SAN_Man

Hi all,

I am stuck in a quandry. The sporting side of my personality says buy the 6 spd. The other side says based on production numbers it could be very hard to unload a manual down the way. I don't buy a car primarily for resale but there could be a very limited market for the 6spd. I would hate to be buried in it 3 years down the road. From what I can tell there might only be, on average, 5 manual Allroads per state. That is based on production numbers of 2500 Allroads and 10% of production according to Audi being manual. That seems like a pretty small market segment. Also the improvement of the manual over the tip isn't extreme in acceleration unless you launch the car at WOT.

I have a 2.7T that I enjoy with the 6spd but it wasn't such a gamble going that route with it. I drove the tip in the Allroad and it seems much better due to the gearing than a normal 2.7T sedan. Unfortunately I can't find a 6spd Allroad to drive yet. The dealer has one inbound soon but it could be sold before I could drive. So I tied up the tip they had that wasn't sold. Any thoughts? I could always go with a tip chip I guess but the stock performance seemed pretty good.

Also, does anyone know if the tow ratings suffer like most companies if you go with a manual? I couldn't find anything definitive about this. Thanks all.

JBaumgart

I would also enjoy the 6 speed but I agree that it makes sense to take projected resale values into account. I also agree that the pool of interested buyers of a manual in 3-4 years time will be quite limited, and this is bound to lower resale/trade-in values. It's not like the body style is one of a sports car or even a sports sedan, both of which attract more of the youthful buyers who are more likely to purchase a manual. Of course there are exceptions but as the new sales figures show it's a numbers game, and most likely buyers of used allroads will strongly prefer - or even demand - the automatic.

One idea that crossed my mind would be to check out leasing even though I have always purchased my cars and have never leased. In particular I thought that maybe Audi's pre-paid leasing plan might make some sense. Just pay the cost 4 years in advance and have the term coincide with the free maintenance schedule, then walk away. If the numbers don't work out, perhaps because the dealer would anticipate all this and factor it into the residuals, then maybe just buying the tip is the way to go. With my '98 2.8 A4 quattro I've enjoyed using the tip, even though at times I'd sure like the extra control and immediate response that you'd get from a true manual. This is a tough one for me too...

SAN_Man

I had thought about the leasing aspect but unfortunately I tend to only keep cars about a year or so. Actually this will be my 3rd Audi this year. I am still up in the air about it.

It would help if I could just drive a 6spd version. I am sure it will feel different than my 2.7T but I need to quantify it. Given the demand for these cars I don't want to risk losing the one that has my name on it now either.

TipSter

If you've had 3 in one year, why the concern over resale, you're getting hammered on depreciation!?

SAN_Man

Actually I'm not getting hammered in depreciation. I made $1000 on my first car. This one is not going to kill me to get out of either. I have tended to buy my cars at the right price. Also their is a difference between being taking a hit due to depreciation and having to practically GIVE away your car to sell it.

I have used my 2.7T for 11K miles and its going to cost me about $5K to get out of it when it is all said and done. That works out to about $450 a month to own it. I wouldn't say that is getting hammered on depreciation.

TipSter

Otherwise, you'd have to be losing 5-6K right off the lot plus taxes, application fees, etc. Right?

Not trying to prove you wrong or anything, just trying to understand. I don't see anyone getting a great deal on these cars off the lot. Perhaps I am just inferring that you are buying these all new when that may not be the case.

wbk

I have a hard time responding to your criteria for transmission choice. I drove a 2.7 sedan with both transmissions before ordering the tiptronic. My decision was based on the fact that the car was primarily used for business and the automatic fit into my lifestyle more easily. If I could choose my drive times and wasn't forced into rush hour traffic I'd choose the six speed. Since you already have a six speed A6 and enjoy it you have your answer readily at hand. If I retired or changed the conditions of employment I'd make that choice myself. Either way you get a great choice. Make the decision on esthetic rather than investment criteria since it's hard to get overanalytical over an assest that's depreciating anyway. If you didn't love to drive the cars you wouldn't be on this forum. Given how rare the vehicle is with a manual transmission I think resale will not be problem and you get the pleasure of driving it everyday.

Dion

Similarly to wbk I drove the 2.7T with both but my decision went the other way. Even thought the tip is a fun transmission to use, I much prefer deciding what gear I'm going to use when. I don't do any daily commuting driving, so the car is for getting out and having fun in and so far the manual has been a blast. Can't wait until I'm run in and can really let loose.

SAN_Man

My first one was a 1.8T Avant 2000MY with a 5 spd. The dealer gave me a great deal on it. I had a privated buyer purchase it from me when I traded it on my 2.7T 2 months later. I netted a grand from that transaction + the dealer did a pass through for me so I didn't lose the sales tax benefit.

Because they didn't have to mess with my trade so to speak they gave me a great deal on my car. I have sent a few friends the dealership's way and they are treating me right on my next one as well. But for the matter at hand I still would like to drive the 6spd Allroad and see how the differnce in gearing plays out. Unfortunately I am possibly transferring within in my company and my new commute would involve much more congested traffic patterns with no way to avoid them.

I drove the Tip version again today and I am leaning towards it at this point. My heart says go for the 6spd, My practical side says that I absolutely hate my current 6spd when I am stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. On the positive side the tip is one of the better automatics I've driven. I really need to drive them back to back.