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Sedans Luxury Performance Sedans
9978 messages, Last post on Nov 02, 2009 at 1:30 PM
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Next, to the cars and almost two days of driving exercises (on ice) – some timed some not – culminating in a competition. The Audi instructors laid out a course on the ice that put together all the elements of each driving exercise into one huge track. Driving skills in braking, steering, power sliding, lane changing, and obstacle avoidance, etc. were all required in this exercise. Orange cones delimited the course, and if a driver hit a cone it was considered a five-second penalty. You can imagine – on a course where a really good time was one minute twenty seconds, a hit of five seconds is unrecoverable – the adrenaline flowed. For the uninitiated or uniformed – and, several of the spouses of avid quattro club members fall into this category – explanations of the value and sheer enjoyment of this experience, no matter how eloquent, are inadequate. In fact we had four in our group that were – initially – reluctant to take the class, thinking it would be boring or perhaps difficult. After completing the course, here is what one of those formerly reluctant participants, my wife, had to say: “I think that the Audi Driving Experience is a remarkable program because it teaches participants to simulate real-life situations and learn how the auto will respond and also how the driver will respond. The instructors become coaches and prepare us to handle these situations in a safe and responsive manner. The course is, in essence, more than a virtual reality tour of the instruction manual that comes with the car - it's reality itself. “ – Tina Two other first-time drivers, Dale and Paula were also enthusiastic as you can see in the following note to Karen Chadwick, the top executive of the Audi Club of NA: “Paula and I wish to thank you for giving us the opportunity to visit Seefeld, Austria and attend the spectacular Audi Driving Experience. It was certainly a treat to have discussions with you and all the friendly people in the quattro club. We both loved the beautiful five-star hotel Audi selected in Seefeld. Audi could not have picked a better place to stay to experience some of the culture in Austria. The dinners were marvelous and the company was even better. We really enjoyed our visit in Munich, Seefeld, and especially the visit to Ingolstadt to take the Audi factory tour. Witnessing the production of an Audi was certainly a wonderful sight to see. The Audi Driving Experience was no less than the most exhilarating educational experience we have ever had. We enjoyed learning the fundamentals of understeer and oversteer. Learning how to handle the Audi A4s in several adverse situations was an invaluable experience. We were certainly taught by the best in the business.” – Dale Joe and Sherri, A4 owners (and a mini-van) had this to say: “The time and effort put into organization of the trip were obvious. Things ran very smoothly for such a large group (40 people). We enjoyed the opportunity to meet and socialize with other Audi owners. The driving instruction was first rate. The knowledge and skill of the instructors exceeded our expectations. The hotel was spectacular in every way: food, scenery, services; and my wife enjoyed her massage and the hotel’s spa. Perhaps the most satisfying, for me, is that Sherri, my wife, now has greater confidence in getting behind the wheel of not only our A4, but our mini-van as well. The potentially life saving information was itself worth the price of the trip. The Audi driving experience is something that I wish every driver could experience (all other car companies, please listen.)” – Joe Moreover, the statement most often repeated by the participants was, “I think the Audi Driving Experience is a blast!” We had some incredible surprises including a guest-star visit from legendary Audi racecar driver, Walter Rohrl. What a rush to be given not one but two laps around the ice-course with Rohrl behind the wheel of a turbo-diesel A4 quattro. Wheeeee! The Audi Driving Experience is incredibly valuable – it could save your life. It is fun – way beyond fun, it is exciting. To borrow from Audi’s advertising campaign, it is the realization of “Joy!” For even the most jaundiced, disinterested or bored, the experience is an amazing vacation – filled with five+-star dining and lodging in an indescribably beautiful setting (the snow covered mountains of Austria). Add to this the romance of a sleigh ride, camaraderie and top-notch driver education and you have what is most certainly a once in a lifetime experience. Recommendation #7: do not miss the Audi Driving Experience. Immerse yourself in it and savor every second of the time from the minute you land in Munich to the moment you depart for home. The time goes by so very quickly – hopefully you will find that this experience changes your life. It has changed ours. Finally, a great big thank you to Karen Chadwick and the Audi Car Club of NA (a.k.a., quattro club of America) for organizing this delightful outing. o Jody and Mike (A4 owners) o Dale and Paula (no Audis in their garage -- yet) o Joe and Sherri (A4 owners) o Tina and Mark (too many Audis to list) Trivia: This group has had 31 Audi’s between them, all but three of them quattro’s. Oh BTW, I like my nav system too! 
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Replying to: breld (Jul 26, 2006 9:35 pm) Based on my recent experience, it should be the deciding variable in the equation. In the weeks and months after you've brought the car home, the memory of the one about which you were most excited will not easily fade. I'd say your excitement is making the decision for you. And you can likely lease the BMW for as good (if not better terms) than with the M35, if you're leasing; or, if you're buying, and if you're hesitating because the BMW costs more, check things on the BMW leasing and prices paid forums. People there can often point you toward possibilties you might not have known.
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Replying to: sfcharlie (Jul 27, 2006 7:55 am) So, yeah, to your point, I look back on that visceral feeling I had that day and often think, perhaps it should be as simple as that. What gets your blood pumping? Particularly when you get to the choices in this class, where, to be cliche, there probably are no real "losers." And regarding the pricing difference between the M and 5, I'm more than happy to go with a lightly used, perhaps certified, 530xi. And that's half the reason I'm waiting several months - not too many of those out there yet.
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Replying to: breld (Jul 27, 2006 8:08 am) I agree that there are no bad cars among those being discussed on this forum. There are aesthetic differences, which matter to different degrees to each of us. It might be "shallow" on my part, but it actually enhances my sense of enjoyment of my car if, when I see the same model go by on the street or highway, I think "boy, that is a great looking car." I'm surprised, after the fact, that I took one home about which I really didn't feel that way. If I had bought it instead of leased it, the lack of excitement about how it looks when I am walking toward it, how it feels when I'm sitting in, and the subtle differences in my experience of the drive train and chassis charactersitics would all be leading me to see what I could get by selling it and just moving on. |
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Jul 26, 2006 3:00 pm) I like this post. I have a friend whose finances have allowed him to (simultaneously) own several highly desirable cars (Porsche, BMW M5, and MB). He routinely goes for a two day drive out of town and into the backroads. It's akin to a spiritual activity for him. Acquiring a new car clearly is done with future versions of these drives in mind. I've noticed that, when I've had a car with which I was "in love" I do what you're saying is too absent in these exchanges -- take it out "on dates" or "away for the weekend" and, if I'm talking about where I've been, I'll include some description of the car as a contributor to, along with my wife and I, the pleasures of the event. One of the clues I had to my (absurd, regrettable, pathetic, etc) having drifted into taking home a car I don't love in that way, is that any mention of the car is limited to voicing one side or another of my ambivalence about it. |
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Have not visited here lately and can't believe one of the first threads I read is from Shipo - wow. We spoke about three years ago when I bought my 02 CPO - LOL. Anyways, I now have 75K on my 02 and am contemplating getting rid of it before: 1. It gets to 100K miles and the value really drops 2. I have to deal with a new transmission at about 100K miles. Never had a problem with the car yet, and I am a novice here with this question - but how long do these transmissions last considering they are well taken care of. 3. Does CPO cover a new tranny should it go before 100K miles? Thanks |
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Replying to: markcincinnati (Jul 26, 2006 11:11 am) European vehicles are "driving machines"! I prefer to enjoy and yes, dare I say LOVE driving my 328ci anyday of the week over my Nissan Maxima, which is still a "good car". I am currently looking at and comparing vehicles in the bracket of BMW's 540i (2003 model year) and thus far have yet to find something even remotely enjoyable or as valued as the BMW. Nothing really even comes close.
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Replying to: curtisb (Jul 27, 2006 3:10 pm) European vehicles are "driving machines"! Again, over generalizing. The Japanese and Europeans can both make driving machines, they just have different ideas as to what a driving machine is. Of course a Nissan Maxima (which used to have a beam axle in back for "extra rear seat room") is no match for a 328ci. Japan's "ultimate driving machines" are more akin to a Porsche GT3 RS than anything BMW makes. They dont waste any weight on wood and leather. Generally, they also have never been sold in the US. Japan's highest performance cars that are currently in production are the Lancer Evo MR FQ400, and the WRX STi Spec. C WR. 0-60 takes place in about 4 seconds, and only the fastest Porsches would be able to catch them on a track. The M3 or M5 wouldn't have a chance.
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jul 27, 2006 4:46 pm) M |
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Replying to: merc1 (Jul 27, 2006 8:17 pm) True, just making a point that Japan can make world-beating UHP cars if they want to. At the same time, recent efforts from Mazda and Nissan like the MS6 and Infiniti M show that they can do Euro style, "mature" performance cars as well. I'd very much like to see Infiniti adopt an AMG style performance arm. Surely if Cadillac can do it, they can.
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