Could have been! I did stop at Adronico's in the Sunset and had this queazy feeling about the car while I was waiting at the deli (but still didn't notice the scratces until 2 days later)! Who knows. Luckily Dealer is willing to try to sand and buff it out and I think repaint it if all else fails (they think it could have come from the removal of the cover on arrival...gee maybe in my excitement and given the din of the showroom floor, I didn't even notice it!...I hate to admit this as I thought I scrutinized every inch).

That's why I left mine in Chicago.

First of all, let me circumvent the flames and say up front that I own a '96 Integra GS-R and find it to provide perfectly acceptable transportion. But I don't want to extoll the virtues of my favorite little rice burner. Like many of you before me, I've narrowed my search to the A4 1.8TQ and the 323i. I live in Virginia and we don't get a lot of snow here, although we do get some rain. Let's assume (for argument's sake), that both the A4 and the 323 are comparably priced. And let's also assume that I'm not bothered by the perception that BMWs are over-priced status symbols (although I was, until I drove several at BMW's UDE 2 weeks ago). Please convince me that a 1.8TQ A4 can satisfy the side of me that likes to go fast, and that there are plenty of after-market tuners that will painlessly help me satisfy my inner need for speed without causing me endless grief and complications (in other words, I know all about Hoppen, Wett, APR, Greedspeed, etc., but since I'm not able to drive a chipped car PRIOR to making a purchase decision, I'm very tentative). Thx,<p>hts

I had a four door GSR back before anyone even knew what the heck it was. It was a great car for going fast, but terrible on the highway.<p>I traded it in on a 1996 Audi A4. That car was better in every way except acceleration. When that lease was over, I went for a 1999 A4. I still love it.<p>I test drove a 1998 BMW 323i. A very nice car that looked great. It was just a little dull. Everyone likes BMWs -- drivers LOVE A4s.<p>So, I convinced my girlfriend to get a 323i while I chipped my A4. We share each other's cars and appreciate the unique qualities of them both.<p>My advice is test drive them both; you can't go wrong either way. Although, the A4 is better.

I traded it in for a CL. Big mistake. Got more luxury, but lost the fun driving part. Hence, I'm now in a 99.5 1.8. The GS-R was a fun car to drive no doubt. <p>I also looked at BMW. The 323 is a good car. The dealer invoice is just a couple thou. over the 1.8. My problem was the local BMW dealership is very proud of their marque and wanted to charge sticker. Starting from sticker and then adding what I consider the necessary stuff, pushed the price out of my range. They wouldn't budge so I went to Audi. I was already really sold on quattro anyway. I do not pay extra cash just because an auto is popular. screw that, to put it succinctly. <p>If you haven't been given a good demo of how quattro works, go get one. My salesman showed me a couple high speed turns and emerg. lane changes. The car with quattro is like a cat with all its claws. Also have salesman stomp on it on loose gravel/dirt, no slip, just grip. I live in San Antonio so snow's not a problem.<p>Although the CL had the same HP as the A4, the torque curve jumps immediately in the A4 making it much more fun to drive. My wife made me sign a contract (j/k) that this car would be the one I'd keep for 5+ years so I better make a good choice. I really prefer 4 door sports cars. What finally locked me in was when I discovered all the aftermarket/tuners for the 1.8. She'd asked if the 2.8 would be better, but there's just so much more for the 1.8, IMO. Once I found that out, all I could think was this car will keep me busy w/out getting bored with it for years.<p> I've driven PeteD's APR'd 1.8 and it is a kick! It's exactly the punch I wanted. I couldn't believe the change in acceleration, couldn't get the smile off my face when I got out! really. If you're a HP freak, then I'd steer away from either BMW or Audi and go with a straight liner american...Cobra, Z-28 etc. I think you'll be pleased with either decision (bimmer/Audi), but I think you'll get more car for the $ with the Audi. Drive them back to back, write a pro's n cons list. Good Luck.

I loved my GS-R, sold it to my brother for his daughter's 16th B-Day. Two weeks ago, the front end of my formerly pristine GS-R mated with the rear end of an Isuzu Trooper II. Her third accident in a month and a half--way too much car for a 16 year old (with a poor attention span). I am not even going to go into the details of her allowing it to roll across a parking lot, unattended, except by her 5 feet away and being stopped by a parking lot pillar, OR her adventure with BACKING UP ON A FREEWAY and scraping the right side against the guard rail, oy...<p>Anyway, I LOVED that car, even after I saw the $8000 in damage to it with her latest venture, her friend's head was hard enough to crack the windshield, no seatbelt.<p>Well, I digress, I think you will be WAY pleased with the A4 1.8T, chipped and manual baby! I actually drive a 2.8 QTip now, but I am telling you the Quattro Chipped Turbo is great! Svelt, and sexy...<p>Kirk<br>

a 99.5 1.8TQM. The GS-R was a great car, so long as you stayed above 5000 rpm, otherwise I thought it felt like any other Honda. The A4 is much more refined in every department. My only regret is not getting the sport package, but am working to correct that mistaske. Before buying the A4 I drove the new 323 with the sport package. It also is a great car, but wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought I would be. It also cost considerably more.

<br>nt

...the differences between the two cars. I'm sure the BMW is a great car too. But the first thing in your question that has to be dealt with is when you said "comparably priced". This is really hard to do. The 323 starts at $26,400. When you add sports package ($2,400), sunroof ($1,050), and heated seats ($500), you're at $30,350. The A4 will start at $23,790. Add sport package ($750), sunroof ($1000), and all weather package ($630), which includes heated seats, your total is $27, 820. So from the beginning you save around $3,000. Now, this is where it gets exciting. If you apply just some of that to aftermarket stuff, you'll be way out in front of the 323. That's enough for wheels/tires, suspension, and a chip. You'll also have a more unique car that doesn't come with a stereo type of being an over priced status symbol. You have, in fact, just the opposite. Most car magazines have said that they don't understand how Audi can buld such a great car for this price. Overall, you would probably like both cars. I prefer to be a little different (Audi) and save some money (Audi). <p>One last thing. The Quattro is by no means a "snow only" advantage. In the wet there is absolutely no comparison, traction control or not. Most of the time it's an advantage in the dry too. In 1996 Audi won (i believe) 6 touring car championships. (British, German, Italian, South African, Australian, and I think one other.) This was Audi vs. BMW and everyone else and they just kicked all their butts. So it is a performace advantage. And if you want great, personal, consistent customer service, call APR. By the way, where are you? I'm sure there is an A4 owner that would be happy to let you drive their chipped car. Good luck.<p>JD

ADDITIONAL BMW CHARGES:<p>BMW charges the following for 99 E46 (323/328):<br>$500 for fold-down rear seats.<p>$500 for metallic paint (any color other then black, red, white)<p>$125 for floor mats<p>$400 for the dealer installed alarm system.<p>$450 (approx) for a dealer installed center console - the Sport package doesn't include a center console.<p>$675 -Also, the stock E46 radio is horrible. IMHO you must also get the Harmon Kardon upgrade for $675 to get a sound that is comparable to the stock A4 radio.<p>Hey, all this is INCLUDED in the A4.<p>So you must ADD ANOTHER $2,650 to your numbers.<p>So you see, you can't compare the two on price..not even close.<p>Guess the only reason to compare is due to the fact both cars are German sport sedans and both cars will put a big smile on your face.<p>The Audi logo should be - It's Quattro stupid!!!<p>Mitch 99.5 1.8tqms

I live in VA too, you'll like the Quattro in the rain and ice better than the 323 and in NoVa, we get ice all the time!

I'm not from NorVA originally and I enjoy living here though I could do without the torture of the summer heat and humidity. <p>I guess it's all in what you are used (exposed) to but the winters here hardly present the road hazard that some of the drivers do. I've seen groups of cars abandoned for no apparent reason on sides of the road, blocking at least one lane of traffic. I've seen people creep along at 10mph with an inch or two of wet snow on the ground causing gridlock and general traffic mayhem. <p>Not to act superior but I think some VA drivers need to get a grip or stay home. Period.<p>As for Quattro vs RWD or FWD, I think the more wheels working for you the better - under actual adverse conditions. In snow/wet I simply find awd more interesting to drive. Under dry conditions awd is not really an advantage or disadvantage unless you are really pushing the car. Often I find myself wishing I had a RWD in perfectly dry conditions. Under spirited driving there is nothing like toying with oversteer and overall car feel while keeping from losing the back end. <p>What the hell! It's all great as long as you love the car you drive.<p><p>

From a driver's perspective the 323i and A4 are comparably priced. BMW has a bigger mark up so the price gap seems larger. An A4 1.8t with Quattro, sport, all weather, and moon roof is $25,424 invoice (kelly's blue book). A 323i with sport is $26,140 invoice, although you must give up heated seats, fold down seats, moonroof, and color selection (black was my second choice, and my last car was black). It comes down to the trade offs you're willing to make. A4: more goodies, AWD, better interior and exterior, extremely tuneable engine, easy to drive well; 323: RWD and 50/50 weight dist., more power stock (sweet inline 6), more sensitive steering. In my case, I traded somewhat better stock performance (BMW) for the little extras and the confidence inspiring handling (Audi). I'm very happy with my choice, but I strongly urge any enthusiast to drive both cars and decide for themselves which is the correct choice. Honestly I can't comprehend anyone buying a car without thoroughly test driving it.<p>Regards,<br>Rodney<p>'99 A4 1.8tqms

im very happy i sold my gsr for my a4. you will be happy. i live in the nyc area and it snows here too.. you cant beat the quattro on wet/ice/snowy roads! also, after you do a chip on the a4, you'll find the a4 very much fun to drive! one thing that i did notice compared to my gsr was that the a4 is much more heavier.. it feels heavy.. especially when you try to slow down.. unlike the gsr, braking was amazing.. on the a4 its lacking.<br>im still very much a part of the honda camp though.. i still work on hondas all the time.. this weekend we (idrc) is holding an event at englishtown nj.. come down, see hondas.. see my audi.. you'll understand why i switched over =)

I had money down on a GS-R sedan untill I drove my 98 Audi A4 1.8T fwd. I was trying to decide between the Acura and a Jeta GLX when I decided I might want to go ahead and spend some more money on my next car. I test drove the Audi and a 323i. I test drove all 4 cars alot, for about 3 months. I liked the Audi the best but it had less punch than the other 3, so it took me that long to convince myself to buy it. A few months later I heard about chipping. I put the TAP stage 1 chip in at 6000 miles and have 12000 miles on it now. If you were pleased with the ecceleration of your GSR, then you will be pleased with the eccelaration of the 1.8T, but only after you chip it. I went back to drive the GSR afer I chipped just for comparison, and they are about the same. The Audi rides a lot nicer, and you feel the turbo pulling hard after 3000rpm, and it keeps pulling hard up to 7000 rpm. Very simular to the GSR. In first, the A4 still feels more like a 4 cylinder than the GSR, but you are not in 1st for long. I also thought the A4 pulled harder at around 3000 rpm. But its that same powerband feeling, like its been a while since you changed gears, but the engine is still pulling hard. <br>I liked the 323i but wanted to save the $3000-4000 more it would have cost me for the same options, sport package, sunroof, alarm, metalic paint, trip computer.<br>I will conceed that the BMW is a little sportier, but since i chipped, wich cost $475, I am happy with the choice I made. Just keep test driving untill you know what you want. Just remember, when you chip, the A4 will eccelerate comparable to your GSR, maybe even a little better.