<A4> I get a 1.8TQ!!!

[Steve Manning <stephenm@ix.netcom.com>]

Yee ha!  I'm driving a '97 A4 1.8TQ for a few weeks!

I helped a friend buy this car on Saturday....she is going out of town for
Thanksgiving so I got to drive it home from the dealer and keep it for the
next  week or so.

Particulars: Black, quattro, moonroof/remote entry, automatic, leather,
Bose, trip computer, all-weather package, rear spoiler.  It was a good deal;
paid $1200 over invoice.

Differences between 2.8/1.8:  no wood trim, manual seats, no armrest
(although it looks very easy to add), 15" (195/65 Goodyear Eagle LS tires)
instead of 16" wheels, sport steering wheel only available as part of sport
package (which then requires cloth seats).  Nothing else as far as I can tell.

BTW, according to this dealer, because of howls of protest from potential
buyers the 1.8T 5-speed manual will be available starting in January rather
than March.  He has two on order (I saw the paperwork) that will be built
the 48th week of this year and delivered in the first week of January.

Driving impressions so far:  *very* nice!  5-spd automatic is very busy
(lots of shifts), but seems to work well.  No turbo peakiness in powerband,
although I haven't really pushed things because the car only had 11 miles on
it.  It seems to have as much power as the V6, although I didn't drive them
back-to-back.  Engine bay is very 'clean' looking.  Turbo looks tiny!  Uses
the new pink antifreeze (I know it as Dexcool, Audi calls it G12).  Minor
new '97 feature is when unlocking the car w/the key, if you hold it in place
all the windows go *down*.

I *really* want one of these (optioned a bit differently, of course; I want
the screaming yellow one, sport package, and manual).  Climbing back into my
'88 90q is going to be hard to do.........SLM

Steve Manning:	stephenm@ix.netcom.com (Metro D.C. area, USA)
.....Mainly Mopars, one '88 Audi 90Q (may her brother RIP), misc stuff