‘Tis the season for snow days as we approach the first of winter with plow trucks ruling the country’s ice-slickened roads. Usually, said plows are fitted to burly, heavy-duty pickups, but what if you needed a makeshift solution? Something a little more compact? Say no more, because we’ve found the ultimate Audi A4 beater up north for just $1,200.
Some crazy soul in Cranford, Alberta decided to re-purpose their German daily driver into a full-fledged snowplow by mounting a functional blade up front. This, paired with the car’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system, means it’s got the all-terrain capability to clear your drive for less than the price of a nicely appointed snowblower.
According to the description, it started life as a typical B6-generation A4 with the 1.8-liter turbo engine. It’s done about 200,000 kilometers, or just under 125,000 miles, though it seems its no longer worthy of daily duties; that explains the retooling. In addition to the snow blade setup, you’ll also get a 3,000-pound winch.
The best part about this A4 from an enthusiast standpoint, though, is its rare five-speed manual transmission. With this, you’ll be able to dump the clutch and set all four wheels spinning as you blaze the path ahead with little to no resistance (depending on the conditions, of course).
The seller even went as far as to take a picture of the car in a cleared lot, presumably to show that the A4’s front end works as advertised.
Seeing as the car is listed at such a low price, it’s no wonder that there are at least a few drawbacks. The for-sale ad claims the Audi’s power steering system is shot and, judging from the photos, it’s no beauty queen. There’s serious body damage to the passenger door and front quarter-panel, and don’t even get us started on what those questionable brown stains on the interior might be from.
Dubious foreign materials aside, this seems like the perfect project for a bored gearhead—especially if you’ve got a heated shop. Act fast, though, because it probably won’t last long at that price.
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