vegas baby

[silverfool]

a family friend is now the performance parts director at one of the dealerships out here so i leapt at the chance of hitting vegas, getting to see some subies, and sweating 20 lbs off.

 

1. first of all, i know it's the desert but jeez, 120 degrees? i didn't want to leave the casino...

 

2. Highway 15- three lanes means i can now find 3 cars that choose to pace each other at 30mph...

 

3. I drove an A4 cabriolet 3.0 quattro (didn't want to put miles on my car).

a) very nice interior, as all other audis though, way too many damn buttons for the radio/HVAC.

b) acceleration was linear but felt slower on the butt dyno compared to the subie.

c) sadly, subaru needs to learn something about soundproofing as this ragtop was actually quieter than my LGT.

d) cornering- this car cornered flat...no lean at any sane speed.

e) convertibles- man, everyone should drive one with the warm desert air in your face and the Eagles blaring on the Bose.

 

don't get me wrong, i still love my car and SoCal. The desert folk keep insisting that humidity can add up to 20 degrees but let's be honest, it's still not 100 degrees here in Orange County. As for the A4 cab vs the LGT, convertibles are fun but-

1. I like side airbags

2. I'm rarely scared someone is gonna try to cut open my subie's lid to get to my Milli Vanilli CD.

3. I easily fit all 4 of the stock wheels/tires in my LGT's trunk, I could barely fit my wife's shopping bags in the Audi. Whether this is a testament to her shopping skills or a knock on Audi, only God and my creditors know.

 

All in all, fun trip, I love Vegas. If any of you Nevadans are by Subaru of Las Vegas on Decatur, you should say hey to Ed C. He spent a lot of time on the tuner scene here in SoCal before hitting Vegas and is just about the nicest guy. I may very well bring my car all the way out there to get some parts done because they treated me better than any of the local dealers- in just the 20 minutes I spent there, I met the GM, a handful of installers (all of whom are subie enthusiasts themselves) and other guys. Quality all the way around. I know you guys don't have a lot of choices in dealers but I have 5-6 around me and still am considering driving out there just to have people whom love subies and respect owners sell me some coils/SS lines/etc.