Probably the most important decision-making factor right there ;-)

 

I pulled the trigger on the Audi Q5. Got a super deal!

What are the coup de grāce(s) for the RDX?

1) The most discount I could get for a RDX AWD Advanced was 2,000-2,300 off MSRP
2) No SH-AWD
3) Acura accessories are just as expensive as Audi accessories
4) No Panoramic sunroof
5) General driving experience

Here is a sample price without any accessories.

2016 Audi Q5 3.0 Quattro Premium Plus $46,000.00
Destination Charge $925.00
Daytona Gray $575.00
Black Interior $0.00
Technology Package $4,500.00
Technology Package Discount -$600.00
Luxury Package $2,300.00
MSRP $53,700.00
10% off MSRP -$5,370.00
Lexus conquest -$750.00
Doc Fee $385.00
Sales Tax $2,997.81
Reg $135.00
TOTAL $51,097.81

Who knows if Acura adds the SH-AWD back into the RDX in 4-5 years, I could be trading in the Q5 for an RDX!

Cheers!

 

Your bottom-line number was $12K more than what I paid for my 2016 RDX-Tech. That would be a deal-breaker for me.

 

Congrats!
A very nice choice.

 

I originally wanted to spend no more than 50k, but as I started playing around with the numbers and discounts I realized that I was not really saving that much money with the RDX AWD Advanced.

Here is a pretty accurate estimate for the RDX Advanced AWD trim.

2016 Acura RDX Advanced AWD $43,520.00
Destination Charge $940.00
MSRP $44,460.00
Discount -$2,000.00
SUB-TOTAL $42,460.00
Doc Fee $385.00
Mass Sales Tax $2,677.81
Mass Reg $135.00
TOTAL $45,657.81

When you add on the RDX accessories it can really go up. Like hidden Acura labor cost.

Acura All-Season Floor Mats $115.20
Acura Sunshade $43.19
Acura First Aid Kit $21.60
Acura Cargo Cover $109.20
Acura Cargo Tray $98.40
Acura Splash Guards $97.20
Acura Running Boards - Advance* $504.00
Acura Rear Bumper Applique* $58.80
Acura Door Edge Film* $36.00
Acura LED Fog Lights* $487.20
Acura Wheel Locks - Non-Exposed* $38.40
Acura 18" Alloy Wheel* $1,632.00
Acura Illuminated Door Sill Trim* $240.00
Total (not including tax) $3,481.19
*Labor (Guesstimate) $1,500.00

With all the Audi accessories (10% off) I am paying for the Audi Q5 a TOTAL of $53,501.93. Audi accessories don't have hidden cost, so it is easier to calculate the total price. The RDX with all the accessories is around ~50,639.00. That is roughly a 3,000.00 difference.

I think if the difference was around 6K then that would be a toss up for me.

I still really like the looks of the RDX.

Regards Peter

 

Congratulations Peter on your new ride. Audi obviously is a little better quality and nicer than Acura and therefore the price difference.
It's another fact that most of us may not pick all accessories or sometimes we pick no accessories at all and that keeps the price difference significant. Some of the accessories get negotiated as part of the car purchase as well.
It's great that you got a car that fits you best. Enjoy and keep us updated. Good luck.

 

Wow, I must have the wrong job here as I am not able to afford a $50K car. Not to get into specifics, but let's say you have a million dollars of net worth in retirement and savings (not including the house and mortgage), I don't know if I would spend 5% of that on a car, but I guess that wouldn't be that bad. A frugal saver is supposed to spend no more than 10% of their gross income on a car, so for $50K, that means you should be making $500K per year. We are talking heart surgeon here. I always wonder who is buying these $40 - $50K cars that Acura is selling. Now I did spend $26K on a CPO RDX that was three years old and I do not make $260K. Just my comment here on the worth of a vehicle to one's overall savings plan.

 

I'm not sure where you got this idea, but if that was the case I would think a lot of people would be driving crapmobiles. I'm 58 and do not ever recall purchasing a car at or below 10 percent of my annual income. I guess if not for crapmobiles a lot of people would be walking or riding some sort of 2 wheeler.

 

Yes, and I can option an Audi to $60k. I'm glad you think you got a good deal (and I think the Audi is a "better" car even though maintenance will be far more expensive) but let's compare apples to oranges.


1. A $2000 discount means you didn't haggle - at all.
2. Aside from the cargo cover, those items are options on the Audi as well and you would get far more than a 10% discount if bought with the car.
3. The majority of "labor costs" is in installing the floor mats. Don't you think you pay for labor at Audi? Unless it is on the car when shipped from the factory you are paying labor costs for anything installed by the dealer.


When I bought my Acura - and after I worked pricing - I said "I want some accessories. I'll buy them at your cost and you'll install them for free and we have a deal" - We had a deal. One of the accessories was the back up sensors, something that took some real labor.


You've deluded yourself into thinking the RDX is close to an Audi price wise by very creative accounting. You aren't even close but I'm sure you'll come back with more excuses to justify your purchase. I'm sure it makes you feel better to think that you got a good deal.

 

hues10 is a bit confused. Forbes suggests " Most financial experts recommend that you keep your car-related expenses (car payment, gas & insurance) around 10-15% of your net pay" which, quite frankly, has little to do with the actual price of the car.


Take the price of the car, figure in any down payments or trade credits, add taxes and fees and calculate your monthly payments. Add monthly insurance and estimated gas and that shouldn't exceed more than about 15% of your monthly net.

 

Thank you for sharing your opinion. I got a 10% employee discount and I was happy with the price when comparing to kbb and truecar. It showed the price that I received was lower than the lowest price paid based on actual sales.

You are right I gave up on the RDX after what I felt was a good price on the Audi. I am curious to know what price do you think you can get the 2016 RDX Advanced AWD with no accessories for? Your good price.

Also would like to know what price do you think you can get the 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus with Technology and Luxury package with no accessories for?

I am here learn. My ears are open!

Cheers, Peter

 

A $2000 discount when I bought (late summer) was a good deal in this market at that time. It was the best price I could find anywhere in the region, a price the other two dealers in the area would not touch. Cars were selling before they were built. Everything is relative.

 

Anecdotal evidence here on the board shows about a $4k discount is usual - with regional variations. MSRP is about $44k


The Q5 with those packages is about $53k and the options approximate the features standard on the RDX. A 7% discount is about usual on Audi, so call that $4000 as well.


Comparing apples to apples gives you about $40k for the RDX and $49k for the Q5. If you get a 10% discount then you're at $48k for the Audi. Even assuming your $2000 discount on the RDX that comes to $42k - still a $6k difference.


Even if you assume that there is no labor in the Audi accessories, the running boards sticker for $2000 and the wheel locks are $95. Ya think it might be possible that Audi might have factored in labor costs into the costs of the accessories?


The RDX running boards are $500 and the wheel locks are $40.


So let's take 10% off the Audi accessories and keep the RDX accessories at MSRP. Add $300 to install the running boards on the RDX and nothing for the Audi.


RDX


$42000
$ 840
$42840


Q5


$48000
$ 1885 ($2000+$95-10%)
$49885


$49885 - $42840 = $7045 difference. I'd bet you could get that difference to nearly $10k if you tried.

 

And then we can look at the cost of maintenance.


The local Honda dealer (quite capable of doing ANY routine maintenance on the RDX) charges $89 an hour, the Acura dealer $129 and the local Audi dealer $210.


All that aside, the Q5 is a great car and you'll be very happy with it. The interior is far nicer than the interior of the RDX and the whole car looks more elegant - just don't think it is in the same league price wise.

 

True. While you paid more last year you also got to enjoy it so much longer - all things relative.

 

You have to figure that a 2016 RDX today is a year old car.

 

Here is what we do know. There are no changes to RDX 2017. So I am not sure if you can get a discount greater than 3,500. I looked at the prices from kbb and truecar. The best discounts were around 3,000. I would think if there was a time to get a better price this would be the time. Since the 2017's are coming out soon, but again it might not make a big difference since there were no changes.

The Acura is going to be cheaper. As to < 6k or > 6k difference this is all very subjective. I got 10% of MSRP plus -600 discount for technology package and -750 for driving a competitor's car. The Audi will not change until 2018. Since the Q5 is a little dated you should be able to get a pretty good deal. All in all, I am getting between 11-12% off on the Q5, which was acceptable.

 

The Q5 really is a great car, especially with the 3.0t. But I wouldn't put it in the same price level as an RDX.
I got the Q5 for around 48k before taxes (with all the option packages listed in the previous post).
The RDX (albeit a lease) was around 37k for the RDX Tech AWD.
With those numbers, that's 30% more expensive for the Q5.

After driving both, this is my summation (some will be a repeat of my previous posts).
Driving experience is def better with the Q5. You just can't beat the torque from that motor. Definitely sportier and more solid road feel than the RDX.

Looks are subjective but I prefer the Q5. The way I had mine spec'd out made it look sexy but mean and beastly at the same time.

Those are the clear Audi wins for me. Everything else is a mix.

Interior: Audi looks more elegant without being cluttered. Finishing and overall materials are higher quality. Functionally and feature wise, the RDX is better. While I got used to MMI, I never loved it. Touchscreen on the RDX is a much better method. Bluetooth connects much faster on the RDX, it actually has ports for cables unlike the Q5 which comes with one proprietary connector conveniently located in the glovebox. I don't know if they updated it for the 2016s but my 2015 came with the old 30pin Ipod cable. Needless to say, it was still in the plastic when I sold the car.

That's the clear win for the RDX, while not a completely new platform, its 2012/13 vs 2008/09, so more modern elements in the RDX.

My knocks so far on the RDX?
Foglights should come standard, if not in LED at least in halogen.
Power folding mirrors should come standard.
Dimming side mirrors should come standard (pretty sure the RDX has the same side mirrors with that weird outer edge as our base model Honda Civic).
I actually don't mind not having the beeping parking sensors as they get quite annoying, but it does strike me as odd that they're only available on the highest trim.
And of course, a bit more torque hehe.

 

Well said.

Who knows. Maybe there are people around here that do have a few grand a month of disposable income and jobs that don't let them get away to island destinations so their cars become the vacation that they get to take daily?

 

I have a feeling that this post was a reply to some other thread but accidentally posted in this thread. I agree that this is not completely out of context though.

 

I considered the Q5(2.0 T) for my wife before we bought the RDX. Very nice vehicle. Nice interior, performed well, etc. It was about 10k more and I always question Audi reliability. Even if the price was the exact same, it would have been a tough decision based on how Honda's have been so reliable for us.

3 years later the RDX has been bulletproof. I just went out to KBB and compared the 2 models and the RDX is actually worth more even though it had a sticker that was $10k less.

I think the Q5 is a nice vehicle but like many European vehicles(I've owned some), it's overpriced.

 

I think it was meant for this thread based on Peter's post about not wanting to spend more than $50k on a car.


Hues10 is completely mistaken about that 10% though. No financial advisor ever recommended that the total cost of a new car should not exceed 10% of your annual income, but that your monthly payments not exceed 10-15% of your monthly income.


With the rise of the price of the AVERAGE new car price to over $33k and the AVERAGE used car price at $18k, it is no wonder that length of car loans keeps getting longer and longer with 66 and 72 months "normal" and 84 months available as well.


Taking this into consideration and the average income being $54,000, then the net is about $40,000. 10% is about $4000 or about $333 a month, so 15% is roughly $500. Subtract $100 for insurance and you're looking at a car loan of $400 - which works out to a $30k+ car over the 84 month period.


Going by hues10's calculation, the average citizen could only buy a $4000 car.

 

I don't have personal experience with Audi but I have quite a bit with Mercedes-Benz. I would never recommend owning a late model Mercedes-Benz beyond the warranty period or after the service contract runs out.

And regarding resale: The KBB.com resale value of my 2006 MB E350 when I traded it in was almost identical to that of my mother's 2005 Civic.

Don't get me wrong. I loved every Mercedes I've owned. I just cannot afford to be in a long-term relationship with one.

 

I got Audi care. I plan to keep the car for 4-5 years.

 

Good idea.

My car ownership experiences are usually at least twice that long however. We owned our first Honda for 19 years.

 

After narrowing down my choices down to Acura RDX, Audi Q5, and Lexus 350, I chose the RDX based on cost of ownership over time without mfg or extended warranties, which also included insurance, fuel estimates, maintenance and repair costs, parts and labor costs, and my handy Consumer Reports used car buying guide.



Happy I am.

 

Congrats! As a previous Q5 owner I think you'll enjoy the RDX