Pros on the cons

[PDQSHIP@aol.com]

In a message dated 96-01-05 17:06:20 EST, you write:

>
>In terms of Japanese cars as compared to German cars we're talking about 
>vehicles from two different universes. Japanese only dreamed of cars when 
>Germans already drove them. It's like why Japanese did not have a space 
>program until very recently? Because they had no school of space 
>negineering and astrophysics! Same goes with cars. Surely they make nice 
>cars, but they are mass transit cars - recycble. And about starting in 
>cold weather, let me tell you this - my friend's '86 5KS lost all of its 
>oil in the middle of Nevada. He drove it over 300 Mi, fixed the leak 
>at a gas station, put the oil back in and 25K miles later (167K on the 
>car) it still drives like new. How is that for extreme conditions! 
>
>By the way, if your gasket is leaking how do you drive it?
>
>Alex.
>
>

Mario Andretti has more seat time in race cars than some of the competitions
total team age the last years of driving, yet he didn;t win, the new kids
did......  With all that experience and respect, those darn kids with new
ideas and smarter driving, just kept him back of the pack.....  Not sure the
VR4 doesn't demonstrate this in the car world, and the RX7, and the 300zx,
and the Supra.....  all newcombers from a bunch of uneducated people, yet,
you put them a world away on a track or street, and looky there, they just
keep winning the game of handling, and setting standards that all your "Pros"
had in the bag.....  Look at mercedes as a prime example, a company just
sitting on it's laurels raking in money and jackin up prices, and don't think
for a minute that toys arent the staple of those cars, and from way
back........  Along lopes Lexus, pops the LS400, and the stoic world of the
pros is just smacked.....  And Mercedes is a better company for it, but don't
forget what initiated that change, lead follow, or get out of the way.....  

Now, you read my post too quickly, a reference to our friend Steve M. on the
net, and the gasket is the valve cover gasket, not the head.......  Now, my
story on an 86 audi 5ktq wasn't quite the same as your very lucky friend.....
 My wife drove the car (and this is a non turbo kind of gal) in traffic, ran
out of oil, it stalled after 1 mile, I put oil in it, and drove it
home.......  three oil changes in a half an hour later, and kaboom the
mainbearing blew......  that was with 100k on it.  Did manage to drive it
another 360 miles to northern MI, with a spinning main bearing and lots of
smoke, but it made it, but NOT a salvageable motor.....  But, I did those
tricks in a coupla chevy 350's as a kid too.....   

>Although some of the peripherals like air/conditioning and automatic 
>transmition are not the strengths of Audies, drive train and the engine 
>are much stronger than any Japanese counter parts. 

That is a very general and untrue blanket statement concerning the Japanese
cars.....  Altho the audi engine is bulletproof (for a 1950's block), so are
many of the J cars......  The V8 and I6 lexus comes to mind, as does the
pletora of 4 bangers that humm along in the adonh cars.....  For miles on end
without that tithe to the Audi Church of Gods (with it's four ringed cross
shining brite), with out the quirks of A/C compressors (@800 bux too),
steering racks (in fact the audi holds the gummy bear here), and Hydraulic
pumps that pop just when one pays the kids tuition.....  Do I put up with it
all, WOQ.....  Do i brag of it, not.....  Are audis great cars when they run,
sure......  The comments you put out are just not substantiated with facts,
wave the audi flag, great, but the Japanese cars should not be sold short in
performance or beef, any more than the german cars.......

Scott