[V8] Ever wonder why the newer Audis (and other cars) are soooheavy?

[Tony and Lillie]

> What I'd like to see is some actual data showing
> automotive buying habits of 20-35 year olds. Is there
> any loyalty at all? Does it matter how great your car
> is? Or your service? Or will they buy something
> different most the time anyway?
>
> There's my $.04 worth!
> Steve
>

I'll start by trying to answer this, then comment on the original subject.

I was an Audi salesman for a few months last summer. On a side note, I made 
great money, loved the job, and couldn't begin to think of keeping the 
hours.

Let me add the disclaimer that I certainly don't think I have all the 
answers, but I do have some experience. Oh, and I'm in that age bracket :)

I'd have to say from my experience, younger buyers are not in the least bit 
brand loyal. This is what will in the long run kill the American 
manufacturers. The younger generation buys what they think is "cool" at the 
time. I had a 25 year old trade his one year old Chevy 1500 4X4 loaded in 
for an S4 6-speed. I had a 29 year old woman trying to decide between a 
Jetta and a TT. I had a 22 year old college grad choosing between the A4, 
3-series, TL, and G35. She picked the G35 because her friends thought it was 
cooler. A year later, you see them everywhere, and the IS350 is the "cool" 
car to have. Of course, they all also liked the 3-series, but the Japanese 
cars give more options for the money.

There's my .02

Now, as for the wieght of new cars, there are a lot of reasons. safety by 
far is the biggest one. And, those options we already mentioned that car 
buyers love. Safety, let s see. a mid lize popular car comes with ten 
airbags, drop away engine and trans mounts, side impact door beams, and so 
on. The crash standards are incredible today. When I look at my 4000Q, or my 
'82 diesel Jetta, I'd hate to see what happens to them in todays crash 
tests. Yet, I don't feel they are unsafe for me to drive. But, as several 
mentioned, my generation has a short attention span, and therefore, 
concentration while driving is out of the question. So, we go into the 
"least common denominator" theory, (which determines our speed limits, BTW) 
and force the manufacturers to make safer cars. We know drivers are going to 
get worse, there will continue to be more of them (population growth), and 
they therefore need safer cars.

On the note of options, what is the weight difference between a manual seat 
from a T44 and a power one? How about tilt and telescoping wheel, cruise, 
sunroof, Nav, poser mirrors, etc. That's not even touching on things we take 
for granted that used to be options. Air cinditioning, power steering, power 
brakes, heaters (OK, that was a loooooong time ago). Or, how about AWD? 
Someone mentioned the BMW. Was it AWD. In the comparison test I have of AWD 
sedans, they are within 40 lbs of each other.

Have audi's gotten bland? Yep!! So has everyone else. Don't believe me, 
drive a new M3 on the track and compare it to the '89 4-cyl. The new one may 
be ffaster, but the old one is a much more involving. How about an '80's 
Celebrity eurosport? A new malibu is boooooooooring in comparilon. My friend 
had a 1986 Capri 5.0. Much lighter and more fun than the '05 GT I drove. 
That is what the newer generations will continue to demand. They don't want 
a lot of driver involvement. They want a "cool" car (or, for the guys more 
so a truck) that gets them around comfortably and reliably.

As for me, I don't even have power steering (Jetta) and it's nowhere near 
"cool", but I'm not the average 31 year old either :-) And, I don't buy new 
cars.

Tony Hoffman