2013 and Earlier - Audi A4 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

jtla

Congratulations on your new A4. When put into consideration the interest saving of at least 3% over regular car loans, you got your new ride for under $30 grand. Unbelievable! Awesome deal and great strategy! You must be a business major.

As to the nearly 10% CA sales tax, you can deduct it on your income tax return this year. That helps, too.

bear_4_life

Bingo...I did forget to mention that too. I did take this into consideration and made sure that I could qualify for the "Tax Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" as defined by the IRS. See following link:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204519,00.html

My thought was to upgrade one of my old cars in the next couple years, however, the deals, tax breaks, and incentives made me pull the trigger earlier than I planned.

Finally, I do have my MBA...so the moral of the story here is - stay in school and you can get a killer deal if you crunch the numbers!

anitha

sports suspension - $38,165.00 (No navigation). Including taxes etc it comes to 41K.

(They will be picking-up 2 payments. So, the price will come down by 1400 or so)

Any thoughts on how good/bad of a deal this is?

s0l0

What's the MSRP and invoice ? Do you qualify for Conquest or Loyalty?

anitha

Hmm...should I ask him to breakdown the quote as MSRP and Invoice? He hasn't given me such break down. No, I don't qualify for loyalty or conquest. Audi will pay 2 of my payments though.

Thanks.

s0l0

Invoice for Premium Plus with one of the sport packages (18" or 19") and metallic paint is $37073. You should aim for invoice minus $500 which is roughly $36,500.

Unless the car has other options or is the Avant, your offer is really bad.

anitha

Thanks for info. Where did you find that invoice info? Can you send me that link please. When I search online, the pricing isn't differentiated by types (premium,P+ etc) like the one below.

http://www.autobuyguide.com/2009/12-aut/audi/a4/pricing/index.html

bear_4_life

Can't tell by your description. Is it a Sedan or Wagon (Avant)?

Is it an all wheel drive (quattro) or not? This can be nearly an $800 difference.

If it's a Sedan, is it a 2.0T or 3.2? Sounds like a 2.0T based on the price quoted.

If it's a Sedan AND a 2.0T quattro, is it Auto or Manual transmission? This can be about a $2,000 difference.

We know it's a Premium Plus trim line with one of the Sport Packages, anything else?

At first blush, I would guess bad deal. You need to know EXACTLY what the car has in it and then determine what the MSRP and Dealer Invoice is for such a car. I was able to get my car for $1,500 BELOW Dealer Invoice and that was before all the incentives with Cash Back and first two paymnent covered by Audi. Check the "Inventory" feature on Edmunds.com or Autotrader.com to see if you can find other similar models in your area and then work the dealers off each other.

Finally, if you can wait till the end of the month, some dealers may be willing to give in more and cut you a bigger break to make the sale. IMO, this is way too early in the month to buy a car. Take the next 3 weeks to shop around and start chipping away at the price.

Good luck!

s0l0

Edmunds.com, just put in the exact model, color and options the car in question has and it shows you the MSRP and invoice. Like people are saying, you should get it for way less than invoice (up to $1500 below in some cases). Don't pay attention to the TMV, it's too high.

anitha

Thanks.

It is sedan, 2.0, AWD, auto transmission. I am still negotiatiing with him. I should be able to wait till June 20th or so.

bear_4_life

Totally agree. TMV is not truly what other people are paying for cars today. Even Consumer Reports' pricing worksheet is too high.

I got my deal done by researching / inquiring about the car over 2-3 weeks and the final negotiations only took 10 minutes. Bought the car right before end of May but realize this: I was ready and willing to walk away from the car if I didn't get what I wanted price-wise. Dealers started me at $39,400+TTL for a car MSRP-ing $40,150 and Invoice of $37,500. Please note that the Dealer Invoice is NOT the cost of the car to the Dealer. It has many hidden things in it and you should realize that you can go well below the Dealer Invoice in the current market. I politely told the sales guys that I knew they could do a lot better and 2 weeks later, I was at $36k. I probably could've gone a few hundred lower, but by that time, I was feeling a little fatigued and they met my offer.

s0l0

Did you have to pay documentation or other dealer fees on top of the $36k you paid?
What options did the car have?

bear_4_life

$36k included destination charges (which is typically $825) but did not factor in tax, title and license.

Major Options were:
Premium Plus (WPS code) which contains the following:
Xenon headlights
LED daytime lamps
17" 10 spoke alloy wheels
All season tires
Bluetooth
3 Zone climate control
Heated front seats
Homelink universal remote
Chrome trim around windows
Auto dimmers for interior and exterior mirrors (I love this feature)
Compass in mirror
6 CD changer
iPod interface
2 seat memory for driver seat and exterior mirrors
Rain / light sensor
Metallic/pearl paint
Couple hundred bucks worth of accessories as a sweetner to the deal

s0l0

I didn't mean destination charge or taxes. Some dealers add documentation/prep fees that can add up to $500. I guess if your dealer had any, they were factored into your $36k figure?

bear_4_life

Ahh, correct. The $36k was all inclusive. Aside from that, I just paid TTL and nothing more... I made sure when I looked at the arm-length loan agreement that it just had those 4 items: price, tax, title and licensing charges period.

jtla

I know this thread is about pricing and buying experience, but just curious --

How do you like the standard seats? From the photo, they look like plain flat and no lateral support at all? Although I don't need the sport-tuned suspension, I am considering the sport package just to get the sport seats.

s0l0

Can you pay off the loan before the 'mandatory' 12 payments, as long as you pay interest for all 12 payments (i.e. as if you had kept the loan for 2+12 months)?

bear_4_life

From what I understand, theoretically, you can pay the car off completely in the 3rd month without any penalty. I haven't reviewed the fine print in the promissory note to verify this, and according to the sales guys, the downside is really on the Dealer's side.

I was essentially told that the manufacturer (Audi / VW the mothership) will go after the Dealer for the 2 payments if the customer pays off the loan quickly. The net effect is that you do a cash purchase and Audi / VW takes the hit on the two pmts without any compensation (i.e. interest) from the customer.

The reality is, however, that at 1.9% financing over 36 months, the total payments less principal in my situation is about $1,117 in interest over the life of the loan that I'm forking over to VW Finance. Doesn't recoup them for the 2 pmts at all.

Dealers essentially said that if you make the first 12 payments and then pay the car in full right afterward, then Audi / VW won't go after the Dealers for the 2 free pmts. I figure, the loan is pretty darn cheap, why not just hang on to your cash and make the 34 pmts...

s0l0

Probably the only case where you'd want to pay off the loan early is if you need to sell the car or ship it overseas.

anitha

Hey...for 36K, did you get the sports suspension package? I am wondering if I should get it or not! Reviews says that the ride might be smoother with the sports suspension package. Thanks for the reply.

jshap

I am happy to say that I am now driving a 2009 Quartz Gray/Black Audi A4. It is Premium Plus with navigation and wood trim. I think I did a good job of negotiating. My sales price (just on the car) was $36,608.21. It was a great experience. They had the car I wanted on the lot. I think that is key these days. Especially with inventory depleting rapidly on this car with the above features. I did the deal at Audi Willow Grove, PA. I would recommend them highly.

anitha

Whoh..I think it is a good deal esp. navigation alone costs 2000plus I think. Did you get sports suspension?

s0l0

What was the MSRP? Did you qualify for loyalty or conquest money?

bear_4_life

Nah - remember, we got the wagon / Avant. No need for paddle shifters, bigger wheels, and extra side bolsters on the front seats. Driver side on the Premium Plus does have lumbar support whereas the passenger doesn't. Thought the ride on the Sport suspension was a little harder but more responsive than without. Good luck.

bear_4_life

Seats seem pretty good. Driver side does have lumbar support. I'll let you know after our first long drive.

jshap

The MSRP on my car I think was $41,250. I did not get sports suspension and I did not qualify for loyalty or conquest.

anitha

How was it and what price did you get it for? Premium plus or Prestige. Thanks.

s0l0

So you got roughly $4400 off the MSRP price? Did you also get the two free payments by Audi?

jshap

Since I leased, I only got one month's payment. I think if you purchase you get two months.

nhbanker

The info on this site helped us negotiate a price of $34,800 on a black with beige Premium Plus. The price included all-weather mats as the only option. Audi lease is making the first payment as this was a lease deal. Doc prep and acquisition was about $800. The MSRP was $38,100 including $825 destination and the invoice on Edmunds was $35,462. It seems as the A4 is gaining in popularity so it is a little harder to negotiate way below invoice. Awesome car and we feel like we got a fair deal.

bernabau

I have both cars in my mind:

Audi:

2.0 Q, 26k miles, Premium pkg, xenon lights. Asking price : $25000

BMW:

325 xi, 32K miles, premium pkg, Nav, rear parking sensor,. Asking price : $27800

ilikeike

Anyone up late? I've got a couple of decisions to make.

Lease or buy?
Summer of Audi gives us either two loan payments or one lease payment. But, I'm not sure if I have all of the information to compare the two. I vaguely remember a $140/mo lower payment for leasing and an $18k +- buyout, but the rest was mumbo jumbo.

Anyway, does anyone happen to know if, in general terms, Audi is offering a lower cost of money for leasing over buying? If it's a draw, I'll go with leasing because of the guaranteed ability to get out of the deal after three years.

Loyalty/Conquest?
We don't "officially" qualify, but can we fudge the facts and get another $1,000 or $1,500 back? Is the decision arbitrary and negotiable, or do we have to prove ownership of the appropriate vehicle? (If my brother owns it, I kind of own it, right?)

For those who are shopping, here's our story:
After looking at Mercedes C, and comparable Lexus and Infiniti models, my wife got an email from the internet guy at the Mercedes dealership we bought our last car from. He had a 2009 A4 Quattro with 3,000 miles for $29k. Not bad, so we decided to look.

The car looked great; my wife decided that she like the styling better than any of the others, good reviews, rear seat folds down efficiently (surfboard and dogs) - let's make a deal.

Test drove and slept on it, made an offer and accepted $28k. Car looked perfect, salesman said it was same as new, but I had my doubts and put a two-day right to cancel in the contract. Good thing I did, because the paint gauged at between 8 and 32 mils on the driver's side. This car had been repaired and re-painted! No problem, but it was a job that my expert friend judged to be really bad. (I thought it looked okay, until he had me put my head close to the ground where I could see obvious sanding marks, and until he had me look at the car in stark sunlight, where I could see that the clear coat on the doors was way yellower than on the adjacent quarter-panels.) Over the next two days, the unmistakable smell of cigarettes started emerging. It was plain as day but not at all there when we first looked at the car.

Started calling around and found that the real (not sticker) price was only a bit higher than our great deal. Located the colors we wanted and decided to return the used car. On the way back to the dealership this morning, I started hearing new noises from the engine. They offered another $2k off if we wanted to keep it (almost brand-new A4 Quattro for $26k!) but we had already un-loved this particular car.

The night before, I had emailed the six closest dealers and explained our situation. A couple responded, but only one took the time to actually check inventory and quote a price on our color/package choice. I didn't even haggle - $1,000 below invoice seemed to be a square deal.

So, tomorrow, I'm picking up our brand-new A4 (fresh paint, no cigs!), with a $33,284 invoice for $32,284. Just a hair below Edmunds True Value Pricing (a bit above Cars Direct, but that's to be expected, I guess). And, by financing through Audi at 4.9% (we were going to pay cash), we get two payments made for us - about $1,300 or so. The dealer said to go ahead and pay it off whenever we want, but I read that the dealer gets stuck if we pay too early. Seems like a nice guy, so I'll double-check with him.

If the dealer hadn't bluffed when we first said we were returning the first car, we would have gratefully accepted the $26,000 price. But, now we're paying an extra $6,000 just so we don't have to look at that door every time we get in the car, or worry about some funny noise that might be a result of racing a cold turbo.

The only choices left are whether to switch to a lease (which I would gladly do if the 37 month cash flow is similar) and whether to tint the windows. The dealer said he would set me up and pass his price along for his local guy - I've had decent luck doing this when I get someone's discount and write a check directly. We want shade, not anonymity, so we're thinking 55%/35%.

Still awake? Love to hear from you - this has happened way too fast!

s0l0

Door painted, engine noise, cigarette smell. That's just what you know about, what else is wrong with the car? Why was the door painted? Is there frame damage? Does it show up on CarFax? If so, the resale value is seriously affected.

Bottom line, unless I saved at least $10k I wouldn't take the risk of buying a used car with shady history, probably not even then.

ilikeike

Having slept on it, we're both glad to have returned the used one and excited about having a brand new A4. We're picking it up this evening.

When it comes to evaluating used cars, I guess that I'm as good as the next person. But, it's funny how the car looked perfect during the test drive and the first day at home, but after having a paint expert look at it and giving the cigarette smell some time to come up from deep within the upholstery, it felt like a completely different car than we expected.

We could have lived with the paint problem, but my brother-in-law once had a truck with a cigarette smell that couldn't be removed. That would have really ruined the fun of having a new car. Hopefully, that A4 will end up being owned by someone who smokes.

Just got off the phone. We decided on light (55%) tint all around on the new A4. I hope it's not too light, but my wife doesn't like dark tint when driving at night.

jayrider

That smell can be removed -- the dealer has detail sub-contractors that can do it cheaply. Still think you made the right decision to get fresh metal.

bellefax

Does anyone know what finance rates are available for June on Certified Pre-Owned A4s (36 month - 60 month term)?

And do CPO purchases qualify for loyalty cash?

ilikeike

After returning the used A4 to the Mercedes dealer, we were looking at both new and Certified Pre-Owned Audi's. We never specifically asked about incentives but were quick to be told about Audi's finance and lease promotions for new cars. Nothing was ever mentioned about any current promotions for CPO's.

We got an interest rate of 4.9% (60 months) on our new Audi and it sounded like the used car rate was about 5.25% or so. One thing that was obvious after our dealings - a good deal on a slightly used Audi (the one we were looking at had 3,000 miles) isn't that different than a great deal on a new Audi, particularly with the first two payments for free (and even better if you can get a Conquest or Loyalty rebate).

Check out the Edmunds depreciation figures (part of True Cost to Own), and it doesn't look like there are any incredible savings to be had until the car is a few years old.

dht34

Actually, the finance rates should be:

1.9% for 24 months
1.9% for 36 months
2.9% for 48 months
3.9% for 60 months

Don't let them tell you otherwise, its in their Summer of Audi packet. Edmunds and Yahoo also lists the same finance rates.

bellefax

Thanks guys! Just spoke with a reputable dealer and he confirmed the finance rates dht34 quotes above.

ilikeike

Are the terms for the Summer of Audi published anywhere? I got the first two payments for free at 4.9%. Is it possible to get the free payments at 3.9% or is it an either/or situation?

hugh59

Hi,

I am new to this forum so forgive me if these questions have been asked before.

I want to buy a 2009 A4 Premium and am looking for a reputable Audi dealer on Long Island. There is not a lot of information on the web regarding dealer ratings or at least not for Audi. What there is seems to be fairly negative.

Can anyone steer me in the right direction?

I did test drive the car over at Legend in Ammityville and got a price of $33,000 for a A4 Quatro with the 6 automatic. The car is a Premium and the only extras are the paint.

Thanks,

ilikeike

Edmunds shows TMV (Edmund.com's True Market Value) for that car at $32,440. (I was surprised to see that the TMV is $400 higher for Long Island than it is is Southern California.)

We ended up paying about $300 less than TMV for our car. The dealer called it $1,000 below invoice, but it really wasn't because they had added on some stuff like advertising fees. It was actually about $150 below invoice.

I sent out emails to the six dealers within 50 miles, but only two were willing to confirm that they had the exact color we wanted and only one gave me the final price over the phone. I might have been able to shave off a couple hundred bucks more, but I told him that as long as he didn't dick around with me, I wouldn't dick around with him.

I might be wrong, but it looks like it may be easier to start the conversation with an email than it is to visit the dealership. Seems like we started dealing directly with the sales manager instead of having a salesman in between us.

So, when he called up and said he had the A4 with the color and options we wanted for $32,284 I checked the price on Edmunds and headed down to the dealer. Made life pretty simple.

The guy who sold us the car was pretty reasonable. I told him that we didn't want anything extra (dealership add-ons are rarely a good deal) and he never asked. They did a great job of detailing the car, gave us a full tank and spent about an hour explaining the car's functions, maintenance, etc.

I had momentarily forgotten about the "Summer of Audi" program but the dealer brought it up and asked if we had another car eligible for the Conquest or Loyalty rebates. We didn't but we did decide to finance instead of paying cash so that we could get the first two payments for free. The dealer said no problem to refinancing or paying off the loan after the first three months.

After the contract was signed, I asked the dealer if, as a favor, he could help me get the windows tinted at his cost. He said sure, and had his favorite shop tint five windows for $140, but I had to drive a couple blocks away and pay the shop with a check. That was our one dealer upgrade and I'm sure it would have been much more expensive if we had asked the dealer to include it with the car.

I might place too much reliance on Edmunds values, but it sure makes things simple. If you can get your car for $32,200 or so and aren't pressured into any dealer add-ons, that would be similar to what we paid.

The optional colors are pretty good looking. Which color are you looking at?

s0l0

The invoice on that car is $32,000, people are paying up to $1,500 under the invoice before rebates. They are asking $2,000-2,500 too much. Don't pay any attention to the TMV value on Edmunds.

ilikeike

That would mean I paid about $1,300 more than if I had spent the time to really shop the deal. I had already figured that I might have been about $600 over rock-bottom, but I was hoping it wasn't much more than that. Oh well.

Anyway, I didn't have much of a choice after returning the defective used car. If I hadn't replaced it with the same car immediately, my wife would have spent much more than $1,300 shopping to get over her grief. Since we couldn't find the combination she wanted anywhere locally, I was happy to have a dealer dig one up for us.

I noticed that Cars Direct is much closer to the $1,500 under invoice. Are they a better gauge than Edmunds?

gigg1es

Hi
I am trying to buy an A4 in California with taxes at 9.25%. The price they quoted was $29999 but out the door with taxes and fees about $34k. Checking edmunds.com and truecars.com for the car I am looking for with minimal options, the average price people are buy the car for is a little less than 30K. Does anyone know if this is the out the door pricing? is it ridiculous for me to start my negotiations at 29k when they are starting at 34k?

here are the details of the car

A4 2.0T CVT 09
Brilliant Black
Bluetooth
Audio interface.

thanks for any advice!

gigg1es

Hi bear
I am looking to buy an A4 09 in California within the next week. I am looking at a base model A4 2.0 frontwheel drive. Several dealers have contacted me with a car that meets my description. They initally said 30k but are now quoting me out the door around 34k.

according to edmunds and truecar, the average price paid for a similar car was somewhere around 30,500k.

How did you manage to get such an amazing deal on your car. Would it be ridiculous to start my negotiations at 29k. I am a first time car buyer and am sorta scared by this process.
the car i am looking at is
09 A4 2.0t CVT, brilliant black, bluetooth, and audio interface. really minimal package.

PLEASE HELP ME.

hugh59

Thanks for the price info. I didn't haggle with the guy yet but I had no idea until I came to this forum what I should be aiming for.

As far as a dealer I assume that you are not allowed to reccomend anyone on through this forum? If anyone can reccomend one via email that would be cool.

I also should say that I have no reason to think that the dealer who let me drive one of their vehicles is not the one to go to but I just have no idea and the only source on the web with dealer ratings basically has very little to go on for Long Island Audi dealers.

Thanks for your help.
My email is robchris91259@optonline.net

bear_4_life

Hi Giggles,

Remember that there are a lot of numbers dealers can throw at you. Important ones to note are MSRP, Dealer Invoice (which is what they say they got the car from the manufacturer for but not really), Dealer Cost (which is the true mystery in the whole process). These should all reflect before TTL (Tax, Title and License fees since these will vary from state to state), but include destination fees (about $825). OTD (Out the Door) is literally what you will pay bottom line for the car.

I'll be quite frank, I think the TMV (True Market Value) quoted in Edmunds and other online resources are currently high and dealers are willing to go well below the Dealer Invoice price. My Dealer Invoice with all the options was $38,500 and I got the car for $36,000 before TTL. Edmunds TMV currently shows $37,500. My OTD was just north of $40K and includes the chunk of tax amounting to nearly $3,600 going to the Governator. The MSRP shows $40,150 on the actual sticker. NOTE: my price was BEFORE my Conquest cash back of $1,000 and them paying the first two payments (valued at $2,400).

I'm assuming your car is showing:
MSRP $32,600
Dealer Invoice $30,400
TMV $30,500

My advice:
1) give them a low price even lower than the $29K you are thinking of...$27K, $28K. I don't think this is ridiculous particularly when you say several dealers have contacted you about the exact car. If you have a good friend who's been thru the process, bring them along to keep you level headed. At $28K + TTL, you should be OTD at just around $30-31K.
2) wait if possible. Do you really need this car ASAP? They are more willing to sell a car / make a deal near the end of the month to make sales figures...if you wait a couple weeks , they may be more willing to give in to your offer.
3) I assume you are financing this...are they offering to pay for any payments? See if there are manufacturer incentives which can help since it doesn't come out of the Dealers pocket.
4) See how many other dealers have the same car and work them off each other. I had 3 dealers basically trying to get my business. 2 had the exact car I wanted and the first quoted me at over $39K + TTL. It took me 2 weeks to get 2 of the dealers down to $36K + TTL. They even thew in some accessories to sweeten the deal in the end. I signed the deal just before May 31.
5) be willing to walk away from a Dealer if you feel they are trying to play games with you or if you don't feel that you are getting what you ask for.

I have to admit that my starting point was very easy. One of the local dealers had a "Garage Sale" for a few days with completely ridiculous deals. I missed it but leveraged that info to basically let the dealers know that I knew they could make some great deals and showed it to them. This was the third new car I've bought in my life (Honda, Acura now Audi) and each time, I feel I could've gotten a better deal. Saying that, your initial feeling sounds like it may hold you back from getting a killer deal. I've had dealers show me the Dealer Invoice and say, "I can't go below that since this is what I paid for it" and a week later, they're willing to sell for $2,000 under that figure.

Where are you in CA? NorCal or SoCal? Let me know how I can get you some info.

Bear

s0l0

The key points are

1) Set a price point that you will not compromise, e.g. $1500 below invoice before rebates and/or 2 payments by Audi
2) Do everything online until you get someone to agree to the price you want, do NOT go to the dealer before that
3) Make sure the price includes all dealer fees, e.g. documentation/prep fees before you go to the dealer
4) You must be prepared to not to get the deal you want, but be firm and walk if need be
5) Wait till the end of the month before committing to any deal

anitha

Hi all, I finally bought a prestige model for $38,200. It is $1,000 less than the invoice price the dealer showed. I I guess I did okay in negotiating. The salesman too gotta make some money in this transaction, right?