"Wayne Crannell" > wrote in message
...

> Speaking of cost, a shopping cart ding in a parking lot cost $980 to
> fix. This sort of says it all.
>
I had a ding but went to one of these paintless dent repair places and was
amazed at how they were able to remove the dent completely. I could not tell
where it had been. It's worth a try in many cases.

> OTOH, the driving experience is great for us. My A4 has some nice Borbet
> wheels and drives like it is on rails. The A6 is smooth as silk and just
> got a new set of tires at 50000 miles (and its second new battery). It
> will need brakes soon, and the dreaded timing belt replacement is not
> far off, though.

IIRC, the 1998 A4 owners' manual stated that the TB should be replaced at
90,000 miles but that was subsequently reduced to 60,000 miles. It's also an
expensive job compared to most TB replacements, I believe.
>
> But, when next summer rolls around, the A4 is being replaced by a
> non-Audi. I just can't justify that kind of cost to operate a car. We're
> keeping the A6 only because the mileage is so high, we would take a big
> hit on getting rid of it.
>
> They are cars we really want to love, but sometimes wish we had
> something else.

I still think my 98 A4 sport is the best looking sedan out there. I like the
balanced performance of the car but Audi has a lot of competition now and
since I'm not fond of the new Audi styling, I'll be looking elsewhere for a
replacement

.. > --
> Wayne Crannell
> Xxxxxxx, TX