metallic) was indeed a standard color in that year. In the stock color palette, it suffered from a relatively low take rate that made it somewhat rare, rarer still in North America where we don’t believe it was offered at all.

At the time, Audi had an interesting way of pre-packaging color combinations, with three grades of A4 – Advance, Ambition and Ambiente. Laurel Green was offered in Ambition and Ambiente, optionally paired in either case with Ecru (light tan) Buffalino Leather as seen in this car. This car was built to Ambition spec.

As factory specifications go, this car is a notably luxurious German build. It foregoes sporty options like a wild color or sport design steering wheel, yet focuses on a handsome color combination, luxurious cabin and large displacement engine (2.8-liter V6). For that, it offered a comfortable environment that was perfectly capable of autobahn-storming.

By 1999, Audi’s A4 had received its mid-lifecycle product improvement, also known more commonly as a facelift, which included updated door handles, lower inset foglights and other subtle upgrades. This particularly well appointed survivor also got quattro all-wheel drive, ESP, and a host of options listed below. Add that to the enthusiast-darling Avant (station wagon) body style in a rare or never-available color and you have the makings of a winner for the discerning aficionado seeking a car from this late 90s / early 2000s era.

The dealer shares that the car appears to have had two owners prior to this, with maintenance carried out regularly. The service book was maintained without gaps to 66,969 km by the Audi dealer. The original car invoice is also included and seen in photos shared.

That said, the dealer also shares that the car did have “an encounter with a bollard” that required the hood, bumper and associated parts to be replaced with original Audi parts. Beyond that, some wear and tear can be seen in photos, but surprisingly little given the age.

All things considered, a nicely appointed A4 Avant is a great way to affordably get into this space. The hotter S4 and RS 4 versions are definitely more sought after, though few will be appointed as uniquely as this A4 2.8 quattro.

Options Listed:

• ABS
• ESP
• electric glass sliding roof with sun protection/blind
• Concert
• All-wheel drive
• Factory-fitted navigation system in the speedometer
• Xenon headlights
• Headlight washer system
• Roof rails chrome
• Full-leather seats Ambition leather Buffalino
• PDC rear
• Seat heating with seat bolster heating
• Leather steering wheel
• Decorative inlays, walnut root wood
• Armrest front and rear
• Heated windscreen washer nozzles, front
• Leather handbrake lever and gear knob
• Servo
• Tachometer
• ASR
• Central locking with radio
• Electric windows 4x
• Electric exterior mirrors
• Electronic immobilizer, with anti-theft alarm system and interior monitoring
• Through-loading with ski bag
• Make-up mirror 2x
• Airbags (head, front and sides)
• Split rear seat
• Original 16-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic climate control
• Lumbar support, electric. adjustable in front seat backrests
• Outside temperature display
• Cup holder
• Fog lights
• 8 speakers (active)
• Colored glazing
• Rear headrests
• Front seat adjustable
• Spare wheel in driving tires
• Three-point automatic belt for middle rear seat
• Side protection strips in vehicle color

This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.