Please talk some sense into me

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

I still keep my 87 5ktq as a second car, at over 300k miles.  I drive it 
several times every month, just to make sure it still starts and runs in 
case I need it.

I stopped using it as a daily driver about 2005, because it had become 
undependable or difficult to operate....or, saying it another way, I could 
COUNT on experiencing SOME kind of system failure almost every time I took 
it out of the city.  Examples: Pentosin power-steering/power brake system 
leaks somewhere; alternator belt flies off 100 miles from home; alternator 
itself fails; air conditioning system stops working, leaks appear in 
condenser; electric windows stop in down position at turnpike toll booth; 
speedometer stops showing data and needle stays at zero; instrument panel 
lights won't come on at night; front brakes progressively lock up after 20 
minutes driving, smoking the pads; brake line springs a leak due to rust; 
fuel line springs pin hole; door handle stops working.

Back around the turn of the century, I tried to find a newer Audi to 
replace it, but.... like this thread says...almost nothing drove like the 
87 5ktq.  Actually, the 95.5 S6  made the grade, but everybody wanted about 
15 grand to pry one loose.

I found a well-maintained newer Benz E320 just out of warranty, and have 
been reasonably pleased with its  behavior as a daily driver. And it has 
been totally reliable......though costly at times.

I'd be pleasantly surprised to find a newer car that had that total German 
feel, like my old 87 5ktq. If anybody discovers one, let me know.

Doyt Echelberger
aging quietly in northern Ohio