Those of you who have been on this board a while remember me from my previous 1.8TQM as "Shadow." You may also recall that in a twist of fate, I reluctantly had to sell it to a friend (You can find him on this board and in the registry.)<p>I finally located a car last week, and I am happy to say that I now own a 1998 Hibiscus Red Mica 1.8TQM, w/ all the factory options. After a few months driving company cars (I work at a high line and exotic car dealer in Austin) I was glad to be back in the saddle of the best sports sedan on the plannet. Honestly, I could have bought just about anything on the lot, and these wonderful machines we have are simply the best all around car for the money.<p>It feels good to drive such a wonderful car, and be involved with all of you fellow enthusiasts. I'll see you on the tarmac.....<br>

Most of those are pretty good vehicles, but they just didn't seem to pull off such a complete package as the A4. The Land Rovers were really neat, and mostly well built, but they were sloth like slow and very, very thirsty. I've always been impressed with the Mercedes quality and engineering, but the interiors of all three bodies are the same, which is to say unimaginative.<p>By far, the Porsche and BMW are closest to an enthusiats tastes. They both have soul and character and are loads of fun to drive. Even a ten or fifteen year old 911 is solid and very quick. I almost bought an M3, but my roomate has one with a RMS supercharger that dyno tested at 379 crank horses. It is a wonderfully balanced car and a hoot to pound on even from the factory. That said, I wanted something that was more comfortable as a daily driver than an M, and I am still amazed at the tenacious grip of the quattro driveline.<p>I could drive anything I want.....I bought another A4!<p>My .02<p>JP

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