VictorVictor

Hmm that puts me in an interesting dilemma. Do you think I should go for a 2009 around 2500-$3000 below MSRP and potentially Audi care (if this seems realistic) or 2010 and $1800 over invoice? Seems like its between $1000 and $2000 for 3G MMI and mechanical fixes identified from 2009.

Mathemagician

If those numbers are accurate ($1K - $2K premium for 2010) then I would want a 2010 unless I could not wait. In addition to 3G MMI and other minor fixes, the 2010 will have higher resale value whenever you decide to sell. (Of course if you are leasing, who cares) I'm actually prepared to wait 6 months or more to get the car if necessary and I would buy rather than lease, so the 2010 clearly makes more sense to me.

tiger4366

It's a personal choice. It will depend on if the car, as you really want it, is available and you get get the 2500-3000 off that car. I'm not sure dealers are going that low yet on their '09 inventory. I could have purchased a number of S5s that were available, but nothing had the color and options that I wanted in the whole region, apart from one and that dealer wouldn't do a dealer trade with mine where I had a deposit down already.

The best thing for you to do is start pinging dealers who are holding inventory to give you a firm price on what they have vs. what they're pricing strategy would be for a custom order. You're going to have to work up from their invoice, since MRSP isn't known yet.

I don't know where you're located, otherwise I could share my experiences with the 4-5 dealers I dealt with in and around the greater Phila/NJ area.

mgd99

My dealer in Hartford found the exact car I wanted at Don Rosen in Conshohocken. I had them do a search of dealers within 300 miles. They did a trade to get it. It was the only one that popped up at the time and I still haven't found another one anywhere since.

Sometimes getting the exact car with the exact features and colors is a difficult thing to do.

newbie2quattro

I'm in the Dallas area as well. I plan on ordering my car in September - which could mean an August allocation or September allocation and therefore a November or December delivery, respectively. The DFW metroplex has three Audi dealers: University Park Audi, DFW Audi, and Boardwalk Audi. Of the three, DFW Audi seems to be the most customer friendly/flexible from what I've read about the dealership online although I've had no personal interaction with this dealer to gauge for myself. However, I have read horror stories online about the purchasing process at both Boardwalk and University Park Audi - so I won't expect much flexibility from these guys when I'm ready to order. In September, I'm thinking I will most likely email all three as well as the Audi dealers in Austin and Houston - just to broaden my fair pricing horizon. Driving a few hours to get the car you want at the price you want isn't such a bad idea either.

Here's a website that can give you a very comprehensive idea of what the '09s have been going for in the Dallas area as well as the entire country: www.truecar.com There is no pricing information available yet for 2010 model A5s or S5s on that website, but it should give you an idea what to ask for once official pricing is announced in July.

Would like to know which dealer you ultimately decide on and how much you were able to get off MSRP or above invoice if you purchase/order your car before September.

Mathemagician

Great minds think alike. I may be ordering about then, although I may not wait. My impression is the same as yours around the easiest dealership to work with. My impression of both Boardwalk and UP is that they could care less if I buy a car from them at all.

I will let you know what I do so you can learn from my experience.

speedracer1981

I purchased an 09 A4 from University Park Audi last month. UP was the only dealer that had the color and option combination that I wanted in the entire Southwest so I didn't have any alternatives aside from custom ordering.

I was very pleased with my salesman, he was very easy to work with and I was happy to give him my business. I think he could have known a little more about the Audi features and technology (I probably knew more than him) but that wasn't a big deal for me since I was already pretty knowledgeable about them. I was more interested in someone who was easy to work with, flexible, and made me feel comfortable throughout the process.

However, what I observed in the other salesmen during the four times I was in there (before and after purchase) was something like a frat house (an analogy that first came to my mind every time I was in there). They were very arrogant and condescending toward the customers and didn't seem genuinely interested in their business. It was a pretty big turn off and I was really glad I did not end up with one of them.

If you end up going into UP, I'll be happy to give you the name of the salesman I went through if you are interested.

Mathemagician

I'm not sure I could work with UP or Boardwalk after the few experiences I have had with them. If DFW Audi isn't better, I honestly just won't buy an Audi, which is sad since the S5 is my favorite car and my wife is wanting a Q7. My impression is that if you don't walk in and say "I want to buy today and I am willing to pay MSRP or more" then they may or may not even give you the time of day. I was ready to pull the trigger on the Q7, but both dealerships ticked me off so bad that I am on the verge of getting her an MDX instead. Neither one ticked me off abotu price, just attitude.

I would think I was doing something wrong as a customer, but I have bought 7 other cars and only one other dealer has ever caused me to be angry. I could give you detailed stories, but you're probably not really that interested. Bottom line, either DFW Audi provides a pleasant buying experience for me or I'm abandoning the brand.

tiger4366

Go for the MDX anyway. We got my wife one last summer and she loves it.

Mathemagician

I'm seriously considering it, but I haven't yet found the substitute for the S5