I don't care about the supposed "resale" value of quattro (about $1800 diff on my 98 between a FWD and a quattro, I'd rather put the money in the stock market).

I don't autocross or otherwise race my car.

I don't live in a place where it snows.

In my test drives of both cars, I couldn't tell a difference...granted, I didn't try taking 90 degree corners at 100mph, but I don't do that in everyday driving. The FWD handles better than ANY FWD car I've ever driven, and better than most RWD cars I've driven. There is no torque steer, and the balance is extremely neutral.

For reference, I have a 2.8(with sports susp) with ASR, so on the 1.8T with EDL only, YMMV.

s

I am considering leasing. Even though I have heard stories, I would like to keep the car after my lease though....

The extra weight of the quattro (plus a different rear suspension than a FWD) made the ride a lot better on bumpy roads. Otherwise, Quattro would have come in handy about 3 times in 3 years of daily driving in Houston. I have an S4 now and love the Quattro traction but even there it is only an issue when really pushing the car. If you get a stick, however, I would recommend the Quattro over FWD every time just for resale reasons -- it's hard to find a buyer interested in a stick w/o quattro.

I bought FT since I've always owned Honda and Toyotas with FWD. Was trying to keep the costs down but still be inthe Audi family. Performance and handling has been fine Next car 2001 A4 just may be a quattro

only occasionally do I find myself wanting the quattro. What I like doing is turning off the ASR and laying down some rubber. Juvenile, yes. Fun, most defintely!

As for the resale argument, I'll be buried in my 2.8!

Originally, I hadn't planned on doing any mods or taking the car to a track. but now that I have the car, I feel like going down to road atlanta and getting some instruction, and doing all the brake mods, etc.. necessary to really throw the car around - would be nice to have quatrro then.

Finally, I'm shure I'll be flamed or comparing apples to oranges. But one thing that really bugged me about my AWD eclipse was the requirement that should it need to be towed, you must use a flat bed. Seems like a pain in the ass when your stuck in the boonies.

Then theres the allignment issue, apparently it may take one a while to locate a shop that can properly allign the quattro.

Lastly, If we had snow here I'd have gotten quattro in a heart beat.

FWIW
Slack
99.5 2.8M

I read the Quattro vs. FWD report in the FAQ's before I bought my 1998.5 and felt the cost was not justified. I live in New England and find the FWD w/Traction Control to be more than adequate for my driving needs. My 2.8 is one of the best performing and luxurious cars I've ever owned and provides me with a reasonably priced alternative to a BMW 328 or Mercedes C 280.

a 4WD car the best for traction and handling period. It is also very rare. Audi and Subaru (and Porsche) are the world's experts, although others attempt it occasionally. You would think it would be no big deal for Toyota with their truck knowledge, but their 4WD cars have come and gone. Quattro is an extraordinary and almost unique oppourtunity and a bargain for $1,700 IMO.