Automobiles

When I turned in the TDI, I got a 6 speed golf R. Its a nice car. It is very practical with the back seats down. It carries 1 bike pretty easily with the front wheel removed. It also hauls a surprising amount of stuff. Its a nice chassis and has a lot of grip and power. The headlights are excellent HIDs. The 2018s get LEDI believe. The interior is high quality, very audi like, and the seats are excellent for skinny cycling shaped bodies. I actually like it more than my'99 996 Carrera as it feels as fast as the p car, is almost as much fun to drive, and is quite a bit more practical.

If the allroads had been around when I picked up the R, I would have considered one. I have driven one with the automatic and could live with one pretty easily. Its a solid car, comfortable, and extremely practical. Of course it doesn't have the grip or power of the R but that's the trade off.

When my friend turned in his TDI he got the 2017 Golf R as well. He really likes it. I like the All Track due to the added space and roof rails, but I kind of want something that is pretty peppy. Having said that I also drive grandma and am never allowed to drive to races or rides due to my preferred driving speed.

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Originally Posted by twowheels

"...If the allroads had been around when I picked up the R, I would have considered one. I have driven one with the automatic and could live with one pretty easily. Its a solid car, comfortable, and extremely practical. Of course it doesn't have the grip or power of the R but that's the trade off..."

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Audi should consider a performance-minded and lower A4 wagon rather than the Outback-syled and higher Allroad.
I know they need to sell vehicles to make it happen, yet I do believe buyers would grow to love the lower platform.

The typical buyer of an Audi Allroad isn't going rock scrambling. They want capacity, road performance, and AWD.
The extra ground clearance? That is likely a factor .01% of the time. Marketplace would love an upgraded A4 wagon.

I'm looking forward to the 2019 Volvo hybrids.

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Originally Posted by Blue Jays

Audi should consider a performance-minded and lower A4 wagon rather than the Outback-syled and higher Allroad.
I know they need to sell vehicles to make it happen, yet I do believe buyers would grow to love the lower platform.

The typical buyer of an Audi Allroad isn't going rock scrambling. They want capacity, road performance, and AWD.
The extra ground clearance? That is likely a factor .01% of the time. Marketplace would love an upgraded A4 wagon.

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This exists in europe and is called an S4 Avant. Awesome car.

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Originally Posted by Lionel

"...This exists in europe and is called an S4 Avant. Awesome car..."

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Indeed. Previously available stateside in the past, also.
Audi was perhaps a decade too early for American tastes.
I truly hope it is reintroduced for purchase here someday.

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Originally Posted by Trevor

When my friend turned in his TDI he got the 2017 Golf R as well. He really likes it. I like the All Track due to the added space and roof rails, but I kind of want something that is pretty peppy. Having said that I also drive grandma and am never allowed to drive to races or rides due to my preferred driving speed.

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Get one of the recently un-embargoed TDI manual wagons, and chip it.
Best of both worlds.

We sold our 2009 manual TDI wagon back to VW for about $18.5K, and got a new (auto) base model wagon for about $19.K. Easy swap and the car is more than nice enough for my wife to commute in, but the auto/gasser is not nearly as fun as the old stick. (hardly matters, because most road trips these days happen in the fully loaded minivan...)

Love the Golf R. Currently riding a '16 4-door M3 with 2-car seats to accommodate the little ones. They call it the "vroom vroom" car :cool:
Attachment 103422

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Originally Posted by robin3mj

Get one of the recently un-embargoed TDI manual wagons, and chip it.
Best of both worlds.

We sold our 2009 manual TDI wagon back to VW for about $18.5K, and got a new (auto) base model wagon for about $19.K. Easy swap and the car is more than nice enough for my wife to commute in, but the auto/gasser is not nearly as fun as the old stick. (hardly matters, because most road trips these days happen in the fully loaded minivan...)

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My decision to get an auto transmission was made for me by the infinite traffic we experience every time we want to escape the city. 2-3 hours of stop and go traffic with a manual transmission kills my hip and lower back.

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Originally Posted by Blue Jays

Indeed. Previously available stateside in the past, also.
Audi was perhaps a decade too early for American tastes.
I truly hope it is reintroduced for purchase here someday.

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Doubtful. They'd sell 20 SQ5 for every S4 Avant.

Doesn't Audi have a 4 door hatchback now, a la the BMW 4 Series?

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Originally Posted by davebrochill

Love the Golf R. Currently riding a '16 4-door M3 with 2-car seats to accommodate the little ones. They call it the "vroom vroom" car :cool:
Attachment 103422

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That will do. Those things are very capable.

Attachment 103438
V8 monster 430 hp Dinan

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Originally Posted by Coppercook62

Attachment 103438
V8 monster 430 hp Dinan

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Tell me that is yours? Wow.

yes sir, paint matches the crumpton T5. He painted the bike before i even concedered the car just worked out that way. Just ment to be.

Attachment 103439

Tell me about the bike holder, happy with it ?

Terrified only short distance so far

What model is it ?

I read recently that the average age of US automobiles on the road is 12 years, or the 2005/6 model year. Got me to thinking, as cars have gotten more reliable over recent decades, where the ‘sweet spot’ is in terms of long term reliability and ability to avoid obsolescence?
My ’98 Toyota is definitely showing its age and I would not want it long-term if I had to put more miles on it, but it’ll do for me for the next 3-4 years or so.

So I’m thinking newer than that would be ideal, but it seems around 2007 or so, that all of the newer technologies started to be jammed into every well-appointed car. These are the things that a) eventually become gremlins, and b) do not age well. Any built-in GPS over 3-4 years old is a piece of junk, power-everything starts to fail well before a drivetrain does.

So, eventually I come back around to the idea that maybe that 2005 era will end up being the sweet spot in terms of when the average age of the US fleet reaches its peak.

Rambling and random, I know. But whattayathink?

The limit is 145,000 miles for most cars I think. After that I think there are a lot of cyclical wear items that manufacturers haven't even tested. When the car gets to a mileage beyond which few mechanics have experience servicing, you either have to take on repairs yourself, find an auto guru or pay extra while the mechanics fiddle around with the knobs and dials on their computerized machine and install one part after another until some little yellow light goes off.

So decide how long you need the car, take your average annual mileage, and work back from 145,000 miles.

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Originally Posted by robin3mj

I read recently that the average age of US automobiles on the road is 12 years, or the 2005/6 model year. Got me to thinking, as cars have gotten more reliable over recent decades, where the ‘sweet spot’ is in terms of long term reliability and ability to avoid obsolescence?
My ’98 Toyota is definitely showing its age and I would not want it long-term if I had to put more miles on it, but it’ll do for me for the next 3-4 years or so.

So I’m thinking newer than that would be ideal, but it seems around 2007 or so, that all of the newer technologies started to be jammed into every well-appointed car. These are the things that a) eventually become gremlins, and b) do not age well. Any built-in GPS over 3-4 years old is a piece of junk, power-everything starts to fail well before a drivetrain does.

So, eventually I come back around to the idea that maybe that 2005 era will end up being the sweet spot in terms of when the average age of the US fleet reaches its peak.

Rambling and random, I know. But whattayathink?

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My dad just replaced his 04 Passat (nearly 200K) with a brand spankin' new 4Runner.

Sweet spot describes the Passat perfectly. Sunroof, heated cloth seats, 1.8T, manual. Everything you need and nothing you don't. Was due for a timing belt and then the clutch went out. Cost way more to fix than it was worth and he donated it to charity. Its weird to get nostalgic for a car from the mid-aughts because its not long ago at all but they won't make them like that ever again.