Car shopping

[Tony Hoffman]

On Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 6:41 PM, Kent McLean <kentmclean at comcast.net> wrote:
> Looking for options to a $3500 engine job for my A4, I went car shopping today.
>
> First up was a 2000 A6 4.2L.
> <http://nh.craigslist.org/ctd/983581099.html>
> Very nice.  Secure handling, gobs of power on tap, although with all the
> sound deadening, you don't really notice the speed. And the brakes were
> awesome. Press the peddle and it stops hard and fast. This example had
> a loud rhythmic clicking when I applied the brakes, plus a slight shimmy
> from 30 MPH on up.  I was surprised at how much the interior was like
> the A4 -- cruise control stalk, driver info display switches, etc, are
> the same (and haven't changed since my '89 200 TQ). The tiptronic was
> the same. The Bose stereo was a step up, and in the quieter car it
> sounded great.  I loved the seat, immediately comfortable. I really
> liked the car. But except for the seat and extra power, it didn't seem
> to be a whole lot better than my A4.  As for the brakes and shimmy,
> "We haven't gone through it yet." At 94K miles and 8 years old, it will
> need a t-belt real soon. And the wheels are Mille, not stock. And it
> will need tires soon. So figure $2K to $2500 to put it right.  But
> even at $7500, it's a steal for a great car.
>

But, then again, for $7500 you could have the A4 back on the road, and
buy a 5-speed V8Q. Or a B4 90Q, or............ Hmmmmm, no tough
decision if it's my $$ out there.

Tony