Low-Mile Ex-Promo ’82 Audi quattro Just Sold for $76K; Would You Drive It?

We recently selected this ex-promotional, 25K-mile 1982 Audi quattro on Bring a Trailer as our “Find of the Day.” The car ended up selling for $76,000. It is not so much a question of whether it was worth the money. But is this a car that you would actually drive?

For those that missed our original post about this car allow us to offer a quick recap. This car was one of four examples that were imported to America by Audi for press use. After the car completed its promotional duties, it was gifted to eleven-time U.S. national rally champion, John Buffum. The car was then sold in 1988 to John Smith of Shokan Coachworks. He drove it regularly before deciding that it should be preserved instead of driven, so he stored it in his warehouse for many years.

Now the car has a new owner. Factor in the Bring a Trailer 5 percent buyer’s fee and the final price is nearly $80,000. Enough to buy a brand-new, fully loaded Audi RS 3. Driving the RS 3 everyday is a no brainer. But what do you think the new owner should do with the 1982 Audi quattro?

On the one hand, life is short, so why not drive this car as much as possible? Let others see it on the road and at local or national shows. Heck, maybe even enter it into a rallycross competition. How cool would it be to see this old beauty sliding through the dirt again? Cars are built to be driven and enjoyed. $80K is a lot of money for a paperweight. And if the owner tucks it away in a private collection, no one else gets to enjoy it. 

Of course, on the other hand, this is a historic car with an impressive provenance. Audi is not making anymore of these. This is a museum-worthy piece of art. Is this something that you want to risk driving on a road full of distracted drivers? There are some cars that are so special that they need to be preserved for future generations. This 1982 Audi quattro could be one of those cars.

So, the question is. If you were the winning bidder, what would you do with this car?