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Not at all. Mine's the same design as yours (B6 chassis), and I'd say they're both equally "new" or "old." When I started looking, I thought 2002+ was "new" until I saw the used car market, and that's when I realized that when you're talking about money (and that's really what counts), then only 2009 (possibly 2008) is actually "new" meaning that you'll pay the "new model" premium.

I love my A4. I'm glad I made the "compromise" and got it.

BTW, my primary reason for getting the A4 is because the B6 design is (IMHO) the only 2002-2005 family of cars that actually do not look even remotely dated. Non-car-enthusiasts would not recognize a B6 design as being 10 years old. Audi really did a great job getting ahead of the curve with that design, esp. when (today) you compare a 2002 BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti to the 2002 Audi models, you see what I mean: the latter group is distinctly "older looking."

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My point was that your "entry level" car was the same as my "luxury sedan".

My previous ride was a 1990 BMW 535I and before that a 1982 Mercedes. Both purchased when they were over 15 years old and both for less than $3k so paying closer to $10k was quite. Move up.

And I agree that the b6 is the pinnacle of Audi style (at least currently). The b7 and b8 front ends are uglo-cars IMHO. I'm hoping to keep this car for as long as I can. I'm even looking to pick up a spare motor in case mine blows up (I'm getting current one chipped next week).

Oh. "entry-level" is objective, not subjective. Meant 3-series vs 5/7-series and A4 vs A6/A8.

I have a 2006.5 a4 (b7), and I'm always amazed driving around to like the b6 just as much. The only thing keeping me from driving this car until it completely falls apart in 10y is the relatively dated navigation system, lack of realtime traffic, etc. I'll probably get a model s and keep the a4 for road trips and a second car for my girlfriend to drive.

Haha, I want to do the same. Model S is sooooo sexy, and I'd keep the B6 for road trips.

WRT the navigation: just get a 100 dollar Nuvi w/ realtime traffic. My B6 doesn't have the in-dash navigation in the first place, but the Garmin's a really nice product.

In SF, you can't leave anything in the cabin of the car, or meth faeries will break in (costing hundreds to replace windows) and stealing a $1-2 item. Removing and replacing the nav system every time I use the car would get really annoying, or if I loan it to someone else who doesn't do so, so I'd have to factor in the inconvenience of replacing the glass several times per year.

Plus, the internal inputs into built-in nav are a big plus; it works a little bit better than the aftermarket stuff, and having turns on the driver information display is worth it to me too.

What would really make sense is a Model S for around here, and then getting a TDI (I wish they sold the A4 TDI in the USA, but a VW Passat or A3) for really long trips. I get about 28-30mpg on highways at 75mph in my A4 (with APR chip, and about 100k miles), but that's with premium fuel. But I guess depreciation dominates fuel cost for a while longer.

Funny how Chicago gets such a bad rep, but I have no problem leaving the GPS in the car if I just turn it off (stupid how German cars still can't power down the 12V outlet when you turn off the engine.. that and cup holders.)

What would make for a great long-distance car here in the States would be the 335d. If you get the Model S in 2013 or so, a 5 year old 335d should be around the right price for the taking. I got my A4 chip'd as well, seeing the same mileage. Four dollars at the pump seems like a fair enough tradeoff for me (15 gallons at ~25 cents more).

Yeah, I'd have a 335d if they made it in coupe form in the USA. 335d sedan is a nice car too, but the 335 coupe is just so beautiful. With military/contractor discounts, BMWs in Europe (which then get shipped back to the USA) aren't a bad deal new, either.

My real long-term (5-10 year) goal is to make enough money and have enough time to have a CH-801 (STOL piston, diesel engine) aircraft, about $100-200k, for flying SFO to Reno or Oregon, and then eventually a HondaJet to fly to Vancouver, central Washington, dive sites in Socal, etc.

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