saff_cossie

Awesome pics, thanks for taking and posting up

It is the B6 range, one of the V8's. Aside from a couple of initial "issues" which were not Audi's fault, it goes very nicely. Thirsty around town but a tank lasts me 5 weeks so can't really complain. Has every option except Sat Nav and is very very nice to drive. It is auto but with the paddles behind the steering wheel. Pic attached. Price wise for the OP, I am not too concerned but as an indicator, a 60K service was around the $1K mark which I thought was quite reasonable considering the work it requires compared to the Mini at 60K which had over 2 hours worth of "checks".

Is a Cerbera, similar from the back though. Tuscan is where it is at that though, Swordfish

Mine is serviced at the Audi main dealer and their customer service is spot on. Either a loan car or a met card to get to work, car wash voucher etc. Very good communication too (something Service Dept's seem to generally struggle with). I go to the one in Elsternwick on the corner of Hotham St and Nepean Highway however they are moving soon to Nepean Highway, Bentleigh. When I bought my S4, it was maintained by a place in Oakleigh, some kind of Autohaus I think who stamp the log book too. Thumbs up for main dealer though in this case, which is rare for me.

Made me laugh. Thought I was the only one getting sick of the written diarrhea coming from Birds! Fark! I only get on here every few days and threads double in size with that yin yang symbol

Wasn't limited to just NI and was a disgrace IMO. Had some good points especially in a time of recession for dealers with high stock levels. Caused a lot more pain for independant workshops who number highly who used to maintain the older vehicles and rely on their servicing/MOT revenue. To compound it when a new vehicle doesn't need an MOT (RWC) for the first 3 years means there is no end in sight, knock on effect with motor factors etc. I know a number of people on the negative end of that scheme, more than the positive end. Guys with families having to cut down to 3 days a week rather than being made redundant to name one, car detailers at those places. Once that car is moved off the forecourt, they need not see it again for 12 months or more. An older car has multiple expenditure items in that period, tyres, batteries, servicing etc.

Utter conviction. Interesting. Rather sweeping statement don't you think? Having attended many SAU events over the years and been involved in the organising of them too, I can tell you it is a sweeping statement. Warnings are issued to the group as a whole prior to an event incase anyone thinks they can act up, due not only to the reputation of the club and the ability of the demographic attending but because of the law. Anyone caught acting up either on the day or in the wrap up's after is quickly addressed. The behaviour I have seen on SAU cruises is very good as a general rule of thumb and the very few examples of poor behaviour, are shut down fast. I also notice you are not a club member so am not sure how you can say that with utter conviction

I always read threads/articles around speed increases/driver training with interest and have commented many times on it. Did anyone notice how on Satuday's Herald Sun, the only part they put in size 24 font was the speed limit to grab the attention and enable anyone to form an opinion without reading the rest of the article from Mark. Whatever sells papers it seems. A tougher test is not just the answer, it has to start before that. The instructors giving the training need to be trained to a very high calibre much like teachers who teach primary aged kids are not your average teachers due to the knowledge they absorb at that age. A half trained instructor gets the whole process off to a bad start. 120 hours with parents isn't worth 2 hours with an good instructor if you are driving the family Prado on a long weekend along the highway with the family in the car because dad can't be bothered to drive. An example, when on a 4 lane road, teaching a student to switch lanes to join the shortest queue at the lights. The student has eaten into someone else's braking distance, this I see all too often with learners and onto fully licenced drivers. P platers would be the most common culprits of this. Do it in front of a truck once and you may not do it again! Tougher test comes next. I was shocked when I took my girlfriend for her test and the examiner told her what he would be testing on, what to do and not to do. A licence is a privelige, not a right. Next comes the type of vehicles, a P plater who is an inexperienced driver does not need a big powerful car. Comparisons are regularly made with European countries, 1-1.5 litre cars will suffice however the bigger picture of the local industry needs to be considered here. A young driver doesn't need any more confidence than they already have with the freedom of a car. This includes power, music, full of mates, weather, traffic conditions, wildlife etc. Mitigate as much risk as possible. Once the car has been decided on, it has to be insured and not just via rego. Refer Europe again. This teaches the real value of car ownership and the real risk associated with not only driving but also the type of vehicle and driver. Introduce an annual check, bombs on the road are as much of a hazard as a hoon. Curfews are not the answer, restricting passengers isn't either. The disparity of this country doesn't lend itself to that setup with public transport/infrastructure. My 2c

Great result on finally getting another newsletter out. Personal feedback as a member, very wordy compared to previous editions and prefer more pics but is personal opinion. Look forward to the next one

This is the man I agree with. Weigh up costs and considering the reason it was impounded in the first place. While we all know what happens if crimes go unreported etc, I would take this on the chin and put it as a lesson learnt IMO.

That you have a drag day the weekend after which requires a licence?

Maybe I should put the pics up from the servo 3 weeks ago Looks fantastic mate.

Cool, is a great time of year As with llama_au, we were there 2 years ago so are heading back to see more. Last time did Rockefeller Centre, Hudson River cruise, Soho, Times Square/Broadway, Wall St, Guggenheim, Central Park, 5th Avenue, some nice bars. Just touristy things there really. To show how popular the city is, we spent the entire 5 days with 2 sets of friends from Melbourne without even knowing they were going in the first place. Just facebook updates. Ended up being a lot more fun as they had been there before and able to show us some good places. When are the dates being sent through dude! Will be in touch today.

We will be in New York City on the last weekend of August and I will be heading back there in mid October again. Haven't been to Tokyo but is on the list.

Am up for this. Would be good to see what I can do in this. **Edit Fairly sure you don't need one mate, can't recall having to in the past, just needed the other stuff, closed shoes, helmet, long sleeves etc. Here is the Heathcote page with licence heading too: http://www.heathcoteraceway.com.au/scrutineering.shtml

They would either have pulled you over there, chased after you or radioed ahead to another car. Based on your story, I would say you are ok but put it as a lesson learnt

Number 8 at Crown, Nobu or Maze. Number 8 is personal favourite with 888 wines to choose from. As Ash says though, wine puts the meal price up especially with a bottle or two.

I got about $3K off $40K. They are a small family run business that select quality cars for importing. Based on that the savings they can pass on will be lower than somewhere bringing in cheap cars and marking them up. Depending on purchase price, $1K doesn't sound unreasonable on the surface.

As Charles says, do a search, at least a couple of threads on this. Good wrap.

R32Big_boy is Jarrod and JoelStrick is Joel

Joel Strickland or Bigbird (Jarrod) do a lot of photography for the club. Perhaps start with them? Is your friend a club member?

This is a superb event that SAU has put on for a number of years and have been on the trip overnight once along with a few day trips. Would have loved to come this weekend but car was not up to it. Look forward to some pics to console myself with.

This is correct. I "grovelled" my one fine which pained me to do so (7kph over on a 4 lane freeway), however I did get out of it. The basis for mine was my clean record, however contesting 3 fines potentially will rule that basis out for you. Ash - Points calc above is correct. I had 2 fines arrive for the Mini after we sold it, one for 88 and the other 89, going each way in the tunnel. Both 1 pointers and $140 something fine.

You're giving us all a bad name, get back on the boat.....

A 2.5 petrol engine in the UK is far bigger than your average car and will cost you a left nut in insurance. GTR's are a status symbol! Silverstone definately suck the wang, been there with the Ford guys.