[A4] Sale of A4/Purchase of A3

[Brian O'Connell]

Don't get sucked into the option packages unless they
are really what you want.

In Houston, leather is a no-no (one summer will
convince you of this fact), and the twin sunroof (the
rear fixed panel only has a mesh sunscreen, which
still allows a lot of light to come in, and hence
heat).

I personally am very happy with the stock suspension,
so not sure the sports package is necessary.  The only
thing I wanted, but couldn't get without getting into
a package, was the Bose stereo and steering wheel
controls, but the stock Concert stereo is pretty good,
and it is within easy reach so the steering wheel
controls are not necessary.

I can't seem to figure out intuitively the cruise
control stick - it seems different than all others
I've seen/used.

And I miss the quattro, but imagine that it was only
adding weight and sapping engine power, so with the
ESP and traction control that comes standard, I should
be fine (and I'm not in the snow belt, in any case).

The interesting point raised in some reviews is that
it is the same size as the former A4 Avant!

Good luck.
-B

--- Sean Paul <seanpaul at hq.speakeasy.net> wrote:

> Great info Brian.  We're about to sell our 98 A4 and
> I've seen the A3s
> but don't know much about them.
> Sean 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: a4-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:a4-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf
> Of Brian O'Connell
> Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 12:45 PM
> To: Audi Fans
> Subject: [A4] Sale of A4/Purchase of A3
> 
> Just sold my 98.5 A4 2.8Q Auto.  I had had enough of
> the poor
> performance throughout most of the year due to the
> large and inefficient
> A/C compressor (I live in Houston, so it was on for
> about 8-9 months out
> of the year), and with some expensive maintenance
> issues looming, I
> broke down and traded it in for a new A3 2.0T
> manual.
> 
> I couldn't be happier.
> 
> First of all, the suspension on the A3 (stock) is as
> tight, if not
> tighter, than the sport suspension on the A4.
> 
> The A/C draws almost no power from the engine,
> although this might be
> slightly deceiving since I have a stick shift as
> opposed to an auto, so
> it is easier for me to keep it in the power range.
> 
> There is significantly more back seat legroom than
> in the A4 (I suppose
> the hatch design allows them to move the seats
> further back since there
> is headroom clearance).
> 
> And this thing is FAST.  At $25k for the base model,
> it's not a bad
> deal, and not much more than the new 2-dr GTI.
> 
> In any case, if any of you are thinking of doing the
> same thing, I can't
> recommend it more highly.
> 
> Downsides: rear visibility is terrible - what makes
> the car look good is
> not good for visibility - small back and hatch
> windows, high side-cowl
> (right term?). 
> Suspension is a little louder when going over bumps
> - not sure if
> related to sound deadening, or design of suspension,
> which has changed
> compared to the older models.  And road noise is
> also up, but again,
> either sound deadening or perhaps tires (Pirelli P6
> Four seasons).
> 
> But overall a GREAT car for $25k.
> 
> -B
> 
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