Quote from Becky Rose :

You still won't sell me an Audi by telling me in stupid.

True. You've got me there

All I'm saying is at least give them another chance. My dad just went from an 03 A6 to an 05 A6, and they are almost entirely different cars.

Audi's automatics (A4, A6; I have driven those) are only good if they have a S mode, otherwise it will always shift in improper times. And it feels like having drivetrain out of rubber, in either mode. I won't chose it for a city car definatly.

Quote from ACCAkut :

Audi's automatics (A4, A6; I have driven those) are only good if they have a S mode, otherwise it will always shift in improper times. And it feels like having drivetrain out of rubber, in either mode. I won't chose it for a city car definatly.

The S-mode does make a huge difference. As for the rubbery feeling, I've driven my dad's car and I know exactly what you mean. I think the problem is largely due to the drive-by-wire system which has one of the strangest non-linear gas pedals ever invented. There's a dead spot at first (on purpose - dunno why), and then the next bit increases power in a strangely exponential way (all over the course of a zillionth of an inch) - which gives it that rubbery feeling of being "slingshotted." I hate it, but my dad says that after a bit of driving you get used to it. I don't know why they did that though (maybe to make it smoother instead of such a jerky start under hard acceleration?) because it makes the car difficult to drive smoothly in stop and go traffic.

IMO the best compromise between auto and manual is something like Honda's CVT and whatever it is on the new Nissan GTR, where you can shift with paddles when you want a manual and stick it in auto when you're being lazy around town.

An auto gearbox with no manual option at all seems like it takes too much control away from the driver.

Disclaimer: I've never driven an auto.

I guess it depends on what you want from a car and if you're prepared to "waste some cash".

My previous car (Merc 300TE) was an auto. With 3 litres under the bonnet, it was no slouch and was "lazy" to drive in traffic, but IMO, as comfy and fast (not necessarily quick) as it was, it wasn't "fun".

Going back to a manual within the last 6 months (and managing to keep it RWD ) has made driving a lot more enjoyable again, even if I do have to operate the clutch regularly during rush hours.

The other side to autos is as Becky points out, they're notorious for being in the wrong gear at the wrong time, even with a kickdown (not always practical to use). Plus of course, torque converters are a lot more than a standard clutch (both materials and labour if paying) and you'll go through brakes quicker than in a manual too.

I like driving, period.. if I have a choice, it'd be a manual every time



Regards,

Ian

Found out I've been approved the bank loan tonight but it's going to take around 2 weeks til I get the money

Anyone want to loan me a few grand for a couple of weeks? I'm very honest

Och, well...suppose it just means I'll appreciate it more when I get it but I honestly found it difficult to get to sleep last night. It's like Christmas, being 23 and being able to afford (well, being able to borrow enough to afford) to pay for and insure a car like this. Ok, so it's not a Porsche or an NSX (yet), but I reckon it'll serve me well. Can't wait!

@TiJay...it does have the option of using the sequential/tiptronic/manual system and from what I used of it on the test drive it seems pretty good.

I like the explanation of kick down in the owner's manual (my brother has the 2.0 diesel version):

"When the accelerator is pressed all the way to the floor, beyond the position normally regarded as full throttle, a lower gear is immediately engaged. this is known as kick-down." Obviously everyone knows what kick down is, but I like the way they've explained it. What's a little bit worrying is that in the explanation for the winter mode, they say the car starts off in 3rd gear and the only way to get into lower gears is kick down. So...I've recognised I'm in low grip/snowy/icy conditions but I'm going to be stupid enough to boot the throttle to get 2nd. Those crazy swedes!

On another note, I've created another thread about cheap tyres - I think I might need them

Good stuff Amp, It's a great feeling knowing that a new car is coming along. Now you've got me thinking I want a new car

Quote from AlienT. :

Good stuff Amp, It's a great feeling knowing that a new car is coming along. Now you've got me thinking I want a new car

It's a great feeling

As most people who know me probably appreciate I've been a big car fan all my life and I always told myself when I got a proper job I'd save up and get a decent car. I've had a proper job for about 5 months now and I've been driving a terrible Peugeot 106 for most of that time. The brakes, grip, steering, ride quality, comfort levels, equipment etc are all shockingly bad. There are 2 good things about it. The window wipers worked well and the rear windscreen cleared quickly. I don't know what took me this long to actually apply for the loan. It's gonna cost me roughly £240 a month for 3 years for the loan plus about £85 a month on insurance and I'll struggle to hit 30mpg in it (so fuel's gonna be about £15-20 a week for super unleaded) plus I want to replace the current front tyres on it (the garage I'm buying it from put budget tyres on it but I think it deserves more), so they're gonna be about £100-110 a corner. In reality I couldn't care less about the money. I've only been working 5 months, as I said, and I'm already going to have spent £12-13k and be in debt, but I'm working hard and I think I deserve this. There's plenty of time for saving in the future.

Should be picking the car up tomorrow afternoon

Bought two Toyo Proxes T1-Rs for it on blackcircles for £110 each, fitted. Should be getting those done on Thursday. Getting excited, might not sleep too well tonight!