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

Wed Jul 26 19:17:41 EDT 2006

Yes, of course. You are correct, but I am not interested in the "newer" S6
Avants.  There is too much technology in those cars that remains hidden to
the independent mechanic to make the car interesting.  It is entirely
possible that once the Type 44 cars are really too old to be supported in
either the OEM or aftermarket, then the car will simply disappear.

It is the way of things.  

I am looking forward to a time when gasoline is simply so expensive that any
expenditure in an automobile is much like buying a house.  Perhaps not in my
lifetime, but I see now if anyone buys a gasoline powered vehicle new today,
they may find that before they have paid for it, they can no longer drive it
in the way that they originally intended. 

For anyone who lives in an area where there is mass transit available, I
think that more and more people will be taking "the bus" or "the trolley" or
whatever, and leaving the car at home.some even giving up "the car" as is
the case for so many in Europe.  Here in rural Maine, we have NO alternative
to the private passenger automobile.  As gasoline and heating oil escalates
in price, the relative value of a vehicle will deline when considered in the
light of our small economy and the small amount that the "average" family of
four has to live on annually here.  In case you are not aware of those
numbers, they are around $25,000 annually.

Roger

-----Original Message-----
From: sdewitt at stx.rr.com [mailto:sdewitt at stx.rr.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 1:23 PM
To: Roger M. Woodbury
Cc: v8 at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [V8] 4.2 litre V8....not interested?

Many of the specific items to the 200 20V's are already NLA from Audi. Rad
hoses, and aux radiator stuff to name specifics. Many of the interior trim
bits are also being phased out. Unfortunatly with cars that old, once parts
stock is sold out, it isn't cost effective to re-order in quantity. The last
100ls and Audi fox are approaching 30 years old, and 99 percent of parts for
those cars are NLA.

If you dig the 20v's and longevity and parts availability is a major issue,
I would look towards at the later S6 avants.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at adelphia.net> 
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 12:03 pm 
Subject: Re: [V8] 4.2 litre V8....not interested? 
To: 'jpb3' <jpburns3 at gmail.com> 
Cc: v8 at audifans.com 

> 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 
> lowerrange 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 
> similarvehicles 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 
> thereforeparts 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 
> diminishesits 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 
> enormousperformance (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 
> 
> 
> 
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