bno

Does anyone have input to share on dealers in the MD/DC/VA area? I'm shopping for a '01 A6 and want to avoid dealing with a bad apple if at all possible. I've already visited FSK in Frederick (no inventory) and Tischer in Silver Spring.

TIA<p>bno

Steve in VA

I bought mine from Heishman's, and had a good experience. Talk to Mike Maurer.

navigator

Got mine from Criswell Audi in Annapolis. Good to deal with. See Renzy (his first name).

allroad'Ed now

I have purchased 2 cars from Heishman, my sister 2 as well. Have always enjoyed them. Scott Heishman is an enthusiast... has raced and run for land speed records at Bonneville (the Salt Flats, not Pontiac.) Mike enjoys a good reputation; we used to deal with Chick Stanton though that was several years ago before moving to the mid west.
Tischer will never get a nickel from my household... sales manager was rude and condescending to my wife and me. First, we arrived in my truck- a Chevy 4wd extended cab pickup. The salesman made it a point to impress upon us that these Audis were very expensive cars and perhaps we might want to look next door at 4wd Subarus. The truck (which was $33k when I bought it) was used to haul my Porsche 911 to the racetrack, and we had a 944 turbo in the garage right next to the 911. Not a great beginning. Then the sales manager was was rude and condescending to my wife- kept wanting to deal only with me to the point that if he called our home and she answered, he'd ask for me and not even acknowledge her. The Audi was for her, she is a corporate professional and was paying for it herself; I was only assisting her on this purchase with product knowledge. Women make 80% of the buying decisions in automobile purchases according to National Automobile Dealers Association stats but apparently that info never got to Tischer.
Sorry for the soapbox tirade, but the way my wife and I were treated at Tischer was inexcusable.<p>98 A6Q
93 100CSQ

bno

Thanks for the suggestion. I live in Frederick, MD so arlington is a hike. How important, in your opinion, is buying the car from the dealer where you'll likely get your service performed? I've not heard good things about FSK Audi here in Frederick so i'm leary of even dealing with them -- even if they can save me a couple of hundred on the purchase<p>bno

bno

I forgot to mention that i'm trying to evaluate the 4.2 A6 versus a BMW 5xx. i drove the 528i yesterday and liked the feel and the cockpit ergonomics, but given the MD winters (ice, slush and snow) I can't easily overlook the advantage of quattro. I drive a Jetta now and have put 95K miles on it in 4 years, so i need a reliable, fun car which will run well every time i turn the key.<p>bno

SteveF

I bought two from HBL in Tysons Corner - an A6 Avant and an S4, both 2001. Both the purchase and financing were superb - my salesman was Danny Mehzer and the financing person was Mike Zoslow. I would recommend them without hesitation.

As for buying from the same dealer as getting service - always seemed to make sense as a good idea but it never seems to work out that way for me. I wouldn't buy from Tischer but when I had a SAAB I got great service from them. Sales and service are generally separate - and the dealer makes most of his money on service and parts - so in the end I would buy from someone you trust and ask around for service recommendations and not restrict yourself to service where you buy.

allroad'Ed now

where you bought the car from, but human nature is for dealers to give priority service to their customers. The dealer that services my A6 under warranty, provides the customers who bought from them an A4 loaner but puts it's other warranty customers into an Enterprise rental... though at least they provide transportation to all service customers. If you purchase from HBL or Heishman, try to ensure that they will provide suitable wheels for you- Heishman used to give us a used Audi off their lot when necessary and didn't mind that we lived outside of Baltimore.
I am in a business which provides financial services to automobile dealers so I probably have a somewhat different perspective than most. I think that, in this day and age of customer satisfaction measurements, every dealer has to provide the same or very similar levels of service to all of it's customers. Automobiles and automobile service are both commodities that can be had at more than one location and the good dealers will or should recognize that if they provide superior service to a service customer, maybe they will win that customer on the next purchase.
As for paying a little more for a convenient dealer, that is an individual choice. We are shopping for a new car to replace my wife's '93 100 and a sport ute to replace my aging Jeep. [going to be an expensive year for car purchases] In looking at high line German cars (C-class, A4Q, 3 series BMW) to replace the Audi, we will place a greater emphasis on availability and dealer quality than on price, within reason. But in looking at Ford Explorer Eddie Bauers, I intend to buy at true dealer cost- dealer invoice minus holdback minus rebate. There are lots of them on dealer lots and there is a Ford store on almost every street corner where I live- they are all competing for my business.<p>98 A6Q
93 100CSQ

allroad'Ed now

Have had 5's and now Audis. Certainly quattros are superior winter cars- after driving BMWs and Volvo turbos, when my wife encountered her first snow storm in her Audi- had to get home to Ellicott City, Md from her office in downtown DC- she started calling it her cocoon- warm and comfortable in all weather. My dad (75 yrs young) has driven 5s since 1975 when they first came out. He lives in the Poconos and just puts 4 snows on for winter. His newest car- 1999 528i- came standard with traction control and he actually went through last winter in the Pocono Mountains without snows. Granted, in retirement he doesn't have to go very far but I consider him a 5 series expert (6 in the last 25 years) who usually puts 100,000 miles on each one. They are quick and agile cars in the dry but have cost him a LOT of money to maintain- just spent $900 for front and rear brakes at 50,000 miles- would have been a warranty item on an Audi.
If it makes any difference, his friend who owns the BMW franchise just recently purchased the local Audi franchise as well, and he is now making noises about getting an A6 next. How's that for a testimonial.<p>98 A6Q
93 100CSQ

andys3

I bought a 2001 A6 2.7T from Len Stoler, and got a great deal ($1200 over invoice). Talk to Frank Greenstein.<p>'01 2.7T tip
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