troyguitar

FWIW the C5Z is one of the easiest manuals to drive that I have owned. Between the long throws, the big torque, the long gearing, the communicative clutch, and the big sticky tires it is easy to know what gear it's in, forgiving of being in the wrong gear, and doesn't roll backward very quickly when taking off up an incline. Anyone with 2 legs and 2 arms should be able to drive it. My Pontiac Vibe GT is significantly harder to drive, you have to shift constantly and it's got no torque, no grip, no LSD, no traction control, no drive by wire, etc.

She could still drive it if she actually wanted to, the hard parts about daily driving a C5 are being mindful of the low ground clearance, long nose, long doors, and large turning radius. Both transmissions are easy.

SJSZ06

Sounds a bit like my Z... but it's not for sale!
Plus I did have Vengeance Racing install a cam and supporting equip.
Since at the time of the install it was my DD I kept it to a cam that would still be easy to daily drive (VRX4).
Even at my age using the Z as a daily driver was fine with me.
I only got a different car (HHR) when I was working in NC and got worried about getting caught in snow.
500 miles each weekend did put some miles on it. It's about 62,000 now. It was about 23K when I bought it in 2007.

Now it's a garage queen and I would like to have a bit 'larger' cam.

Well, good luck with the search. I don't think you will regret it.

Rexrode

She's not all of 5 feet tall...I think she's shrinking.

It's the long nose that scares her...also now, "car too powerful", ect. A shrinking violet.

Wish she would have told me all of this 2 years ago...I'd be driving a Z06. I might as well get a car she "absolutely won't drive".

We kid a lot.

I told her all this just today.

dbgoodwin

I want to know what you guys consider "roomy" in a car. I slept in the trunk of my z06 last Thursday, and I'm 6'2", and had 2 big boxes in the trunk. Either that or your laptop is massive and you eat a huge lunch.

chassed

ABQ guys, shoot me a pm, we'll need to Cruise Sometime.

chassed

lol wtf

dbgoodwin

Yeah it wasn't really planned, but it was pretty comfortable. My point is, if all you can fit is a laptop bag and your lunch, you're doing it wrong

tomvanparis

I owned a 2005 A4 S-line and now own a 2003 ZO6. No comparison...totally different cars. The manual on the A4 had a much better feel and the car felt very agile. The Z feels more like raw power and much more torque and the handling feel is very different. Both have a light feel in the steering but a totally different experience. I liked my A4 and like my Z as well. I've always felt it was a mistake for me to sell the A4 especially if I had it paired up with my Z.

dork

Just spewing here... I agree with Tomvanparis. I only test drove a c6 A4 but my impressions were the same. The c5z is all testosterone. It sounds like 'Mercun Muscle because there's no insulation in it, so you can hear the Ti mufflers; it handles better because the suspension is completely different, and it answers the pedal because the engine (and car's light weight) are tweaked for off-the-showroom-floor racing.

If you're caught between the commute-DD and a yearn for something more sporty that isn't "car too powerful", why not mod it with suspension upgrades first? Shocks and sways will give it a totally different feel. A gear change will give it more low-end responsiveness without adding HP/T. Maybe a light spray system for when you're riding alone.

It won't be a manual, it won't be a Z, but it'll feel like it's closer than it was as a grocery-store coupe.

troyguitar

I had an S4 wagon on that same chassis and it was a great street car, better than the C5Z for sure, but on this forum "A4" generally refers to the 4-speed automatic transmission and not the Audi A4. I still make that mistake often when reading posts here.