Scooter

at 5:30 this morning walking to the train station, i thought the Z convert and A4 would b an interesting comparison...so i priced the A4's and the Z convert out fully loaded, and the Z costs almost $6K more than the 1.8T (just going according to the website prices)

here's the rundown:

*Z convert*
-base MSRP $36,220
-price configured $40,370 (includes 18's, DVD nav, kickplates, splashguards, net, floormats, trunkmat, and destination)

*A4 1.8T*
-base MSRP $27,250
-price configured $34,015 (includes paint charge, Premium Pkg., Sport Pkg, Cold Weather Pkg, Lighting Pkg, Infotainment Pkg. w/Sirius radio & Bose, and rear side airbags)
-what i thought was interesting is that the Sport package gives u the option of all-season tires as well as sport tires, sooooooooo with my GT1's and PZero Nero's currently on the CL, i already got the performance aspects there, so i would actually choose the A/S tires with the sport package and have a separate winter/summer setup just like on the CL

*A4 3.0*
-base MSRP $32,740
-price configured $38,905 (options r exact replica as the 1.8T)
-price configured with additional options NOT available on 1.8T $40,630 (all previous options plus NAV and rear/side sunshades)

interesting comparison i think...question is what would u guys choose??? i get the feeling most of u say the Audi

tmk70

I would take the 1.8T over the 3.0, I'll tell you that. The 3.0 was the other car I looked at when considering my G35C (fear of RWD in the winter caused that) and let me say, the 3.0 is a D-O-G....SOOOOO slow. The moddability of the 1.8T makes it the better choice.

Oh...and I'll take the 350Z Roadster Please.

soopa

i dont think the A4 and the Z are even in the same category!?!

Scooter

side note: didn't realize u can check the progress of yer personal RS6's production on the Audi website...very nice touch

AHEM Beltfed, u paying attention?????

soopa

you can do that with pretty much any european car in which you have the option of custom ordering one.

benz and bmw let you do this for every model of car they make

eclipse23

Your comparing convertibles to hardtops?

Well to start I would hate to see your premium for a Z convertible. I assume you chose quattro for the audis. I would take the Audi 3.0 personally out of all 3 because I think the 1.8t requires work to be made faster and the Z roadster, well I just don't like it and it's not as practical.

Are you selling the CLS now?

Scooter

lemme start by apologizing for not being clear enough...i was comparing these specific models b/c i could see myself driving them for about 3 years like my CL and enjoy every minute of it, while at the same time seeing these price levels as being about what i can afford...and i prefer the Z convert to the coup personally, so that's y i didn't include the coupe

yes, Ern, both Audi's i priced out were Quattro 6-speeds

Ern, the "work" u mentioned to make the 1.8 faster also voids the warranty, no??? (i.e. chip)

am i selling the car??? im starting to think about it...been over 3 years, not even 29K on the clock, still on 1st tranny, car's still in great condition, mods r still in great condition...shrug...might b a good time to quit while im ahead, ya know???

ChadT

The 1.8T engines are kind of rough. Not refined like a Honda four. Can make a ton of power though.

eclipse23

The sad part is you will not get back what you put into the car, trust me, been there, done that 3X already with my past 3 cars.
I would have taken you to be someone who held onto their cars a lil bit longer. Personally I have A.D.D. when it comes to vehicles but you KNOW i blow through leases partially due to my job.

The Z convertible IMO it's not even an automatic roof and if I ever bought a convertible I would want automatic roof. You do have the most power out of the Z and more to come w/ Nismo but do you see yourself modding your next car? The 1.8t mods kill your warranty and don't listen to all the audi guys who say 'no big deal' my buddy darius LOST his warranty due to mods AND lost in court trying to get it back on his S4. Yeah you can chip it, put back the old ones, etc. but when your getting roadside assistance in an emergency and it's being towed to the dealership explain to me when in the process do you bust out all your 'original parts' and change it back? Too much hassle.

I would say 'Z' if you want 'look at me' car with alot of character and safe modding.

I would say 1.8t if you plan on tuning and taking chances

I would say 3.0 if you just want a nice second tier car with no hassles.

For 40K though, I would be in a 3 series convertible if you ask me not a Nissan.

synth19

I hate how the Z roadster looks with the top ON... :barf:

civic4982

I'm not sure... the 1.8T in my roommate's VW GTI is pretty damn smooth and pretty damn refined. Maybe whoever gave you a ride just couldn't drive it smoothly?

eclipse23

I think he meant, when you tune them, they are rough. This is very true. Then again, any time you pull an engine high above where they were tuned to be you knock off alot of things out of original spec.

Scooter

yeah but u know me...a $37K base 325 convert just wouldn't b enough...i'd have to go for the 330 and get like all options, so it'll b like $50K+ when im done optioning out

hell i'm at $47K for a fully loaded 325 vert alone with all options

since im single, maybe i should just buy a 5 year old NSX

eclipse23

Nothing on the car market is appealing to me, that's partially why I am driving my Jeep. I am giving the car industry a 3 year break while i enjoy my truck and watch to see what comes out next. The only cars I liked were too expensive for me but I'm saving up now for my next car. I already know that my next car will probably be pre-owned (or new if I'm a kickass salesperson) Mercedes E series or a CLK series. Now that I am in sales consulting I need something to impress the customers, the best part is Elena agrees! Besides, within the next 3 years we will be married, living in the home were restoring that her mother gave us & married means insurance rates will have dropped. Have you looked at the Audi convertible yet?

The Volvo convertible, I love that car. Check that out too!

What about the new SAAB?

Scooter

does Len have any friends who think like her???

eclipse23

Most common question posed to me by all my friends



P.S. your avatar is dead but that's a good thing. Star wars kid is becoming a tad dated.

ferizzo

Get a leftover 2002/03 S4 and put a chip in it! Plenty fast and you can always take the chip out (actually dealer probably won't even know).

Zapata

Out of the three? geeze two are woefully under powered and one isn't practical year round.

Why not wait until AWD TL-S hits the streets?

Scooter

well it was 5:30 this morning when i thought of it haha

anyways, u guys think i'd b "downgrading" if i went for an S2K??

i looked at the C70...nice, but there's something bout it that just doesn't click...and no Ford ownership here...SAAB??? no GM ownership in my house either

TL is a good suggestion Zap, it's just i don't really like the styling...im not ruling out the TSX totally either BTW...just the exterior is kinda ehhhhh (but that interior makes me )


and yeah i need a new avatar

Zapata

Seems you have no idea what you want out of this new car? Gotta figure that out first.........

eclipse23

Underpowered? Not the 3.0 that's a great car IMO with just enough power. The 1.8t is woefully underpowered.

Zapata

3583 lbs + (220hp 221ftlbs of trq)= PIG


that car willl be nearly 3800lbs with 1 passenger..........no thanx

cusdaddy

You can get the Enthusiast Z for a lot less $$. Just get aftermarket leather seats like Synth. The Blose radio in the Z is useless and more difficult to change out than the stock setup.

pimpscls

330ci

Chaptorial

how about doing the Z vert and the A4 vert?

Ray Khan

my 1.8T with turbo upgrade is still very smooth. Actually, the bigger turbo and way nicer exhuast manifold and the way th software is tuned make the car feel a lot less like a turbo car then a chipped 1.8T. Adding the light weight fly wheel roughened up the engine a tad at low RPM. I also noticed a little more idle vibration from my 2.5" exhuast. I wouldn't count out the 1.8T, but stock it is pretty weak for the car. It would be nice to see an AUdi 2.0 liter turbo engine. I was tempted to build my own.