Maryland Mike

It's been 8 months since I paid off my 2000 A4 and I've been bitten by the new-car bug. I test drove an Acua TL over the weekend and was really impressed with the car. In fact, I'm craving a black one with the camel interior. Fortunately they didn't have one in stock so I'm still payment-free for the moment.

I feel crazy for even considering it because I'm very happy with my Laser Red A4. It looks just as good as it did when I bought it 5 years ago and has been relatively problem free. I've never kept a car this long, my previous cars being:

1987 Ford Thunderbird (I was 23 and wow did I love this car. Kept it for 9 months before moving to car-unfriendly Adams Morgan in DC)
7 carless pedestrian years later, I moved to the suburbs.
1994 Saab 900 (horrible car)
1995 Saab 900 (given to me by Saab to replace the horrible '94)
1995 Infiniti J30 (great car - leased by me after insisting Saab buy back the horrible '95)
1998 Passat (great driver but lacking in panache)
2000 A4 (what I really wanted when I got the Passat)

So here I am. I need to renovate the master bathroom in my house and am very much enjoying no car payment. But the wood in the TL is beckoning -- is it real wood BTW?

Anyhow, I guess I want another A4 owner to tell me I'm crazy and to stay put. Or maybe I'd like to hear what a great trade-up it was from someone else in my boat.

Another quick question -- when you use the bluetooth phone connection, where is the microphone, and does it sound like a speakerphone to the person on the other end?

Thanks in advance.

6speedv6

So, how much are you selling your A4 for ??? Is it 1.8T or 2.8 ??? 2WD or Quattro ??? Stick or manual ???

Steel

The microphone is near the moonroof switch. I have asked people talking to me and they say it is very clear and not speakerphone-esque.

Personally I'd say invest in your house, not in a car.

Maryland Mike

Guess I should have mentioned it's a 1.8T Quattro automatic. Edmunds says to expect about 9k to trade to a dealer who will sell it for about 15k.

6speedv6

1.8T Quattro Auto good luck on the trade (imo: what I would do). Audi's are good cars. My brother has one '99 A4 1.8T stick and he loves that car.

ndx2

If you have extended warranty and/or haven't had many problems, then keep the Audi... especially since you're happy with no car payments and want to spend money elsewhere.

I mean, if you really want to get a TL, or need to (i.e. more room, perhaps? ), then try selling the A4 yourself. No reason to take a loss where unnecessary. It wouldn't hurt to see what the dealer will offer you on that, either. They seldom go by the KBB value.

cM3go

Wood in the TL is simulated, it is not real

jeeper31

I just recently bought by TL and had looked at the A4. I loved the way the A4 drove and liked the idea it was all wheel drive however, the TL was a bit bigger and had more features. The voice activation and the bluetooth were the deal makers. As far as whether or not it sounds like you are on a speakerphone to the other person I don't know but I can say that people who usually complain that they ccouldn't hear me while I was on my bluetooth headset or just on the phone said I sound loud and clear. To help matters the TL is very quiet. I used to pull over to hear theperson on the ohter end of the phone because my Grand Cherokee or Porsche were too noisey. Now I drive on the highway doing 80 and hear perfectly.

I love my TL.

JackSprat01

Well I've got a Black Camel '05 TL Navi 6MT and I drove that A4 1.8 and lemme tell you what....there is no comparison. The wood is simulated but it's beautiful. I agree this is the best color combo and I crossed many state lines to get mine in Florida and I don't have one single regret. Good luck!

wilsel

Never driven an A4 so I can't help you there. My gf has called me on the bluetooth when she drives it, and it is very clear compared to her headset.

Smart thing to do would be to stay out of debt

However if you must have a new car, you couldn't pick a better one in this price range.

Good luck whatever you decide.

MR1

You ask hard questions that only you can answer. Former owner of VW Scirocco (1978),Audi 5000S (1979), Audi 4000S-Q (1986), and VW Quantum (1987). All except the last were MT. The last three had I5 engine. I also had 1994 Legend and currently have 2005 TL Auto. I have had what I consider extensive experience with VW/Audi and Acura.

Before I continue, as you know, cars go down in value while here lately real estate goes way up. I was told long ago that if you don't want to buy a new car, don't go sitting in them. As noted above, I have not always followed this advice.

I love my TL and will try my best to not test drive anything else for the next few years assuming nothing terrible happens. Every time you change cars you lose money. I would rather invest spare cash into more real estate. Your A4 is running well and is paid for. If your lifestyle allows for the car to be in for unscheduled repairs occassionaly, why not keep it? It is a nice car and if it meets your needs that is the end of the story.

My luck with the VW products was not as good as yours though my wife drove the Quantum for 10 years. I did love the way they drove but at the time I put lots of miles on and could not let the car sit in the shop for extended periods.

I think I would fix up the house first then see where things stand car wise. Oh, and stay out of new car dealerships, see what happens.

ayethetiense

i was seriously condisering the A4 quattro in stick before i went with the TL.

If i was buying a car for me and just for me to drive and nothing else.... then i woulda went with the A4

The TL is more luxurious and nice to be in. interior is beautiful and elegant

the A4 drives awesome... thats about it though

in fact, i test drove the stick in the A4 and then went to drive the TL in stick... no comparison.... i was so dissapointed in the stick version of the TL that i went with an auto instead.

mickey3c

wow looks like not having a car payment bothers this guy lol... I would wait till just before the warranty is over (base warranty) and then trade the car in. For me that means an avg of about 2.5 years per car since I drive about 18,000 per year.

Then there is what the bean counters say. You save the most money by buying a car and then driving it into the ground....

The Audi interior is much better than the TL...

te3point5

(Altough I wouldn't do this myself)

Keep the A4 if you aren't having problems with it and enjoy the no car payment life. I know its tough to drive down the road and see all these shiny new cars out there.

mickey3c

And... The smart thing might be to wait and see what hybrids come out and where the prices go. It looks like we are going to be paying 2.00+ a gallon for gas and oil from here on out... There is also new tax credits for buying a hybrid... If you do not have to buy a new car just yet, it might be wise to see how the car companies adapt to the fuel costs.

Chrysler is still putting out hemis and all as premium gas crossed the 2.50 mark. This is what almost did them in in the late 70s. They did not adapt to the fuel issue.

As for those who say that energy is cheap and that adjusted for inflation that oil was 90 bucks a barrel in 1980. I remember 1980 with double digit inflation rates and all. The economy sucked.

For these reasons I would hold off and wait to see what happens next. We'd have to get like 40 mpg for us to be paying what we did for gas not 2 years ago getting about 27mpg.

te3point5

I get 12-15 mpg in my Hemi 300C

ac2001cls

Maryland_Mike...

Just thought i share my experience w/ you. So i also have the NBP/Camel combo. And i simply LOVE this setup. I just picked my 05TL up last week this time to be exact. And every since the new model rolled out last year for the 04 model and i saw the Camel that was being offered, i knew right then whenever i decided to get one it would definitely be black and camel. The contrast is simply beautiful. And as you said the wood simulation is awesome as well. I second the opinion as far as this being the BEST color combo!!!

As far as what you would need to do, if you really want/need the TL then i say go for it. However, not having that car payment would be beautiful right about now. But i have about 4 years until that day comes for me! :-( But hey i'm driving what i want to be to driving and i look forward to getting up and going to work in the mornings and getting off work so i can step into my "Black Beauty"!!!

JackSprat01

Bingo...I know exactly what you mean. How can you put a price on THAT? Anything that can make a Monday morning brighter I say is worth top dollar. I've had mine almost a year and the feeling hasn't diminished.

ac2001cls

99bluetlwtt

The bluetooth on the 04 TL is crap. My buddy has a 04 TL and the bluetooth system is nothing compare to Mercedes and BMW

ac2001cls

Oh that's right i forgot to comment on the BT in my 05 TL and how the sound is. The SOUND IS SIMPLY AMAZING!!! It's doesn't even compare to it sounding like a speaker. You can hear exceptionally well and it's also LOUD as well. I asked everyone who i talk to if they can hear me okay, etc... w/o even telling them that i'm talking through the car, and all that i've asked have said "oh i hear you perfectly... LOUD & CLEAR". Needless to say when i hear this, i just lay back in my seat w/ a nice lil grin on my face. :-)

Maryland Mike

Thanks for all the great feedback. I went to Expo and scheduled a designer to work on my bathroom renovation -- so I'll be holding off at least for a few months. Maybe once the '06 models show up.

Then again, if the salesman calls during a moment of weakness...

SouthernBoy

Hey people.. here's a thought. Maybe Maryland Mike might just really like cars. I'm sure most of us have things in life that we are passionate about to some degree or another. Would you chastise someone who happens to spend $5000 a year in fine camera equipment? If that's what give him pleasure and enjoyment from his hard earned money, then so be it.

With me, it's cars, guns, and boats.. in no particular order. I love all three and have bought and sold a number of the first two on the list.. especially guns (a bit less expensive than cars). Right now I'm boatless, but who knows.. that could change.

So if Mayland Mike wants a TL or a Mustang GT or a Cadillac CTS-V or a 350Z, if he can afford it, I say do what pleases him and puts a smile on his face.

JackSprat01

Yeah, the A4 1.8T that I drove didn't put a smile on my face and I couldn't disagree more with whoever said the standard tranny was is so much better than the TL 6MT. The Audi was only a 5spd, maybe they have something different, but it felt plain vanilla to me. The TL 6MT is world class, and Car and Driver and many other mags say so as well. If you can't drive one properly, that's a different matter.

MR1

I agree but it sounds more like he just has a wild hair! Far as I'm concerned its whatever floats your boat (pun intended). We all pay for our pleasure, just better to do it with eyes wide open.

I like driving newer cars but if other things need to come first they usually do.

Actuary

I don't really want to spend on $3.00/Gallon gas anymore. I'm thinking of going for next gen TSX when it comes out. That will also give similar mileage to A4 2.0T

JackSprat01

What is the mileage on the TSX? It still uses super you know.

Actuary

TSX Auto - 22/31
Audi A4 2.0T Q Auto - 22/30
TL Auto/Manual - 20/29
Maxima Auto - 20/28
Audi A4 3.2 Q Auto - 19/26
Audi A6 3.2 Q Auto - 19/26
350Z Manual - 20/26
G35 Manual - 19/26
350Z Auto - 19/26
G35 Auto - 18/25
300C Auto - 17/25
M3 Manual - 16/24
S4 Manual - 15/21
300C SRT-8 - 14/20

Our TL has superior gas mileage even it weights a lot. Even if I had lot of money I shouldn't be paying $200 for gas a month. I should save it for a travel or better things.

See the gas price going up to $5.00/Gallon in few years because OPEC claims to be pumping at their maximum capacity now. They make more money when gas price is high so they wouldn't sell to us at low price. If indeed gas prices go that high, I will be looking at accord hybrid or prius

MeltdowN

Really, and why is that? Some of them sync phonebooks, agreed that's cool, however that doesn't mean the TL's bluetooth is "crap".

caball88

you will lose quite a bit selling/trading the TL early for a tsx. on top of that since the tsx only gets marginally better gas mileage it will be sometime before the savings add up.

Actuary

I will go for TSX at my next car purchase, not right now. I will have to see what gas price is by then. I also have Accord Hybrid(possibility) and Prius(In the worst case) in mind. I'm putting 20000 miles a year these days on roadtrips and daily commute.

TL is best of best (I emphasize) gas mileage car for its' carriage.

Even with TL I am spending $200 a month. I can't see myself driving G35 or 300C at all even it's a bit faster than TL. I saw Magnum Hemi at parking lot today and I just laughed thinking how much gas would cost to drive in that car.

jeeper31

I have had the car for a week today and the bluetooth has worked flawlessly. Not a complaint from the person on the other end and works perfectly on my end. What has the problem been?

Actuary

Besides some lockups reported on some cars, major difference is some bluetooth systems can sync phonebook from the phone.

However you must think our bluetooth component is about $500 module and if you want synchronizing feature, you will have to add that to car price. So do you really wanna spend extra (who knows $500 - $2000?) money to get that feature?

Maryland Mike

Me again (the OP). Anybody want to torture me with pictures of the Camel interior? I checked the pix thread but didn't find any.

ac2001cls

Hey Maryland_Mike, check a lil closer. I know for a fact there are multiple threads and posts of people that have posted pics of their Camel interior. Because when i had my hearts set on going with the Camel, i searched for pics of it and found numerous. All you need to do is just type in the word "Camel" and then click on each thing it returns and you may have to scroll down in order to actually see the pics that people have posted. But trust me they're there! A lot of times to the pics for the Camel doesn't do it justice. So you may also need to check it out in person to make sure you'll like it. I just knew from jump street that that's the int. color i was going with. And to this day, i don't regret the decision at all b/c it's what i wanted.....NBP/Camel