Car shopping

[Taka Mizutani]

The Passat is basically the same car as your A4, except FWD and cheaper
interior. I don't know what you'd want that unless you needed more space.

The A6- just make sure you have it checked out thoroughly by someone who is
knowledgeable and you trust. They're very nice cars- I was trying to replace
my old '91 200q with an A6 2.7T 6-speed but at the time, I couldn't find
one. Otherwise, I'd still probably have an Audi.

Taka


On Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 7:41 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.
>
> Car 2 was a 2000 VW Passat, V6, automatic
> <http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/984747354.html>
> I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was. Interior woodwork
> was very tasteful. The stalk controls were Audi, same as in my
> '89 200 TQ. Nice sound system. Huge trunk. It all seemed so familiar.
> On the test drive, the lack of quattro meant the V6 didn't have to
> work as hard, and acceleration was "brisk". But the lack of quattro
> worried me when on a back road an oncoming truck forced us far to
> our side, where snow had drifted onto the road. A bit of pucker
> factor, but the car hardly hiccuped. The missing muffler wasn't
> a problem (although I imagine exhaust would have a better chance
> of entering the cabin), but it would have to be replaced. The test
> drive showed a shimmy that "wasn't there before". And the brakes,
> not as powerful as the A6 4.2's, felt strong with no mushiness of
> the pedal.  As we pulled into his driveway, you could hear the left
> front CV joint clicking, as the kid had stated. Examining the front,
> there was snow stuck in the front wheel, which would account for
> the shimmy. I saw 25ish MPG on the meter; the kid says 27 on the
> highway. That would be nice. At 143K, it, too, will need a t-belt.
> That and the muffler and CV joint. I thought the handling, power,
> brakes, seats, and stereo were good. Maybe not Audi level, but
> better than a Toyota. At $3900 asking price, I'm tempted.
>
> But neither ride screamed "this is much better than your A4".
> And the A4 is a known quantity.  I'll sleep on it some more.
>
> Comments welcome.
>
> --
> Kent McLean
> '99 A4 Avant, V6 Tiptronic
> '91 200 TQA #3, gray, UFOs, chipped, Euro headlights
> '91 200 TQA #2 blue, up in smoke 2
> '91 200 TQA #1 black, recycled
> '94 100 S Avant, "Moody", sold
> '89 200 TQ, "Bad Puppy", up in smoke
> _______________________________________________
> quattro mailing list
> quattro at audifans.com
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/quattro
> ---
> Watch this space for ads :)
>