Why I Drive an Audi

[Mihnea Cotet]

Jut wanted to add my 0.02...

My story with Audi began in the summer of 1998 when my father-in-law let me 
drive for a few miles his 1983 Coupe GT 5S...
Guys, this was terrible!!!
I immediately fell in love with the 5-cylinder engine sound and the way the 
car drove! Even though that car was in a bad shape, I loved it and said 
immediately "I want a 5-cylinder car, it can't be that I won't have one!"
Over the next year after this first test drive, my father-in-law let me the 
car several times, sometimes for more than a week, so every time that I 
drove it I was more impressed with the handling and the way it sounded...
One year after the first test-drive, my parents bought me my first car, a 
1984 Coupe GT 5E -2144cc engine, 9.3:1 compression ratio and 130 HP.
Although the body was in a very good shape, technical problems would abound 
almost immediately after the purchase, since the fuel pump relay would 
actually die on the second day of ownership! (bad omen but I didn't care)
I drove this car for exactly one year, and during its last days the clutch 
would slip almost all the time, so it was time to set it to rest waiting for 
a rebuild....
I waited until last December to gather money to rebuild the car, but as it 
seemed to need a new engine, clutch, gearbox (the 2nd gear synchro was dead, 
maybe because of GL-5 tranny oil) it seemed to me more interesting to look 
after a Coupe quattro, as it has quattro!
So the 3rd of January 2001 I was off to Germany to buy my second car, a 1985 
Coupe quattro-non turbo, 136HP, 2226 cc engine and 10:1 compression ratio. I 
paid for it 2500 German Marks, it has power and defrosting mirrors, heated 
leather seats, air conditioning (just removed it!) a nice set of 15" Ronals 
along with 14" steel wheels with snow-tires.
This one is the best car that I've ever driven, but I haven't driven an Ur-q 
yet, so maybe there's some discoveries to be made...
It has great fuel mileage (30+mpg on highway), low oil consumption 
(especially since I've switched to 10W60 fully synth oil) and IT'S A 
QUATTRO!!! I didn't even really know what quattro meant in terms of road 
holding before buying it, but now I know that Beemers can't put up with 
that!!!
It has had some small problems, probably it will have more of them, but 
that's no problem for me, as time passes by I am learning more and more, 
especially from this list that I've joined since March...
Honestly, this list is full of great people, lots of very competent, 
skillful and helpful people (Huw and the others, you know who you are!) 
regarding technical stuff as well as parts.
For me the list is more some sort of a community of passionate, people who 
like well-built cars and know how to help other people solving their 
problems.

My wife says that I'm addicted to the list, maybe it's true, but I like it! 
I can't spend more than two days without reading the posts from the list, no 
matter the thread, it's always interesting to learn things that aren't 
related to my car.

Regards from Belgium,


Mihnea

85 Coupe quattro
http://www.audifans.com/registry/view.php?action=viewCar&carid=350

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