Made the switch to an Audi

Well, as of today I have officially crossed over to the dark side. I sold my 1999 328i and leased a loaded 05 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro (manual). If money were no object for me, I would have gone for a 330xi. But, when it comes down to it, the Audi has a lot going for it for the price. And AWD was a requirement for me. The engine doesn't compare to the I6, but it's tolerable, and the sport seats aren't nearly as comfy. But, that's where my list of complaints ends. The Bose sound system beats my HK hands down, and having an in-dash 6 disc changer rocks. Am I trying to convince myself that the Audi is "just as nice" as the BMW? Of course I am. The 330xi is nicer. But how much nicer? You can't get a loaded AWD BMW sedan for $389/month (including tax) with $1600 at inception. So far, I don't regret the decision at all. Hopefully I'll feel the same way in 6 months.

Congrats on the purchase. I love Audi's designs with the exception of their choice of a navigation system. That looks ghetto as hell to me. Other than that, I love them!

You made a great choice ... your going to find the Audi to be a very addicting car just like the Bimmer. It is the type of thing that grows on you just like a bimmer does.

If you look at my cars, you'll see I've got an Audi and I also have had 4 bimmers.

Being that I am getting rid of the Audi in a few months I have been very open minded on what to buy and I think it's going to be another Audi. The Quattro is so incredible to have on a regular basis. It is something you might think is good now but when you drive the car everyday you are going to come to love it even more.

It is so great to have a car that doesn't have torque steer of a FWD car and doesn't have the oversteer of a RWD car especially in the wet weather.

Congrats and post some pics !!!

Originally Posted by AF-RX8

You made a great choice ... your going to find the Audi to be a very addicting car just like the Bimmer. It is the type of thing that grows on you just like a bimmer does.

If you look at my cars, you'll see I've got an Audi and I also have had 4 bimmers.

Being that I am getting rid of the Audi in a few months I have been very open minded on what to buy and I think it's going to be another Audi. The Quattro is so incredible to have on a regular basis. It is something you might think is good now but when you drive the car everyday you are going to come to love it even more.

It is so great to have a car that doesn't have torque steer of a FWD car and doesn't have the oversteer of a RWD car especially in the wet weather.

Congrats and post some pics !!!

Jeebus, how many cars do you go through in a year?

Congrats and best of luck. I've never owned an Audi (although I did drive the 1.8, 2.8 and S4 before settling on my 330i).

Did you consider the 3.0, or was it too close in price to the BMW?

Are you planning to chip the 1.8? www.audiworld.com is an awesome site!

Wow, $389/month is friggin' cheap! How many miles/year, and how long is the term?

I have driven my mom's A6 on a number of occasions, and it is an amazing car. I agree with what you have said about the Bose system owning the HK, and I will also say that Quattro is amazing. Last winter I borrowed her A6 on a nice snowy evening, and I was trying my damndest to upset the balance of the car in a big empty parking lot, but it was amazingly hard to do. The car is extremely stable.

Nice purchase, post some pics!

Congrats-- just curious-- if you were considering a 1.8T, why didn't you also consider a 325xi (as opposed to a 330xi)? It woud've been much closer in price/performance.

Regardless, if you want AWD, Audi's quattro is superior to BMW's XI system. I also love the exterior design and interior materials.

I've been batting the idea around about trading my '04 330i in on an Avant. I like the BMW but I'm really not liking the amount of trunk space. Especially since they added that CD changer bump. I don't want an SUV and think the Avant might fit the bill nicely. The dealer here has a couple of '04 A6 Avants left over, I might go check those out.

Originally Posted by hts

Did you consider the 3.0, or was it too close in price to the BMW?

Are you planning to chip the 1.8? www.audiworld.com is an awesome site!

I would have liked the 3.0, but the price difference was very high. The way I would have wanted to equip it, the 3.0 was a 5K higher sticker. Plus, the lease deal wasn't as good for the 3.0. The money factor I could get went up from .00099 to .0016, and the residual went from 51% to 54% (for 12k miles per year). I think it was going to be at least $160/month more. That's a lot of dough.

Originally Posted by Gabe

Wow, $389/month is friggin' cheap! How many miles/year, and how long is the term?

This was for 12k miles per year, for 42 months.

Audi Rocks! If you need AWD , IMO Audi is the way to go. The quattro system has been proven time after time. Not to mention banned from some races due to its dominance.

I have heard there are very few mods for the 3.0.