"razorbeamteam" (razorbeamteam)
08/14/2018 at 17:48 • Filed to: None
2
8|
"razorbeamteam" (razorbeamteam)
08/14/2018 at 17:48 • Filed to: None | 2
| 8 |
So, I recently posted about how I’ve been wanting a Mustang for a while. I’ve never bought a brand new car, and I just think Ford did such a good job with the latest ones that I’ve been obsessing about trading in my old A4 for one in short order. When this beautiful, low mile ‘17 came up for sale I called the dealer, and talked through the details. Everything seemed to be so perfect in my head it was a done deal.
Over the weekend, my girlfriend and I took a lil romantic getaway to Lake Geneva. I was telling her about how I might actually do it, and discussing the logistics of our car situation since she drives the A4 to work sometimes (even though she has a Prius).
She started to get really emotional and tearing up when we were talking about how much I’d get for a trade on the A4. She really didn’t want me to get rid of it. My girlfriend is a pretty practical individual and has minimal attachment to material things. She’s also not much of a car person, so I was surprised she was upset about the possibility of me getting rid of the Audi.
She told me that she really loves the car, and we have so many fond memories in it. We basically fell in love in that car (not in that way). We’ve taken countless road trips in it, used it to move into our first and second apartments together, and have had countless other adventures in it. Last summer we drove from Chicago to Connecticut and back in one weekend for a wedding. We’ve hooned it on a frozen lake, and taken it down an icy snowmobile path.
It made me realize that while a Mustang would be cool, my car is pretty damn special as it is. A 2007 that only has 80k miles, its in pretty good shape. It has the 3.2 V6 and a 6MT that makes it pretty fun at certain speeds. Its just beat enough that I don’t lose sleep keeping it parked on the street, but nice enough that I’m not embarrassed to drive it. Its also loaded with just about every option available for that model year including heated rear seats.
It’s always been just a daily driver, and for as much as I love wrenching, I haven’t been too tempted to shower it with mods. It only sports a thicker rear sway bar and a short throw shifter.
Its also an incredibly safe, and confidence inspiring car. The AWD, low center of gravity and wide tires makes for an extremely planted ride. It can eat up highway miles but also make the offramp incredibly exciting.
On the way home from Lake Geneva we took some country roads and had a chance to wring it out a bit. Something that it doesn’t get a chance to do being a pent up city car. I forgot how much fun this car really is. We did some 3rd gear pulls and my girlfriend was actually laughing instead of stomping on the imaginary brake in the passenger seat.
I know most of my posts on Oppo revolve around the rover, but goddam if I don’t love my boring-ass daily driver. I had to search pretty far back to find some pics of it from my phone. I’ve kinda been inspired to spend some time ironing out the little issues it has so I can keep it on the road a while longer.
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> razorbeamteam
08/14/2018 at 18:27 |
|
Drive it till it dies. Then resuscitate. Unless you have already negotiated a ' do not resuscitate’ agreement...
CompactLuxuryFan
> razorbeamteam
08/14/2018 at 18:29 |
|
The B7 A4 is truly a great all-arounder right now. I should have sold my Avant long ago, but these cars aren’t worth much at all now and they’re still r eally solid. Far more durable and comfortable than an E46 and a pretty worry-free ownership due to their low value. Back in 2005, the A4 (along with the GTI) started the current direct-injected 2.0T formula and they’ve aged really well. You could get xenon headlights, auto dimming mirrors, bluetooth, all the modern essentials. Tons of low mileage examples around, too! Everyone go get one!
|
razorbeamteam
> CompactLuxuryFan
08/14/2018 at 18:34 |
|
I agree! It’s worth way more to me than the money I would get from a sale/trade and its loaded with stuff. Even now when I sit in a new car I can honestly say mine isn’t THAT far behind as far as features. Except for lane departure warnings, and adaptive cruise I feel like I have 90% of what a newer car would have and the rest can be made up with one of these:
|
CompactLuxuryFan
> razorbeamteam
08/14/2018 at 18:52 |
|
Exactly. In fact, yours has a couple of key features you can’t even get anymore, namely a sweet sounding naturally aspirated VR6 and a 6-speed manual. Oh how nice a 3.2 would be in mine...
|
razorbeamteam
> CompactLuxuryFan
08/14/2018 at 18:55 |
|
The 3.2 is nice, save for the gas mileage, but there is ample power throughout the rev range. The low end torque is nice for stop and go traffic, working the clutch without the accelerator.
ZHP Sparky, the 5th
> razorbeamteam
08/14/2018 at 19:15 |
|
Plus if your car is primarily a city car I could see a Mustang getting equally impractical to live with and you could get tired of finding space to park it, not getting much opportunity to let it stretch its legs etc.
You have a car that is paid for and perfectly usable. Hold on to it, seems like you and the lady are headed in a good direction - you may be looking to get married, buy a house etc...wait until that’s all out of the way and you have garage space etc. for a toy. At that point you shouldn’t feel guilty about buying a fun new car either if you’ve managed to save up a good chunk from foregoing this decision today.
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> razorbeamteam
08/14/2018 at 19:33 |
|
Kudos friend - a lot of petrolheads fall for the latest and greatest (not that the Mustang isn’t cool) without thinking of the ‘boring’ daily drivers that carry them everywhere day to day and inadvertently become part of many adventures.
I have a 2009 Accent that is the most boring Korean ecobox you could get with literally no options, but I love the little thing for all we’ve been through! :)
HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> razorbeamteam
08/14/2018 at 21:17 |
|
Theres something to be said for a car with memories. My wife cried when she sold her Cavalier because of the emotional attachment she had. But the Fit that replaced it now has many many memories in it too.
However she hung on to that Chevy until the rust got so bad she was afraid to drive it. So I say keep the Audi until it gets to a point that you actually can’t enjoy it anymore. Then buy that mustang when it’s 5 years old