Re: '94 Q45 / '89 200q comparison...

[Sachelle Babbar <sbabbar@iris.nyit.edu>]

Finally in your last point, you get the idea. I was talking about luxury
cars only. Second, going through all you wrote, I think you figured out
that it is as much as the car feels as it is the numbers it puts down. I
think in luxury cars, there may be a lot more room to make a distinct
personality at the sacrifice of say, handling. Sports cars are very close,
but they all have certain quirks that may make them good in one situation,
while bad in another. At high speeds or hard cornering, the quirks can be
magnified, good or bad, making them more critical.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************							       
*Steve                                       Sachelle Babbar
*'84  5ksT 1.6-2.0 bar                    <SBABBAR@IRIS.NYIT.EDU>
*Cockpit adjustable wastegate, AudiSport badge
*
*Disclaimer:"Any information contained herein is based purely on my own
*personal experience and may not necessarily reflect yours. Use caution as
*your results may vary from mine."
********************************************************************************

On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, Chris Maresca wrote:

> At 11:08 AM -0500 3/18/98, Sachelle Babbar wrote:
> 
> >BTW: a Porsche can outhandle an R-1 without all
> >the harshness. It's more how a car feels than a Car and Driver
> >handling,acceleration,etc rating. They don't reflect real life and what
> >the driver feels. You seem to be defending the Japanese cars a little more
> >than you should for a person on an Audi list that's supposed to love their
> >car.
> 
> Er, I have quite a few friends who race SCCA with Porsches, and they tell
> me that 944's get trounced by RX7's all day.
> 
> But, this is all a question of opinion.  When I was looking to buy a new
> car, I drove many, many cars, including A4's, 90's, 911's, 968's, BMW
> 3-series (M3, 328, 323), Toyota MR2's, RX7's, Supras, etc.  The only cars
> that even came close to the handling/feel of the RX7 were the Porsches and
> the M3.  All others were easily trounced, hands down.
> 
> I agree, the Porsches had a nicer interior, so the M3, but they also cost
> 2-3x as much as an RX7.  Also, I found the Porsche less harsh, more
> comfortable.
> 
> In then end, I bought an Audi Coupe Quattro.  It had come down to a Porsche
> 968, an A4 or the CQ.
> 
> Why did I buy the CQ?  I wanted a fun, quick, sporty car that could seat
> four people, was two door & a hatchback.  I also love quattro.  Its also a
> fast, practical, reliable car I can use all the time, for anything.
> 
> The CQ is my favorite car of all time.  I have been lusting after one ever
> since they were new, but it was only recently that I could afford one
> (after finding out they were actually sold in the US).   And, I have been
> an Audi fanatic for +/- 15 years.  When I was a kid, I used to build models
> of Audi rally cars, dreaming of someday owning one and watched all the
> rallying I could (I was living in France...).  I am as close to a hardcore
> Audi enthusiast as they come.
> 
> Yet, I call cars as I see them.  The RX7 was/is one of the most fun cars I
> have ever driven.  Fast, stable, predictable, corners on rails, balanced,
> capable of easily putting all its power to the ground.  I have driven most
> Porsches, and the one I liked best is the 968, same as the RX7, but much
> smoother & comfortable.   Hated the 911.  All that weight in the rear,
> blech!  Not at all my preference.  Of course, all bets are off for these
> cars if it rains.
> 
> Cars are just cars, I would hope that the people on this list are mature
> enough to recognize that different cars are built for different reasons,
> and that, performance modifications aside, the all have a distinct
> personality that may or may not appeal to an individual.
> 
> "You seem to be defending the Japanese cars" is sort of like saying that I
> am defending the fact that my favorite color is blue....  I like those
> Japanese sports cars, they are very good competition to German sports cars,
> both from a performance and a price point of view.  So shoot me.
> 
> But, I think most of the Japanese luxo-sedans really suck (I drove those
> too)...  In fact, I think that in the last six months, I have driven most
> >$20k <$50k new sport cars/sedans on the market, and a lot of used ones as
> well.
> 
> Chris.
> 
> 
> 
> '90 CQ (looking for a dark '91 w/low miles)
> '87 RX7 Tii (for sale soon)
> 
> 
>