RE: learning with quattro

[Eaton Dave <dave.eaton@minedu.govt.nz>]

interesting question.  it inevitibly takes you back to your own
learner-driving experiences.

no question imho, i'd put the sprogs in a old, safe rwd car with limited
engine power, take them down a few back roads and teach them myself.
the rational is that oversteer is the least controllable of a vehicles
dynamics and control and anticipation of this should be learned early,
but without the power to make this sort of thing dangerous.  certainly i
learned in an old british cambridge sh*t-box with rwd and about 60hp
from an a-series 1.6 that probably came straight out of the grant tank.
there weren't many gravel roads where i grew up, but those that were
there, i found, and learned the hard way.  my parents took comfort in
the amount of metal contained in these cars and that most people could
run faster than the car could go.  that and the old man let me know in
no uncertain terms that if i'd had a drink and got into the car, the car
was going to disappear, along with a fair bit of my skin...

no substitute for personal instruction of your kids either imo.

quattro, particularly turbo, especially the gimmie-more-understeer
generation 1 models would not teach good habits imho.  when i had my old
'85 wr ur-q, most of my driving buddies were quite confused when they
first drove the car.  i certainly had to re-adjust my driving style with
the car.  i thought that this was awd at first, but after driving the
later quattro models, i realised that it was, more particularly,
generation 1 quattro.  this was especially true with the centre locker
engaged.

dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q

> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 9:47:47 -0500
> From: William Elliott <William.Elliott@mail.mei.com>
> Subject: Coupe GT or 4000Q for a teenager?
> 
> Anyway, next he asked a question which I found amusing.  Which car
would be 
> "better" for a first car? Not wanting to start a war between the Coupe
and 
> 4000Q camps, but thinking the question was thought provoking, I pose
the it to 
> the list.
>