I wasn’t sure anyone would be concerned over this. But …

I just wanted to share with the masses that as of a little over 10 days ago, I no longer have my BLUE “8”. My wife and I decided that a full sized four door sedan would be a better fit for the coming years. So that is what we have switched too.

I will miss my “8”. It was an incredibly fun car. I also had a blast in the Dragon Tail trip this past summer in it. It was a great all around experience.

BTW – Just today I was driving to a spot within 2 miles of the office to run an errand over my lunch hour. I found myself trying to plan a route that would allow the engine sufficient time to warm up. :D Certainly not a “dig” on all you current owners. I just found it humorous that my “8 training” was so engrained in my psyche.

Best of luck to you all in your future ownership experiences,
WHealy

wheally wtf can i have the body panels that you dyed. PAHLEEEZZZZZZ

We'll miss you HealyGuy!

A very talented customizer, with special 'preferences'!

Maybe Magix wants to form a new BlueMan group?

S :D

Sorry to hear this Whealy, but sounds like you had fun while it lasted.

As long as I can keep a 2nd car like this, I will. But like you, things do change with time.

Good luck.

It was fun while it lasted, good luck and enjoy!!

-BV

.....another one bites the dust......

So long bud. So what'd you get? A WRX?

Sorry to see you go - hope you got a terrific car like an Audi A4 Quattro, a BMW 3 series, an Acura TL, etc. NOT a boy racer rice boy thing like a WRX.

Bill,
Just because you no longer have your 8 doesn't mean that you have to be a stranger to the forum. Many of us appreciate your input, so visit us often. I enjoyed meeting you at the Dragon. Come on back for 2005. You're still an 8er at heart, and that's all that counts.
Regards,
Dave

hate to see a fellow blue member go..
did you have any mods on your car or things that i can buy off of you before you sell it though? or is it too late?

Hummmmmm let me think. Sedan or 8?................



































8 Duh!

but if that sedan were ...

... an M5 ...

or a few other things ...

SEDAN

I wasn’t sure anyone would be concerned over this. But …

I just wanted to share with the masses that as of a little over 10 days ago, I no longer have my BLUE “8”. My wife and I decided that a full sized four door sedan would be a better fit for the coming years. So that is what we have switched too.

I will miss my “8”. It was an incredibly fun car. I also had a blast in the Dragon Tail trip this past summer in it. It was a great all around experience.

BTW – Just today I was driving to a spot within 2 miles of the office to run an errand over my lunch hour. I found myself trying to plan a route that would allow the engine sufficient time to warm up. :D Certainly not a “dig” on all you current owners. I just found it humorous that my “8 training” was so engrained in my psyche.

Best of luck to you all in your future ownership experiences,
WHealy

Wow- you really put a lot of work in your 8. I've got to ask- how hard was it to sell with all the blue stuff you did? Seems like you'd have to find just the right person for that... or did you just trade it in?

sure sure.....
we all know it's your excuse to your wife to make room for the rx7 or the mazdaspeed 8 when it comes out :D
but hope you enjoyed it! and good luck with whichever car you choose next!

Thanks for all the considerate comments … except DOMINION (;p :D)

A few more comments to answer what’s been put up here and what’s been PM’d. I no longer have my old “8”. It was traded. I felt the blue interior was going to be liability as well. So I pushed my trade hard while the price for the new vehicle had already been set though extensive dealer rebates and lease subsidizing. So for trading (which is always the worst deal) I think I got a better than average deal.

Stew, you were a little too close with your comments. :) I test drove a WRX STI a couple months back. Just decided it wasn’t what I wanted. Also, I checked into an M5. I could have ordered and picked it up in Aug or Sept of 05 per the current estimated. I had test driven the previous M5 and loved it. I test drove a 545 but just wasn’t what I was looking for. So I got the vehicle pictured below. (posting pics knowing full well that not many will be impressed with my descision, but comfortable with sharing)


http://www.prowleronline.com/scrapbook/00001355/whealy-11-21-4-ph-1.jpg

http://www.prowleronline.com/scrapbook/00001355/whealy-11-21-4-ph-2.jpg

http://www.prowleronline.com/scrapbook/00001355/whealy-11-21-4-ph-3.jpg

http://www.prowleronline.com/scrapbook/00001355/whealy-11-21-4-ph-4.jpg

Nice... is that a Phaeton (sp?)?

What a change. That thing must feel huge compared to the 8, nice choice though. GL!

well--its a good car--and certainly more rare than the RX8 because it isn't selling. What made you get the Phaeton?

Volkwagen...the car maker of the 3rd Reich

Whealy :( you should have traded in the wife (someone had to say it)

Good luck in all your future ventures we know you will get a new RX eventually :)

AWESOME! A Phaeton!

Folks, while our engine doesn't have any cylinders, that engine as 12 of them!

How cool is that? That is one SLICK car, WHealy.

I'm wondering though, after a year or so of driving the RX-torqueless wonder, is this a "rebound reaction" to not having enough torque? That engine has an insane torque rating if I recall - something on the order of 400 ft lbs ...

And, it will beat an -8 in a stoplight drag, hands down (that oughta piss off some of the folks here, huh??)

Love it! VERY nice car. Enjoy it in good health and we were glad to be graced by your presence while it lasted.

Now, what are you going to paint on that car ... ?


:)

Stew

Congrats, you'll be better off with that.

It only has 12 if it is a W12--the standard Phaeton is a W8.

Sorry to see you go. Good luck with the VW.

So you must have gotten one helluva a deal. VW has sold something like 6 of them in the US. :rolleyes:

The vice president of VW north america got fired because of the comments he made about the phaeton. Among other things, he said that the world wasn't ready for a $100k volkswagen.

Hmmm a midlife crisis in reverse ? interesting :)


cheers
michael

I still think this was caused by a woman...time for you to divorce and date one of the females on the forum and then you can beg them to let them drive their 8 :p

congrats
sad to see you go

Sorry to see you go - hope you got a terrific car like an Audi A4 Quattro, a BMW 3 series, an Acura TL, etc. NOT a boy racer rice boy thing like a WRX.

What is up with the "Ricer" and WRX??? what is that? i don't get it.. i'm asian.. i won't deny that.. but i don't have that car.. and what does ricer mean??? HUH!? someone explain pls? :o

Sorry to see another winning blue owner go :(

Why the change to "full sized four door sedan" was needed though?

Yes mine is a V8. The V12 is an extra $30K. The HP and torque for the V8 is 335/317 while the W12 is 420/406. The 0-60 times are advertised at 6.7s for the V8 and 5.9 for the W12 … but then again, if I was looking for raw performance I would have gotten something else (or kept my “8”). Besides that bang for the buck factor between the two makes some adult internet sites look cost effective!

As for my wife being the reason … um no. We are making some changes in the next several months that include starting up some new opportunities. A four door sedan will fit the transportation needs there much better as well as for the family of 4. I don’t think I’ll be trading wife’s anytime soon. Besides, I was at the Tail of the Dragon and no one was knocking down my door … of course Meow was the only “single” gal there as I recall. Let’s just say I have that reverse animal magnetism. But hey maybe the Phaeton will be a chick car! :)

And yes sales are way down. They have only sold about 30 – 40% of their production for 04 and it’s Dec. So as I said in my previous post, their prices were locked and their lease was subsidized heavily. But it is interesting having a car of only about 1500 in the US currently. However, there are several around my area. And interestingly enough I swear I have seen more “8”’s on the road in the few weeks since I traded it then the whole time I had it! Strange …

Wow, a Phaeton! Now that's a nice car you got there!

Dealer rebate must have been quite good, since VW announced that it would pay its dealers $10.000 for every Phaeton sold in the US. They have a problem selling it in Germany too, because people prefer the more expensive brandnames, but I guess the car itself is well worth the money if you don't need a BMW, Audi or Mercedes logo. Have fun!

NomisR:

I'm surprised you don't know this. First of all, coming out of my "mouth", the last thing it's intended to be is an ethnic slur. Just use of common vernacular.

That said, a "riced" car is usally some POS 1992 Civic (POS = Piece of Shit) that some stupid kid bought with $2000 that he earned working at Burger King and then spends another $4000 on putting a ridiculous appearance kit on it - painting some obnoxious color like electric green, and one of those stupid-looking aluminum double deck wings on the trunk, and 20" rims and a coffee can exhaust. All the while, leaving the 1.5 liter stock econobox engine and transmission alone. That's a "riced" car.

A "rice boy" is one that commits "ricing" to a car.

And the WRX, while a serious performance car, looks like a riced car (although it does have the chops to back up the boasts), and is a harsh, nasty, unrefined car. A far cry from an RX-8.

And a HUGE far cry from a Phaeton!

WHealy - isn't that a W8 though? That's one cool engine - a pair of Vee-Dub VR4 engines siamesed together.

So why not keep the 8 and get a family sedan as well? Seems like you could have done that on a Phaeton budget. Cake and eat it too! I'm sure the Phaeton is a nice car for its market segment and I know which car I'd prefer to do a cross country interstate haul in, but I'd be dreaming all the time of carving perfect corners in my 8 every time I got behind the heated, electrically adjusted helm of the Phaeton. Hell, I go out of my way to make corners on every interstate I drive on ;) With 2 cars, I'd probably go more extreme on the fun car and get an Elise as an antidote to the sedan.

Personally I'm dying to see what WHealy does to the Phaeton engine bay. Lots of bits to paint there, I bet!

Enjoy the ride WHealy! And please, no red light embarrassment for us 8 owners ;)

Whealy you will be missed. check back often. good luck. :D

Great choice of car VEEDUBS have character. I only hope that you don't have the same trouble I had with my 1998 Passat Turbo Manual Sedan. Beautiful car smooth, very fast, great brakes and handling. BUT...I replaced the turbo, the brakes 3 times, the fabric seats had to be replaced ..they split so in went leather, the hyudraulic valve lifters failed..costly, the doorlocks froze shut, the front suspension was completely replaced under warranty. the car did not go on gravel roads, was not thrashed..its was just a lemon...but I would have bought another but VW Australia stopped importing manual cars. I still look at Passats wistfully. I travelled over 200000 kms in just over 5 years....So enjoy 9100RPM

I'm curious to know why you didn't like the BMW 545i, and why you chose the VW instead. The Beemer is cheaper and it performs better.

Again, thanks for all the well wishes …

WHealy - isn't that a W8 though? That's one cool engine - a pair of Vee-Dub VR4 engines siamesed together.

Stew – Nope. It’s a 4.2L V8. Same engine that they offered when I bought my 2001 A6, but I went with the 2.7 L turbo. And the same engine they currently have in the A8 as well as the previous engine they had in the S6 all be it with twin turbos attached and makes that car scream (hum write that down in mod notebook …) The floorpan of the Phaeton is shared with the A8 and the Bentley I believe. They do offer a W8 on the Passat, but that’s not used in the Phaeton.

Specs from Edmunds

Performance
Base Number of Cylinders: 8 Base Engine Size: 4.2 liters
Base Engine Type: V8 Horsepower: 335 hp
Max Horsepower: 6500 rpm Torque: 317 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 3500 rpm Drive Type: AWD
Turning Circle: 39.4 ft.


I'm curious to know why you didn't like the BMW 545i, and why you chose the VW instead. The Beemer is cheaper and it performs better.

Well I drove a 545 manual. I really wanted to drive a sequential as I wanted to get away from the manual.

Now before I get more calls to dump my wife on this (:) ), we have been together since we were 18. Significance there? She is the one that taught ME how to drive a manual transmission. She just doesn’t really like the extra effort anymore. So my thoughts were if the sequential was quick enough, it would be a reasonable compromise. But the salesman told me that basically they only order sequentials with customer orders. So I would have to look elsewhere to test drive one of those. BTW, Indy only has one BMW dealer.

Than manual on the 545 was incredibally smooth. I would describe it as assisted. It seemed like the clutch really didn’t matter much. It was almost like it was simply a switch that allowed me to change gears having little bearing on slipping. But that was OK.

The one I drove had the active handling package that raises shocks in corners and has the active steering. Those were OK. But when I drove it, I just wasn’t as inspired as when I last drove the previous M5. (Imagine that) I have never owned a BMW and originally I thought this would be my first one.

Then I looked at the Phaeton. With the discounts they are offering, the pricing between a 545 and it are almost dead even. I also wanted to get a car that I could haul four adults around in. Both fit that criteria, but the extra space of the Pheaton for it was so nice. I’m an extreme kind of guy. (Imagine that) So if I was going to go for a full sized sedan, I was going to go for a FULL SIZED SEDAN. I wouldn’t classify either of these options as a sports sedan having driving a real handling gem in my “8”. So with the 545 being closer on the spectrum to the “8’ in handling but still so far away, it just didn’t matter to me.

Additionally, the Phaeton had every safety feature known to man kind and AWD. I really enjoyed my previous AWD sedan (Audi previously mentioned) but I lost two manual transmission at 5000 and 10000 miles. Needless to say that ownership experience was not a good one. But amnesia has allowed me to try VW Audi one more time.

So, there you have it . Sorry for being so long winded.

Nice car! Enjoy it!

And come bother us now and again.

But you didn't answer my question ... what are you going to paint on that car? ;-)

Wonderful car..I hope you didn't get a Friday night special like I did. My VW Passat Turbo Manual sedan covered 200000 kms in 5 years. It has a blown tubro, replaced brakes 3 times, front suspension completely replaced under extened warranty, door locks that refused to open, seats that split and were replaced with leather ($3000), replaced hydraulic valve lifters....but I loved it ..it had TSW 18"x8" alloys and h Magnaflow system. It gave WRXs a run for their money. Sadly VW Australia replaced the Turbo with a quirky V5 with NO manual gearbox. I only buy manual cars so...I now buy Japanese, very reliable, but absolutely NO Character. I applaud you superb tatse.9100RPM

Sorry to hear of your leaving, good luck with the Phaeton....keep in touch

Great choice ... I've noticed the lease deal on the Phaeton was incredible and was considering trading my Audi Allroad for one since I want something new but I feel so trapped with leasing and with the Phaeton the only option is to lease or else you will lose way to much on depreciation.

When I saw it in person I thought it was a beautiful sedan and the crazy thing is if they put an Audi badge on it I bet it would have sold very well. I love the looks of that car and the 8 cylinder has to be a gem.

My 8 is my extra car so luckily I get to have my cake and eat it to.