lmariorod

Sometimes a beater, as a second car helps. I hardly ever take my S5 with low profile tires to the city. The pot holes on the X-Bronx, Grand Central Pkwy or BQE would leave me by the side of the road.

My 11 year old Silverado gets the honors of taking me to NYC.

bob m

Guys, I hear you on getting the car you want (within reason) and I really like my A4. It is a joy to ride, though seats are not as comfortable as my Q5 or the Macan; it's the almost perfect daily driver, but with yesterday's rear ender, I will not tinker with looking at the upcoming S4 or even the 4 cyl Macan and maybe that's a good thing. Tons would be lost with initial depreciation.

Yeah, I could swing buying those cars and still pay my bills - but at this point in time, still making that NJ-NYC commute, imbecile drivers being what they are, having been rear ended twice in 2 years, the A4 (Prestige) is about as far as I am willing to go.

bob m

That's another way to tackle the issue, but I would need a pretty good and reliable beater as I like to drive a safe car and don't like getting stuck and then there's insurance. So, when my daughter gets here license - we'd be 3 people with 4 cars.

eric strauss

… I feel your pain. NYC is probably the worst.

Out here in LA, there is a much deeper car culture - especially around parking. I still go to the extreme end of the lot and always put my car in the garage, both at home and work (park on the bottom floor - always empty save for a few of us gearheads).

When I was in New England, I always commuted in an SUV with a grill guard on the front and a trailer hitch on the back

dseag2

I also feel your pain, and I'm really getting tired of these distracted drivers, but it isn't going to get better because younger people are absolutely addicted to their devices. I was behind a young girl today that took forever to pull away from a green light, then she proceeded to swerve over into my lane as I tried to pass her. When I passed her I noticed her face was in her phone.

Along the lines of "you can't have nice things", I have also babied my S5. It is never dirty, always waxed, and I even use Pledge on the plastic parts in the interior. In early May we went to a show at a local theater and I asked the valet guy to park the car close to the front. I watched as he proceeded to pull it into a concrete bench and damage the entire front quarter panel. Almost $4,000 later, the insurance company still has not recouped my $500 deductible from the parking company.

I will also be trading down when my S5 lease is up because it just isn't worth it to be so attached to an expensive car with all the craziness out there. I am considering a Q50 or an A4 (still expensive enough), which is why I'm here!

bob m

Yeah, it really is a shame that poor drivers are changing buying/leasing purchases for the rest of us.

bob m

Well,the "initial" report indicates a new bumper, tail lights, etc. Bill is almost $2500.00 - which was about what I was expecting. Nothing structural at this point - until they actually take things apart. Three - four days in the shop.
All this for a couple of seconds of inattention...........

Strife1013

We need a zombie apocalypse to weed out the stupid people.

bob m

Well, we need something. IMHO, since this is a no brainer - dead to rights - clearly not paying attention - for whatever reason. There needs to be some type of extra penalty and points assigned as well as some type of driver safety course mandatory. They need to take this type of thing more seriously - yes, I know, it's a fender bender and no one was hurt, but it could have just as easily been a guy on a motorcycle waiting at the light or pedestrian crossing the street and the consequences would have been far different.

dseag2

Bob, if it makes you feel any better, my car is Florett Silver, which can't be an easy color to match, and it looks as good as new after to body work. No variations in the paint. Nothing. I know yours will be perfect once you get past this point.

I always laugh and say mine will be the first 2 year-old S5 traded in with absolutely no rock chips on the bumper.