Re: A4 Reliability

[dan_masi@MENTORG.COM (Dan Masi)]

On Sep 14,  1:12pm, Mitchel Freedman wrote:
> Subject: Re: A4 Reliability
> Hello there. I'm new to the Quattro-Digest. I find myself 
> lucky enough to be in the market for a new car and it's come 
> down to a toss up between an A4Q and a 328iBMW....ooops, said a
> dirty word there ? 


> ...A4's softer ride, not as nimble handling, and obvious lack of
> power under the hood.

The ride may be a bit softer, but I don't agree with the "not as
nimble handling" bit.  And it's not a "soft" ride in the sense
of "mushy, disconnected, vague".  Handling on the A4 seems very
precise.

IMO, the only place that the A4Q loses to the 328i is power.  But
note two things: (1) that is *not* to say that the A4Q is a slow
car.  It's not, by any means.  I'm having a blast in mine.  And
(2) in anything remotely slippery, the 328's power will go to
waste, while the A4's quattro delivers full power to the road.

Being in Canada, I can't believe that you'd even consider a 
rear-wheel drive car over 5th-generation Quattro!

> How reliable are the new Audis? 

I've only had mine for a bit over 3 months, almost 7000 miles.
Love it.  I think the build quality is excellent.  My only trip
back to the dealer was a week after purchase, when a headlamp
blew out.  Bizarre, but chalk it up to infant mortality 
combined with running the car over awful pavement with grossly
overinflated tires (not on purpose).

> Help me spend my money would ya ?

Sure.  Buy the A4Q, take the 6 grand or so that you save by not
buying the 328 and go on a really nice vacation.

Dan Masi
'96 A4Q