Torn between two A4s

[JohnC]

Hi everyone

I don't wish this to sound like one of those 'help me choose' pleas, because naturally the final choice rests with me, but I'd appreciate some feedback and/or advice from the obvious wealth of experience here.

After ten or so years of very happy VW ownership (four Passats) I'm ready to move to an Audi and based on my needs and preferences I've pretty much settled on the A4 1.8T Quattro Sport. I toyed with the idea of an S4 for a while, but given the insurance/running costs, plus of course the price of admission for a decent one, I decided that this was just too expensive a proposition for me at this stage.

After extensive searching, I'm left with two choices. Both are 2001 'Y' plate examples in silver, with one previous owner and full Audi main dealer service history. The dilemma I have is that I'm undecided between the pros and cons of each. To elaborate:

Car # 1:

36,000 miles
Black leather upholstery
6-disc CD autochanger with BOSE
16" 'Trapez' alloy wheels
No DIS
Full MoT and taxed until October

Car # 2:
26,000 miles
Cloth upholstery
No CD changer at present but the seller (an independent VAG specialist) has agreed to have one fitted for a reasonable sum.
17" 'Star' alloy wheels
DIS included
SE Pack (not entirely sure what this includes)
Full MoT but no tax

Both cars are in mint condition and I have test driven the first one, but I have yet to drive the second one. Hopefully, this will happen on Friday.

The leather upholstery is very tempting, but I'm not sure if I can live without the DIS after taking it for granted for so long with my Passats. To the best of my knowledge, DIS isn't retrofittable.

After negotiation on both cars, #2 is available for £350 less than #1. To my surprise, both cars have 'keep fit' windows in the back /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

So, if you were me, which car would you choose? As I said, ultimately the decision rests with me but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Regards

John

 

[Mikebabs1]

Hi John,

Welcome to the forum. I can see your dilemma. Based on the assumption that you feel Car #2 drives and looks as good as Car #1 (after your test drive on Friday), I would have to go for #2. (Feel like I'm on blind date!)

I'm not a big fan of leather seats (too cold in Winter, and too hot in Summer), so that does sway the decision a little for me.

However, other reasons are that you're paying less money for a car with 10,000 less miles on the clock, and it has DIS, which I like, and the SE pack. I believe with the SE, you get the DIS, leather steering wheel, and leather gear knob on top of standard spec.

I suggest you also check if there are any optional extras on either of the cars. Little things such as the aluminium trip strips round the windows can make a big difference to the look (although this is not so much the case on silver models).

Anyway, as you say, the decision is yours.

Cheers

Mike