[V8] 4.2 litre V8....not interested?

[Roger M. Woodbury]

All true.but I am probably not over the V8.  One of the things that I enjoy
the most about all of these cars is that they are now down in the lower
range of a credit card to purchase.  Compared with what the new and newer
"pedestrian" cars.let alone, Audis.go for, they become a terrific buy if one
has the patience to get them properly sorted out.

 

I paid $4500 or so for my 20-valve and have another, oh, maybe four or five
in it, all told.  No complaints, because for less than ten grand similar
vehicles simply do not exist.  IF I buy another V8, I will plan on keeping
it around perhaps for as long as I can drive.  Given that my father is 93
and still driving, that could well be thirty years.  But certainly, if and
when I start the hunt for another 20-valve Avant, I will be planning on
keeping it as my daily driver until it passes the 200,000 mile mark.  I
think that it is quite likely that most parts will still be available for
THAT car for another ten or fifteen years, although the V8 will probably be
more difficult since it was produced in much lower numbers than the Type 44
Avant.

 

Right now, I am hanging by a thread for the new exhaust.  The car is really
getting to need it, and we decided to buy the Stebro instead of the OEM
exhaust because it was considerably less expensive.  That is IF we can
actually get one!  Otherwise it would have had to be a custom system, and I
have little faith in the local people who do this sort of fabrication.  The
20-valve really has some things about it that make it special, and therefore
parts become a bit of a problem and will continue to be more so as time goes
along.

 

In my weaker moments I have also thought about buying an A6 Avant and
calling it good.  I just can't get excited about them, though.  Neither the
styling, nor the V6 engines that Audi has used appeal to me.  They are
"serviceable" for sure, but also lack what I can only describe as the "soul"
that the Type 44 cars have.  The A6 Avant would work here, as my wife
objects to anything that has a clutch, since she absolutely cannot work one.
Then of course, there is the S6 V8 which really isn't much of an option for
now anyway, due to its still relatively high price, and higher cost of
maintenance and operation coupled with lowered ride height which diminishes
its value to me.

 

Roger

 

-----Original Message-----
From: jpb3 [mailto:jpburns3 at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 12:45 PM
To: Roger M. Woodbury
Cc: v8 at audifans.com
Subject: Re: 4.2 litre V8....not interested?

 

For utility the Avant would be hard to beat.   Once you get use to the
wonderful 20V I-5 turbo it is easier to forget about the V8, this I speak
from experience owning a S6 that is now the daily driver.  Knock on wood it
is also a more reliable motor and much easier to diagnose than the V8.  

 

Anyhow, I was just bit surprised to hear that you now seem to be over your
V8 addiction after many of your long and eloquent posts regarding it's
virtues!

 

john b

 

On 7/26/06, Roger M. Woodbury <rmwoodbury at adelphia.net> wrote: 

Well....not interested is a bit strong.

What has happened is that since I have been driving the 20-Valve Avant, I 
have found that the basic utility of the car, coupled with its enormous
performance (compared to my 89 200Avant), fits my needs exactly.  Thus,
while I can feel the thought of a beautiful V8 Quattro plucking at my heart 
strings, the reality is that the Avant is a better vehicle for me at this
point.

If you recall my original musings when I sold my '93 V8, the issue was that
the vast majority of the time I needed to be either in a pickup truck, or 
perhaps a station wagon, which is why the 20-Valve was bought to begin with.


The Avant is a success, and although so was the V8, the V8 is a lousy car to
carry ten bags of fertilizer in, or an office chair, for example.... 

Roger