thanks bob, I'm definitely staying away from mods and thanks for the info on the 02 or newer tiptronic's being better. Ive always had doubts about automatic transmissions but ive grown tired of stick. I actually enjoy working on my cars and have done most the work on my A4 (other than an abs unit replacement which can only be done by the dealership)

The furthest I would go with modding would be a chip... and that should be fine with a tip right?

 

I have no experience with the 4.2, but my 2.7T is pretty bad in terms of gas mileage. That may just be because its fun to goose it a little off the line. Its a really fun car, but if you're looking for fuel efficiency the 2.7T isn't ideal..