The G Man

Edmunds doesnt list advertising fee, I bet thats what that $500 is.

hmn4858

Some dealers charge and some don't. Depends on what they're doing on the back end. Also what does transport mean? They going to send it on a flatbed or is some guy going to go to the dealership and drive it back? I had a dealer try to charge me $750 to get a car from Philly. I told him to blow it and he said he'd split the cost. They claimed it was the closest car they could find matching my specs. Turns out the dealer 2 miles from my work had what I wanted in the showroom. Bunch of liars. You should call Bell Audi in NJ and see what they can do for you. Ask to speak to Marc Levine (732.388.2800 EXT: 119). Sure it's a long way but they might be able to get you a much better price for what you want. They sell them for $700 over invoice w/o negotiating (you might be able to get more off), don't have bs charges, and you might get them to throw in Audi care.

This is utter BS. The Lexus dealer here has come up with these BS charges to a tune of 1250 or so. If you go through internet sales they give you a "deal" and don't charge you for it.

That is also crap. I've bought several cars over the years (including in Houston) and I've never paid an inventory tax.

License should be for your plates. Doc fees vary from dealer to dealer.

I'd really talk to another dealer if I were you. They're really trying to rip you off. You should have much better luck at a high volume dealer.

acrackl

Thanks for the great advice. I have never bought a car from out of town and I am apprehensive about it - I hesitate to buy even TVs online (it is just my nature). Is there any issue with buying a car that you haven't driven? What if there is a big old "ding" in the car when it arrives? Is it possible that the local dealers (Momentum, Millenium) will screw me over on service and warranty because I bought the car out of state?

$700 over "invoice" is reasonable, but what is considered the true "invoice" ? There is a difference of $500 between what Truecar calls "invoice" and what Edmunds calls "invoice". But what Edmunds calls "invoice" matches what Truecar calls "True Cost".

This is the problem in Houston. The biggest dealer here are Momentum and Audi West - both owned by Sonic. The only other dealer is Millenium Audi - they wanted MSRP. Momentum also has Volvo, BMW, Porsche dealerships in Houston and at least on BMWs they try the same tricks (BS charges). They have the worst BBB ratings possible(F). Believe it or not there are some car dealers that get A+ on BBB.

I am sorry to bring my sob story over here - you guys have provided very good insight. Quite obviously, I dont have the knowledge/skills you guys do.

It is not so much as the fact that I am paying more (Audi Q5 apparently has good demand and probably a reason to ask for premium margin), but the principle of being screwed over using bogus charges like these. That gets to me.

Andy V

yob2kanobe

All those dealers score poorly on dealer rater .com
http://www.dealerrater.com/directory/Texas/Audi/
If I was you I'd take my business elsewhere and have it shipped in or fly into pick up your new Q5 and drive it home. Your local dealers have to honor the warranty and Audi care should you get it. then you will only have to deal with the service department not the shady sales department. good luck on your choice, either way you are gonna love your Q5.

hmn4858

Just speaking from personal experience... I put down a deposit for the car (usually they ask for $500 or so) and that was it. They got the car from CT, let me know it arrived, and then I went down to NJ to sign all the paperwork. Until you sign on the dotted line it's not yours and you can always walk away. I'd take it for a spin before signing but odds are everything will be fine. If there is some cosmetic damage you might be able to get some more money off, xtras thrown in like all weather mats, or maybe free detailing for a couple of visits. I've never had any issues with taking my car to a different dealer from where I bought it. Some will say they only give loaners to folks who purchased cars from them but I haven't run into that. I just took my car to the local dealer whom I would have bought from but they wouldn't talk numbers over the phone. Service was great and they gave me a loaner for a couple of days.

I think the $500 is the advertising fee.