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I could be in Ashland, Wis., before they even knew I was missing :) (http://www.twincities.com/ci_10310826)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2008_Audi_RS4_Cabriolet.jpgJoe Soucheray - Twin Cities - Aug 26, 2008

$58,000 + Audi RS Cabriolet -- Just 14 mpgUS and worth time behind bars for some.

Moral of the story is, wait until a hurricane or tornado is imminent and than go test drive the car of your dreams legally :D -- Ed.

It was reported in the Pioneer Press on Tuesday that a guy taking a test drive in a 2008 black Audi RS4, accompanied by the salesman from Maplewood Audi, pulled off into a parking lot up around Lauderdale, tied up the salesman, took the battery out of the salesman's cell phone and stole the car. The thief at least has taste. The RS4 is about $75,000 worth of car.

As one of the world's great tire kickers, I found myself instantly jealous of the thief.

Setting aside his ethical and moral vacancy, the guy must have had a trustworthy face. In fact, the coppers think they know who the guy is because about a week before he stole the car, he was at the same dealership and left his name.

Every time I have tried to take an exotic car for a test drive, I have been turned down. Even after I get to know the crew at both Maplewood Audi and Maplewood Imports, they always seem to come up with an excuse to keep me from going out in anything hot.

"Ah, that one's not for you,'' they tell me.

It's not just the high-end German stuff that I have been kept out of, but, for example, lesser and no less intriguing Japanese models. When the salesmen see me, they seem puzzled by the concept of a test drive and usually tell me that due to the policy of the dealership, the car I am most interested in is not available for test drives.

"Oh, we don't allow test drives in the XG5000 Thriller,'' they tell me. "Now, if you are serious about buying the car, we might be able to arrange… http://www.twincities.com/ci_10310826

Hi Wayne,

I kinda sympathise with the author of this piece. They let me take a drive in a Prius at the local dealarship, but I kinda got that cold shoulder (he'll never buy), too. You never know who has the money in the bank, no matter what they look like (smell like?) at 4:30 pm on a Saturday of heavy activity on a 85 F day. I ended up buying the car sight unseen 384 miles away. Whick avoided this issue until it was too late. When I showed up at the dealarship on foot, at the appointed time, (I hoofed it from the Amtrak station) they seemed nervous too. But they took the check, and that was that.

hey, wayne. remember when i had that first interview with the AP way last year? joe souchary, the author of this pathetic waste of space, is the radio "personality" in the twin cities who raked me and hypermiling over the coals on the air. you can tell by the one comment what a lot of people in this area think about him.

Hi Laurie:

___Thanks for the heads up. So he is a POS than.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Having lived in the twin cities in a past life (Joe Soucheray's been around a long time), I'll second Laurie's comment.

As I recall, POS stands for positron oglimato surreal, is that correct?

Nevertheless, there's a between-the-lines sense that this guy is a flake.

But I'm in the same boat as far as test drives; no one would even let me look at, let alone drive, something that expensive.

Also, I have a really great car theft story I'll post here later as I don't have time right now.

Faithful and True

I thought it stood for Point of Sale?

@Right Lane Cruiser

Thats what I say I was talking about when I get overheard.