The A4 was one of the cars that helped turn around the misfortune of the late 1980s and early 1990s at Audi. It’s rather remarkable that a scant ten years after the unintended acceleration scandal, the company began to turn around its position in the marketplace rather drastically. Curiously, Audi decided to hold off on offering its smallest car, the A3 hatchback, here in the US. Perhaps they thought it would encroach too much on VW Golf sales, or they saw the writing on the wall when it came to sales figures for its competitor, the BMW E36 Compact. Whatever the case, it’s a shame this upmarket compact never got a visa on these shores. A few intrepid enthusiasts, however, have sought to fix that. Imported by tuning company H&R and was sold after a few years of showcasing their components. Now it has turned up for sale in Hawaii, of all places.
Year: 1998
Model: A3
Engine: 1.8 liter turbocharged inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 141,000 km (86,400 mi)
Price: Reserve auction
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Audi A3 on eBay
1998 Audi A3, VIN#:WAUZZZ8LZWA097130
One of the few Fully U.S registered and Road Legal first generation Audi A3s in the U.S is up for sale. As most of you know, gthe A3 8L was never officially imported in the U.S. The A3s have since been imported to the U.S, however Audi never did release a 2 door hatchback version of the A3. Therefore this is such a unique car to have Stateside! This car was imported by H&R and used as a demonstration car for about one or two years,it received quite a few mods that really suit the car very nicely. It is one of those cars that really define the term “Hot Hatch” the modifications done to the car are top notch, they really bring the car alive. It has been featured in numerous magazines and shows while it was under H&Rs care, but was sold on later into private ownership. The car has been in Hawaii for a few years and has recieved the same amount of fastidious care it has been use too. Car also has a squeaky clean Car Fax so it has never been in any accidents.
Below is a Brief Overview of car:
Full German Specification Car
Factory Original Ming Blue Pearl Effect Paint
Caractere Full Body Kit (Front bumper, Rear Bumper, Side skirts, Rear wing, Front Grill and surround)
Clear Side Marker lghts
European Headlights/Fog lights with working Height Adjustability for headlights
Evolution Sports Fog light Wiring Harness
Stahl S3 2-Piece 17×8.5 Front 17×9 Rear Yokohama S-drive Tires all around
H&R Coilovers Super low stage 3 (Custom matched by H&R for this car)
H&R Front Sway Bar
Autotech Hollow Rear Sway Bar
Car is fully Corner Balanced
Autotech drilled/slotted front rotors
1.8T 4-Cyl Turbo
5-speed manual transmisson
141,xxx Kilometers (86,400 miles)
DigiTec Chip/ECU upgrade (German Chip)\
Supersprint Mid Pipe Section
Supersprint Rear Section with DTM tips
Forge “Stealth” Diverter Valve
Eurojet Fat Side intercooler
Eurojet Inlet
Eurojet Throttle Body Hose
Mobil-1 Synthetic oil, Oil just recently changed
K&N air filter
Gray Staccato Seat Pattern on Factory Cloth Sport Seats
Automatic Climate Control, LCD display is in good working order with Cold A/C
Audi TT Pedals
Audi TT Dead Pedal
Metric Gauge Cluster KPH only
Car’s General History
1998
• Imported into the United States by H&R for demonstration purposes.
• Displayed at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas. The car was located in the main entrance foyer, for thousands to see.
• Displayed at the Los Angeles International Auto Show at the request of Audi of North America.
• Honored by Audi AG at the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca in California.
• Vehicle was photographed by Turbo Magazine for feature coverage after the SEMA show.
• Vehicle was photographed by European Car Magazine for feature coverage after the SEMA show.
1999
• Displayed at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas. The vehicle was located in the H&R display booth.
• Vehicle was photographed by Max Power Magazine for feature coverage after the SEMA show.
• Turbo Magazine feature came out in the June 1999 issue.
• Displayed at the Los Angeles International Auto Show at the request of Audi of North America
• Vehicle became fully registered in the state of Washington.
• Car was honored at the Audi A4/VW Passat Motorsports Exposition at Sears Point Raceway in conjunction with the Norcal Audi Club.
2000-2001
• Max Power Magazine feature came out in the June 2000 issue.
• H&R advertisement showing the vehicle came out in the Fall 2000 issue of Quattro Quarterly.
As stated above this is one of a few early A3s in the U.S, this is believed to be the only fully registered and street legal example. It is in very nice shape, it still wears its original paint which has such nice shine and depth, sides are very straight with no major damage. The front bumper is rock chipped and there is minimal chipping at front edge of hood. These are very small imperfections and would be easy to correct. The Body kit is very subtle and does not rob the car of its visual appeal, it simply enhances it. The Ming blue with the body kit and very tasteful Stahl wheels really add up to a very clean and stout looking hatch. It does not have a sunroof and I believe it is much better because of that. Everything on the car feels very tight and well screwed together. All panel gaps are good and uniform.
The interior has been treated very well and shows very little wear. The Door panels and dash have a very interesting texture that adds to the personality of the car. Mated with the patterns on the seats the interior really has that pop. There is a Alpine deck that is I-pod capable. All the gauges work as they should and the LCD displays are still very vibrant with no dead pixels. All the gauges are euro spec which means they are in metric. The speedo is in KPH with no MPH. The seats are in good shape with very minimal wear, color in seat material is also very vibrant. The overall interior is very tight and feels well put together like most Audi interiors. The A/C works very well and blows ice cold. It has a small kicker sub and amp installed in trunk, all tools, spare and triangle are all present and unused. The seats are all very firm and supportive, and all of the electronic functions work as they should.
The engine and transmission feel very nice. The 1.8T has a lot of pep, turbo spools up as it should and provides very good power and pull. No smoking from the exhaust, no fluid leaks. Serviced regularly with regular oil and filter changes. The car is in a mild state of tune and feels all the better for it. It has great all around driveability. The clutch has a nice release point, goes through all the gears nicely. Steering and suspension feels perfectly balanced, it reacts very quick to steering inputs.The car goes down the road straight and true. It is an ideal setup for daily driving. The Super Sprint exhaust sounds throaty but not too intrusive. The brakes work well and bring the car to a stop quickly. It has no bump steer or tramlining, it is also not affected by torque steer. It deliver’s its power very nicely. There are no Warning lights showing, no overheating, no oil leaks, and best of all no signs of abusive driving.
A rare opprutunity to own a very well put together car. Parts are readily available and can be easily serviced at your local VW/Audi dealer or specialist. Excellent car for your local Euro gatherings. It shares the same platform of the Audi TT, so it has many shared components with other Audi/Volkswagen vehicles. Audi has never brought down a 2-door Hatch to our shores, we only got the 4 door hatch so to say its appeal has diminished over the years is a matter of who you ask. So that in itself is something of a oddity, the upmarket hatchback segment has enjoyed high popularity in other parts of the world and after driving this one I understand its appeal!
*** Car is Available for Viewing here in the Honolulu Area, The car is 100% ready to drive anywhere, I would not hesitate to ship it to the West Coast and drive to the East Coast. There are no warning lights, no mechanical issues to report. To ease any prospective buyers mind I will put a $100 Towards any Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) at a shop of buyer’s choice!
Shipping is Free with Either Horizon lines, Pasha Hawaii, Matson if Reserve or Buy it now is met.
As far as registering in another state, I do not see any problems with that. It is totally legal here in Hawaii, registered as a 98 Audi just like any other car. The Car Fax supports this fact, it was brought into Bellingham, Washington in October of 1998 and given a title and registration. It then stayed in Washington and passed the yearly emissions tests with ease. It came to Hawaii in 2008 where is was registered and continued to pass inspection yearly. I am not familiar with every state’s dmv laws so please do check with them if you have concerns, but as stated I do not see any issues.
Please Feel Free to Email me at mauiflyers@gmail.com or Call me at 808-450-8587 if I can answer any of your Questions. Thank you
***If you are Winning bidder please be ready to complete transaction, do not bid if you have no intention to purchase. Car is sold AS-IS with no warranty. Car is described as accurately as possible. Thank you
***CAR IS LISTED LOCALLY AND I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END AUCTION EARLY
***CAR FAX AFTER PICTURES
Compared to some other imported and gray market vehicles we feature, this A3 has good documentation of where it’s been and why it’s over here. It seems there would be little trouble in registering this with your local registry of motor vehicles, but in a case like this, it’s always worth double checking. So what’s it worth? Cars like these are always hard to price. Sure, they are rare over here, but you’d be hard pressed to find a low mileage one nearing $10,000 USD in Europe at the moment, even if it was the hot S3 variant. Comparable S4s of the era don’t command much over that level these days, either.
This A3 has been stateside a while, so the sting of importation costs have subsided a bit. Still, it doesn’t negate the fact that it is rare. Considering the mileage, condition and updates, I’d peg a realistic reserve around $7,000 to $8,000, with a high figure of maybe $11,000. But that’s a very subjective figure and this car might be worth a lot less (or a lot more) depending on the bidder.
-Paul