time to move on

[Dave.Eaton]

i now no longer own a 1990 ur-quattro 20v or a 1995 rs2 avant.  i have done
a deal which trades both cars against a september 2001 s8 with 23k km on the
clock. the deal values both my cars as the same as the s8, and is with the
audi dealership where i have, over the years, now purchased 5 cars (s2,
ur-quattro, rs2, a3, and now s8). the s8 comes with 18 months left of the
factory service cover & warranty.

the trade values the ur-quattro at significantly more than i paid for it,
and allows me the right of veto over the new owners - i don’t want some
snotty nosed kid with a rich dad to purchase it. i have no such stipulation
on the rs2. i will assist the dealer in marketing the ur-quattro, which will
be displayed in the showroom alongside all the new models.. the ur-quattro
has appreciated roughly 30% in my ownership (7 years), while the rs2 has
depreciated 40% in the same time (roughly 8% pa).

i have spent a lot of seat time in both an s6 and an s8, and have decided
that the s8 is a better drivers car than the s6. the s8 is far better than i
had imagined (and as a drivers car, imo, better than the rs6). there is less
understeer than in the rs2, less pitch and roll as well. the brakes are
superb, as you'd expect from 996-derived brembos, and the engine is a peach.
the s6 is a more modern car, which has held its value better, but it is very
hard not to be impressed with the technology available in the s8. it is also
much rarer than the s6, and i like that someone else has funded the 18
month, 40% depreciation for me. the figure with the s6 is more like 20%, and
the cars are a year older.

the deal also reflects that, for me at least, the time has come to move on
into newer forms of audi ownership - the reality was that i was barely using
the ur-quattro, and was unlikely to change this as we await the birth of
child #2. moving into the city 14 months ago has also changed the equation
of ur-quattro ownership. the reality is that, over the last 12 months, i
have completed 1700kms with the ur-quattro, the vast majority on the
motorway. the car deserves better than this. in the same fashion, the rs2 is
simply commuting me to work on the motorways. while this is the reality, the
s8 is a much better tool for this purpose, and coupled with our 2002 a3,
also no great problem for city living.

the other reality is that owning an immaculate, low kms ur-quattro is a
mixed blessing. any "playing around" with the car would cost me
significantly in depreciation, so over the last year or so i have come to
the realisation that i would be better picking up a late wr, ripping the
engine and transmission out of it, and turning it into a 20v equivalent
which i could play around with it (e.g. aan + 016 w/torsen), or even a small
v8 unit. that is something i will look to achieve over the next few years.

i will sign-off the ur-quattro list soon, but hang around on the rs2 list
for a little while and start lurking on the a8 list, now that i've become a
v8 nerd.

thanks for the help, words of wisdom and support over the last 7 years that
i have owned these 2 great cars. rest assured that i will be doing my best
to ensure the ur-quattro stays in good hands...

dave
'01 s8