hweitz77

I am trying to decide between the two cars and I need some help. I know this is an Audi board<br>but I would appreciate some honest feedback. I drove the 1.8 with Tip today and it was sweet. I just can't decide!

Rob

Drive the BMW auto. Yep, you got it- its faster than a 1.8T manual.

MAXFX

I made my decision for an Audi over a 323i based on the fact that although I was initially attracted to the 323i, I found that by the time I equipped the 323i the way I wanted, it was several thousand dollars more expensive. <br>Be very careful when comparing these two cars. You'll find that the base 323i is essentially a "stripper" with steel wheels, wheelcovers, 65 series tires, and no fold-down rear seat. The extras are quite expensive, including most of the paint colors. Want the sport suspension? BMW = $2400 AUDI = $1250 (with sport seats) Want those really cool looking 17" alloys that are shown in most 3 series ads? Can't have! You have to settle with buying a 16" model as part of a package for $2400+ Want fold down rear seats? BMW = $475 AUDI = no charge. <br>In my opinion, BMW builds great cars - as does Audi. I do think that BMW is trying to lure buyers into showrooms with a "stripper" marketing ploy, though I doubt that many base, no options, models will be sold at all. <br>Of course, this doesn't mean anything if you can easily afford either car - then you can just let your personal opinion make the choice. For a mere mortal like myself, it is necessary to weigh "value" when making an auto puchase.<br>Good luck, however you choose, you cannot go wrong with either car.

BDW

<br>I wrestled long and hard with this one before recently buying my 1.8Tqms. You can't go wrong here. If you live where there is bad winter weather, Quattro scores points. If you don't want to chip-tune, the BMW's straight six is the superior engine (the sound is even better than the performance ... I love how it snarls). If you do want to modify, I think the 1.8T engine is more flexible for upgrades because of the turbo. They both handle great (with sport packages) and look great. I think the A4 has a better ride with absolutely no compromise in handling (check the Car & Driver report). A4 also may be a slightly better value, if you are watching your pennies. Bottom line, you won't make a mistake by picking either one. It took me a solid month of back-and-forth before I picked. Good luck.<p>

Kjell (Seattle)

Hum, at the airport I spent five minutes reading the latest issue of Car'n Driver. They compare the A4 1.8T with BMW 323, Ford Contour, VW Jetta GLX, Saab and the G20. A4 #1, 323 #2

Kjell (Seattle)

Hum, at the airport I spent five minutes reading the latest issue of Car'n Driver. They compared the A4 1.8T with BMW 323, Ford Contour, VW Jetta GLX, Saab and the G20. They added up their scores with A4 as no. 1.<p>Personally, I would go for the A4 2.8 with supercharger!<p>Kjell<br>2.8qt avant