3 ms·

Agreed. I can afford to own a nice-ish ($40-50k) vehicle but I would rather not attract undue attention to myself, nor do I want to pay an assload of money in c

Agreed. I can afford to own a nice-ish ($40-50k) vehicle but I would rather not attract undue attention to myself, nor do I want to pay an assload of money in car insurance, so I drive a relatively POS subcompact that is great on gas and easy to park on packed city streets.

ComputerGuru 15y ago
I'm in the same boat, but the solution I found was to drive a old-ish entry-level German car. As badly as I wanted to lease a new M3, six months ago I got a 2005 Audi A4 ("Special Edition" meaning it was factory lowered) instead. It looks snappy and sharp, but does not scream "look at me and my money!" (I also had it chipped, but that's for sheer driving pleasure and isn't visible by looking at it, obviously).
- fr0sty 15y ago
  > old-ish entry-level German car... 2005 Audi A4 Funny... I just bought a new-ish German luxury sedan: 2004 Audi A4. It is newest and most expensive car I have ever owned. Perspective is a weird thing...
  - ComputerGuru 15y ago
    Not at all. Mine's the same design as yours (B6 chassis), and I'd say they're both equally "new" or "old." When I started looking, I thought 2002+ was "new" until I saw the used car market, and that's when I realized that when you're talking about money (and that's really what counts), then only 2009 (possibly 2008) is actually "new" meaning that you'll pay the "new model" premium. I love my A4. I'm glad I made the "compromise" and got it. BTW, my primary reason for getting the A4 is because the B6 design is (IMHO) the only 2002-2005 family of cars that actually do not look even remotely dated. Non-car-enthusiasts would not recognize a B6 design as being 10 years old. Audi really did a great job getting ahead of the curve with that design, esp. when (today) you compare a 2002 BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti to the 2002 Audi models, you see what I mean: the latter group is distinctly "older looking."
    - rdl 15y ago
      I have a 2006.5 a4 (b7), and I'm always amazed driving around to like the b6 just as much. The only thing keeping me from driving this car until it completely falls apart in 10y is the relatively dated navigation system, lack of realtime traffic, etc. I'll probably get a model s and keep the a4 for road trips and a second car for my girlfriend to drive.
      - ComputerGuru 15y ago
        Haha, I want to do the same. Model S is sooooo sexy, and I'd keep the B6 for road trips. WRT the navigation: just get a 100 dollar Nuvi w/ realtime traffic. My B6 doesn't have the in-dash navigation in the first place, but the Garmin's a really nice product.
        rdl 15y ago
        In SF, you can't leave anything in the cabin of the car, or meth faeries will break in (costing hundreds to replace windows) and stealing a $1-2 item. Removing and replacing the nav system every time I use the car would get really annoying, or if I loan it to someone else who doesn't do so, so I'd have to factor in the inconvenience of replacing the glass several times per year. Plus, the internal inputs into built-in nav are a big plus; it works a little bit better than the aftermarket stuff, and having turns on the driver information display is worth it to me too. What would really make sense is a Model S for around here, and then getting a TDI (I wish they sold the A4 TDI in the USA, but a VW Passat or A3) for really long trips. I get about 28-30mpg on highways at 75mph in my A4 (with APR chip, and about 100k miles), but that's with premium fuel. But I guess depreciation dominates fuel cost for a while longer.
        ComputerGuru 15y ago
        Funny how Chicago gets such a bad rep, but I have no problem leaving the GPS in the car if I just turn it off (stupid how German cars still can't power down the 12V outlet when you turn off the engine.. that and cup holders.) What would make for a great long-distance car here in the States would be the 335d. If you get the Model S in 2013 or so, a 5 year old 335d should be around the right price for the taking. I got my A4 chip'd as well, seeing the same mileage. Four dollars at the pump seems like a fair enough tradeoff for me (15 gallons at ~25 cents more).

ComputerGuru 15y ago

I'm in the same boat, but the solution I found was to drive a old-ish entry-level German car. As badly as I wanted to lease a new M3, six months ago I got a 2005 Audi A4 ("Special Edition" meaning it was factory lowered) instead. It looks snappy and sharp, but does not scream "look at me and my money!" (I also had it chipped, but that's for sheer driving pleasure and isn't visible by looking at it, obviously).

fr0sty 15y ago
> old-ish entry-level German car... 2005 Audi A4 Funny... I just bought a new-ish German luxury sedan: 2004 Audi A4. It is newest and most expensive car I have ever owned. Perspective is a weird thing...
- ComputerGuru 15y ago
  Not at all. Mine's the same design as yours (B6 chassis), and I'd say they're both equally "new" or "old." When I started looking, I thought 2002+ was "new" until I saw the used car market, and that's when I realized that when you're talking about money (and that's really what counts), then only 2009 (possibly 2008) is actually "new" meaning that you'll pay the "new model" premium. I love my A4. I'm glad I made the "compromise" and got it. BTW, my primary reason for getting the A4 is because the B6 design is (IMHO) the only 2002-2005 family of cars that actually do not look even remotely dated. Non-car-enthusiasts would not recognize a B6 design as being 10 years old. Audi really did a great job getting ahead of the curve with that design, esp. when (today) you compare a 2002 BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti to the 2002 Audi models, you see what I mean: the latter group is distinctly "older looking."
  - rdl 15y ago
    I have a 2006.5 a4 (b7), and I'm always amazed driving around to like the b6 just as much. The only thing keeping me from driving this car until it completely falls apart in 10y is the relatively dated navigation system, lack of realtime traffic, etc. I'll probably get a model s and keep the a4 for road trips and a second car for my girlfriend to drive.
    - ComputerGuru 15y ago
      Haha, I want to do the same. Model S is sooooo sexy, and I'd keep the B6 for road trips. WRT the navigation: just get a 100 dollar Nuvi w/ realtime traffic. My B6 doesn't have the in-dash navigation in the first place, but the Garmin's a really nice product.
      - rdl 15y ago
        In SF, you can't leave anything in the cabin of the car, or meth faeries will break in (costing hundreds to replace windows) and stealing a $1-2 item. Removing and replacing the nav system every time I use the car would get really annoying, or if I loan it to someone else who doesn't do so, so I'd have to factor in the inconvenience of replacing the glass several times per year. Plus, the internal inputs into built-in nav are a big plus; it works a little bit better than the aftermarket stuff, and having turns on the driver information display is worth it to me too. What would really make sense is a Model S for around here, and then getting a TDI (I wish they sold the A4 TDI in the USA, but a VW Passat or A3) for really long trips. I get about 28-30mpg on highways at 75mph in my A4 (with APR chip, and about 100k miles), but that's with premium fuel. But I guess depreciation dominates fuel cost for a while longer.
        ComputerGuru 15y ago
        Funny how Chicago gets such a bad rep, but I have no problem leaving the GPS in the car if I just turn it off (stupid how German cars still can't power down the 12V outlet when you turn off the engine.. that and cup holders.) What would make for a great long-distance car here in the States would be the 335d. If you get the Model S in 2013 or so, a 5 year old 335d should be around the right price for the taking. I got my A4 chip'd as well, seeing the same mileage. Four dollars at the pump seems like a fair enough tradeoff for me (15 gallons at ~25 cents more).