isbn1975

We got almost 10% off. MSRP was $38,800 and we paid $35,000.
It is 2010 A4 2.0T Premium Plus w/Navigation.
Judging by this thread, I guess we did pretty well. We're in SoCal.

socarwolverine

Is that a quattro car?

isbn1975

No, it's not a Quattro. You really don't need it when you live in Southern California. Now I think about it, that may be the reason why SoCal dealers are eager to give better discounts. For upper States, you probably need a good AWD vehicle and the Audi Quattro is one of the best solutions, but here in SoCal you really don't need it, thus you have many vehicles to choose from. Just my 2 cents.

need_TQM

Not sure "need" has anything to do with cars at this level - can you say you need an Audi? Why wouldn't a Kia serve you needs?

Quattro can have definite advantages even on dry pavement, but there are some drawbacks as well (price, mass being 2). I'm south of Houston, and I'm glad I got quattro. If Audi's 2wd option was RWD instead of FWD, it would be a harder call for me. Some people won't care about the handling differences or other advantages of quattro, in that case it's just extra cost, worse MPG, higher weight...

B8aruba

You bet we need it. Plus, we like to buy tires often. It's a northwoods thing... And, yes, that's the primary price differential. The total lack of dealer inventory on any decently equipped Quattro, and distance between dealerships, make up the rest of the hike.

AofC_RR

Inventory is tight as all get out right now. Most dealers are riding a 30-45 day supply instead of the usual 90-100. Sorry but deep discounts are going away. I've spoken to some higher ups and the MY10 "blow out" is going to be a lot less than it was it was last year due to how light dealer inventory is. Dealers are catching on nationwide and pushing things up in terms of sales price. Supply vs demand. Audi intends to keep it that way.

B8aruba

Yeah, believe me I noticed. Really ticked me off and almost made me leave the brand. If the vehicles weren't that good, I'd say whatever and head on down the road. It shouldn't be this way, imo. Customers should feel they're getting outstanding treatment by both the dealership and manufacturer. Your local dealership can be as nice as can be, but without friggin' cars to test drive, look over, and eventually buy, it can be a disappointing experience. I appreciate the fact Audi saw the downturn coming yrs ago, and they are better off for it. They are smart, perhaps too smart. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they've lost potential sales because of their low inventory approach. Yes, it's supply and demand, but this low of a level is simply ridiculous.

I'm going to let the car do the talking from this point forward for Audi, but if my next purchase experience with them starts out like this one did... well, I won't be purchasing an S5 from them anytime soon. Shouldn't be so difficult to hand a big sack of cash to a car manufacturer and walk away with an actual car within a few wks. Not 3-4 mnths, and at an embarrassing discount.

Thanks, I feel a tiny bit better now...

hans007

well theyare just making it more like europe. leaving a ton of cars on the lot is very very inefficient and in theory in the long run it will save audi money so they can actaully not have to raise prices on the actual sticker.


IN europe and japan you almost always have to order your car. granted there are more choices. but if it means, no inventory on dealer lots but less discounting (which means they wont have to come off a much higher msrp at the start of the year to average that out) and maybe we will have the ability to just order whatever power train combo they make instead of like 2 selections like america normally has it might not be so bad.

Granted I couldnt get some huge end of year deal on an audi and it took a while to actaully find my car (i thought about ordering but got lucky...). Audi was a lot smarter than say bmw, infiniti and mercedes on this point. I remember at the end of the 2008 model year there were fields of infinitis , benzes and lexus cars flooding the ports on the westcoast and companies were having to rent out parking lots and empty fields for them. Even now bmw is throwing $2500 cash on the hood of 2010 cars right now just to move them.

I mean if not being able to get an end of year "deal" means being able to get a better one the rest of the year, its not entirely bad unless you were always an end of year buyer.