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Shadow
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Hi everyone...

Post by Shadow »

I'm glad to have found this forum. I've been driving manual transmission cars since I was 18 years old. So that's more than 20 years now. I've owned 11 cars in my life so far, and the first 10 of them were all manual transmission. I currently drive a 4Runner and it's an automatic (they didn't offer manual on my model year). After a few years of driving my 4Runner, I'm dying to get back into a manual transmission car.

So I'm thinking about picking up an Audi A5 2.0T. Does anyone here own one? I've read some good reviews, but I've never driven one before. And it seems almost impossible to find one on a dealership lot to test drive.
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theholycow
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by theholycow »

Welcome!

I bet the 4runner would be relatively easy to convert... :D
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FDSpirit
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by FDSpirit »

Listen to this cow guy. Thinks he's all special and such. Pfft! :lol: . Welcome! Too bad you weren't here a few months ago when my mom's 4Runner crapped the bed. You could've had some parts. :lol:
2000 Honda Civic Si- Slightly faster than your grandmomma's grocery getter......slightly.
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AHTOXA
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by AHTOXA »

Welcome!

Doubt anyone here owns an A5 though.
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Shadow
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by Shadow »

AHTOXA wrote:Welcome!

Doubt anyone here owns an A5 though.
Really? Why is that? It seems plenty of the smaller Audis are manual transmissions.
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AHTOXA
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by AHTOXA »

There isn't a reason in the sense that you are thinking. I just remember that none of the active and semi-active users own one.
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wannabe
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by wannabe »

in fact, i don't know if we have any active AUDI owners...hmmm

btw, welcome shadow :D
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Rope-Pusher
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by Rope-Pusher »

AHTOXA wrote:Welcome!

Doubt anyone here owns an A5 though.
Well that's a fine Audi-Do!

(I can't recall that we have any Audi owners either. Do we still have some of their red-headed step-children - VW owners - as members?)
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JusCruzin
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by JusCruzin »

Take this with a grain of salt, but I test drove a manual S5 (not the A5) recently and found the clutch to be difficult. However, I am an absolute beginner when it comes to driving standard shift, which is why I wouldn't put stock in what I say here. OTOH, I did note that the Audi salesman (who said he has driven manual all his life) stalled the car a couple times when parking it, and also Edmunds Insideline's review complained to some degree about the S5 clutch. Again, this is for the S5, but I would think the A5 would be similar.

At the end of the day, you need to drive the car itself to evaluate whether it is right for you. Where do you live that you cannot find a dealer with an A5 on the lot? It is a hot selling car but I saw plenty of them at a couple dealerships in southern California.
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six
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by six »

^ Ooo, the S5 sounds like something I should try! I love tricky clutches!
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ElectroGhandi
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by ElectroGhandi »

I don't like Audis. Get a BMW!
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theholycow
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by theholycow »

Sounds like the same clutch that was in my 2008 VW Rabbit. It's generally agreed to be an excessively numb, touchy clutch.
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Shadow
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by Shadow »

JusCruzin wrote:Take this with a grain of salt, but I test drove a manual S5 (not the A5) recently and found the clutch to be difficult. However, I am an absolute beginner when it comes to driving standard shift, which is why I wouldn't put stock in what I say here. OTOH, I did note that the Audi salesman (who said he has driven manual all his life) stalled the car a couple times when parking it, and also Edmunds Insideline's review complained to some degree about the S5 clutch. Again, this is for the S5, but I would think the A5 would be similar.

At the end of the day, you need to drive the car itself to evaluate whether it is right for you. Where do you live that you cannot find a dealer with an A5 on the lot? It is a hot selling car but I saw plenty of them at a couple dealerships in southern California.
I live in New York, just north of Manhattan. The only time you see an A5 (with a manual transmission) on a dealer's lot around here, it's one that was special ordered for a customer. It's amazing to me that none of the dealers in my area have one available to test drive.
Last edited by Shadow on Sat Jan 22, 2011 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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FDSpirit
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by FDSpirit »

Yes! Another NorEaster! :D
2000 Honda Civic Si- Slightly faster than your grandmomma's grocery getter......slightly.
JusCruzin
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Re: Hi everyone...

Post by JusCruzin »

Shadow wrote:The only time you see an A5 (with a manual transmission) on a dealer's lot around here, it's one that was special ordered for a customer. It's amazing to me that none of the dealers in my area have one available to test drive.
Have you tried AutoTrader or Audi's website to locate a manual A5 in your area? You can also ask a dealer to check Audi's database for cars in transit from Germany. The one caveat is that I got the distinct impression that the software that Audi dealers use to track vehicles is primitive. Audi dealers cannot even email you a copy of the window sticker, which is frankly an amazing deficiency these days. It does track some details (including transmission) but not the full window sticker which is annoying.

It's much harder to sell a manual than an automatic; one Audi salesman said that the automatic S5's generally sell within 2 weeks, whereas a manual can languish on the lot for months before finding a buyer. And this is for a car that came only with manual when Audi first introduced it to the US market.

I guess the upside is that if you find a manual car, I would think you should be able to negotiate a good deal because the dealer should be thrilled to find a manual buyer.
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