Re: Which Quattro to buy? -- Not Short.

[Bob Edmison <808list@mail.music.vt.edu>]

At 10:48 AM 10/30/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Jeff Fithian wrote:
>> 
>> I know this is kind of an open-ended question, but I'm considering
>> buying an Audi and am split between an A4 1.8TQ, an A4 2.8Q, or maybe a
>> used S4 or even S6.  Any comments on the relative pros and cons?
>> Experiences?  <snip>
>> Thanks
>> Jeff

I've had a 97 A4 1.8TQ for about 3 months, and I have some observations
about the car. First, it is definitely not a car for hauling the family
around in. The back seats are not much use if the driver and front seat
passenger are more than 5'6". You can get 3 people in the back for short
hauls, but they will not be comfortable (especially center passenger), and
if it is more than a 15 minute trip, be prepared for them to start raising
hell. For me, I was only concerned about the driver's position. This car is
for MY personal transportation, so the other seating positions were not
much of a concern for me. 

The second thing is I got the so-called sport package with mine, mostly to
get the cloth seats. The last car I owned had leather seats, and I wasn't
that big a fan of leather...Cold in the winter, hot and sticky in the
summer. I really like the seats that came with the package. They are firm
without being board-like, and they are not constricting through the legs.
The caveat here is that I'm 5'10", 170, which fortunately seems to be right
in the design model.  Although, my dad (6'3", 210) found it very
comfortable, thought he found the headroom a bit tight with the sunroof. He
liked driving it so much he is actually looking at a '98 A4 2.8 to replace
his '95 Lincoln Town Car, which he says is the most comfortable highway car
he's ever driven (My folks live in the country, so they spend a lot of time
on the interstate.)

The car drives very nicely, and will do all it can to keep you out of
trouble when you drive it hard. It doesn't get upset if you hit a bump in
the middle of a turn, unlike the last couple of vehicles I've owned. It's a
pretty decent compromise of handling without beating you up every time you
drive the car. My best friend drives a Porsche 944, which is a real nice
car, but I feel like I've been in a bar fight every time I drive the thing.
God forbid you should hit a pothole or some other road imperfection. The
1.8T motor does the job, but I'm thinking real hard chipping it. The
Quattro system speaks for itself. There is no reason to buy a new Audi
without it. It is giveaway at ~$1600US.

The overall quality of the car is outstanding. Extremely tight fit &
finish, and a surprising attention to detail. They must have taken some
lessons from some of their other German brethren in that regard (IE.
Porsche, which, from a mechanical perspective, has some if the most elegant
solutions I've seen, to some fairly difficult problems...Look at a 944 and
try to figure out how the removable roof system works...). Audi has a fair
share of elegant solutions itself.

I'm going to buy another Audi. The next one is probably going to be a
late-model 200Q or V8 if I can find one. Bottom line is buy the car that
gets the job done for you. The A4 definitely gets it done for me.

My $0.02, (actually, with this kind of length, it is about $1.02 8^)
Regards,
Bob
========================================================
"To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, 
you must also be well-mannered."  --Voltaire 
========================================================
Bob Edmison                            Software Engineer
VTLS, Inc.		           808@mail.music.vt.edu
1800 Kraft Drive, Suite 108          (540)557-1200 x3328
Blacksburg, VA 24060