My Somewhat Sleeper A4

Posted in Hobbies

Time to show off the whip! Let me start off by saying that I don’t think my ride kicks serious ass. It’s not a fast car, but a luxury car. It’s extremely comfortable, responsive, and the handling is just simply unheard of in its class. Ever since I’ve owned this car, I’ve developed a deep taste for Audi engineering: this car is amazingly fun to drive even if it’s barely pushing 180 HP stock.

Anyways, I picked up this 2005 Audi A4 1.8T used from HBL in Tysons Corner, VA about six months ago (after totaling the previous whip, which was badass). I haven’t done any exterior aesthetic modifications really, I’d rather save my $ for a better car in the near future.

But here are the performance mods:
- Stage 1+ GIAC flash
- TT fuel injectors
- Forge SplitR diverter valve
- RS4 sway bars
- And… that’s it…

Pushing about 230-240 HP. It’s MUCH better than stock, but still, slower than most made-for-speed cars on the road.

Was thinking about going Stage 2 and throwing in a K04 turbo, as well as getting a TIP flash, but may not do that as I really do plan on selling this car within the next 6 months for something a lot better (especially since it’s nearing 50K miles). Even with a warranty up to 100K miles, I don’t like messing with aging German cars, I have heard some horror stories in the past.

I also have a nice audio setup. Two Alpine Type R 12″s in a sealed box, powered by two Alpine M650 amps. Powerful setup, but this car shakes a shit ton when the bass is maxed out, unfortunately. Oh, and the car IS Quattro (Audi’s all wheel drive system), even though the bumper lacks a “Quattro” tag under the “1.8 T” tag. I got rear-ended a month ago by some idiot, and when they replaced the rear bumper/trunk, they forgot to put the badge up.

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I’ve Been Collecting Watches

Posted in Hobbies

Before I jump into anything serious, thought I’d talk a minute about my watch collecting hobby thing. It’s something I’ve developed a taste for between my last blog update in mid-2007 and the present. I have to say, I’m addicted to collecting watches. I have a measly collection of, oh, five watches right now. Five nice, Swiss watches.

Here’s the two-tone DateJust, my favorite, and, most expensive piece at this time. I actually plan to sell it soon, as well as my other few, as I want to buy a Hublot. They aren’t as internationally known as Rolex, but also not as “bling”, which actually, for me, is a nice thing. Ever since I got robbed of the Breitling (oh, wait, never got a chance to tell that story because my blog was down, LOL), I’ve found the need to downsize my dressing, especially in public.

Most people find my love for high-end timepieces a little bit eccentric, hell, most people double take (especially at authorized dealers) that a kid is sportin’ such an expensive piece on his wrist. But actually appreciating the precision and quality that goes into a Swiss chronometer movement is what I’m in the hobby for. Not just to bling-blang my way down the sidewalk, as some may stereotypically think.

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