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Audi A4 Convertible

229 messages,  Last post on Nov 16, 2009 at 8:30 PM

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What is this discussion about? Audi Cabriolet, Audi A4, Convertible

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#60 of 229 Without knowing more... by scipio1 Jun 25, 2003 (8:33 am)
it's hard to say, because it depends on (1) mileage (2) options and (3) most importantly, what you want in a car.   The only thing I can add of value is a friend of mine has a Volvo, and has always owned them. He says his cars break down a TON, but he lives right by a volvo mechanic who he has a great personal relationship with, and that makes it workable for him.
#61 of 229 My experience by michaell Jun 26, 2003 (2:18 pm)
My wife is thinking about the VW New Beetle convertible. I convinced her a few weeks ago to go down to the dealer and test drive one. Unfortunately, the dealer didn't have one on the lot, so we walked next door to the Audi dealer to look at the TT Cabrio. Wife not sure about only 2 seats, so I direct her to an A4 convertible with the 1.8T engine. She likes the look, so we take a drive.   Like scipio1, we found it to be nice, but more of a cruiser. Unlike scipio1, that's sorta what we're looking for. The acceleration is adequate; better than my wife's current ride, a VW New Beetle with the 2.0L gas engine with a 5-speed. She was blown away by the construction of the interior, however. Way nicer than anything she's been in before. Evverything felt screwed together well and the switches moved with precision. The lining of the roof was nice; with the top up, it felt like a sedan. The totally automated roof was a nice feature; with the frequent summer t-storms we get, getting the roof up in a hurry can be quite important. Not a huge amount of room in the rear seat .. we have teenagers, and they would probably complain.   The price tag took my wife's breath away. Optioned with leather a couple of other things, it stickered at $38K. Tough to swallow for a 4 cylinder; almost impossible when you can get the same engine in the New Beetle Cabrio for over $10K less. And, you can get the NB with a stick, which is my wife's preference.   Bottom line: nice, but the spouse will want to drive the NB convertible first before making a final decision.
#62 of 229 NB by scipio1 Jun 26, 2003 (2:40 pm)
isn't the NB considerably roomier than a TT? I haven't driven one, but I would have guessed that to be the case. Also, shouldn't the TT be a LOT faster than the NB? I remember reading somewhere that the NB took over 11 seconds 0-60 in its base trim.   if you're in the $40k price range, and want a cruiser, have you thought about the toyota solara as a cheaper option? Much as it galls me to admit this, we rented a Sebring convertible and for $23,000, I felt it was a superb cruising convertible if you can get over the American nameplate (I couldn't). In fact, I thought it was light-years superior to a Mitsubishi Exclipse Spyder we rented later.   At $38,000, aren't you into the lower end of the price range for an A4 cabrio?
#63 of 229 michaell by justin Jun 27, 2003 (5:47 am)
i hate to say it, but if you wife is looking for the ultimate inexpensive 5 speed convertible, look no further than the Miata. tell the kids to take the bus   if a 5 speed is what she really wants, with a quick up and down roof, the Miata is the only game in town. no one can make a better manual transmission than the Miata. and it is $18k less than the base A4 convertible!
#64 of 229 sebring? by sphinx99 Jun 27, 2003 (5:57 am)
Just curious as to whether anyone here has driven both the A4 and the Sebring convertibles? I know some people truly hate domestics but I've always liked the Sebring - it has nice measures of luxury and elegance at a good price, and is a pretty soft ride. The A4 seems to offer double the luxury and elegance for double the price but also has the pretty soft ride. I don't know why, I just think of these two cars appealing to the same sort of personalities and differentiated mainly by the pocketbook of the buyer... just my thoughts. I could be totally off-base on this.
#65 of 229 justin/scipio1/sphinx99 by michaell Jun 27, 2003 (6:21 am)
Believe me, I've given a Miata a lot of thought. I've also been subtlely trying to get the wife to think Z4 or used Boxster, though that's pretty unlikely as well. The next car is the wife's, so she'll get to make the choice.   We've got a New Beetle currently; that's one of the reasons why the NB convert is high on her list. She knows the ergonomics well, and ours has held up pretty well in the 50K miles that we've driven it.   Yes, the TT is faster (180hp vs. 150hp in the NB), but it's not outright speed she's looking for. Her commute is 20 minutes on rural roads, pretty much in a straight line with only 2 stoplights. The A4, with 170hp from the 1.8T, certainly has enough "pop" to satisfy her.   The other car the wife really likes is the T-Bird, but I think (and she agrees) that it's pretty large for just two seats. I admit to not having given the Solara or Sebring a lot of thought, to be honest.   I'm hoping to get her into an NB convert next weekend, just to drive it and see what she thinks. It's possible that she'll like the A4 more -- I'm also trying to sell her on the free maintenance that Audi offers, plus the nicer experience overall.   We'll see.
#66 of 229 sphinx99 by scipio1 Jun 27, 2003 (1:55 pm)
That was precisely where I was going with that Sebring thought. For it price point I thought the Sebring was an absolutely magnificent "cruiser" convertible, for comfy beachside drives. The car was well-mannered, roomy, nicely optioned with things like a power top, and drove quite well. Soft, but quite capable of cruising very comfortably.   The Mitsu was smaller, less practical, and had a joke of a trunk. For all of it's extra intended "sportiness", the Eclipse didn't seem to do anything as well as the Sebring. I fully admit to having doubts about American car build quality, but the Sebring came the closest out of any American car to getting me to take a chance.   I felt the A4 was very similar to the Sebring, albeit with higher quality and production values. However, I revolted at the thought of paying twice as much for a similar, mild-mannered comfortable cruising convertible. I was willing to fork out for a 330ci or M3 cab at that pricing level, but for the A4 cab, I'd say if you're willing to take the hit on the badge, go with the Sebring.   One quick note: the Camry Solara is also supposed to be quite good, although I've never driven it. Pricier than the Sebring, most reviews say it's about comparable in terms of room, power and comfort, if you absolutely cannot bring yourself to buy a Chrysler.
#67 of 229 michaell by scipio1 Jun 27, 2003 (2:07 pm)
It's really funny, it sounds like everyone goes through similar steps when looking for a cabrio for their significant other. We all seem to be treading the same ground.   My wife liked the idea of the Miata a lot more than she ended up liking the car in reality. Her friend bought one when they were in grad school and she thought it was very cute.   My impression is that the Miata was a lot like a Jeep Wrangler. A lot of fun, but scraping by with the absolute minimal amount of techology possible. Throwback vehicles, if you will. As an aviator, it was the feeling I got from going from computerized multi-function displays to stepping into an East-bloc aircraft and seeing analog gauges everywhere.   Michaell, my point was that the TT and NB seem to be very, very different cars, and so I was curious as to why they were the front-runners.   As much as I'd love to beat the drum for the Z4 or Boxster, I'd say that there's a huge practicality trade-off versus a 3-series or A4. Just something to consider, and an argument in favor of the A4/NB vs a TT/Miata/Boxster/Z4...   Still, I'd hardly complain if my wife said we needed a Porsche - although I'd hold out for the 911 Cabrio.
#68 of 229 Z4?? by justin Jun 30, 2003 (6:11 am)
see, to me, there is NO need for a Z4 when Mazda makes the purest 2 seat sports car out there, for at least $15k less. so you give up an inline 6. who cares - they are gutless unless you spend money for the bigger version offered.
#69 of 229 scipio1 by michaell Jun 30, 2003 (6:38 am)
Thanks for the comments. My wife has always liked the looks of the TT. "It looks like a squashed Buggy!" is what she says. For the wife, it's more about how it looks rather than how it drives. So long as it has enough power to get out of its own way, she's fine.   Most of the time, it's just the two of us going places. The kids are almost 15 and 17, and rarely travel with us anymore. If they do, we take my Saturn L300. The wife drives her NB to and from work; occasionally, we use it on the weekends for errands, but not often.   We talked a bit over the weekend about what she's looking for. "Distinctive" was her response, "distinctive, but functional". Her NB certainly covers the first, but sort of fails on the second point.   I think the A4 Cabrio covers both points pretty well. It's not like we'll see too many of them on the roads, it's got enough rear seat room to handle the occasional passenger or our 50 pound dog, and I really, really like the looks.   We'll just have to wait and see.

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