Do I Really Want One?
robert weinberg
centaurus3200 at yahoo.com
Thu Oct 6 15:14:58 PDT 2011
well, you drove a 200q20v - what did you think of it? was the example chipped or stock?
i'd say this - as much as i dig my 20V, if you had just one car - i'd personally go for a URS4. tighter chassis, less vacuum hoses flying all about the engine compartment and most importantly, DIS ignition! no worry about spark hop on high boost applications.
yeah, it sorta looks like a bloated B5 A4 - but technically, it is a better car. the 20V looks downright mean though when lowered on 17"-18" rims though. i'll give you that.
now back to the 20V. performance wise, the 525i and 20V aren't really comparable IMHO. stock we are talking 168HP vs, 217HP. and chipped (as most 20Vs are by this point) i'm at a dyno proven 280HP/305tq at the crank. forget the HP, that's SERIOUS TORQUE for a turbocharged 2.2L I5. and that's NOTHING compared to what this engine can take with the help of a larger turbo.
a well maintained and chipped 20V is a 13 second 1/4 mile car. the 525i doesn't really stand a chance straightline race. you'd need a similar year M5 to catch it.
now to the rest of your points. the BMW is probably a better handling car. lighter with better weight distribution, not to mention a tighter chasses. but with AWD (and my koni/H&R setup), i just plant the 20V in a corner and keep my foot on the gas - it does just fine in the twisties and is totally exhilarating.
as far as reliability - i think my car has been possessed by some german demon somewhere - it's basically been a piece of shit. BUT i do attribute that to it being just one car and it only gpne 114k in its 20 years. it did a lot of sitting around which is the worst thing you can do for a car. the seals and hoses all dry out. i do have friends with high mile 200 20Vs that have been far better on the reliability front.
but regardless, we are talking about OLD cars here. how many miles a year do you drive? i wouldn't have too much reservation putting 6k-8k/yr. on the car. but i'd be wary of trusting it for 15k-20k/year. bu that's just me.
lastly, buy THE BEST ONE you can get. stretch if you need to. get one that's already sorted out and already modded. if you buy a cheap one - it will suck your wallet dry more in the end anyway.
you could always buy a 540i - but then you have that nikasil crap to worry about. at least in the early ones.
see ya,
Robby
________________________________
From: Matt Suffern <msuffern at gmail.com>
To: 200q20v at audifans.com
Sent: Thursday, October 6, 2011 12:20 PM
Subject: Do I Really Want One?
Hi guys.
My name is Matt; I was on the list about a year and a half ago in a
futile quest to trade for / buy a 200q20v. Steve Janesick even
graciously let me drive his copy over lunch one day just so I could
get the feel of the thing.
Well, here I am again. I ended up selling my '86 BMW 635 and buying a
'95 525i 5-speed in excellent condition:
http://nceuro.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15077
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1723900
That said, and I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but the 525 kind of
"fell in my lap," and even though it's been a fantastic car for the
year and a half that I've owned it, I'm still not convinced it's "me."
There's something about the lure of an Audi (I used to own an '86
4kq) that keeps me coming back. I wrote about it recently on my blog:
http://www.spannerhead.com/2011/09/30/daily-driver-daydreaming/
I'll be in a position in a couple of months (December-ish) where I
could conceivably purchase a 200q20v and sell the BMW to help offset
the cost. I guess what I'm wondering is, will it be worth it? The
525i is a wonderful car to drive, and I want to make sure, as fast as
the 200q20v is, will it compare to the BMW in terms of the overall
polish of the driving experience. To put it another way: I've pined
for a 200q20v for a while now; will owning one be another case of
"don't meet your heroes?"
Not helping is the fact that I'll probably have to travel and/or have
the one I find shipped, so there's a good chance I won't even have the
opportunity to test drive it before committing to purchase.
I expect to have to repair it more. No illusions there.
I know my fuel economy will go down. Got that.
I know it won't be as balanced to drive. Understood.
I guess I just want to make as informed a decision as possible and
avoid buyer's remorse, especially given the fact that although the 525
doesn't excite me, it is still a very, very good car.
Any thoughts? I can't keep 'em both; I'm looking for a "DD with potential."
Thanks guys,
Matt
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