Sands

is "nuts" about the A4. My wife, too, thinks I am crazy. By the way,
in addition to the 2002 I had, I also had two first generation G20s.

Steve W. (in MD)

did you also own a Saab 900, an original VW Beetle and a Fiat 128? How about a Renault 18i? As a grad student, I had the Fiat, and really learned how to tear into an engine in my parking lot. Ownership of that car also enabled me to acquire a broad array of mechanics tools.

Steve W.

neilm

<center><img src="http://131.107.68.28/cars/audi/A4Avant/A4Kayak1.jpg"></center><p>Jack, I couldn't find a way to get the more esthetically pleasing stock cross bars to work to my satisfaction with my kayak setup either. I am using the Yakima Doublecross as well, even though it takes a bit of time to install/de-install them. I can't stand the noise with the cross bars on, so I always pull them off as soon as I am done. The stock cross bars won't let you take two kayaks either. Paddle on!

NeilM

Sands

I suspect the Fiat improved your skills in dealing with electrical systems!?

Steve W. (in MD)

The Fiat improved virtually ALL of my mechanical skills. What a car!

gmm

How about ratcheting rear seat belts so that you don't need those infernal locking clips when installing child seats? How about as much cargo space as many truck based SUVs? How abot gas mileage in the mid-twenties with that cargo space? How about power locks, power windows, auto climate control and host of other niceties in a car that starts in the $23K range? How about a cargo hatch door that opens high enough for a 6'3"+ individual to get in and out without fear of smacking his head? Or a driver's seat that goes waaaay back for, well, various applications ;^)

Thanks Jack, for a well written essay and reminding us that driving wasn't evented yesterday!

MitchC

When both the A4 and G20 are next to each other in the garage it is amazing how close in body shape and style they are. I jokingly refer to my A4 as my G20 super ++. In a sense it shows just how underated the previous G20 was.


MitchC 99.5 1.8tqms

Steve W. (in MD)

Until I got the Avant in August, I had my '91 G20. In '95, my wife's 83 VW Rabbit died, and we replaced it with a brand new '95 G20. It sits next to the new Avant in the garage. The tapered back of the Avant makes the G20 look quite expansive, but otherwise, they are similar in size and shape.

This year, I test drove the new G20 on two different occasions. It didn't compare with the old car in a number of ways, and I when looked at the A4, there was no going back to the Infiniti shop, in spite of unbelievable reliability.

jms

Wow, this is a fun thread--one I can really relate to!

My first car (which my dad bought for me when I was in high school) was a used Morris Oxford with an SU carb, the dreaded Lucas ignition, and The Clutch From Hell. After that I had a '66 VW bug, '67 Mercedes 230S, '72 BMW 2002, '80 diesel Rabbit (whatever possessed me???), '87 Camry wagon, and '91 Miata. Got my wife a '99.5 A4 1.8T QMS, and I was hooked. I was shocked to find that I enjoy driving her A4 about as much as the Miata, and the A4 is loads more practical. So...now I've sold the Miata (26.5K miles--almost showroom condition), and I'll be dumping the Camry as soon as my '00 1.8T Avant arrives. Casablanca White with 5-speed (of course), and most (all?) of the options aside from Bose. CarOrder.com tells me it'll be here in December. I really wanted Pelican Blue (white will be a PITA to keep clean, I'm afraid), but the dealer says that the factory won't always accept orders for Cool Shades colors. Sigh....

I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in the trouble I have with the red dash lighting. It's sexy and distinctive, for sure, but this old fart has a lot more trouble seeing the info clearly than in the white-lighted Camry dash display. It must be something about the ability of aged eyes to focus light in the red end of the spectrum. So I'm looking forward to my '00 and not having to wear reading glasses to figure out how fast I'm going.

--John

J.T.L.

A guy I know had a Borgward Isabella Coupe and it was so cool! Looked like someone took the front grille of a Nash and grafted it onto a Studebaker Hawk. He got it at a junk yard as a complete car for $1k. Good thing he sold it 'cause with 3 project cars already I don't need another. 95% of the people I asked about this car had never heard of it, which made it all the more desireable to me. I actually did find a Borgward owner's club on the web somewhere.

Probably more than you wanted to hear about Borgwards. Glad you're happy with the Avant. I love the silver too, but I've already decided on the grey interior, and I think that would be a little too monochrome for me.

J.T.L.
90 CQ (#648 of 1700 in the us)
74 Super Beetle (autostick, how many of those are left?)
72 Datsun 510 all original 4 door
order soon 00 1.8TQms Santorin/Opal Grey