nokiaman

And that's before you add the world-famous Canadian taxes. Add 7800$ on top of that.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

That's nuts!

taitando

Audi's are getting grossly expensive for what they are, but I'd say that about BMWs too. My local dealer has a couple A3's that are close to $40k and a couple 135i's close to $50k. That's nuts for their first tier levels...

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Even the Honda Fit is overpriced! a nicely loaded Honda fit can run $20K! The luxo brands aren't the only ones in that predicament.

charliemike

$53k for a completely loaded A4 Avant (adaptive cruise, drive select, navigation, S-Line). But Navigation, Cruise, and Drive Select is about $7000 between them.

I think my 2005 S4 was close to $50k new (without the goodies).

But an A4 Avant Premium Plus with the Sport package, pearl coat paint, and rear side airbags is about $42k.

That's not horrible.

spurfan15

That's why I always come back and say the TSX is just a sensible option. I've tried it and an A4, and the A4 does handle better and has the more upscale interior, but when I price out an A4 with xenons, nav, etc, it easily comes in at around 40k, whereas the TSX is low 30s.

Price and concerns over reliability have always kept me away from seriously looking at German cars. They're fun to drive, but it's tough to envision myself actually buying one.

biker

...only folks in our age bracket (and higher) remember those days. 60 Minutes absolutely killed Audi for a generation in the 80s. The reliability numbers in the last decade have kept sales down also. In Europe the turn around has been good - we'll see if the trend follows in the US.

chill_dog

I'm getting to the point where I think every car is overpriced.

JediMindTricks

charliemike

Right but Audis aren't for kids out of college making $30k in their first job.

Their price point puts them in higher income brackets and that tends to be older people. I'm 38 and I remember the hysteria. Additionally, people tend to be completely clueless so it would not surprise me at all that there are people out there that still think negatively about Audi.

This assumption is for new car sales. Some 18 year old with a used Audi doesn't count.

stangg172004

taitando

I used to think of Audi as the "Acura" of the German luxury three which includes BMW and MB. In the past, they were a nice alternative and were often cheaper than their german rivals. Kinda like how I viewed Acura when compared with Infiniti and Lexus. But now, with their current lineup, I feel Audi definitely deserves to be where they're at. The variety is staggering with coupes, sedans, wagons, SUVs, and all the engine choices for each segment. All that and they have flagship high performance and supercars from the S, RS, and R8 cars.

I wish I could have an R8, but I would be equally happy with the little TTS currently at my local dealership...

charliemike

As much as I like the TTS, it's $60k in the US.

That's a very tough price-class to compete in these days.

nokiaman

60k gets you a brand new S5.

taitando

That particular one is a prestige model, (Navi, back up sensors, 19" wheels, nappa leather) for $53k. Basically fully loaded. I don't think that's too bad. That's what the S4 used to go for.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Not that the TT-S is bad, but I'd start with the S5

nokiaman

taitando

Well yeah, if money wasn't an issue then it's the S5 all the way. In addition to the TTS, my local dealer also has one S5 in stock listed at $62,890. It's about a $9k, closer to $10k spread between the two cars. I can't afford the TTS, let alone an S5...so if money wasn't an issue...

Motohip

Check again. I optioned one out for around $53 I believe.

JediMindTricks

+1.

subinf

Nice.

I think Audi has the best looking lineup. Everything looks great.

Motohip

Another thing I'd like to add is Audi's options are limited which is good IMO, but not sparse like Acura, which is bad IMO. I hate the options of say Lexus or Infinity where one option is tied to another option that's tied t some other option you don't want.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Audi's options are tied to other options as well, they aren't any different. When I was pricing the A4 Avant and A3, features like the open sky system on the A3 were tied to other feature(s) as well just to give an example. And many other features were tied to either premium packages or sport packages, etc.

You are right though, they offer a decent mix of options while not going overboard like BMW; although for the enthusiast, having options like that make the attraction greater if you can personalize the car you want. Another reason I went with Audi, I was able to get exactly what I wanted and make my car a little different than what the other audi owner has. Whereas if you buy an acura, you pretty much have no personalization in your vehicle purchase, except maybe the color. Everything else is pretty much the same across the board.

Dealers don't like the extra personalization/customization because they always want to sell a car they have on the lot. I can't even count how much of a run around I got from a few so cal audi dealers when pricing the A4 Avant we purchased. All of them kept bugging us about locating cars that were similar but weren't exactly what we wanted.

That is where the business model of the manufacturer clashes with the dealership. I don't even bother wasting my time with dealerships that don't listen to me when i tell them I don't want anything else when I've already done the homework and know what I want. They should worry about making the sell at that point, not continue to worry about what they are trying to sell. They already know that I want to get the car, price is the only factor at that point.

subinf

Umm, Audi has a shit ton of options, and can easily add 15k to the car. Acura doesn't fuck around. I like Acura's approach.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Compared to BMW and Merc, they have MUCH fewer. Not that they aren't pricey though. :wink:

subinf

I haven't seriously looked at a BMW in 5 or 6 years. Jesus, more than Audi?

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

LOTS more than Audi!

Go and try to build a 335 and see how many options they give.

nokiaman

If there is ONE undisputed king of options on a catalog, the winner is Porsche.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Mini is pretty crazy too!

invisiblewar

you can just about add a kitchen sink into a mini

charliemike

My bad. I dunno where I got $60k from. $53k is right.

Still a lot of money for a TT.

chill_dog

Very true. But the good thing about Porsche is that they don't tie a bunch of stuff together; everything truly is a la carte.

JediMindTricks

so do i. and honda for that matter compared to toyota.

but i like the approach because i hate negotiating and don't have that kind of money to pick and choose options/packages. i just prefer navi or no navi. deal.

subinf

That made getting the TL easy, not much to think about.

When my dad went to get the Audi he picked out what he wanted, then was told it would be 6 mo before the car was ready. It was a huge pain in the ass. While I can totally understand the options and why people want them, but it makes the process a lot more drawn out - regardless of whether you have the cash to make it top of the line..

taitando

Unless you're in a big hurry, i think the wait is acceptable because you can get a car optioned EXACTLY the way you want. Otherwise, you have to pick out what's on the dealers lot and the chances of them having your exact car is minimal.

charliemike

Exactly. Plus, if I were to buy a new Audi, I'd definitely do Euro Delivery. Take it to the Stelvio Pass and on the autobahn!

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Exactly! If I'm spending 40K+ on a car, I'd rather be patient and get exactly what I wanted than have to settle for what the dealer has on the lot. I'd hate to buy something so expensive to only regret it later.

It took the dealership 4 months to get our A4 Avant. Placed the order in February received it in June. And that was with a delay! We were supposed to get it in May. Each dealership is different, some have better ties with the manufacturer depending on how well their sales are.

On a side note, some Audi dealerships get better rates,m programs and service than other Audi dealerships on the amount of sales they do. I learned this information when we ordered our car because the dealership we brought from was able to give us a longer term on our loan than any other dealership could even though it was all through the same lender, Audi Financial Services.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Audi does Euro delivery?

Man I missed out! But then again, I dunno if I would've taken it out at high speed when it was that new.

TMQ

For European delivery, BMW is the way to go. And you get a substantial discount too.

Audi has improved significantly. the reliability of their electronics still worry me.

Again, if you are into the luxury stuff, Audi is a good alternative. But for performance? You get a much better deal in a GTI.

If I had to buy again, I'd still put my $ into a bimmer, although their no-spare RFT situation is just terrible.

charliemike

Audi is 3-5% off MSRP. I'm not sure how that equates to BMW's discount percentages.

And BMW Euro Delivery is fine if you want a BMW