Spring thoughts
One easy way to spot the approach of spring is to ask a Carfreak how much time he/she has spent on thinking of upgrades and/or changing cars. You’ll likely get an answer such as “daily”, or at the least “much more than normally”.
I’ve had the A3 for very close to 2 years now. For an average Carfreak, it would probably be time to move on. Having however invested quite significantly into upgrades, most of which during last year, changing the car right now would simply be stupid. This doesn’t of course mean that I wouldn’t still be thinking of alternatives – if opportunity knocks, one has to be ready 
For me, the criteria of changing cars is pretty clear. The new car would have to be significantly different from the current one, be usable as both a daily driver and a track toy, and equally importantly, have a unique and appealing look. This tends to narrow down the list of choices by quite a bit. And then add the fact that the price has to be within my limits, and you end up with even fewer choices.
If we look at what the market has to offer right now, two choices seem to surface above others. The new Audi TT (the 3.2Q model, can’t go pure-FWD), and the BMW Z4 (the 3.0si, or maybe even the M as a pre-owned purchase – both in Coupe form). Both would probably be great fun on the tracks, and still be fully usable as daily drivers. These are naturally not the only two choices. The new BMW 335ci might be equally fun, and the new A/S5 from Audi also looks very promising on the paper. The point however is that it’s not like there’s dozens of different models to choose from – the list is surprisingly short, for me that is at least.
This is of course still purely and entirely speculation at this point. When the time actually comes, the choices may have changed entirely. But that’s exactly why you need to keep thinking of them 
Loves to track, but also enjoys the more subtle aspects of carfreakness. Will not bow to any one particular brand or make. Accepts the fact that neither he or his toys may be the very best in their own categories - just "plain" good can be quite rewarding and challenging.
March 4th, 2007 at 19:23
My god, those words sounded like they just came out of my mouth. My list is almost the same. Audi TT 3.2 Q is currently my first choice, I’m also having hard time accepting the 2.0T fwd. Test drive on wintertime prove my doubts on this matter. Surely this is my personal interest; I’m thinking too much daily usage on winter time. I should focus my thoughts on spring and summer
March 4th, 2007 at 23:11
Good thoughts moogie. I’m a bit worried how I can’t seem to find any interesting car in decent price range any more. Maybe I have spent too much time surfing the net for sick rides, or watched the new Miami Vice too many times – there just isn’t any affordable car out there that fires up my passion. I still enjoy my current Mini every day, but can’t help dreaming about owning a real sports car.
To be honest, I’m not quite keen to the new BMW design, I think it lacks the agressive and sporty looks that I desire. It’s a shame since I prefer bmw in good quality and great driving characteristics. I’m surprised to find the new Audi desígn so great, since it’s been a bit off the track in the past. The new TT and R8 look really stunning, and the new A5 also seems quite promising. For me, the design plays a huge role in a car, and I think that my next car will have to somehow special. Maybe it’s just time for a reality check for me, or wait a few more years to see what happens…
March 5th, 2007 at 00:08
Did you have issues with the suspension qsueaking at low temperatures? I have a 2006 A3 3.2 and the front suspension squeaks for about the first 15 kms below 0 C.
Thanks.
March 5th, 2007 at 12:04
seespot: No, I haven’t had any such problems with either the stock suspension or with the H&R’s.
Lauri: I think you’ve hit the spot with the reality check. If costs were not an issue, my preferences would obviously be something totally different from those I listed. Even the models I listed would be just barely (if even so) within my limits. And lets face it, those are already quite damn expensive..
March 5th, 2007 at 14:11
You could get a nice used e46 M3 with the money you would spend to audi tt/z4 coupe. I’m quite sure the M3 is much more fun than those two, performance is great and handling too.
March 5th, 2007 at 15:35
Oh yes, quite true. I didn’t even mention playing this card as I didn’t want to go there – yet
It will be a tough choice when the time comes. The logic part of the brain says to go for a used car, as it’s much more bang-per-buck. But as we all know, there’s more than just logic involved in these decisions.
March 10th, 2007 at 20:13
Hard decisions!
I’m on the same boat with Lauri. We all know that there are a lot of sporty cars on the market but somehow my own standards have gone so high that finding an interesting car – a car you could own with passion – is a bit difficult. Perhaps better to keep the current car for a while… or who knows… (I don’t!
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I think that in most cases buying a pre owned car is the way to go. At least I know whether I would pick a brand new 330i or a bit used M3
A used car with warranty shouldn’t give you headache and great condition with low miles should give you a bit of “the new car feeling”…