Decisions, decisions.........

I am in the process of changing cars. I am favouring the Audi A4 Quattro, but Saab 9-3 and 9-5 figures heavily in my considerations, as do the VW GTI VR6 or 1.8Ts. Anyone on the board have any knowledge of these vehicles? I'll be buying used by the way, no newer than 2001 probably.

Can't go wrong with an Audi! I don't have one but I've always been a fan. A few friends have bought them and had very good experiences.

I've got a friend who works for a used car dealership and he's told me that almost every VW they get in these days from the late 90's onward has needed work. Electrical and transmission problems seem to be the big headaches. Right after talking to him about that I get a call from my cousin, the transmission let go in here 99 Golf with only 44K on the clock (automatic) and she can't get the airbag warning light to turn off. I also work with a few people that have had Passats and have had a lot of problems. This is all second hand info mind you, I've not owned one of these cars myself. Personally I'd favor the Saab, I like the styling better, but the Audi is also a nice car.

I never had any problems with my Passat.....rather fond of it. The Audi looks favourite, but as a rank outsider, I have a line on a BMW 525iT. We'll see.

Tough choice-- all are fun cars. I've had the Audi A4, Jetta 1.8 turbo (180 hp version) and the Passat 190 HP V6 with 5 sp manual. My favorite regarding handling was the A4 but the Passat was the overall favorite-- roomy, fast, quiet, good gas mileage and pretty darned fancy in the GLX trim. I had some trouble with the A4 suspension and tranny but the Jetta and Passat were great mechanically. My son has a '99 Saab turbo and likes a lot. The 2001 and 02 SE Saab models are fancier, more hp and still have the hatchback design. The newer Saabs are great but lost that wonderful hatchback virtue-- nice if you don't have a station wagon, SUV, truck or trailer in your family. Drive 'em and pick what you want. Warranties are pretty long for most these days.