RE: Why *I* drive an Audi...

[audidudi@mindspring.com (Jeffrey J. Goggin)]

>I can see some of your points Jeff ... it turns out that I'm pretty much
>in the same boat.  I kinda lucked into Audi ... my first new car was a
>'78 Audi Fox GTI ... as I've stated before IMO this car was a shining
>star in the automotive wasteland that was the late '70s.

Or even the mid-'70s ... at 16, I got to drive my next-door neighbors '75
Fox and thought it was wonderful as compared to my parent's Oldsmobiles.  Of
course, I drove a '73 BMW 2002tii shortly afterwards and soon headed off in
a different direction ... it wasn't until the Ur-Q came along that I gave
Audi a second thought.
 
>I fell in love with the urQ the minute I saw it, and although I would have
never
>realistically considered getting one new; a young single engineer with
>stock options could get one that was a couple of years old.

I still have the June, 1982 issue of Car & Driver where the first U.S.
version was reviewed!  I wanted one as well but it was another 14 years
before I was in the right place at the right time and found one at the right
price ... that it was an '85 made it only that much nicer.  Do you suppose
there are any kids growing up with the same sort of lust for an A4q?
Somehow, I tend to doubt it...

>I too look at the current line offered by Audi and don't see much for me
>... but I must say that the 1.8T in the A4q (Avant) has piqued my
>interest ... and I think it is for the same reasons as before.  If it
>were only available with a manual transmission that spark might actually
>become a flame.

I didn't mention this in my post but I agree completely ... an A4q Avant
with a 6-speed manual tranny and the 1.8 turbo motor under the hood could be
just the ticket to have me talking with my credit union.  I have been lead
to believe it will never happen, though, and the car as-is just doesn't do
it for me...

>When one's newest car is 10 model years old, and one has a growing family,
it is probably a good idea for one >to consider a new (or at least newer)
car ...

My girlfriend has two kids and we've been dating for over two years, so I'm
sort of becoming a "family man" by default ... as much as I enjoy working on
cars, I'm beginning to see the possible benefits of buying a new car instead
of another newer used one and that's why I'm so frustrated by Audi's present
offerings.  There isn't a single car that I would be willing to pay $600/mo.
or more for and leasing won't work for me because I put too many miles on my
cars each year.

>Another interesting note ... I really like the lines of the Audi Fox ...
>AAMOF I still do today.  I really disliked the lines of the 4000, as it
>was so squared off as compared to my Fox.  I have found that over the
>years the lines tend to grow on me ... it is to the point that I really
>like the lines on my '85 4kSQ!  I'm seeing the same thing happen to me
>with the newer 80/90 and Coupes also.  

I still prefer the '84 4000q to the '85 through '87 cars (although I've
found this varies by color -- have you ever noticed that every bodystyle has
one or two colors that flatter it and a whole handful that don't?) but I
never did -- and still don't -- find the 3rd generation 80/90 to be
attractive.  I would agree that some later 90s do look nice, especially with
17" wheels on them ... shame about the performance, though.  ;^)

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   / |      _| o    | \       _| o  Jeffrey Goggin
  /__| | | / | | __ |  | | | / | |  audidudi@mindspring.com
 /   | |_| \_| |    |_/  |_| \_| |  http://www.mindspring.com/~audidudi/
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