OT: Uhoh wife went to the dark side...

[Ferret]

She went and bought an Audi A2, something which I'm led to believe was never sold in the states?

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver7.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver3.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver.jpg

Anyways, we ended up getting a really good deal - got about $2ks worth of free stuff thrown in for the price including two new tyres and a cambelt change!

Nearly forgot to mention that it's had a full ECU remap and for a 750kg 1400cc 3 cylender TDi car it REALLY shifts - I kept skittering the front wheels coming off roundabouts/traffic circles and the Traction Control kept kicking in...

Anyone that thinks it's a toy car, it'll outrun my TDs without breaking a sweat and at 75mpg on the motorway for the win!

[bigtisas]

It looks kinda funny. Not available in the states. We like BIG cars.

[NovceGuru]

Omg What Is That?!?!?!?

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

Watch the dipstick like a hawk,blew one up in Bavaria once. Hire car ran a sump of oil in three day thrash! Wonder why they stopped production? Time you were convinced that a TDS will blow that into the weeds!

[Dave M]

Honda Fit or Toyata Yaris? Closest we get.
OOOps, forgot the Smart Car. Fantastic mileage in the city, but the M50 still gets 30+ US MPG on the HW and packs a lot more for road trips

[CharlesAFerg]

It looks kinda funny. Not available in the states. We like BIG cars.

First of all you've got to base this on people who have a clue, cuz the other 90% doesn't know jack, otherwise - we like cars that don't kill us when we get inside them.

[whiskychaser]

Traction control? You got that option cos you are used to steering with your right foot on roundabouts? :) Looks like a clean motor, very frugal and fun to drive. Never driven one but seems like a good choice to me

[Sidney Rough-Diamond]

clever little car by Audi.Nothing wrong with one of those.

[Bin_jammin]

She went and bought an Audi A2, something which I'm led to believe was never sold in the states?

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver7.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver3.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver.jpg

Anyways, we ended up getting a really good deal - got about $2ks worth of free stuff thrown in for the price including two new tyres and a cambelt change!

Nearly forgot to mention that it's had a full ECU remap and for a 750kg 1400cc 3 cylender TDi car it REALLY shifts - I kept skittering the front wheels coming off roundabouts/traffic circles and the Traction Control kept kicking in...

Anyone that thinks it's a toy car, it'll outrun my TDs without breaking a sweat and at 75mpg on the motorway for the win!

Diesel = torque, no wonder you're spinning wheels.

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

Dont even think of a Smart-ass Car! On my third and giving up this Carbon crap,E34`s will outlast two more generations of these eco-crap cars. Come to think of it, how the hell Do you scrap a Prius??????????

[repenttokyo]

Dont even think of a Smart-ass Car! On my third and giving up this Carbon crap,E34`s will outlast two more generations of these eco-crap cars. Come to think of it, how the hell Do you scrap a Prius??????????


it's really expensive. This is what most people don't realise about hybrid cars - it's less expensive, from a resource perspective, to drive a hummer than it is a hybrid. Hybrid's use a lot of exotic materials that are expensive to produce, and these materials plus the batteries are very expensive to dispose of - and create a much larger environmental foot print than a hummer. of course, they are cheaper on gas, so if all you care about is your own personal cost, then that is where a hybrid does better than an SUV. Most people don't think of the bigger picture.

[repenttokyo]

Dont even think of a Smart-ass Car! On my third and giving up this Carbon crap,E34`s will outlast two more generations of these eco-crap cars. Come to think of it, how the hell Do you scrap a Prius??????????


it's really expensive. This is what most people don't realise about hybrid cars - it's less expensive, from a resource perspective, to drive a hummer than it is a hybrid. Hybrid's use a lot of exotic materials that are expensive to produce, and these materials plus the batteries are very expensive to dispose of - and create a much larger environmental foot print than a hummer. of course, they are cheaper on gas, so if all you care about is your own personal cost, then that is where a hybrid does better than an SUV. Most people don't think of the bigger picture. There was actually a study done on this last year.

[Sam-Son]

All I know is my E34 doesn't hurt my wallet too bad at the pumps I s fun to drive packs a decent punch and doesn't kill the environment so I have absolutely no need for anything more economical

[Ferret]

it's really expensive. This is what most people don't realise about hybrid cars - it's less expensive, from a resource perspective, to drive a hummer than it is a hybrid. Hybrid's use a lot of exotic materials that are expensive to produce, and these materials plus the batteries are very expensive to dispose of - and create a much larger environmental foot print than a hummer. of course, they are cheaper on gas, so if all you care about is your own personal cost, then that is where a hybrid does better than an SUV. Most people don't think of the bigger picture. There was actually a study done on this last year.

I wouldnt mind all this hype of hybrid tech in the states, if it werent for the fact that diesels still get better mpg than gas hybrids in most cases...

I studied the systems involved in hybrid/electric vehicles as part of my masters degree last year - the technologies involved are horrifically complicated once you get under the 'it's a half battery half gas engine vehicle' description.

Fortunately SuperCapacitors price wise are collapsing, to the point where a 70 Farrad 1.5v capacitor should be at the £3-7 mark within two years. They're actually quite small too, about the size of a beer can for something that high capacity, I was shocked when I handled one in the labs.

I hope everyone that buys all these Hybrid vehicles has realised that their battery/capacitor banks will have to be replaced every 4-6 years? And they aint gonna be cheap...

[Ross]

A badge engineered Pontiac Aztec?

[RallyD]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver3.jpg
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/photos/2001_Pontiac_Aztek_2.jpg

HMMMM!?

[Jon K]

Hm that kinda looks a little toyish to me. Nice buy for mileage though. I just don't think I could drive that.

[Ferret]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Ferret101/A2/91_a2tdisilver3.jpg
http://www.autogaleria.pl/tapety/img/pontiac/pontiac_aztek_2003_02_s.jpg

HMMMM!?

What happened to the second image?

[Ferret]

What happened to the second image?

After checking out the Aztek to see where this was going:

The Aztek is just over 3 foot longer than the A2

Haha, interesting spec, the Aztek weighs in at 4043lb whereas the A2 clocks in at just 1970lb...

Which means that the A2 and Aztek are roughly the same speed despite the aztek having a displacement of over twice the A2's engine... before the Diesel chip of course :D

[whiskychaser]

Hm that kinda looks a little toyish to me. Nice buy for mileage though. I just don't think I could drive that.
People used to say that about my Cooper S. :) And yes I mean the original

[Ferret]

People used to say that about my Cooper S. :) And yes I mean the original

What year? :o *wants*

Coopers are so good for tear-arsing around busy cities :)

We did supercharge one of the Rover 1.3i versions, and had to go into the passenger side wing to do it, but christ it was fun XD

[repenttokyo]

People used to say that about my Cooper S. :) And yes I mean the original

a friend of mine runs his with a civic SI engine and lots of other goodies, but this week he sold the whole setup as he is putting in a rear-mounted Hayabusa engine.

[whiskychaser]

What year? :o *wants*

Coopers are so good for tear-arsing around busy cities :)

We did supercharge one of the Rover 1.3i versions, and had to go into the passenger side wing to do it, but christ it was fun XD

MK II. '68. You can tell by the rear lights. Anybody can put twin tanks on a mini and claim its a Cooper S :-) But you could just HEAR it!! Tremendous fun in town. My student days were in Birmingham - that wasnt built for pedestrians. Happy days

[Nick.Hay]

I wouldn't say the Audi is the 'darkside'...

That A2 is ugly as sin tho!!

Darkside = Mercedes Benz in my book. The BMW's chief adversary.

[whiskychaser]

I wouldn't say the Audi is the 'darkside'...

That A2 is ugly as sin tho!!

Darkside = Mercedes Benz in my book. The BMW's chief adversary.
Germans are supposed to know a thing or two about engineering. They built the Merc and the BM. And which one do they use as a taxi? Adversary? Not even close. I translate darkside as non-BMW. But only Ferret knows :)