Japes

Well after getting home from vacation I had a message from my salesman to call him. I was so excited, my car came in while I was gone and I could go pick it up. (But he never mentioned on the message anything about the car, did not give it a second thought in the beginning, but there was a reason)

Well when I showed up he said there was a problem, Oh no, I thought something had happened to my car in shipment, fell off the boat, fire on the transporter, etc. Nope it showed up with the Tip Auto Trans, I did not know what to say, but the salesman said he has never seen a 21 year olds face go from such cheer to gloom in a short period of time. My sales man got the Dealership manager over there, (He was also pissed that this happened, I'll go more into this later) and we talked for a while, the dealership said that they would pay for half of the dealer cost and all of the sales tax on the increase in price. So that leaves me with a $475 dollar option for the tip, every other option I wanted is on the car. So do I accept the tip? How do you people with the Tip like it? Would you have a manual transmission? How has your tip held up to chipping the car as I plan on doing this in a few months?(E-mail because I do not want to clog the board) The car BTW has the 1.8T Engine.

The reason why the sales man was so pissed is he said Audi is doing this more and more, cars show up with different options than what were ordered, and even different colors! All the models were included, he showed me 2 other cars on his lot that the sales were lost on because they did not have the options the dealer requested (He even showed me the order forms to prove it) Lost a S4 sale because the person wanted a Black interior, instead it showed up with a Gray one,(that car was sold though) and a A6 that showed up with a 2.8L Stick No cold weather that was ordered as a 2.7L Auto with cold weather. He said it is getting worse as time goes by. He also said VW is 10x worse than Audi at doing this, cars show up in different colors, options, and features. He said the dealership is stuck with the car most of the time, and the screwed up car counts against that dealers allocation of cars! So the A6 that was a 2.8, ordered as a 2.7T counted against their 2.7L allocation! He said other dealers have reported similar problems, I don't know if what he said but after showing me the order forms I was pretty convinced.

I'm still debating if I should get the Tip, it would be a go resale feature and I could shift it if I want to, but it is still not a real stickshift, which I have almost always had, and love to drive. I need the car now so another 3 months is out of the question, and the only other Stick he has is a 2.8 That is $5,000 more than mine and I really did not want a payment more than $250 dollars, so that is out of the question (I'm still in college and only work part time, and would like to have some other money to spent :-) Well thanks for you input.


Japes

PS sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm a engineering major, not English

Stephen K

I wanted a manual also...but I ended up with a tip (mostly because I needed a car right then, and couldn't wait for a manual, and the deal was too good to be true)

How does the tip hold up to chipping? I'm trying to find that out still... =)

You can do most things with a tip you can do with a manual. Engine braking, controlling shift points, etc.

The lack of clutch really makes it a different kind of car tho. Think of it more as a manually controlled automatic than as a semi-manual or true clutchless manual.

In terms of daily driving, in tip mode, the car is almost as good as a manual. Is it slower? yes. Is it really slower? only for stoplight burn outs (which the stick 1.8T sucks at anyway).
The tip also really loosens up after 10 000 miles as well, it's a lot better than when brand new.


With a chip, it is not much slower than the manual. On the highway it may even be faster.

I'm not apologizing for the tip. It goes eitherway...when you are happy with it...you are really happy with it. When you want a manual, you REALLY want a manual.

Bottom line? Don't buy the car until the dealer lets you have a long test drive, maybe two or three days with the car...and see if you enjoy the tip...

Don't worry if you can LIVE with it...see if you enjoy it...otherwise don't buy it.


Stephen 1999.5 1.8T QTS

Roger B

It's a matter of personal preference. If it was me, I'd be more flexible on other options, but not on the manual vs. auto choice. I waited a long time for a German sports sedan, and to me, that means a manual trans for optimum driving pleasure.

If you are in a similar frame of mind, don't settle for the Tip. If you've been waiting to get a car like the A4 for a long time, and you had your heart set on a stick, you'll never be quite satisfied with the car. Don't settle for anything less than your dream!

Also, remember that if you chip a Tip, you are only going to get a car that is marginally faster than a stock manual trans car. You'll probably need to fork out some extra dough for a Tip chip so you'll get more sporting shifts from your trans. Perhaps Tip owners will have a different perspective, but I don't think you'll get the rush that manual trans owners get from chipping their cars. Of course, this is just the opinion of a 2.8 owner who isn't chipped.

Now, if all this doesn't matter to you, and you think you'll still be happy with your A4, go with the Tip. Afterall, it is still a damn fine car. But, I really think the dealer should not charge you a cent for their (or Audi's) screw up.

If you decide on sticking with a manual trans car, make the dealer track one down for you, or go to another dealer who will.

If you decide on the Tip, make sure you get a great price and make the dealer work to make you happy. If he doesn't bend over backwards, do yourself a favor and walkout.

Hope it works out for you - Rog

'99 Silver 2.8QMS

turbovet

I would go with the Tip. I've got my A4 V6 TDI for one month now, first automatic car i've ever had and it's great.
When you're just cruising on highways or big roads, the automatic mode is perfect. If you have to avertake a truck, no manual trans is able to perform what the tip does...55 to 80 miles in 6,8sec...8,8sec with manual...no comment.
On small roads, go in the semi manual mode. Have fun like a rally car, 2000 tip is faster than old ones and you can change gears whan you want very fast.
A perfect trans I think.

rpj

I don't get it... simply tell the dealer you want the car you ordered or you'll take your ball (wallet) and find a dealer who has what you want. I had a similar situation when I was shopping for my A4... not exactly like yours but the dealer really wanted to unload a Tip car I had been dealing on and I changed my mind after driving the you shift it model. I called around to a couple other Audi dealers in the state, (from the dealer's parking lot) and found what I wanted about 3 1/2 hours down the road. Went in to fetch my car keys, and wouldn't you know, they struck me the deal on the 5-speed. Problem is, when people shop for cars, they let the dealer take control. No way man... You don't have to be a jerk but a firm, no BS stance when you deal with these folks often makes a difference. Dude, they know you want the car, tell them to do something physically impossible with it (but potentially very uncomfortable)... at the very least, if you go for the car they shoul comp you the tranny.

Chris

The dealer might be trying to unload the Tip on you and others with this story while the car everyone will buy (the one you ordered) is sitting out back or on it's way.

A friend of mine had this happen with a bug at VW dealership, they tried to unload the car she didn't want first with a similar story as yours, then a couple days later the exact car she ordered arrived, surprise surprise.

They know you're anxious and might be using this to their advantage. Consider sacrificing something else (color, options) instead of the transmission if the dealer doesn't eventually cough up the car you ordered. Consider looking elsewhere too, if these guys can't get you the car you ORDERED what is the point of ordering it.

Bonnie

When I first went to purchase the A4, I only wanted a manual. My husband wanted an automatic. After many hours of fighting, we compromised on the Tiptronic. I was prepared to hate it, but really like not having to shift all the time. I feel I am more in control of my decisions on whether to shift or leave it in automatic. I agree with the above posters that even though leaving the car in tiptronic mode is not exactly like a 5 spd., it is a really good alternative. Look, if you sprain or brake your left leg, you can still drive your car. You can't do that with a 5 spd!

On the other hand, you are 21 yrs. old. At your age, there was no way I would drive an automatic, so I think if it were me, I would go for what I wanted in the first place. You can compromise on options, but not on the transmission. You don't want to regret your decision for as long as you own the car.

Good luck!

Bonnie
'00 2.8 QTX

NP

I had seen a silver/onyx ette 1.8TQM htd packg/quattro. Had asked the dealer to order it and he said it would take about 2-3 mths. After a month I calle dhim (he didnt bother) and he said the car would take longer to come but he does have the exact car + sunroof coming earlier. I didnt want the roof but agreed. That car cam in and suddenly his price went up. He said the car also has the changer, sports wheel and HID lights. All of which I did not want. Told him to take a hike and refund my money. Put in a req with carpoint and autobytel and got a call in 2 hrs with the car I wanted from another dealer. Paid him (Bernardi)140 more than the other dealer(IRA), they guy didnt want to budge on his price not even for 100, man these cars are cash cows for them. Between the tip/manual - go for manual - driver control is key...plus more fun

GaryJ

This may be true if you're leaving the stick in "top gear", but I can't believe this otherwise. 2 seconds at that speed is a huge distance. There's just no way. Can you expand?

turbovet

8,8s in 5th gear for the manual 6 speeds and 6,8s for the Tip. That's it.
But the stopped start 400meters is 16,5sec for the manual 6 speeds and 17,2 for the Tiptro, not a huge difference considering that a 6speeds is better for acceleration.