2013 and Earlier - Audi A4 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

pats1

If you are driving 60 miles round trip/day, leasing is probably not for you. I drive a little more than that each day, and my research showed me it was better to buy, especially the way Audi's seem to hold their value as compared to Japanese and American cars. The 15K+ miles/year will be expensive, even if you buy them up-front at a discount. Even with a higher residual on an A4, buying looked better to me. But, everyone looks t it differently, just like politics. I could not find and 2005 used ones locally - the closest was a 2004 with 22K miles at $27995. That probably would not have been a bad buy either as it was an Audi certified used car with a 100K mile warranty. If you can find one of those, consider it. The first two years' depreciation was eatne by someone else and the warranty is great.

Good luck!!

nyccarguy

Actually if you DO drive a lot of miles, leasing may be more conducive to you than you think. Look into taking a 36 month lease with the maximum alloted miles (15K per year). AT the end of the lease you pay the mileage overage. Divide that number by 36 and add it to your payment.

Then calculate what your payment will be on a 48 month or 60 month loan on a $40,000 A4 (if you're looking at a 3.2). If you do a lot of miles, say you mant to trade the car in of sell it in a few years. Depreciation will kill you on a high mileage car. It will be tough to sell or you'll be upside down on your trade.

At the end of the lease, you give them the car back and get a new one. Do the math and it might make more sense.

socalhelp

What are people paying these days for a 2006 Audi A4 2.0 with premium and sunroof package. How close to invoice price are you getting? Does it matter whether you lease or buy for car price?

geckofrog

I live around the Dallas area, anyone get a really good deal on a A4 2.0T Frontrak?

Between the 3 dealers in the area, wondering which one is more likey to give me a rock bottom deal.

dtran2149

Check out University Park Audi - they have about 15-20 loaner cars they are currently selling. All with 2.0T and Quattro starting at $28.9. They seem to be pretty good deals as that price is before any additional reductions via negotiations.

bigted2

I was quoted the following on an '06 A4 3.2 Manual with Roof and Premium Package. 36 months/12k per year. $500/mo plus tax. $0 down. I pay only 1st pymt and registration fees to drive off. (Bank fee is rolled into payment.) I don't have selling price, residual or m.f. in front of me, but just eye-balling it, this looks like a good deal. Thoughts? (Dealer has a black on black model in stock, which I hear is hard to find.)

needmore

A4 2.0T quattro
Sunroof
Premium
S-Line
Tech
Nav

I keep coming up w/ different prices from here and audiusa.com...is $38200 a good deal for this?

asheh

Is this a good deal?

Black/Black A42.0 Quattro
Automatic
Invoice 29,315

Premium Package $1,684
Sunroof Package $1,274
D&D $720

Invoice: $32,993

rjlaero

There are no rebates or dealer cash on any 2006 A4 model for April. So all you have to work with is the invoice to MSRP price.

qyl

Be careful if you plan to buy or lease from Leith Audi in Raleigh North Carolina. I had extremely bad experience with them and was robbed by them. They play all kinds of tricks.

1)They refuse to disclose the money factor and residual value to you, only stick to the monthly payment.

I was told I could get 0.00064 MF and 65% residual value for a A4 2.0T Quattro with 24 month 15K miles per year lease.

Then when I went to the dealershop and negotiated with the salesman, he refused to confirm the money factor and residual value saying he simply does not know and does not care. (They actually used 0.00080 0.65%instead.)

2)They changed the price they promised.

They promised me a price of $35,200 (MSRP $36,985, Invoice $34,335) during negotiation. Then the salesperson told me to add $1,084 acquistion fee and other fees to the price. Then I learned that this $1084 is "Pure Dealer Profit". The acquisition fee is charged separately and not included in the price.

So the final price is $36,284.

Lessons Learned:

1)Never, Never trust the car salesman. They always tell lies and play tricks on you.

2)Insist on the details and breakdowns of any fee or charges, especially the money factor, residual value...etc. Do not assume anything.

3)Choose a better dealer

studlee

this is a slightly used avant that the manager drove for 8000 miles

Black with Ebony interior; Premium, Navi, Sunroof, S-line, Technology W/Bluetooth, Premium Audio w/XM, and Cold Weather Packages, Headlamp Washers, Parktronic, maybe more.

MSPR on this car was about $44k
Dealer willing to sell for $35K and car is certified.

is this a good deal?

gogogo

Invoice price + $50-500, depdending on the dealer and time. Northern CA.

rolfs

Can anyone recommend a good one?

I'm looking to buy or lease either an A4 Wagon (2.0 4 cyl) (other choice in a BMW 325ix wagon) and any info on local deals or good dealerships would be helpful.

Thanks!

binutg

You can also try listing it ebids.com to get the best bids. I think this site launched 2 days back.
Thanks,
BB

spencermfi

So I did all the research on invoice pricing, base money factor etc. I decided I wanted to get an A4 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic with most options except Nav. I went to my local Audi dealer (I won't mention it specifically but it's in an upscale neighborhood - not that I'm so upscale myself; that's why I cared about getting a good deal!).

When I arrived they were very friendly and identified a car with the exact color/option combination I wanted that was already on the boat over from Germany and would be arriving in about a month (perfect timing with my lease return). I wrote down the VIN number to for future reference. I said great and we set a price of about $1000 over invoice which was within my target pricing. Everything seemed good. I had a check all written out for a small deposit and my salesman went to check with his manager to work out the numbers on the deal.

I was sitting there for quite a while and heard raised voices coming from the back. I had called my girlfriend and told her they were really putting on a great show for me. I fully expected the good-cop/bad-cop routine when he came back, saying he had a tough time but that the manager agreed to it. However, the salesman came back looking defeated. He gave me the deal that the manager would agree to and it was fully $60 a month over what I calculated from the selling price and the drive off was $700 over what I was expecting. Over 36 months, the total was almost $3000 over what I wanted to pay.

I told him he was way off, that I knew the AFS base money factor and what the payments should be. He laughed and said that people come in sometimes with numbers and calculators like that but that no dealer in his right mind would agree to it. Then the manager came around and added a bunch of BS to their explanation about why they couldn't honor the price they had set. However there was one thing that made sense. He said he only has a certain allotment of these cars from Audi, and that they are very popular. In other words, he knows that he can find 30+ people who are willing to pay considerably more than me for the cars he has to sell. Even understanding this, I was still a bit surprised that they actually let me walk out and did not really try to negotiate at all. When I went home and did the math on his offer, the deal equated to being about $800 OVER invoice! I thought to myself, if A4's are really this popular, then maybe I should look at different makes/models .

So I went home and looked up all the Audi dealers in Southern California and emailed each of them explaining the options I wanted and that I knew what the money factor and residual should be on the lease. A number of them in various areas (normal and more upscale) responded with similar offers on the selling price.

I also called my friend Chris who works at Toyota and explained my situation to him. The first thing he said was "can I get you into a Toyota?" I laughed and said that I had my heart set on the A4. He recommended that I talk to "Glen" (not supposed to use real names here, let's just say it's very very close to "Glen") at Auto Gallery in Woodland Hills. I was a little worried since it's also in a nice-ish part of town (and they also sell Ferraris and Maseratis) and I was thinking that I should go out to the desert or something to find the best deal.

As it turns out, Glen was one of the people who had already emailed me back. I read his email again which was quite detailed and realized that he was taking me seriously. The other responses seemed more vague and I wondered whether they would also go back on their pricing promise.

I called Glen and asked him if he could find the car I wanted. He found one very similar and gave me exact numbers including total drive off over email. I said great. He said great. After a couple days I realized that I just wouldn't be happy without the car with the exact options I wanted. He went to work again and got it. He wrote up the numbers and gave me a fair deal, with no backend nonsense on the money factor. I also asked for the VIN so I could call my insurance company to get a quote. It turns out that it was the exact same car that the other dealer had mentioned!

Now, you can never be sure that the deal isn't too good to be true until you actually write the first check and take the keys. Glen stayed late at the office so I could pick it up as soon as it was ready. I was in and out in about 30 minutes and paid the exact amount we agreed upon beforehand (actually it was $1 less per month because the AFS numbers had changed, and Glen said I could have either one because I had locked in the earlier numbers).

I could not be more pleased with the car :shades: ! I think the lesson with leasing is to do a bunch of research (on edmunds etc), be willing to walk away, and **shop around**. Also, my entire deal was worked out over email/phone/mail/fax, and there's no reason to think that another dealer wouldn't do the same if they really want to sell cars (and of course they do!). Also, my good friend picked one up around the same time at Commonwealth Audi in Orange County and also worked out a good deal using the information I researched.

spencermfi

When I say the first dealer's price equated to $800 over 'invoice', I actually meant $800 OVER MSRP!

dino11

For whatever it is worth:
I recently signed for 36 month/12k/yr lease on A4 quattro, auto trans, quartz gray/ebony with the following options:
Technology package
Sunroof package
Premium Package
NAV system
Dark walnut trim on dash
Rear Parktronics
Edmunds - MSRP 40,460
Edmunds TMV= 39,118
Edmunds Invoice 37,498
(supposedly, there is another $495 in fees- nat'l advertising ($300)and port setup ($195)=$495.00)
Cap cost $38,155
0 down, taxes rolled into lease. Monthly payment is $495/month. Inception =$1478
If I accept the $495 extra fees as real-several dealers gave me the same nubmers, it comes to $163 over invoice.

dsinsocal1

This is my deal:

2006 Audi A4
FWD 2.0T with CVT Automatic
Brilliant Black
Ebony Leather

36 months - 12k per year

OPTIONS:
Premium Pkg
Sunroof Pkg
Tech Pkg
Walnut Trim
Walnut Steering Wheel/Shift Knob
Rear Sun Shades
Sport Suspension

MSRP - $36,735
Invoice - $33,919

Negotiated Cap Cost - $34,032.18 ($113.18 over invoice)
Down Pmt - $430.06
Net Cap Cost - $33,602.12

Residual 55%
Money Factor .00038 (0.91%)

Pre-Tax Pmt - $392.61
Tax (8.75%) - $ 32.39
Monthly Pmt - $425.00

I was also initially quoted the Advertising and Prep Handling fees of $495 but I quickly negotiated that out of the deal too.

If I count those as legitimate charges I actually got the car for $381.82 UNDER invoice. Both the salesman and the finance manager mentioned that I was getting the car go below cost. The finance manager actually called the salesman to make sure the numbers were right -- though, it may have just been theatrics. Who knows.

Regardless, Audi is really dealing aggressively on this car right now ... at least at the dealership I went to they were. You still have a couple weeks before the latest promotion is over. I suggest you move now if you are interested in this car. I don't know what information is appropriate to post here, but if you want details on the dealership and who to talk to just e-mail me. I'll be happy to set you up.

It was the quickest, cleanest, most pain-free car transaction I've ever had. Everything was handled over the course of a few of e-mails, he e-mailed me a 1-page credit app then called me the next morning asking when I wanted to come pick the car up. I spent about 20 minutes test driving it before buying, 15 minutes signing papers, and 15 minutes going over the features with the salesman. We were in and out in about an hour.

As I'm sure has been mentioned before, getting informed beforehand is the key. Know what you want, what its worth, and what you're willing to pay for it. E-mail YOUR TERMS to the dealership in a "take it or leave it" format. Get a good Excel leasing worksheet (or do what I did and make your own) and spell out everything down to the last penny. (you'll never match the dealer exactly, but you'll be within a few bucks that way).

And when they try to switch you to something else, stand your ground and be prepared to walk away. The best part of having a good leasing worksheet is the ability to quickly recalculate payments on the fly to make sure that extra feature or new residual isn't being manipulated by the dealer to pad their profit.

Dealers know that once most people make up their mind and are actually standing in the dealership investing time in the process, they usually won't balk if the price jumps a few extra hundred dollars. Don't fall for it.

The car I got ended up being more than I initially wanted, but my complete reluctance to the additional options (tech pkg and wood steering wheel) allowed me to essentially force the dealer to give those options to me below cost just so he could sell me a car off his lot rather than trading with another dealer for a car.

I have the highest praise for this dealership, and my salesman in particular. He was highly motivated to sell my my car, but I never once felt like he was trying to pull a fast one on me (that could be due to him being an honest salesman, or the fact that he simply knew I wouldn't fall for it anyway). All in all, we are definitely "extremely" satisfied.

spencermfi

Both of these sound good. What was your total drive off?

dsinsocal1

Total drive off was $1,801

$430 Down
$ 35 Taxes
$575 Acquisition Fee
$425 First Pmt
$323 License/Title
$ 13 Gov. Fees (tires, etc)

jackb7

I think this is not a good deal, but I'm not sure. They had a quattro advertised for $349+tax $1900 due at sign in. I went in and wanted an A4 without quattro and they wanted $399+tax and $999 due at signin. Here are the specs of the car:

A4 2.0T 8EC5EC FWD Sedan 4D (Manual)
Premium, 17in, MoonRoof, and heated front seats.
MSRP 32760
Invoice 30222
Price: 30900

what should I expect on a lease?

bigbpro

Let me share some advice if you are shopping for an Audi on Long Island, NY: Don't shop at Legend Autorama in Amityville!

After leaving a deposit of $300 with Legend Audi, my wife and I opted to lease through Huntington Audi. When I returned to Legend a week later to claim my refund on the deposit, I was denied a refund! The manager was the one responsible for refusing to issue a refund. Through the entire ordeal he was rude and unprofessional. He resorted to name calling on the phone and exhibited terrible customer service. This led my wife and I to 1) contact my credit card company to freeze payment, 2) submit a formal complaint to Audi USA and 3) complaint to Better Business Bureau.

My advice is to steer clear of the Legend Autorama dealership on Long Island. You'll will most likely get burned.

Huntington Audi treated us wonderfully, we took delivery on our new A4 a couple of weeks ago and absolutely love the car! Huntington provided a great customer experience for us. :mad:

bigbpro

We got our 2006 A4 Quattro 2.0 for $448/month, 36-month lease, 15k miles/yr. with about $2,500 down to cover tax, first payment, etc.

PS. and the car has leather, sunroof, luxury pkg, etc. Sounds like you have some room for negotiation!

robertw477

This is what I was offered.

Audi A4 2.0 wth Metallic Paint
MSRP 34,160.00
Invoice Price: 31,900.00
This is the CVT model-not the Quattro All Wheel Drive
36 Months/12K Miles 402.03 + TAX (6%) Total $426.15 Month
36 Months/15K Miles 420.55 + Tax (6%) Total $445.78 Month

Upfront Charges:
First Month Payment 426.15
Upfront Charges: 1249.93

Total 1,676.00 Up front.

I would appreciate any info or advice. Again I mention they show 53 residual and .45 money factor.

Thanks
Robert

jdg1

I got this offer from a dealer in LA...

'06 A4 2.0T Sedan CVT FWD
*Brilliant Black
*Ebony (Black) Interior
*Premium Audio Package w/ Sirius
*Sunroof Package
*Premium Package
*S-Line Package w/ Performance Tires

invoice is $35,000.15.
dealer will go $300 over invoice -- $35,300.15

Selling price.........$35,300.15
Document fees...........$45.00
Sales Tax..............$2,915.97
DMV fees...............$290.00
State Tire fee...............$8.75
Total...................$38,559.87

I think it sounds like a good deal.
anyone have any opinions?
thanks,
Jeff

lasaab

What dealership did you go to in Los Angeles? I'm looking to lease an A4 this Memorial Day Weekend, but I want to get the best deal possible and go to a legitimate sales person so that I don't waste my time.

I'm new at this and need some help on my first independent lease from my parents. I am looking at the A4 and I know there is a current promotion for 36 mo. for $349 a month but with all the hidden fees in advertised lease deals, I wasn't sure if it was a good one.

I'm looking to do a 24 or 36 mo. lease on an Audi A4 2.0 CVT with automatic transmission. I do not need any other upgraded options (I assume that all Audi cars come with leather). I'd like to put as little down as possible up front- no more than $1000 (including fees) and I'd like the standard 12K miles per year.

What do you think is the lowest monthly payment I could make per month without putting more than $1000 or $1500 down? I'm trying to keep the lease payments under $370 before tax.

Also, what are the current MF and and residuals for CA?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Ashley

prc2

Hi Ashley,

I am by no means a master at this; I am just a person who has done lots of research for my own A4. From what I understand, current residuals and MF for CA are 55% and 0.00038, respectively, for an A4 2.0T CVT.

No, not all Audis come with leather; it is included in the sunroof package (pretty standard for CA Audis). I'm not sure how much you are looking to spend (total cap cost), but assuming that you negotiate $30,000 as a round number on a 36-month lease, monthly payments will be just under $400. If you add CA tax (8.25%), that takes you over $400 per month. That, keep in mind, is with zero down. The Audi promotion of $349 is with $999 down and does not include tax, title or registration.

You might find it difficult to drive off without putting down at least $1000 as you have to pay the acquisition fee, first month, tax, etc. at inception, and that usually runs significantly more than $1000.

I hope this helps.

justin12

Is this a good deal?

2006 Audi A4 6M Quattro, Red/Black
Sunroof Pkg, Premium Pkg, Sport Suspension
MSRP: $34560
TMV: $34124
INV: $32049

I got a price of $33694 thru a broker. Is this a good deal?

evoic

Hi Car_Man ! !

Can you please tell me how bad I got my head ripped off here? The deal is done, I'm simply looking to find out where I got gaffed over the head and missed it. Thanks!

(Posted this in one of the other threads, but had no idea where you go most of the time, so I put it here to....)

A4 2.0 Quattro w/ Tiptronic
Moro Blue Metallic
Premium Package
Dark Walnut Interior
Multi-Function Wheel
Moonroof / Leather Package
Sport Suspension
36 month lease
12k miles

MSRP $37,135 (Invoice $34,472)
Total Cap $34,996.76
Cap Reduction $358.81
Net Cap $34,637.95
Residual $20,790
Base: $408.48
Tax (7.75%) 31.66
Monthly Payment 440.14
License Fees $299.75
Bank Fees $575
Docs $45
Rate 0.00043

Total Drive Off $1,750

Crushed?

spencermfi

Looks right on target to me (plug your numbers into the calculator at leaseguide.com). I would have done it without the cap reduction, but even with that, you're not really paying any more than you should. The only way you would have done better would have been to reduce your total cap cost. However, you basically did well enough with $500 over. You were certainly not ripped off. Enjoy the car!

robertw477

Doesnt look bad to me either. Why did you think you got hosed? Have you read these boards before you got it. GL with the car.

Robert

prc2

I just bought my A4 on 05/31, and I thought that I would post my deal for your information. I bought it from Steve at Rusnak in Pasadena, and it was a wonderful transaction that consisted of four emails and one phone call. What a pleasure!

A4 2.0T Quattro - Black with Ebony Interior
- S-Line Package
- Premium Package
- Technology Package
- Sunroof Package

0.00043 MF, 56% residual

MSRP: $40,285
Invoice: $37,338
Cap Cost: $37,533

$1410 drive off (zero down), $442 per month not including tax ($478.22 with tax).

lyla

I'm going to post my deal as well, from the same dealer as the previous post. Mine was also a great experience.

A4 2.0 CVT
Sunroof package
Sport Suspension
Wood trim

MSRP: 32,610
Invoice: 30,165
Cap cost: 30,122

RES: 56%
MF: .00038

Down: $600

Monthly payment: $358.24 including tax

robertw477

Looks like both are pretty sharp deals. It is a wonder to me that so many dealers play games and others give their best price to try and get your business. Lets face it Audi has somesuper tough competition from BMW. Here is S Fla I see 100-1 BMWs on the road over Audi.

Rob

prc2

That's a perfect reason to purchase an Audi... you're not a clone!

I was honestly stunned at how honest and simple the transaction was. The price quoted via email was much better than I ever expected. It reinforces the notion that internet managers work from invoice up (as opposed to floor salesmen who work from MSRP down). Internet managers get paid on total cars sold, not on the margin of each unit.

robertw477

I am not a clone! Thats good. Actually AUdi is pricing me much better than BMW. The local South Fla BMW dealers are a total killer on lease cost.

Rob

hoxx

Does anyone have the actual dealer invoice price of an 2005 S4 with MT - 6 Speed

thanks

socal79

Did this include all of the drive off fees or did you pay that up front? If you don't mind saying how much was your drive off and what are the terms of your lease?

This looks likes a really good deal to me, I went to a dealership in San Diego and asked for the same MF, and inv price and was told it wasn't possible. What dealership is this from?

lyla

Drive off was around 1800...I don't have the exact number in front of me.

The lease was for 36 months at 10K miles.

In terms of MF, it may have changed from May to June if I'm not mistaken. I leased at the end of May.

I went to Rusnak Audi in Pasadena, CA and dealt with the internet/fleet manager. The invoice is definitely possible though. Good luck!

socaljoe

I got mine from Audi of Mission Viejo is southern cal. It's 2006 A4 2.0T Quattro 6sp. auto w/Tiptronic, premium, sunroof package, wood trim. It's brilliant black with ebony leather interior. The msrp was $36,800, I got it out the door for $37,700. I ended paying $700 over invoice

montanaaggie

I recently have found Audi A4 for near $34,000. It's a 2005.5 thats very slightly used.

It's everything I want:
2.0L
Quattro
Manual
Sunroof
Navi

34,000 seems kind of steep, but is it? TMV from Edmunds shows the high end of 2.0L quattro being around 29K. How much do you think I could get it down for especially when I finance through them. Any help would be appreciated.

hsuehhwa

I found an Audi's leasing deal from Edmunds:

"$349 Monthly Payment

Calculate Other Monthly Payments
36 Month Term
$1299 Down Payment
NA Security Deposit
10000 Annual Mileage

Restrictions Lease based on the 2006 Audi A4 2.0T CVT Sedan with Frontrak and sunroof package.
Comments $2223 due at signing. Dealer participation may vary. Incentives and Rebates are provided subject to the terms of our Visitor Agreement. Tax, tags and insurance are extra. "

Here are a quote I got from a local dealer. Is it a good deal?

10,000 miles per year
$1,299 cap reduction
$2,658 total out of pocket
$349 + tax = $378 per month

Here's what the 2,658 coming from
$1,299 down payment
$575 lease aquisition fee
$107 tax on down payment
$299 registration fee
$378 first months payment

The relationship of $2658 and advertised $2223

"subtract $107, $299, and $29 ($378-$349) from $2,658 you get your $2,223."

Does it make sense?

rapowitz

Sounds very steep. For comparison, there is a dealer in Atlanta with a handful of "executive demo - never titled" 2006 A4 Avant 2.0T Quattro Auto with between 5,000 and 7,000 miles Certified Pre-Owned (warranty to 100K) with Internet prices of $32,900. Original sticker was around $36,500.

I JUST bought one for $32,000 and it had 5,600 miles on it. On top of that, I got 2.9% for 24 months. I'm pretty happy about this purchase! This is my 2nd A4 in my garage. My other is a 2001 base sedan 5-sp frontrac that has been an exceptional car for me.

njboardwalk

Looking at a 2.0 quattro auto...sunroof package with heated seats, upgraded alloys. Can't actually buy with just heated seats typically...need one of the packages. Anyway....2006, asking 32k, only 4,200 miles. Key is it is certified, which is 100k miles, bumper to bumper warranty. Told that warranty costs over $2,000 if purchased with new vehicle.

Is $32,000 high, low, about right??? thanks!!

rapowitz

Seems just like the one I bought. Mine had sunroof package, heated seats and upgraded 17" alloys. BUT, it deleted the trip computer, homelink and a few other electronics found on the premium package. I believe these were demo's or factory exec cars. Mine and a few others I saw were white. Nevertheless, they were 2006 low miles CPO's till 100K. You didn't say if it was a sedan or wagon, which makes a bit of difference. The wagon's go for about $1K more. I paid $32K for a wagon and got a strong trade. Could have worked out to maybe a bit under $32K for the car if the trade hadn't come into play.

audiwatcher

A local dealer offered me a 2005 audi a4 3.2 silver with

-xm radio
-bose sound
-has 8,000 miles
-great condition
-power seats
-6 cd changer

for $31,000

Is this a good deal or a rip off?

njboardwalk

thanks for the info. It is a sedan, but silver (my first choice) and barely 4k miles. Trade does factor in. They had 7 different cars with miles ranging from low 4k to over 12k, all the same price. All in, probably could have pushed for another 500-750, but the trade needs some serious work.

audiwatcher

-update

A local dealer offered to sell me a 2005 audi a4 3.2 quattro silver with

-xm radio
-bose sound
-has 8,000 miles
-great condition
-power seats
-6 cd changer

for $31,000

Is this a good deal or a rip off?

12345678901112

I was frustrated by an experience at a local dealer. The recent add was for an a4 2.0T quattro automatic with sunroof package for $369 (and was lowered to $349 apparently over the weekend). Anyone who has actually been to a dealership knows that this car doesn't exist on many lots, but they are more than happy to "put you in" one with more options, and a much higher profit margin. Frustrated with being told this at a local dealer, I called Audi USA to complain that the lease seems misleading since few dealerships are actually stocked with this model at this great price. I told them that to get the car they advertised, I'd been told I'd have to wait a few weeks to special order, or have to pay "transfer fees" to get the car from another dealership (this guy even went through a search in front of me to tell me the closest car to my state was on the other side of the country). Of course, he was pushing a model with a premium/cold weather/sunroof package that would raise the invoice and MSRP by a few thousand, and thus the lease rate would be higher.

Using sites like this or Kelly Blue Book, it is easy to see that there is a price overlap between the model I just described, and the model in the ad special (in the small print the MSRP is 36,310). So I took a shot with the national customer service and told them I felt I was being baited in and switched to a higher end model of the A4. I told them that of course, I didn't mind the more equipped car, but why should I have to pay for it when no dealership has the model from he ad that I came in looking to buy on their lot. Furthermore, I told them that if the MSRP in the ad is 36,310, the more equipped car was actually selling for LESS than the advertised model (invoice with destination for a 2.0T quattro with sunroof/cold weather/premium starts at 32,993,with a TMV of 35,284 according to this site). The rep was very concerned that dealerships are running this ad without having the model in question available, so she took my information and asked me to pick a local dealership that she would put me in touch with.

Within 10 minutes, I had a sales manager of a dealership in my area on the phone. When I asked her if she had the particular model in the ad on her lot, she said no, and she added that no one in the area or neighboring states did either. She then told me that she would lease me ANY a4 2.0T quattro with automatic transmission/sunroof/premium/cold weather (the most typically equipped model on the lot) for 379/mo for 36 mo/10k miles, or 382.02/mo for 36 mo/12k miles (both rates plus the $1299 down (which I have opted to roll into the total monthly rate and have no cap cost reduction). ANY CAR!

Doing the math with the published "invoice rates" plus $1000 dealer profit, and using the money factor provided from the roadfly.com site, you know that I'd have to pay in the $420's on the depreciation part alone, before adding the interest factor or cap cost reduction.

Needless to say I am happy. I am guessing that someone at Audi may have thrown the dealership a rebate on the car, or maybe using the term "bait and switch" struck a nerve (especially when this dealership indeed did not have the model in the ad) or maybe this manager wanted to get rid of stock before the ad special ended. Either way, this is how I got my deal. I have gotten a ton of advice from this column, so I wanted to give some back. I hope someone else can use this tactic to their advantage

wco81

So what was the terms of the deal?

MSRP?

Driveoff?

MF?

Contract length and miles?

Actual selling price?