[s-cars] The Audi as a Fiat

[pkrasusky at ups.com]

Steve nailed it and Baloney 2nd'd:

<<<Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:36:49 -0500
From: "Bill Mahoney" <wmahoney at disk.com>
Subject: [s-cars]  The Audi as a Fiat +danger Will Robinson
To: <s-car-list at audifans.com>

SteVo,

A very nice dribble of wordsmithing you have made here.  I couldn't have
said it better myself.  In fact I was thinking of writing something
similar,
but let's just go with yours.  Yes.  

I must add that some of those new Alfa's, due here by the next decade,
remind us why we like curvy styling and things that go along with it.

Also-

There may never be another Sfest so don't miss the opportunity to attend
what could be the finale and put some faces with the banter.  "Sometimes
ya
just gotta say, shoot; I'm goin'"  

Bill~bad gas mileage and tires that wear too quickly~M>>>




Steve-

Couldn't have said any of it any better.  I esp. like your quote of
they're all turning left while you're going straight ahead.  Amazes me
the mfg's don't frickin LISTEN.  I've been beating this same drum pretty
hard here lately too.  Trying to think of UrS replacement options and it
ain't easy.  Nothing compares, esp. in feel - all new cars lack this
especially lately.  

And all the new crap is filled to the max with fart sensors and electro
doodads no one gives a flying F about.  You all might remember my quote
about sitting in der neu //S8 @ the Streets of Tomorrow RS4 event.  We
all sat in it and looked around in marvel / bewilderment of the sheer
GLUT of frickin 'things' they cram into that car.  And I started keenly
pointing out "that won't work in a year, that in two, this in three, and
heck this within weeks".  Answers to questions nobody friggin asked, I
say.  Our BMW flogs at the Tit Event further evidenced this fact,
they're near the worst offenders.  Coupled with Bangleisms they've lost
me for good unless they change course.  Benz is in same boat, I always
find humor in chatting with the Service Advisors about the 'issues'
they're seeing on the new ones.  SCARY - no thanks.

And all those 'features' adds up to money, weight, crap reliability, and
over complexity that you cannot fix yourself, nor cheaply.  WTF?  Buy
one of these out of warranty in a few years?  HA!  Finance companies
better start writing 30 year notes on these things to afford the
maintenance.

Craig Lebakken cracked me up yesterday off list.  He went ahead and did
the absurd.  Bought himself a near showroom perfect '72 GMC Jimmy from a
one owner little old lady who used it to tow horses.  Except the hood
that the horse literally bit, it its a complete unbelievable time
capsule.  I'd been saying that recently, instead of spending $8-20k on a
replacement car of recent vintage, I'm totally tempted to buy some sort
of time capsule or restoration from the glory days.  Kudos to Craig, I
say.  Trendsetter, and, what a score he found.

Mfg's need to stop spending R&D $ on useless junk and spend R&D on
making a f'n window switch that works longer than 90 days or turbos that
blow every 40k or or or or or.  And I suggest taking this retrotrend of
recent a few steps further...  make a new car retro, in that it's
de-optioned.  We want less frills, less weight, less $, and less
complexity / things to go wrong.  John Q. Public does, too... they just
don't know it as they're fleeced by the marketeers who tell them the
latest they 'must have'.  

Wish some sort of 'movement' would be started toward this end.
Unfortunately I'm not delusional (well, OK I am but not in this regard)
and know it'll get far worse before slightly better - if at all.  I find
myself sounding like some old codger who shuns technology and is afraid
of change - and I'm only 33!  While I'm not afraid of it, I'm afraid of
the direction the mfg's have chosen to take it.

And...  don't ask what I'll be replacing my car with.  You'll never
guess, won't believe, and won't accept it as unghey - but - I don't
care.  We'll see what happens, when the time comes.

-Paul


ps.  Baloney does make a good //SFest point...