Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

That'll be why then, thanks for clarifying, thought I was just being a bit pedantic! Iv only driven manual, but im not bothered whether what I end up buying is automatic or manual really, automatic might be a nice change actually... Seem to get a lot less bang for my buck with A4 avants, though I really do like them... One thing that scares me off about them is the sheer amount of electrics in them :/

@diable Iv actually had a little look at subarus, older foresters and newer legacy, people seem to rate them highly! Boxer engine on them worried me a bit in terms of working on it, lack of space etc but its a solid contender for sure. Any experience with them?

@Fixedwheelnut cheers for the heads up! Heard things about turbos going on them as well at 45/50k but dont know if thats just porkie, any truth to it?

Also, where do you guys stand on this whole diesel situation at the minute? Im not so bothered, but theres a niggling bit at the back of my brain saying that if I buy diesel now ill probably get shafted for it later on, even if it is an older car.