anti Touareg sentiment

And, again, you're comparing an $80K car to a $45K car. Believe me, my next car is far more likely to be an Audi than a Chevy, but those guys in Bowling Green sure do seem to be able to extract a lot of performance (and I'm not just talking about straight-line acceleration) from a (relatively) small amount of money.

-- Mike Smith

It helps that they've been using essentially the same engine design for 30 years. I'll do things the opposite way here, how about the Subaru WRX STi? 0-60 in the low 4s, less than 3.0 litres of displacement. And you get it packed with AWD and other gooides for less than $35k. There's nothing special about a HUGE V8 making big power. And you seem to have ignored the portion I wrote last time about the new Legacy 2.5. You get a fully loaded, leather packed sedan with AWD and a 5.2 second 0-60 time for less than $36k. That's enough performance to rival the new Pontiac GTO, complete with it's 5.7 litre V8. Steve Grauman

Nah, I'd rate that as pretty cheap. Around here (Norway), current cost is US$ 6.30 a gallon. Crazy thing is that this country supplies most of the gasoline sold on the Eastcoast of the USA.

Espen

Hmm, on these shores, the 911 starts at US$ 150,000, and the Vette starts at US$ 201,000, so I'd say the 911 is a somewhat better buy, at least in this country (Norway). Hell, a Camaro will cost ya $

Espen

I am sorry if I gave the impression I discount your opinion...I don't, I was just explaining why opinions, like mileage, vary. The TDI or any diesel is a great car for commuting and general around town driving. It is also great on the highway, where the mileage numbers are outstanding. The TDI also represents the first VW diesel that isn't a true slug. I realize that is a relative term, and no one should mistake the TDI for a performance car, but for general use, it is a very good performer. Quick is fun, I like quick, I have owned quick, but at some point other factors slide ahead of quick on the priority scale. For some quick gets supplanted by luxury, for others it is economy, others may make utility their priority. None of it is wrong, just different.

Another, more accurate way to put it would be that all of us guys in our forties were 21 once, and not that long ago, and we remember very well how we knew everything, absolutely everything, about everything. Only to discover as we progressed into our thirties that the truth is we were green, wet-behind-the-ears, and embarrassingly brash in spite of our lack of experience at 21. Don't get upset, Steve, you'll feel the same way one day, and believe me, you'll be 45 before you know it.

Well said!

Biggest difference is we only had print car mags to read to make us "experts in our own minds", and not also the online internet stuff; and we didn't have newsgroups to broadcast our delusions.

It's "easier" to appear a fool to a wider audience, now.

OK, cute. Here in the States, a Vette costs about $45K.

-- Mike Smith

Nothing crazy about it - your gas is expensive because that's the way your government decided they wanted it. Now, *presumably*, that means your countrymen want it that way, too (I mean, you *do* live in a democracy, right?).

-- Mike Smith

I really don't feel that way though. I've come to this NG, and others, for advice. And I've done so knowing that the added experience you guys have is going to mean something when I get that advice. At the same time, I think we should all understand that everyone's priorities are a bit different, regardless of age. And rather than calling me a liar, or claiming that I simply don't know what I'm talking about, you guys could've simply taken the stance that the 21 year old doesn't have the same logic you all do, and that's fine. When I called the TDI a "slug", I wasn't doing it to start a flam war, and I certainly wasn't trying to troll the board. I was simply voicing my personal opinion. Compared to my GTi the TDI feels slow, and that's all I meant. Steve Grauman

J.H., you've made yourself seem a fool here. You don't need magazines or the internet for it, either. Steve Grauman

I'm really not. But I'm terminally frustrated over the few people left that seem to feel a sports car can't be a sports car without a huge engine to back it up. We live in the 21st century, and automotive technology has come a long way. Admittedly, Chevrolet has come a long way in 30 years, and they've turned a fairly primitive engine into a respectable performance product. I don't think that this makes turbocharging a bad idea though, and I personally don't feel like it's a gimmick technology pushed on Americans who don't know any better.

I agree. Which is why I've used the Legacy 2.5 and WRX STi as examples. They represent two of the best cars avaliable right now in their respective classes. Not only are they far quicker than most of the others, they handle, ride and stop better than most of them too. Of course, for quite some time, handling was not the strong suit of the Corvette either. And even with the C5s, only Z51 equipped coupes or Z06s were really capable of holding their own aganist the imports from a handling perspective.

Not in this case. The new GTO is actually a Holden, an Australian GM that's generally receieved positive reviews in it's home market. It also happens to be powered by a version of the 350 that's also powered Corvettes, Camaros and Firebirds. Steve Grauman

No worries here, mate.

I'm glad. I certainly don't want to be the guy on the board that nobody wants to have a conversation with. You know, like J.H. =) Steve Grauman

Returning to this group after several weeks and tracing this thread, it is hard to believe that my innocent original "anti Touareg sentiment" post spawned all of this SUV controversy. What a group!!

You're just a natural-born trouble maker, aren't you?

I have a spare keyless entry for my '99 Passat that I need to program. Unfortunately I don't have the owner's manual with the instructions. I have one key that works. The spare key is cut for another car.

Can someone out there provide the details to get the spare working to open the doors?

Thanks

Is there any way to accomplish the task with only one key?