Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
thanks, Bob
bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
thanks, Bob
#2
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Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 21:47:31 GMT, Bob Libutti <libutti@jps.net> wrote:
>Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
>bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
>checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
>Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
>ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
>order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
>Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
>
>The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
>see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
>
>Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
>
>thanks, Bob
>
Get the A4. I did just did the comparison (san C320 though). Snow
(when I go skiing) is an issue as is driving in heavy rain. I don't
think any other car maker can touch Audi for road feel and safety that
you get with quattro. And maybe the AWD will help with you hand
jigglies. )
>Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
>bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
>checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
>Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
>ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
>order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
>Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
>
>The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
>see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
>
>Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
>
>thanks, Bob
>
Get the A4. I did just did the comparison (san C320 though). Snow
(when I go skiing) is an issue as is driving in heavy rain. I don't
think any other car maker can touch Audi for road feel and safety that
you get with quattro. And maybe the AWD will help with you hand
jigglies. )
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
I've never liked the C-class and a recent drive of a 2003 model simply
re-inforced my dislikes.The 3-series is a great car overall, and I've driven
several of them, but it's not quite as powerful in terms of total torque
output, and seems to need more revvs to get it's power out. The A4 would lose
to a 330i in a flat out drag race but through tight canyon roads it'd be a very
cloase race. A 3.0 sport package equipped A4 would be my choice, or a 1.8T with
chip.
re-inforced my dislikes.The 3-series is a great car overall, and I've driven
several of them, but it's not quite as powerful in terms of total torque
output, and seems to need more revvs to get it's power out. The A4 would lose
to a 330i in a flat out drag race but through tight canyon roads it'd be a very
cloase race. A 3.0 sport package equipped A4 would be my choice, or a 1.8T with
chip.
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
In article <TlhPb.20948$zj7.2211@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink .net>,
Bob Libutti <libutti@jps.net> wrote:
> Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
> bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
> checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
> Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
> ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
> order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
> Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
>
> The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
> see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
>
> Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
>
> thanks, Bob
Hi Bob,
we have an Audi S4 and a 330xi.
Both are great cars... so I think it depends a little on what you are
looking for.
the 330 has things going for it that the Audi doesnt.. First on that
list would have to be reliability. Not that the Audi is NOT reliable.. I
just have found the BMW to be a little better. Either is going to be
expensive to fix. But the 2000 Audi has had almost $1700.00 worth of
work after the warranty expired. It has almost 69k miles... The BMW has
55k - and NOTHING has gone wrong other than a stalling problem (which
wasnt bad) which the dealer updated the ECU to fix - I think it was a
recall....
If you want to get a Tiptronic. I like the BMW tip WAY better than the
Audi.. but my S4 is a manual...
The audi.. I think its got a better interior. nicer seats... And might
be a little faster. Not sure about the regular A4, vs the S4. The A4 and
330 are very close in HP.
The BMW sounds better. Something about that BMW exhaust.
Close is probably close... but I suspect the BMW is a little more
expensive.
BMW dealers/service tends to be better than Audi dealer/service - on
average
I looked at the G35, and hated the interior. I thought it was cheap. And
no manual with AWD. forget it.
havent driven a C320, but I do like the way it looks and the inerior.
wish it had more power.. I think its only 215HP.. Or somthing like that..
good luck - get something sweet!
Adam
Bob Libutti <libutti@jps.net> wrote:
> Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
> bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
> checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
> Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
> ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
> order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
> Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
>
> The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
> see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
>
> Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
>
> thanks, Bob
Hi Bob,
we have an Audi S4 and a 330xi.
Both are great cars... so I think it depends a little on what you are
looking for.
the 330 has things going for it that the Audi doesnt.. First on that
list would have to be reliability. Not that the Audi is NOT reliable.. I
just have found the BMW to be a little better. Either is going to be
expensive to fix. But the 2000 Audi has had almost $1700.00 worth of
work after the warranty expired. It has almost 69k miles... The BMW has
55k - and NOTHING has gone wrong other than a stalling problem (which
wasnt bad) which the dealer updated the ECU to fix - I think it was a
recall....
If you want to get a Tiptronic. I like the BMW tip WAY better than the
Audi.. but my S4 is a manual...
The audi.. I think its got a better interior. nicer seats... And might
be a little faster. Not sure about the regular A4, vs the S4. The A4 and
330 are very close in HP.
The BMW sounds better. Something about that BMW exhaust.
Close is probably close... but I suspect the BMW is a little more
expensive.
BMW dealers/service tends to be better than Audi dealer/service - on
average
I looked at the G35, and hated the interior. I thought it was cheap. And
no manual with AWD. forget it.
havent driven a C320, but I do like the way it looks and the inerior.
wish it had more power.. I think its only 215HP.. Or somthing like that..
good luck - get something sweet!
Adam
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
On 21 Jan 2004 02:08:18 GMT, oneactor1@aol.com (Steve Grauman) wrote:
>I've never liked the C-class and a recent drive of a 2003 model simply
>re-inforced my dislikes.The 3-series is a great car overall, and I've driven
>several of them, but it's not quite as powerful in terms of total torque
>output, and seems to need more revvs to get it's power out. The A4 would lose
>to a 330i in a flat out drag race but through tight canyon roads it'd be a very
>cloase race. A 3.0 sport package equipped A4 would be my choice, or a 1.8T with
>chip.
The thing with the MB and all other RWD is that they suck in snow. We
get snow here a few times a year so it may not seem like much but
having lived in snowy places and now a rainy place, AWD, the quatto
version, is superior. We had a three inch 'dump' a few weeks ago and
it was bad. Bad. My wife told me she had a short chat with a guy
parking his 5 series at the bottom of a steady but longish 3-5 degree
hill in our neighbourhood. Tried to get up the hill twice and had to
park it. And given that people coming down the hill won't have much
control, he left his vehicle in a precarious place. And oh yeah, he
couldn't get it home. What a piece of junk. $50K and he has to leave
it maybe a mile from his home.
And the G35X which I tried this past weekend has AWD on demand. Which
is like uhh, third best compared to 4WD and quattro AWD. The Audi
system is the only one with reall AWD all the time. I don't want the
car to figure out when I need the extra pull; the G35X is basically
RWD 99% of the time and worse, there is the 'Snow' switch you have to
toggle. That along with other junk that Infiniti sticks in the cabin
in lieu of useful things found in the A4 is enough to make the
decision easy.
If I can't have quattro, I would stick with FWD.
>I've never liked the C-class and a recent drive of a 2003 model simply
>re-inforced my dislikes.The 3-series is a great car overall, and I've driven
>several of them, but it's not quite as powerful in terms of total torque
>output, and seems to need more revvs to get it's power out. The A4 would lose
>to a 330i in a flat out drag race but through tight canyon roads it'd be a very
>cloase race. A 3.0 sport package equipped A4 would be my choice, or a 1.8T with
>chip.
The thing with the MB and all other RWD is that they suck in snow. We
get snow here a few times a year so it may not seem like much but
having lived in snowy places and now a rainy place, AWD, the quatto
version, is superior. We had a three inch 'dump' a few weeks ago and
it was bad. Bad. My wife told me she had a short chat with a guy
parking his 5 series at the bottom of a steady but longish 3-5 degree
hill in our neighbourhood. Tried to get up the hill twice and had to
park it. And given that people coming down the hill won't have much
control, he left his vehicle in a precarious place. And oh yeah, he
couldn't get it home. What a piece of junk. $50K and he has to leave
it maybe a mile from his home.
And the G35X which I tried this past weekend has AWD on demand. Which
is like uhh, third best compared to 4WD and quattro AWD. The Audi
system is the only one with reall AWD all the time. I don't want the
car to figure out when I need the extra pull; the G35X is basically
RWD 99% of the time and worse, there is the 'Snow' switch you have to
toggle. That along with other junk that Infiniti sticks in the cabin
in lieu of useful things found in the A4 is enough to make the
decision easy.
If I can't have quattro, I would stick with FWD.
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
"Richard Potato" <@tater.cu> wrote in message
news:40101e21.10902436@news.gv.shawcable.net...
> On 21 Jan 2004 02:08:18 GMT, oneactor1@aol.com (Steve Grauman) wrote:
>
> >I've never liked the C-class and a recent drive of a 2003 model simply
> >re-inforced my dislikes.The 3-series is a great car overall, and I've
driven
> >several of them, but it's not quite as powerful in terms of total torque
> >output, and seems to need more revvs to get it's power out. The A4 would
lose
> >to a 330i in a flat out drag race but through tight canyon roads it'd be
a very
> >cloase race. A 3.0 sport package equipped A4 would be my choice, or a
1.8T with
> >chip.
>
> The thing with the MB and all other RWD is that they suck in snow. We
> get snow here a few times a year so it may not seem like much but
> having lived in snowy places and now a rainy place, AWD, the quatto
> version, is superior. We had a three inch 'dump' a few weeks ago and
> it was bad. Bad. My wife told me she had a short chat with a guy
> parking his 5 series at the bottom of a steady but longish 3-5 degree
> hill in our neighbourhood. Tried to get up the hill twice and had to
> park it. And given that people coming down the hill won't have much
> control, he left his vehicle in a precarious place. And oh yeah, he
> couldn't get it home. What a piece of junk. $50K and he has to leave
> it maybe a mile from his home.
>
if RWD sucks, then explain why all PU truck are RWD and the non 4x4s do
pretty well in the snow it's about driving skill not the wheels motivating.
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
Tha Ghee wrote:
> if RWD sucks, then explain why all PU truck are RWD and the non 4x4s do
> pretty well in the snow it's about driving skill not the wheels motivating.
Well, ask any professional driver and they will tell you RWD is
inferiour to FWD in snow/ice. Here we got snow maybe 4 months (or more,
depending on the latitude) of the whole year (Finland), and at least
based on what I've drove (my dad has a MB, my mom a BMW, and myself an
Audi), FWD is much easier to handle in ice/snow conditions. It also
won't get stuck so easily on uphills, when there's ice on the ground.
And looking how taxis drive, those with even MB won't say RWD is better.
- Yak
> if RWD sucks, then explain why all PU truck are RWD and the non 4x4s do
> pretty well in the snow it's about driving skill not the wheels motivating.
Well, ask any professional driver and they will tell you RWD is
inferiour to FWD in snow/ice. Here we got snow maybe 4 months (or more,
depending on the latitude) of the whole year (Finland), and at least
based on what I've drove (my dad has a MB, my mom a BMW, and myself an
Audi), FWD is much easier to handle in ice/snow conditions. It also
won't get stuck so easily on uphills, when there's ice on the ground.
And looking how taxis drive, those with even MB won't say RWD is better.
- Yak
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
The E46 330i will be history in the next months.
The Caddy is unbearable for someone used with German fit and finish.
The G35 is something I found better than expected. However there are issues
with its brakes. In Canada, Nissan decided to extend coverage for it until
60000km, but this measure looks like a plaster. While being there, did you
consider the Acura TL2004. Forget what you used to know about Acura. Big
departure from previous version.
Two of my neighbors have a 2001 C-Class. They seem to appreciate it, even
if I heard horror stories about this car. It is very comfy for such a small
car. The A4 is as much desirable. Somehow more discreet. Slightly better
interior. If you want to try something new, I would get the M-B (or the
TL).
"Bob Libutti" <libutti@jps.net> wrote in message
news:TlhPb.20948$zj7.2211@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
> Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
> bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
> checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
> Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
> ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
> order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
> Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
>
> The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
> see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
>
> Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
>
> thanks, Bob
>
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Buying new A4,330i, G35, CTS, C320
> The E46 330i will be history in the next months.
Huh? I thought the 3 series was staying around this year.. and even if a
new model is coming out, the 'old one' is still a great car.. I think a
much better car than the G35 - I really didnt like the interior of that
car. I think Car and driver rated the G35 slightly over the 330 - BUT
the only thing that made the G35 score higher was the price. The 330 was
better in every other way. Which personally, I think is silly.... Cuz
they are all in the same class... why give something that is inferior a
better score just cuz its cheaper... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
Also, with the new TL. I think it looks great. And the specs sound great
too.. but I have read from a few places that it really shouldnt be a
front drive car. The 270HP is just too much for it, and the torque steer
is horrible.
I dont know....
Adam
>
> The Caddy is unbearable for someone used with German fit and finish.
>
> The G35 is something I found better than expected. However there are issues
> with its brakes. In Canada, Nissan decided to extend coverage for it until
> 60000km, but this measure looks like a plaster. While being there, did you
> consider the Acura TL2004. Forget what you used to know about Acura. Big
> departure from previous version.
>
> Two of my neighbors have a 2001 C-Class. They seem to appreciate it, even
> if I heard horror stories about this car. It is very comfy for such a small
> car. The A4 is as much desirable. Somehow more discreet. Slightly better
> interior. If you want to try something new, I would get the M-B (or the
> TL).
>
>
>
>
> "Bob Libutti" <libutti@jps.net> wrote in message
> news:TlhPb.20948$zj7.2211@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
> > Looking for the "one eyed man.... I have a 98 Q-A4 w/90k miles that I
> > bought in 10/97. I suddenly have an itch that has taken me to the Web
> > checking out the comparison of the subject with QA4 features. Besides
> > Rentals and my wife's Acura, I have only driven the A4 in the last umpty
> > ump years which I enjoy very much but I'm thinking a change might be in
> > order as this may be my next to last car (67yrs w/ early controlled
> > Parkinson's), as I tend to keep cars 6-10 years.
> >
> > The BMW comes up high on lists but they seem ubiquitous. From my look
> > see, I lean toward the A4, C320 and G35 in that order.
> >
> > Has anyone driven them and can share their view??
> >
> > thanks, Bob
> >
>
>
>