All About Our Cars

I was in a position like many of you. What to do with the car that your late wife drove? I actually like the car. It’s a 2018 Audi A5 Sportback. It’s CPO. It has beautiful lines, is quick as can be, and drives so smoothly, as a touring car should. She kept a scrunchy on the gear shifter. Yes, I left it there, touched it, played with it, and hoped it would bring back more memories. The car was the last big purchase we made together. I loved that I could get her something nice.

Now I drive a truck. It is a Nissan Titan, platinum reserve. It’s a city truck. It was my midlife crisis. I even started listening to country music when I drove it. It is such a contrast from the Audi.

Flash forward 18-20 months after my LW passed. I start thinking about upgrading the Audi. Maybe I will trade it in for a new RS5. As I continued my search, I discovered my love for the Porsche 911. I really like the 997 turbo models. The lines are beautiful. Then there is the history, the last model to be designed by Hans Mezger. The turbo engine is basically bulletproof with minor coolant exceptions, and the ’07 -’09 turbo models were the last turbo models Porsche offered in a manual transmission.

I had the pleasure of working with a surgeon that is, for practical purposes, a Porsche guru. The education in Porsche models was fantastic and made me even more determined to obtain one for myself. We scoured the internet. The common sites, autotrader.com and carguru.com. These sites are filled with dealers, sometimes pushing not-so-great cars. The gems are found on pcarmarket.com, bringatrailer.com, and 6speedonline.com. The later sites offer vehicles from sellers that love Porsches. Histories are usually complete. Those cars have been well taken care of but can command higher prices, as they should.

Now the hard part is, what do I do with the Audi. There is definitely sentimental value in the car. I offered the Audi to my adult children. Only one could really afford it, my eldest. My son has a good job and is starting a family. My two daughters are finishing school this May. I am truly blessed with three wonderful children. I have always said that my LW did an awesome job raising our kids. I was even willing to hold onto the car if anyone wanted it later. My thoughts, I would offer it at a wholesale price to them if they wanted. Who wouldn’t take an ’18 CPO Audi A5 with low miles at wholesale? My son wanted it, so the car would stay in the family a little longer. BTW, I left her scrunchy on the shifter for him. Yes, I did cry when the transport company left with the Audi on its way to my son.

With a budget set, the serious search started. Test drives were taken with a few 997s locally. Preferences were narrowed. I wanted a 997.1 turbo manual coupe over the cab, but not a deal breaker on the right car, PCCB (ceramic brakes) would be nice, but not a deal breaker. I even bid on a few cars on bring-a-trailer and pcarmarket. I didn’t win. But the experience was well worth it. The surgeon that I was working with found a car in Oregon. It might be worth it but it could be risky. Well, I got the PPI (pre-purchase inspection). It did have a few issues, but after pricing out the repair costs, I made an offer. Let’s be honest; I made a LOW-BALL offer. As you can see from the prior post, I own the car now. Turns out, in 2008, there were only 47 997 turbo cabriolets with manual transmission and guardsman red delivered to the US. Ha, I have one!

The journey was definitely bittersweet. Somewhat letting go of my LW’s car and getting something just for me has been cathartic. So, where does that leave those of us in similar situations? Trust yourself; when you are ready, you will know it. Set your budget. Test drive vehicles you think you like. Be patient but ready to pull the trigger if the right vehicle presents itself. Above all else, know your LW would be just fine with your decision. She loved you and would only want you to be happy.

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