REDMANSIONS BLOG

In spite of the cost of repairs, this car has served me well for over 100,000 miles. I have taken numerous long road trips in this car, driving pretty much non-stop. Thankfully the only times it has gone kaput have been when I was close to home. I have also used it for regular commuting (70 miles daily) for about five years with only occasional Audi 100 Control Arm problems.

Electrical problems certainly get the worst kind of behavior out of this car. Once when I was sitting at a light, the car died without warning and I was unable to turn it back on. Furthermore, the brake pedal seized up and would not respond. Thankfully I was not on an incline.

This car gets excellent highway gas mileage, especially on long trips. It does not do so well with regards to city driving.

This car drives very well on snow. The ABS system works quite well.

I have never had any problem with the heating or cooling system. In cold weather, it warms up fast; in hot weather, the A/C is reliable.

Accelerates from zero quickly, or at least it used to. It has slowed down after I've put so many miles on it. It accelerates more slowly once you get above 55 mph.

The cabin is cramped. There is an arm rest that comes down between the front seats, containing a drink holder. The arm rest and drink holder make it impossible for me to move my arms to drive or reach the instrument panel, so I have never used it. The cabin is also difficult to clean. It is very hard to retrieve items that fall between (or under) the seats.

The car is not well insulated from noise.

Since I bought the vehicle used, I don't know what went wrong with it before. In the two years I've had it, I put several thousand worth of repairs into it: the McPherson struts had to be replaced, and the rack and pinion was busted (but didn't adversely effect the driving too much). The result was that the car just wouldn't hold an Audi 100 Cargo Liner alignment; I had it done three times and each time it was worse than when I brought it in.

After more than 110,000 miles the engine runs rough, but I'm also in need of a tune-up so that could be part of the problem. I suspect it is, since I'm getting poor mileage lately and at higher speeds (50 and up) I'm getting some sputtering when I gradually accelerate, or try to hold it at one speed.

The worst problem I've been having is the steering and ride. The wheel is permanently cocked a bit off center, even after a successful alignment (which I got after getting the rack fixed). While driving the car has a tendency to pull slowly in one direction or the other, and there's a small dead spot in the wheel. No matter what the state of the tires, it seems like I can feel every tiny bump in the road, which I chalk up to the suspension system. And yes, the car lets in all the road noise you can imagine.

Finally, the horn went bad! When it would get hot outside the plastic on the steering wheel would expand and press on the sensor inside the wheel, causing the horn to go off even though no one was in the car. Very embarrassing. I had to have a horn button installed.

This car rides great.

I get fairly good gas mileage.

It looks pretty sharp.

Yes, I have replaced the Audi 100 Car Cover and the windows motor, but that is the same with any car I have owned.

This car is dependable except for the stalling which can go days without occurring, but sometimes occurs several times a day (or once).I generally shut the car down and it starts up just fine.

This lens does not have any content modules yet.

As the seasons change and autumn is upon us, thoughts turn from fun-filled days at the beach to long mornings slogging through the rush-hour commute in inclement weather. If you live anywhere where the weather gets rough, an all-wheel drive vehicle can work wonders for your daily drive. But what if you want the safety of all-wheel drive without having to drive an SUV?

As recently as a few years ago the market for all-wheel drive passenger cars was fairly small. If you wanted one, your choices were limited to a few manufactures, and the models like Hyundai tiburon performance parts were usually priced at a premium. That changed with the introduction of the 2007 Suzuki SX4. The SX4 was a neat little five-door crossover that offered style, all-wheel drive, and a low sticker price of $14,999. Suzuki is launching an SX4 sedan for 2008 that offers the same amenities and underpinnings as the crossover, but in a four-door package at a base price of $14,770. For a few dollars more at $16,270, a touring package adds upgraded amenities, and, more importantly, an electronic stability program and a traction control system to keep the wheels on the road in tough driving conditions.