I went to the Anaheim car show this last weekend and saw the new 3 series and the good ol' A4. I have a 98.5 A42.8qtip but I like the pictures of the new 3 series in the magazines and stuff. When I actually saw the bimmer I was pretty disappointed, especially on the interior. The dash wasn't planned out very well and the body didn't go through enough re-styling. The only 2 cars that I saw at the show that I'd really rather have than my A4 were the Lexus GS400 and the BMW M Coupe.<br>

Drove a sedan briefly in initial car-buying time for A4 evalutation only, so can't really say if feels different than present Avant (was also a 5 month difference between drives). All I can say is Avant with sprot package and Sport seats is a blast on back country roads; handling is beautiful. Car feels neutral handling, with some understeer - very sporty. This is from someone who also has a Porsche 993 which sees about 5 autocrosses and 6 race track events a year.

We test drove nearly identical cars (2.8 Sedan and Avant, Tip, no Sport package) back to back on some pretty fun, twisty roads. If I didn't look in the rearview mirror, I couldn't tell which car I was driving.

I have a 98.5 Avant QMS. My brother has a 99 sedan QMS. Both have Onyx interiors. When sitting in the front seats and driving you have no idea which car you are in at all. Both are VERY sporty on back roads and my Avant should have slightly better balancing with the rear weight. I have not felt a difference at all...and this includes the 8 test drives I did before I bought mine.<p>As for smart ass wagon remarks....I get them all the time. I am 26 and single and I own a wagon and I am proud of it. Most times I get crap and then I show them the car. After seeing it in person not one person has ever made another remark about owning a wagon. In fact one friend said it was the "sexiest wagon" he had ever seen.<p>I love my Avant. The only things that could tear me away are a S4 Avant, which will probably NEVER make it here, or an S6 sedan. Either way I will be very happy for a long time to come.<p>Take a look at my registry page for more detailed info on my car if you like.<p>Hope this helps,<br>Rick<br>98.5 Avant QMS<ul><li><a href="http://131.107.68.28/a4.org/registry/details.asp?car=937">My Registry Page</a></li></ul>