Sure I didn't when I first bought the car, but I'm learning. Let's face it, where I grew up (Detroit), foreign cars (much less German cars) were kind of a novelty. When I go back to visit my parents, German cars are still kind of rare in areas with a high UAW proportion of residents. Other foreign cars are just about everywhere, but German cars show that you have money and didn't get it through the auto industry. That's a rare combination where I grew up, but things are changing.

The fact that I know what a TVR is (before the Swordfish movie debuts) says something about how much I've learned about cars since first puchasing an S4.

It's not all just american cars here. It probably did start with a sort of enthusiasm for the more rare american cars, but from there grew into enthusiasm for the rare, novelty types over all...

BTW, sorry I havn't returned your e-mail to my VW.com address. I'm in the middle of a job change. I think they're going to place me in a Dealer Field Support role, or a corp. to dealer liason type postition. But as for now I'm no longer with VW credit. To answer your question, A LS1 T/A is a Trans Am with the latest GM V8 LS1 5.7L. Karls TT got a car length off the line against that car...

I grew up in a more unionized area of the suburbs, Downriver (for anyone else reading, that is south of Detroit). I would say foreign cars were more rare there than other suburbs at the time. Now Asian imports (or at least cars with Asian name plates) are about seen at just about every intersection throughout the Detroit area. However, German imports are not nearly as common around some parts of the Detroit area. Downriver, you'll see some VW's and BMW's. Most likely it'll be either a Bug or a Z3. Unless you're in Grosse Ile, you won't see much else from Germany. (This paragraph is filled with generalizations)

Growing up, I was not a car enthusiast because it wasn't pushed on me. I admit that my "enthusiasm" for cars did not start until after buying my first S4. Since then, I've been trying to learn the foreign models first. Why? Most foreign car companies produce better cars than the Big 3 (excluding the Daimler portion of D/C). This isn't a knock on the Big 3, but the Big 3 produce more of the "appliance" type cars. Plus their more upscale models are overshadowed by the foreign models. Now that I am getting into knowing more about cars, there's only so much I can learn at a time.

So this is why I haven't learned much about American cars yet and why I don't think the enthusiasm around Detroit for German cars is as big as it is elsewhere or for other makes.

Besides, you know I don't cheer for the home team just because they are the home team. Why should I be any different with the cars I follow. 8-)

Any luck on checking into that other question I had for you awhile ago. Seems that they've already found something else for you. Anything yet?

BTW, I'll be in the Detroit area 7/4-7/8

I went into the Royal Motors San Francisco parts department to learn that "there was never such thing as a '92 S4"....thanks guys, I'll go elsewhere.

I asked for 5 spark plugs, the counter guy thought I was stupid... "Dude you want 4 or 6, not 5. Huht huh huh"