akrca4

Another vote for Audi S4, but guess I am biased...
Love the torque, and Avant should give u enough room to carry stuff around...

Frank 993 C4S

If I get to vote twice, that would the the 8th vote for the S4.

Van1

Like Stedge, I went a different route as well. This New Years Eve, I bought a new leftover '05 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited wagon with a 5 speed for my daily driver. For $26,000 (sticker was $31,000), I think this car is a bargain for what I got - leather, 4 position heated seats, Momo steering wheel, AWD etc. Plus, the 250hp 250 lb/ft tq turbo boxer is a real gem. This thing hauls - faster than my old e36 M3 I think. The interior build quality and quality of materials used is outstanding and is on par with the German machinery. And the bigest benefit is that the Legacy is a real sleeper unlike the STi, especially in wagon form. Only problem is that the '06 wagon isn't offered in a manual transmission and I think that it is unlikely that left over '05s are still sitting around. But the manual can still be had in the Legacy sedan as well as the Outback XT. For more info on the Legacy GT check out the comparo in the March issue of Road and Track.

I like this car so much I am torn as to which I will track more this year - the Legacy or the 993. Will definately be splitting time between the two.

robroy72

2002 or 2003 Audi S8 - bags of room, total sleeper, safety of AWD and built a la tank.

pchak

The previous gen 3-5 series BMW is nice, but a prev gen A6 will give a nice, taut ride. Since you don't live in the snow, and haven't expressed a lot of need to haul stuff, I guess a Quattro or an SUV is unnecessary.

My winter/daily driver is a 96 Range Rover, with 140K miles. It goes anywhere, but there's a reason it has such a huge gas tank. My 993 gets 25-30% better mileage! I pray for nice days (like today-its 23F here in Cleveland, but dry and sunny), so I can drive my p-car to work!!!

(p.s., Van1's choice is a great alterantive as well-the Legacy wagon fits a nice middle ground, and offers options for hauling)

stedge

Van, you are right on the $$. The wagon was a consideration for me, too, but we have a minivan (though miles over 100k) so I went the little screamer route. The interior of the legacy is nicer than the STIs - the differences are elsewhere, but no doubt that Legacy engine is good. I have had a Subie before, and they go through anything, and last. I woudl argue that the Audi interiors are certainly nicer, but not enough to justify the $$ for me.