Two official Audi A6 cars remain unsold in A Coruña for years

Two official Audi A6 cars have been without a buyer in A Coruña for years

A Coruña City Council has been trying to sell two 2008 Audi A6 3.2 TSi for years without receiving a single offer. The first auction was held in 2013 with a starting price of €16,000 per unit and was declared void. Now, with almost twenty years of age, the council keeps the cars in the administrative circuit: valid MOT, workshop certificate and a starting price of around €10,000. The problem is not the lack of demand for second-hand premium saloons. The problem is that the price is set by an administrative table, not by the market.

The starting price doubles the real value of the car

On second-hand car websites, an Audi A6 of those characteristics and age sells for between €5,000 and €8,000. The council is asking €10,000. There is no room for negotiation: as it is a public asset, the price is set according to official tables and not according to real demand. The result is an auction that attracts no one because potential buyers know they are paying above market value.

Some argue that the problem is not just the price. A 3.2-litre, 256-horsepower petrol engine was rated at 10 litres per 100 kilometres when it left the factory. With age and use, that figure only gets worse. The C label doesn't help either: in a context of increasing traffic restrictions in cities, buying a car with almost two decades behind it and that consumption is a decision that requires justification.

The equipment does not compensate for age or consumption

The two vehicles include practically all the equipment of the time, which was not little. They are certified by a workshop and have a valid MOT. Facts that speak in their favour, but are not enough for anyone to take notice. The saloon body, comfortable as few, went out of fashion years ago. The second-hand market rewards other shapes and other engines.

The administrative paradox is obvious: the council cannot lower the price below the table, but it cannot sell at a price no one wants to pay either. Meanwhile, the cars continue to generate maintenance, insurance and MOT costs. Public money supports two vehicles that provide no service and find no buyer.

Why can't the official cars be reduced in price?

Because, as they are public assets, the auction price is set according to official tables and not according to real market demand. That rigidity prevents adjusting the price to what someone would be willing to pay. The result is that the car remains in limbo: it is not sold, but it cannot be sold off cheaply without breaking the rules.

The case of A Coruña is not unique. Governments, institutions and city councils have been auctioning off their vehicle fleets for years after the replacement of practically all official cars in Spain with ECO vehicles, mostly hybrids, thanks to European funds. The process generates a constant flow of vehicles that come onto the market with administrative prices and encounter a demand that does not always trinc.

The hidden cost of keeping cars that don't sell

Every year that passes, the car is worth less and the cost of keeping it in sellable condition increases. The MOT has to be passed. The insurance has to be paid. The workshop that certifies the vehicle's condition charges for its work. All of that comes out of public coffers while the starting price remains anchored to a table that does not reflect market reality.

Some estimate that the cost of maintaining an official car, adding driver, fuel, insurance and depreciation, is around €60,000 a year. The figure, applied to the two Audis in A Coruña, gives an idea of the hole. It is not just that they are not sold: it is that every year they are not sold they cost money.

The first auction of these vehicles dates back to 2013, when they were put up for sale for €16,000. It was also declared void. Twelve years later, the council still cannot find a buyer and cannot lower the price. The official car that nobody wants has become a small monument to administrative rigidity.