why my father drives an Audi

[Roger M. Woodbury]

 Dad's now eighty-eight.  He is not now, nor has ever been an auto
enthusiast.  After retiring early, Mom and Dad are on a very fixed budget,
and about six years ago, they needed to change cars.

They were suffering from extreme sticker shock after looking a Mopar and GM
offerings for nearly twenty thousand for not much.  I suggested that they
look at this '90 Audi 100 that the Audi dealer had.  61,000 miles, but
eligible for the Audi Advantage program.

Dad said:  "Have I just come to the point where all I can do is buy a six
year old car?"

I said:  "No, Dad.  Think of it as a car with a new car warranty."  The deal
was done.  Their friends and neighbors immediately noticed the "new" Audi.
My folks loved it.  They love going to the Audi dealer and having the car
serviced, and strangely, they don't seem to mind what it costs...actually, I
figured it out as being around 6.5 cents per mile over the fifty thousand
miles that they have put on the car.

Now it is getting a bit more difficult for them to take it for service (80
miles round trip), so I do it for them often, either to the dealer or to my
independent.  The two wheel drive car is sufficient for their needs, and
they have become so accustomed to automatic climate control, and Mother's
arthritis is so addicted to heated seats, that for them, Audi is synonymous
with "car".....

Roger