Curious minds want to know.


http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/4...smallernj4.jpg

EDIT: In case the above image has been cut due to bandwidth, here's a thumbnail you can click on.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5...ock2ab3.th.jpg

[ 07-25-2007, 02:33 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

.... What am I missing?

It only has two wheels!!!


Sorry..sorry...couldn't help myself.

This is an important question by the way - a $1500 question, you could say. ;)

it's a big scratch in both doors? Ò_ó almost at the bottom

Water/oil dripping from behind?
It is washed for a change? :D
Rear lights are on?
Two exhaust pipes?
It is blue?
Palestinian license plate? :D

Does it have a rear view mirror and tax disk?

Clearly your neuroflating projogulator is out of alignment. D'uh!

Either that or you locked the uber expensive electronic key thing inside the car? if it is that, i wouldnt admit it...

It lacks a flux capacitor of course.

I don't seem to see a rearview mirror or antenna, but they could just be out of shot. I'll concur on what appears to be a scratch along the bottom of the doors, but it's hard to tell. Could be that the tires are a little bald, but that's probably just camera angles and wishful thinking.

From here, it looks good. What's the $1500 answer?

I've got it, there is a tree growing out of the hood. It might also be that the license plate is all white, from this angle.

[ 07-24-2007, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Balintherlas ]

Left hand drive in a right hand drive world ....

The sun is in the wrong direction to give the reflection in the right wing?

My car has never been as clean as that so I wouldn't really know.

It doesn't have a built-in chauffeur.

It's not a Honda!

With the damage along the bottom of the door, I'd wonder about the subframe. I've seen them get pretty bent up. Is the front bumper bent upwards a bit? Something in the line of the car doesn't seem right, although it could just be the camera angle.

Your answers are giving me a lot of confidence. So you don't find anything wrong with the car at all?? Visually?? Don't worry about the chrome wheels, that's not the issue.

Looks good on the outside Mems, what about the inside? Miles?

<font color=skyblue>Well, obviously this car has just been washed in the driveway, as the drive is wet but the street is dry...and the tires have a spot or two of water left on them, as well as the underside was dripping a little in the back onto the street. I am betting it was hand-dryed with a towel. Then a picture was taken.

This is a car that is trying to be sold?

I wonder what the other side of the car looks like. I'd want shots from the four side angles...though this picture is sufficient to get me to drive to location to inspect it better for myself. </font>

Its tiny? Dont get in a wreck.

Be enlightened!

Click here

And here

And here

You can see why your responses have given me more confidence in my $1500 decision. After all, you represent the 95% of people who are not modding fanboys (and I mean modding as in tuning). ;)

(Hint #1: I'm OZGOD)

(Hint #2: I currently drive an Audi A4 like the one in the picture, but with 16" wheels. The one in the picture has 18" wheels.)

(Hint #3: I would really hate to have to spend $1000 on a new suspension to lower my car by 1 1/2 inches just because it would make the wheels look marginally better.)

[ 07-24-2007, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

Oh I know what's wrong with the car .....


It does not have happy birthday written on it ....

Happy birthday Memnoch [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Question: You want your car to look good by:
a). Installing the components that you think look good.
b). Installing the components that other people think look good.
c). Installing the components that other people think look good because you're not sure what looks good.
d). a + b
e). b + c
f). "WTF is Sever on this week?"

Ed: Where are my manners? Happy Birthday, Memsie!

[ 07-25-2007, 05:58 AM: Message edited by: Sever ]

ACK! Maz, I wish I had your problems... LOL And here I was worried about whether to get the ac in my husband's old Dodge fixed or let it go a while and just pay the insurance! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Dunno, my dear, but I think your car looks just fine as is, if that one in the pic is yours! :D

Interesting question! Normally it's always been "a", except for the fact that when you spend time in a subculture you're not normally familiar with and get exposed to the thought leaders in that subculture, you start to adopt those same views because of "c".

This was an interesting exercise on how the views of a subsegment/subculture (in this case the Audi modding culture) can significantly differ from that of the general populace (which includes me!).

Here's the 411. My car currently has 16" stock rims and looks like this:

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/4...4003pz2ux5.jpg

I am planning to get snow tires for it and mounting the tires on those rims - that will then be my "winter set" (that I will put on the car from Nov to April).

I was then planning to get 18" rims with summer tires which I would use the rest of the time. I worked out the total cost (4 sets of wheels and 8 sets of tires) would be around $1500 or so.

The thing is, my car has the stock suspension (i.e. it is not lowered).

I asked the same question in an Audi forum and was (nearly) unanimously told that my car would look like total rubbish, that it would looked like a jacked-up 4x4, that it would look like a Subaru Legacy, etc. Apparently the "rule" is that if you upgrade to 18"s (most of them wanted me to up to 19"s even though the roads here in Boston would kill those wheels pretty damn quick) you "must" lower the car as well, so that it looks "sick".

So I inquired at a few auto shops here as to how much it would cost to lower my car by an inch and a half. The general consensus is that it would cost about $1000 or so, parts and labour. However, this would apparently void my suspension (shocks and springs) warranty (my car has 2 years of factory warranty left). If I got Audi to do it, then I would be looking at $3000+.

The thing is, I looked at that pic of the blue Audi with 18" rims and stock suspension and couldn't find anything wrong with it, but after reading up this Audi forum and posting some threads I started to confuse myself about whether there was actually anything wrong with the picture of the car. I decided to take myself out of that environment and seek unbiased opinions elsewhere that were more representative of the general populace (i.e. not hardcore revheads).

So thanks everyone for helping me make my decision. I like the way it looks and don't care about that stupid wheelwell gap. Bugger spending an extra $1000 to lower it by an inch and void my warranty in the meantime. I wouldn't have even noticed it until it was pointed out to me anyway. :D

[ 07-25-2007, 10:05 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

I think the biggest difference is "conformity". For example; I worked with a friend on his Harley before I ever worked on cars. I was intimately familiar with them by the time I was 15 or so. Everybody I grew up with that rides has a Harley, and the ones that don't are saving for one. Imagine their shock when I showed up to go out riding on my Goldwing.

http://www.robertbard67206.com/images/My_bike-1.jpg

Note: This is my second Goldwing. After taking my first one on an extended road trip, from Wichita, KS to Dallas, TX, I won't have anything else for an extended ride.

Anyway, the point is, I ride what I like, not what my bro's like, or what people on the forums tell me is cool. Hence the "conformity" thing. Customizing cars is supposed to be about "custom". If everybody's cars look the same, what's custom about that?

Exactly. Individuality is the spice of life (slightly corrupted quote).

Ah Memnoch, you still have the tree to get rid of. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I figured as much from reading the various threads. The question was merely to ensure you knew what you wanted. The next question was going to be regarding whose eyes you wanted your car to look good in but i think you know the answer to that one.

Something that wasn't mentioned in the audi threads (even after you voiced concerns over your location) is the consequences of upgrading your suspension. Increased performance at the expense of reduced ride comfort. Apparently in contrary to the beliefs of modding fanboys, sports suspension packages are NOT designed to make your car look better. If you're getting bigger rims, you are already sacrificing some of that comfort. Depending on what kind of driver you are (and you strike me as the sensible type ;) ) you may not even want that extra performance. However, if you like to take her up over 180kmh every now and then, having all four wheels firmly hugging the ground is definitely more comfortable.

Forking out extra dosh and sacrificing warranty and ride comfort for unwanted/needed performance and the odd nod of approval from 1% of motorists... Well, i think you know you made the right decision.

Thanks mate, I'm aware of the fact that the ride will get a lot harsher with a sports suspension and lower profile tires with a smaller sidewall - I used to drive an Alfa Romeo GTV (that probably rules me out of the sensible category, but anyway. :D ). It's one of the things I'm considering, particularly here in Boston where the roads are crap. This car will be a daily driver that will need to be comfortable with the odd freeway or twisty road dash. So I guess my criteria could be broken down as follows:

Performance - 40%
Comfort - 30%
Cosmetic - 30%

LOL - I should post this quote on the Audizine forum. Love it! :D

[ 07-26-2007, 10:19 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

You menace you. No Captain Sensible here, eh? Lock up ye daughters, Boston.

LOL, Memsie I think my BMW 330cic has bigger rims than your car does. ZOMG epeen moment!!!oneoneeleven!!

I'll post pics later, but we just had a baby shower for the wife so the digital camera is full atm.

I L-O-V-E my convertible, btw. It + 70+ degree weather = awesomesauce. Yes, it has a back seat and isn't a two-seater... that was intentional since when I got it about 6 months ago I knew we were gonna be starting a family. Convertibles are no fun if baby can't ride too.

BTW, I would never do anything to void the warranty. My car's a 2004 model with 19K miles now, and I bought the extended warranty up to 60K miles or 6 years, so I want those freebies in maintenance and all the other goodies along the way to 2010.

Oh... and I think my rims are 18" but they may be 17".... plus they're kinda rarer "upgrade" rims. They look hawt I promise. Car's black with tan leather interior.