Frank C@work

Dealers order cars that they know will sell quickly/easily. Melange is indeed one of the more popular interior colors so that's what they stock a lot of. Not that other combos are UN-attractive, just not as popular.

You absolutely HAVE to see this in person. Maybe there's a reader in your area that can accomodate you. Otherwise, call dealers in advance before you schlepp there. I had the same problem when I was considering a new 3 series coupe before decising on the 2.7. I wanted to see a white car with red leather interior. Yeah, right.

Wilfred

Kaeru, you're my best friend for the day! Actually, I'm sick of black, brown, silver and red. For me, racing green, ming blue and nemo blue are the only exterior choices. So tell me, does the ming blue compliment the vanilla/blue or just look okay next to it? I would so much love to see a picture that catches some of the exterior and the interior in decent light. That would be the next best thing to seeing it myself.

Wilfred

That makes sense, Frank. Every time I've so much as mentioned an interior other than melange, the sales folk give me that "oh no, not again" look like I've just stepped in something or released a huge, gaseous cloud.

blk 2.7Tpsk

Ask the dealer if they have anyone with that interior, and to give you a call if they come in for service. Or you might need to drive a bit to find one. The interior is probably more important than the exterior since you spend a lot more time looking at the interior.

I have vanilla/onyx, and I agonized about it for a while before deciding. Now, I love it. My last a4 had a 'melange' color, and I wanted something more interesting. I have gotten more positive comments on the interior than anything else! I haven't seen the blue/vanilla, but I don't find the v/o hard on the eyes at all. It is a high maintenance interior though! Dust shows on the onyx, and dirt on the vanilla - not a good choice if you plan on a lot of kiddie transport!

April

Looks veddy British. Kinda like Jag or Aston. The red with vanilla /onyx looks hot if you are not shy.

tubey

Hey, melange isn't that bad. At least with Audi you have the contrasting top of dash and doors color, the wood, and the aluminum. I haven't looked at a 2000 or 2001 but in '99 melange came with cabernet contrast. Yes, it's a deep maroon; yes, it shows dust (but I have a California dash duster); but it really doesn't bother me at all. I prefer it to good old black, excuse me, onyx.

timcar

I thought it looked great, if you don't mind keeping a dark blue car clean. Had a navy car once, HARDEST color to keep looking clean. The blues of the paint and interior don't exactly match, but I think they look pretty good together.

I also looked at Racing Green with vanilla/Onyx, and thought it too looked really sharp! I too am trying to avoid the Darth Vader look, with extra testosterone on the side. ONLY joking folks, but mellow is where I'm at these days.

mpuzach

The best thing you can do is to stroll every Audi new car lot you can, in order to see the exterior colors, interior colors/atmospheres, and various combinations of the two. You can read the opinions of 100 people, but the only one that should count is your own. Buy what YOU like!

It sounds like you're going for a 4.2. Correct? If so, my personal choice would be Nemo Blue exterior. Why? Simple. First, it's a great color. Since it's not quite as dark as Ming Blue, it'll be a bit (though not a lot) more forgiving of dirt and dust. Second, it's available ONLY on 4.2s, so you won't see it often.

If you don't like the Nemo but want to stay dark, consider the Racing Green (in addition to the Ming Blue, which you've already put on your list). When I saw it, it was love at first sight. Under certain lighting conditions, it actually takes on an "opalescent" effect. Other times it looks like deep metal flake.

Andorra Red is exclusive to 4.2s this year, too. It's ironic, because last year it wasn't available on 4.2s at all, only on 2.8s and 2.7Ts. To my eye it's not red at all, but more of a "rust" or metallic brown. I don't care for it, but you might. You need to see it.

As for interiors, ya' gotta' see 'em yourself! You said it yourself - you've never spent $55K on something without seeing it first. Don't start now. As far as the choices, I like the Tungsten Gray the best. It's easy on the eyes, easy to live with day in and day out. Because it comes with the Advance atmosphere, the stitch pattern on the seats is horizontal, which I personally prefer over the Ambition's vertical pattern. With the Tungsten Gray, the tops of the dashboard and door panels are the same black as in the Satin Black Ambition interior. Finally, the Tungsten Gray is reasonably forgiving in terms of dirt and dust while being a little cooler in the heat than solid Satin Black.

A few comments on the other colors:

Satin Black Ambition: For some people, there is no substitute for a black interior. For those folks, this one is perfect. It doesn't show off the wood trim as well as the other colors, it shows dirt and dust VERY easily, and it gets hot, but it's black and for some, that's all that matters.

Melange Ambiente: The lighter Polished Sycamore wood trim in the Ambiente atmosphere is stunning. Ambiente also gives you the horizontal stitch pattern in the seats, which I prefer. Dashboard and door tops are "Cabernet" in color, which looks good to my eye. The melange, though, is essentially "beige" (which I personally don't care for) and it's BY FAR the most frequently-ordered interior color. If you're looking for exclusivity, you won't have it with Melange. If you like the color, though, don't let lack of exclusivity stop you from getting it.

Vanilla/Satin Black and Vanilla/Royal Blue Ambiente: If high-contrast, high-style is what appeals to you, these are perfect. They're eye-catching and beautifully-executed. My hunch is that the Vanilla is a bit tricky to keep clean, but with regular care it ought to be OK. My personal take on these is that they're strong attention-getters, but I wouldn't enjoy living with them every day over the long term. That's just me. In addition, as attractive as they are, my hunch is that they appeal to a narrower audience than do the other colors; this could be a factor at resale time.

Have you seen the Maroon Ambition? It, too, is 2-tone, with black dashboard and door panels. In my opinion, it looks great. The downside is that it's only available with a few exterior colors: Melange, Casablanca White, Ebony Pearl, Light Silver, and Brilliant Black. (It may also be available with the $1200 extra-cost pearl white; my information doesn't say, but the dealers can probably tell you.) If you send me your e-mail address, I can e-mail you a picture of the maroon/black interior.

I hope this helps, Wilfred. Thanks for asking our opinions, but make sure that you give the greatest weight to what YOU like!<p>mpuzach
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/audiworldpics/2000/SigPicA6.jpg">
2000 A6 2.8Q Tip
Racing Green/Tungsten Gray
Conv Pkg/Cold Wthr/Xenons

mpuzach

<p>mpuzach
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/audiworldpics/2000/SigPicA6.jpg">
2000 A6 2.8Q Tip
Racing Green/Tungsten Gray
Conv Pkg/Cold Wthr/Xenons

Wilfred

Wow, mpuzach! Thanks for all the detail and honest reflection. I'm up to 4 cents now, eh?

I have decided to make sure that I see at least one of the vanilla combo's in person before making my final decision. I am kinda fond of racing green, to be honest, but that's also the color of my current car...green and tan. It's pretty low-maintenance, but then, I'm single and seldom have any passengers. Maybe once I've met more Audi folk...

I don't believe the sales guys realize how close I came to giving up on the Audi... maybe they're concerned that I'm going to lease and they'll end up with the problem of selling the car 3-4 years from now. It really isn't good for them to get a buyer who says what he wants, then proceed to tell him how that's not the right choice to make. I'm beginning to wonder about the sport suspension too, though from this board, it seems it's better to upgrade the car and get Pirelli's/Eibach's.

Anyhow, you're right. I'm not going to feel good buying OR leasing a $55K car without a pretty good idea of what I'm getting. The dealership I plan to buy through wasn't even able to give me a test drive, so I'm pretty far out on a limb. I hope to test drive tomorrow, as well as find a few other dealerships to stroll through.

Again, thanks to everyone for their comments and assistance. Much appreciated!