iamshack

Hello all, new member here.

I currently own a 2001 TT quattro coupe. It's getting a bit outdated and despite that it has been an absolute pleasure to drive, I have admired the A5 coupe since I first saw them. I do love the second gen TT design as well, but probably need to graduate to the A5 at this point. Would love to get an S5, but since I would probably not drive the car hard enough often enough to justify the added price for the performance.

I am interested in ordering an A5 with a manual transmission and the Prestige package and adding the Stasis ECU and possibly the exhaust.

I see many of you have special ordered A5/S5's from your local dealer and was curious as to how the process works? What kind of deposit is required? It appears as though the price is still negotiable? I see there is a customer loyalty program, so I should be able to get some kind of incentive between $1k and 3k? I also have read it is possible to choose some custom paint color/interior combinations that are not traditionally offered?

Any info and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I apologize in advance if this post is asking questions that have been asked many times before (I am sure it has).

Great forum you all have here! It has been a pleasure to comb through and read everyone's experiences and stories.

Huey52

I had to put down a $1,500 non-refundable deposit when ordering, but that's probably dealer-dependent. I was quoted the typical 90 day waiting period with a more precise date to come at about one month into the wait.

The process is painless (I was there less than an hour), but be prepared that the online configurator has a few flaws and the dealer selection sheet is what matters.

Yes, negotiable, I got $500 over invoice, although I used the Zag.com process (USAA specifically, but Amex et al affiliations also available). Due to the wait period I got a pretty fair initial assessment on my trade-in, but that won't be finalized until delivery.

I believe the customer loyalty is $500, but not sure as I'm a first timer.

Yes, there are special colors available at of course increased cost and potential add'l wait time (it takes a bit of hunting around the Audi site). Quite frankly I don't like any of them, but eye of the beholder ...

Here's a link to the S5 Cabrio 'Audi Exclusive' colors. http://www.audiusa.com/us/brand/en/m...exclusive.html

SanMiguel

I was very particular when it came down to all the options I wanted, (Prestige, S-Line, Deep Sea Blue), and none of the dealerships in my area had what I was looking for. The only prestige within 250 miles was black, non S-Line. I was given the option to do an order, was quoted the 90 days, and they wanted $1000 down.

A little background...I too, used the USAA car buying service, and had a military credit union pre-approval check in-hand. I was all set to put the order in until I read an article on Edmunds about a different car buying service, Authority Auto. It's not everyone's cup of tea, since you have to pay for the service, but I took the plunge anyway.

I live in San Diego, and they were able to find the exact car I was looking for in Bellevue, Washington. Their negotiator was also able to knock off $500 from the best price USAA quoted me for, as well as shave 1% from my credit union's APR. True, the money they ended up saving me went directly into their fees and to the third-party delivery truck...but at the end of the day, I spent the same amount, and only had to wait a week instead of 90+ days.