Audis have corrupted me (long)

[LL - NY]

While I think an UrS will out reliability the type 44 (I've got one) if 
you're thinking new 
(or need an avant, which really helps with the Dog front) they're WAY hard 
to find. 
 If you are thinking new:
 I would consider the Mazda 6 (I've autocrossed them, they're really quite 
up to the 
"sport" issue, just FWD, and like most Japanese standard market cars, has 
that
stupid silver painted plastic on the interior, scratchy, scratchy, not good 
for the Dog
front), the Mazda 3 is good in that respect, too. 
 Or, if you have more scratch, try the Subie Legacy GT, VERY nice, not as 
luxurious
as an UrS, but really a nice ride. 
 Of course, if you can find an UrS Avant, LUCKY YOU!
 LL - NY


 On 7/27/05, Keith Lawyer <LawyerKG at co.laplata.co.us> wrote: 
> 
> The gf's '90 200 is getting to the point where it needs replacement. She 
> needs to take frequent road trips and we simply don't trust it any longer, 
> plus we're getting tired of the typical Type $$ maintenance you all know and 
> love.......new bomb, new steering rack, etc etc. Of course that said we'll 
> still keep the car and I'll use it for a *local* commuter.
> 
> Anyhow, the problem becomes that anything new/newish that we drive (that 
> we can afford) simply pales in comparison to the Audis we're used to.
> 
> Last year we drove an (don't laugh) '01 Nissan Frontier a friend was 
> selling because I think a mini-truck could be practical while still getting 
> decent mileage. What a pile of garbage. It was tinny, weak, cheap, loud and 
> rev-happy and all around unimpressive.
> 
> Last year I persuaded the gf to test drive a Murano (no, not set on 
> Nissans, just coincidence). I think they look kinda cool (flame if you must) 
> and it looked to have enough room for the dogs, could be nice for road 
> trips, and the hp specs on paper looked good. The gf thinks the Muranos are 
> ugly but she humored me. We both walked away from this $40k vehicle again 
> (which was likely not affordable for us anyhow) unimpressed; the power was 
> ok, the auto tranny which seemed to think it was constantly slipping (I know 
> this is supposed to be normal) was annoying, but most importantly it just 
> didn't handle as well or drive as nice and predictably as our 200 with 270k 
> miles on the clock. Yeah, I know the Murano is an "SUV" and has a higher 
> c.o.g., etc, I guess I just expected too much.
> 
> Now we're looking at a 4 door Tacoma (probably not the '05s which have 
> grown considerably while also becoming much uglier at the same time), but I 
> fear the same results after the test drive. I also like the new Mazda 3's 
> and 6's (yeah, we're all over the board) but I fear the "sporty" looks are 
> only skin deep.
> 
> In the end I think we're gonna have to lower our expectations considerably 
> or raise our price range. We're willing to make some concessions but it's 
> hard to swallow a large monthly payment when you feel like you're ultimately 
> getting less vehicle. Somehow I was naive enough to believe that 15 years of 
> technology creep would have allowed auto manufacturers to make less 
> expensive vehicles handle/drive as well as the Audi did when it rolled off 
> the lot in 1990 (or as it does today for that matter)...........apparently 
> not. Perhaps we just need a new Audi; the main hang-up there is no dealer 
> within a 5 hour drive, which kinda negates any advantage of a factory 
> warranty.
> 
> Keith L
> 
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