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** NEW UPDATE..Audi it is!!! **HUGE Car decision tomorrow! '02 Audi A4 versus '02 Altima!!

S

sohcrates

Diamond Member
Saturday update

well, it's been decided. I got the audi. it was a VERY pleasant experience, and i'm truly pumped. I was originally gonna lease, but i've decided to buy...I'm gonna keep this puppy for a while

Thanks for all the input guys...maybe i'll have pics when i get it in december 😛

Allright, this is it.

Tomorow (yes, black friday) I am off to both the Audi and Nissan dealerships to test drive

1) Audi A4 1.8 T Front with drive with the continuously variable (CVT) transmission

2) Nissan Altima 3.5SE w/ automatic shifter

I AM going to get an automatic...so please avoid that argument if we can 😛

Can anyone help me make up my mind here?

On one hand, i would LOVE to have a new audi....the build quality, the looks, everything

On the OTHER hand, those Altimas are SEXY and SO FAST!!!

Basically, i can get both cars approximately the same for a 39 month lease, so money isn't an issue...what IS an issue is which one i want to drive for the next 39 months!

Any input, no matter how "biased" is APPRECIATED!!

Thanks

Friday UDPATE!

Thanks for all the input everybody, VERY interesting stuff. And BOY OH BOY, what an interesting car buying day i had!!!

First stop was audi...very nice, laid back salespeople...i like the car, though it was a little tight cause i'm 6'4". but i REALLY liked the performance. The guy basically told me, thuogh, that it's impossible to find a CVT, and my only chance would be to custom build one, but i wouldn't get it till March....so i was forced to settle with the quattro...which i really don't mind

A4 1.8 T, VERY nice blue color, sport package with 17 inch 5 spoke rims, quattro, sunroof, xenon headlights, platinum leatherette interior seating...i'm a happy guy

BUT, the "finance" guy decided not to get out of bed apparently, so I couldn't get any actual numbers. Anyway, i ended up calling back later and i'm headed back over to Audi tomorrow to work out some numbers

AFTER i left audi, i hit up the Nissan dealer...and it was going well. I test drove the 3.5SE altima, and really did love the performance , BUT, the interior was CHEAP (compared to the audi i had just drove)...and the doors and handles felt lightweight and what not...but the price was certainly better than a quattro audi...so i decided to sit down and get some pricing

My sales associated was a very nice dude, but he kept going to his 'office' to talk to some dude, who i never found out who he was. My guess is that he was a sales manager or something. Anyway, the dude was a total ass. VERY rude, VERY non-commital about EVERYTHING.

Basically, he was trying to sell me one of the crappy looking altimas he had on his own lot...i don't know if it's because it was the end of the month or what...he kept having some dude pull up different ones in front of the showroom and going "do you want that one" and i was like "hey man, i don't want THAT one, i want you to run some figures for me!!"

At that point, i STILL didn't even have a monthly payment worked out! He claimed that he didn't want to "waste his finance guy's time"...at which point i said "umm...isn't it the finance guys JOB to help people like me?" and he goes "no, he mostly talks to banks"

Let me just say it didn't get any better, and the guy basically started saying "i never told you that" and was getting VERY confrontational...the way i feel is that I'm THE CUSTOMER...THE ECONOMY ISN'T GREAT...AND I'M READY to buy a 28K car...he should be KISSING MY FEET! At one point, i asked this dude (who I STILL didn't know who the heck he was) "are there going to be any deals coming out on the altimas"...and you know his reply? "would you believe me if i said so?"...i was like WTF????

Anyway, all hell broke loose, and i left in a HUGE huff....the poor nice salesman was about ready to crap his pants.....as i drove away, i saw that sales manager jerkoff go outside and start talking to his buddies...probably calling ME the jerk. MAN, let's just say i'm calling the nissan dealer's owner next week and bitching him out...and when he says "how can i make this up to you" my reply will be "you can't!"

So at this point, i had a HORRIBLE headache, and went home

WHY IS CAR BUYING SO DIFFICULT@!!!!! AHHHHH!! EVERY TIME I GO OUT IT'S DIFFICULT!

My only saving grace is that the audi dealer was nice, and the car just overall felt more quality...and if i'm gonna spend up to 30k, i'm gonna put it into a nice german made car and spend it where i feel comfortable. End of story.

So tomorrow, i will hopefully be able to go work something out and get an Audi. The Nissan was nice, but the combination of it's feel and the salesman's absolute arrogance pissed me off enough to say GOODBYE NISSAN! (at least for now)

/End big rant
 
Get the Audi. Nothing says "baller" like an Audi. If you can't get a S4, get the little brother, the A4. 😀
 
Audi... remember that it does have free maintenence for the duration of that lease while the Nissan does not.
 
Wow, i'm seriously getting pumped here!

I'm going to the Audi dealer first at 9AM, then nissan second....If i like what i see, it could all be over by 10!

But keep the opinions coming!
 
The Nissan's gotta be more powerful than a CVT 1.8T...but I think having a car that sounds like a jet engine under hard acceleration would be cool. Since you're leasing, early-adopter maintenance with a CVT shouldn't be an issue. I dunno, it's your call. I'd take the Nissan m'self unless you were getting a Quattro Audi.
 
Are you kididng me? Any nissan vs. Audi is a no brainer 🙂

Audi all the way, my dad had audi for 4 years with no mechanical problems. Dont forget the all aluminum chasis, these things wont rust 😉
 
Audi! I don't see how you can compare an Audi to a Altima....ones smaller with an upscale look and high-class interior, while the other is a larger and faster family sedan with cheap interior.

I also don't see how both cost the same..

Go for the Audi man...although I would suggest a '01 A4 1.8T...I think they look better than the newer ones.
 


<< The Nissan's gotta be more powerful than a CVT 1.8T...but I think having a car that sounds like a jet engine under hard acceleration would be cool. Since you're leasing, early-adopter maintenance with a CVT shouldn't be an issue. I dunno, it's your call. I'd take the Nissan m'self unless you were getting a Quattro Audi. >>



Interesting , some very good points. The way i look at it, the CVT IS new, but the altima is an entire redesign as well...so it *kinda* evens out

FLAT: interesting point about the service warranty....
 
NO BRAINER!!!

AUDI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Besides, the 3.5 liter Altima with auto is about 1 second slower 0-60 anyway than the manual tranny.
 
The two aren't in the same class. However, if this is what you have narrowed you're choices down to then the Audi wins. No contest!
 


<< The two aren't in the same class. However, if this is what you have narrowed you're choices down to then the Audi wins. No contest! >>



Yeah, i guess it IS kinda weird that this is what i've narrowed it down to..but they're definitely my 2 choices

Basically, the way I see it is "should i spend the money on the sexy looks, or on the big 'honkin engine"

IF what NFS4 says is true (and i suppose it is) then perhaps this really ISN'T a contest!

BTW...anyone ever experienced a CVT before?
 


<< Get the Audi. Nothing says "baller" like an Audi. If you can't get a S4, get the little brother, the A4. 😀 >>


Therefore, nothing says "I can't afford an S4" like an A4 😉 A4's are weak, get the Altima.
 


<<

<< The two aren't in the same class. However, if this is what you have narrowed you're choices down to then the Audi wins. No contest! >>



Yeah, i guess it IS kinda weird that this is what i've narrowed it down to..but they're definitely my 2 choices

Basically, the way I see it is "should i spend the money on the sexy looks, or on the big 'honkin engine"

IF what NFS4 says is true (and i suppose it is) then perhaps this really ISN'T a contest!

BTW...anyone ever experienced a CVT before? >>


Well, check out the latest C&D and you'll see for yourself 😉 Motor Trend tested the Altima at 6.28 seconds 0-60 with the manual tranny. C&D tested the auto in this month's issue at 7.3
 


<< Therefore, nothing says "I can't afford an S4" like an A4 😉 A4's are weak, get the Altima. >>



SEE! This is what i'm dealing with!!! I CAN'T afford an S4, but i CAN afford a V6 altima.....
 
Ok...I am not here to suggest you which car to get since it's pretty obvious now 🙂
now, my only question is...HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT BOTH COST THE SAME???
 


<<

<< Get the Audi. Nothing says "baller" like an Audi. If you can't get a S4, get the little brother, the A4. 😀 >>


Therefore, nothing says "I can't afford an S4" like an A4 😉 A4's are weak, get the Altima. >>


Ohh give me a break. An Altima is a poor man's BMW. The A4 is truly a 3-Series competitor (about 9/10 of the 3 Series' limit). The Altima just wreaks of cheapness (especially it's interior) while the Audi is quality ALL THE WAY THROUGH from it's interior, transmission, engine, design, safety, execution. And the CVT can be shifted like a 6-speed manumatic as well to give you the sense of driving a regular automatic.
 
See, that's just my opinion. I think it's so much better to get a top of the line car for 'X' amount of money than it is to buy a bottom of the line car for the same amount... I'd much rather drive a fully optioned Altima with a smooth V6 than an underpowered weakling of a car.
 
C&D's thoughts on the Altima:


<< So why is it third, you're wondering?

Small reasons. A whole stack of them, none too decisive by itself, but unarguable when lumped together. We heartily applaud the exterior shape, but the driver isn't satisfied. The steeply inclined windshield is a panorama of dashtop reflections on a sunny day. And the instrument cluster is ungainly: bright orange dials tunneled deeply into the padding and thrown off balance by the inevitable parallax. The bucket seat is wrongly shaped, leaving us squirming. The rear-seat shape isn't quite right, either, lowering our rear-compartment rating to a three-way tie for last in the case of three passengers. The front doors make a low-rent sound when slammed.
Nissan Altima 3.5SE

Out on the road, the ride is extremely firm, overdamped for family use in our judgment. This SE is calibrated for sport. Make sure your other half is too before you sign the papers.

That said, this is a fun mate when you want to play. The torque comes on early, making you extremely competitive in the cut and thrust. In the twisties, responses are remarkably quick and tight, almost to the point of exaggeration. As in every powerful front-driver, you feel tugs in the steering when you lean into the power. Go light over crests, above 60 mph even, and the Altima feints left-right as the steering shrugs under the irresistible torque. And speaking of speeds, the speedometer brags more outrageously than that guy you play racquetball with. Nothing dull about this family hauler. >>

 
This transmissions is programmed differently than most CVTs. It even has a manual mode, something like a six speed. Read all about it in the December Car & Driver.
 
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