Audi A3 Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

dl7265

DSG is not an automatic :shades:

DL

dl7265

"Get too crazy on the options and you end up wondering if, for that money, you should be looking at another car".
Isn't that the truth....

I mean really..cold weather package for DC???? By the time my tush warms up, it's already Spring!!!

Well, belive it or not I have CWP in TX. And its been used on and off, the last 5 months. Personally, I don't like hot air blowing on me and the hot seat's are the perfect cure. And not too mention feel nice on the bad back ..

DL

shipo

Can the DSG "Automatically" shift for itself? :shades:

Best Regards,
Shipo

joy12

I Picked up my A3 last weekend after waiting almost 4 months for it.Moro blue,beige interior,sport,open sky,sound, all for 30,700 (for an order,I thought $ was ok)I did a lot of research and test drove VW GTI,BMW,Infiniti,Saab,Acura.All things considered, I believe this was the best buy.I really do enjoy it!I do have one question. I have never had performance tires and was offered a raod hazard warranty for 400.00, I can't remember for what mileage. I'm wondering if it would have been worth purchasing.
Joy

ccd1

Keeping options to a minimum, I end up with sat radio, xenon lights, open sky system, and bluetooth. With the 3.2, that gets me to over $37k MSRP with a color that doesn't cost extra. Most vehicles in my area come with these options plus the CWP. Nothing wrong with CWP, just something I can live without.

shipo

"Nothing wrong with CWP, just something I can live without."

I ordered it on my 1995 VR6 Passat GLX and quickly decided that I have an intense dislike for heat seaters. Even though I now live in New Hampshire, every time I get into Mrs. Shipo's car (which has them), I cannot even make it to the first stop sign before I'm scrambling to shut the damn things off. Grrrr!

So, "Why," you ask, "are you wanting to order the CWP on an A3?"

Simple, according to the Audi web site, the CWP is comprised of the following items:

- Heated front seats
- Ski sack
- Heated windshield washer nozzles
- Heated exterior mirrors

Interestingly enough that list is the reverse of how important I think those items are. I would personally never turn the heated seats on, and while the ski sack is nice, I'd probably get a ski rack for them instead. As for the heated windshield washer nozzles, that's pretty cool, and I suppose there are two or three days per year around here where they'd even be useful, however, the heated exterior mirrors are the things that I cannot live without. I'm guessing that there are an easy fifty or sixty days per year where the weather conditions are such that the exterior mirrors need to be either de-fogged or defrosted, and that one feature is enough to get me to check off the $700 line item for the CWP.

Best Regards,
Shipo

ccd1

Interesting perspective. Never would have thought about it that way. But still not willing to check off the box unless the car I wanted had the CWP option. Having lived in DC for over 3 years and keeping the car in the garage at home, I just haven't had an issue with side mirrors fogging up that much...at least not enough to convince me to check the box for the CWP.

Options on the A3 just kill you. Assuming that I can get this car for around $750 over invoice, which seems doable if I'm patient and take a car off the lot, a 3.2 with my limited options still goes out the door for a total price of around $37.5k (including taxes, title, and tags). I can live with that.

The price keeps me on the ledge, but the lack of alternatives to this car keep me coming back. Small sporty wagons and CUVs don't come close to handling like this car.

shipo

"Having lived in DC for over 3 years and keeping the car in the garage at home, I just haven't had an issue with side mirrors fogging up that much...at least not enough to convince me to check the box for the CWP."

I keep mine garaged as well, however, I've only once in my life had a covered place to park when at work, and I lived in Atlanta back then. All too often I come out from work to a car covered in snow or ice and THAT is when the heated mirrors pay divdends. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

dl7265

I won't bore you by re-posting the VW AG nomenclature. I suppose technically it does, buy pre selecting the next gear ( where it makes faster than human shifts) . But for an old Transmission student a proper slush box as it were would include a torque convertor and sans dual clutch packs. Either way I suspect there will allways be a strong debate, until such time as you can no longer choose a 3rd petal

DL

misterjj

"Heated exterior mirrors... that one feature is enough to get me to check off the $700 line item for the CWP."

All A3's are pre-wired for them. You can buy a pair of heated "split" mirrors for fairly cheap and use VAG-COM to enable them. If that's all you want, you can buy the mirrors AND VAG-COM for less than the cost of the CWP.

ccd1

I park out in the open as well before getting on the Metro. But this is DC and it usually warms up during the day, even during the Winter. Can't remember a time in 3 years when heated mirror would have come in handy.

But misterjj has the perfect solution. I've heard great things about European style split mirrors anyway and was thinking of installing them along with tinting the windows to make it a little more difficult to see into the car.

kurtamaxxxguy

FYI A co-worker gave me several drives in his AWD Subaru WTX. My impressions was it was ok response wise (but you needed to get the revs up for the turbo to do anything), rode well (firm, not harsh), and cornered flatly with good control. But the interior is bargain basement (acres cheap gray plastic) and the rear seat is pretty cramped.

I too am on the fence regarding the A3, which has great interior and superb drivetrain, but lack of dealer service and reliability are concerns. But, am hoping for 2007 model year (not far off) that A3 options will be simplified, reliability will be proven, and (fingers x'ed) the Quattro will get a direct injection engine and a touring suspension option.

The only other car I know of that __might__ be an alternative is the SRT-4 version of the Dodge Caliber. Its interior will probably be Subaru class, but handling and ride may be competitive. We shall see!

shipo

"The only other car I know of that __might__ be an alternative is the SRT-4 version of the Dodge Caliber. Its interior will probably be Subaru class, but handling and ride may be competitive."

That's not a bet that I'd take. The Caliber SRT4 has 225/45 R19 tires wrapped around 19" wheels, here's betting that not only would it be really rough on less than perfect pavement, the driver of a Caliber would be watching the taillights of an A3 pulling away on a tight road course.

Best Regards,
Shipo

moto99

I was wondering if a Audi A3 2.0T Manual with the sport pkg, cold weather pkg, sound pkg, and Bi-Xenon headlights for a total of $31,470 out of the dealer is a good price. Can someone let me know. Thanks.

Moto99

misterjj

I was wondering if a Audi A3 2.0T Manual with the sport pkg, cold weather pkg, sound pkg, and Bi-Xenon headlights for a total of $31,470 out of the dealer is a good price. Can someone let me know. Thanks.

Are you kidding? MSRP is $29,510. Did you forget to mention NAV system? My deal was $1000 over invoice with absolutely NO additional fees. No prep or marketing or any other add-on fees. I think I got a good and fair deal. You probably should be able to do a little better or a little worse depending on the dealer competition in your area. Use the TMV invoice pricing here on edmunds as a base and negotiate from there.

kurtamaxxxguy

does that include the taxes and licensing fees?

Wrt Caliber SRT-4 .vs. Audi A3, if Dodge is stupid enough to put 19" ultra-lo pro tires on that Caliber, on any rough road the Audi 2.0 will definitely be showing its tailights to it.

moto99

this price is including tax and handling fees. the car itself is priced at $29049. How does this sound now?

ccd1

In the DC Metro area, the aggressive dealers seem to be pricing the 3.2 on the internet for a little over $700 under MSRP. Looks like they are taking the $720 delivery charge off.

What are people seeing in other areas?

subiedubie

There is no Subaru WTX model in the USA. I believe you are thinking of the Impreza WRX that comes in sedan and wagon models. Also, do you know what model year your friend's car was? For 2006 Subaru changed engines, placing the 2.5 230 hp engine in the WRX which has no turbo lag.

You can also get leather and a moonroof in the WRX, nad even with those options, It's still less than a similar A3, plus you get AWD. Granted, the interior is more spartan, byut that is another area that they upgraded for 2006.

guitarbob

Thanks to all who post here.

I just agreed to purchase a 2.0T MT, basically stripped, which is just about right for me. Prices, before tax, license, etc.:

MSRP (Base, Paint, Destination) = 25,910.

Invoice = 24,128.

I just agreed to 24,800, which is 1,110 under MSRP and 672 over invoice.

Purchased from Tucson Audi (Arizona). They did not have the combo I wanted (silver with with black interior), but there is one on its way in 3-4 weeks.

I first tried the Subaru WRX wagon, which I liked quite a bit (esp. the seats), but it seemed to be somewhat of a step down in overall quality compared to the A3, especially the interior materials. Nice though.

I tried the normally aspirated Outback and it was nice too, but I found it boring.

Finally, I tried the new VW GTI given it's common platform and motor with the A3. Liked it, esp. the $3,000 less, and their willingness to sell just above invoice. It has some useful stuff standard than the A3 doesn't have or is an option (mp3 6-disk CD player, standard trip computer); I like the typical sunroof too. In the end, it's just a bit too much "boy racer" for this 41 year-old.

So I sprung for the A3. First new car in 15 years!

misterjj

this price is including tax and handling fees. the car itself is priced at $29049. How does this sound now?

That's less than $500 below MSRP. You should be able to do better. My experience:

First dealer wanted MSRP and eventually gave me $500 below MSRP and made it sound like some huge favor. I mentioned the Costco discount and they said they didn't participate in the Costco program because it wasn't "fair". :confuse:

The second dealer would do Costco price ($750 over invoice) but there would be added fees and I would have to go through the fleet manager who seemed way to busy to spend much time with me. The regular salesman had treated me well so I agreed to buy from him at $1000 over invoice with no additional fees (about $1000 below MSRP). Try to negotiate from invoice price and watch out for a low price but with added dealer prep and other fees.

ccd1

I've been curious about the Costco program since it seems to be one of the best no hassle buying programs around. Was the price under the program $750 over invoice for the base car and MSRP for all options or $750 over invoice for the car and the options?

ccd1

I along with everyone else have had reservations about the pricing of the A3 3.2. Happened to be looking at the 3.2 inventory and asking prices for a local dealer and noticed a 2004 S4 Avant that was priced the same as a loaded 3.2.

It seemed like a 2 yr old S4 Avant with low miles could be a real alternative to the 3.2. Yes, it is used and I have questions how anyone owning a S4 drove the car. However, you avoid the big depreciation hits of the first 2 years of ownership, the car is bigger and has more utility, and it is one heck of a lot more powerful. The only downside besides finding one that hadn't been abused is that you are kissing any semblance of good gas mileage goodbye.

Any thoughts???

moto99

Thanks for the help. Unfortunately there are only two dealerships in Denver to work with and only one has the car that I am looking for. They don't have a hugh stock of A3. However, I did get them to throw in the HP Solar Gard window tint for free and that they would get me 5 A/S tire at cost when my performance tires are worned out. Installation included. I guess small markets has its restrictions. Thanks again.

kurtamaxxxguy

The 3.2 's engine doesn't seem to have direct injection. If so it'll be less efficient than the 2.0 's (the latter has excellent lo rev torque for a "small" motor).

I remember you mentioning you didn't like the 3.2's ride on rough roads. How does the S4 do in comparison?

(both of above and high cost's why I gave up on A3 3.2)

Does/Will the S4 run on regular without any problem? The A3 2.0 apparently will, but I doubt the 3.2s' older engine would handle this as well (am I wrong here? :confuse: ).

shipo

"Does/Will the S4 run on regular without any problem? The A3 2.0 apparently will..."

Why would you even want to? :confuse:

Best Regards,
Shipo

ccd1

I have to agree with Shipo. If you are worried about gas mileage or type of gas used, get a Prius. The A3 2.0 gets better gas mileage than the 3.2 and you can get the regular suspension on the 2.0 and it costs less money. If those are your concerns, the 2.0 becomes a no-brainer.

The S4 Avant gets MUCH worse gas mileage than the 3.2. That car has a V-8 in it and a 2 yr old S4 will cost as much as a brand new loaded 3.2. There is a good review of both the 3.2 and the S4 Avant at thetruthaboutcars.com

Here you are complaining about the cost of the 3.2, but in another thread here you are talking about how Audi could sell S3s and RS3s in the US. Cost is an issue with the A3 and is the major reason why people just don't run out and get the car.

kurtamaxxxguy

Sometimes Gas prices skyrocket, or you can't get the gas you want (70's oil embargo? I went thru it in both my German cars). It's good the A3 series can tolerate regular for short times - some cars cannot.

The Edmunds audi town hall transcript here was a good read!
Fingers x'ed on the 2.0 T AWD!

Also, Boomers are becomming a dominant market. A lot of them grew up with VW and by association, Audi. They want fast, powerful, luxo cars, but not necessarrly huge ones. That RS3 market may be here!

ccd1

Money is not the issue, image and comfort is. You've been complaining about the suspension in the S-line. The S3 is firmer and the RS3 is even more firm. How many boomers will fit into the A3s narrow seats and how many boomers will tolerate a suspension that firm. Very, very few.

kurtamaxxxguy

At the LA auto show, it seemed boomers were the primary A3 observers (Gen Y was crowding 'round Scion).
MSN had an article suggesting Boomers were a huge market for the very kinds of cars Audi and BMW are marketing, especially high power cars enthusasists love.

Didn't Shipo comment how desirable the S3 and GS3 would be? I'll bet they're others out there feeling the same. One way Audi would know is to offer the GS3 engine as an option and build very few of them to keep cost down and demand high.

As for my complaining, it's mainly because Audi has decided AWD only belongs on an S line. Your roads, ccd1, mirror mine! The AUDI dealer I visited also felt the S didn't work well in town (the open road's whole notha story!).

April/May, another poster mentioned, is switchover time for Audi and VW, so maybe '07 will offer more choices!

ccd1

Kurt:

You are talking out of both sides of your mouth at the same time. Boomers are NOT going to buy the S3 or RS3. The answer comes down to one point: the suspension is too firm. Middle-aged people are not going to buy a car with a suspension like this. Heck, you don't even want the S-line suspension!!!

The ONLY way to sell this car to boomers is to change what these cars are. I'm 50 and the 3.2 is just about all I want to handle on a daily basis. Make the suspension any firmer, or the engine any more high strung and I just wouldn't want to deal with it. The S3 and RS3 that might sell to boomers is NOT the S3 and RS3 that Audi builds. The other problem is that the car doesn't look like it should cost what the S3 and RS3 will cost.

Boomers would be MUCH more likely to buy the S4 Avant. It's bigger, suspension is not as firm and it's fast as hell.

moto99

The AWD is not limited to the S-line. Audi named all the AWD with the word Quattro. Many people forget that Quattro means 4 wheel drive.

andres3

San Diego Audi Dealers appear to be very picky about their profits for A3 sales still (even though the car has been out almost a year).

I originally got quoted in early February $25,815 for a non-metallic DSG A3 base/cloth optionless (besides DSG) model. Thats a good starting offer.
Next.... I find I can't live with the quirks and imperfections of a base stripper model. Add Sport package and metallic paint. Clearly, on any website, you can see these two adds total $2,048 invoiced.

So I should be around $27,850 right? Nope. They want $28,300. I should tell that dealer to go to hell, since they tried to say they were only $500 over cost on that offer.

ccd1

1) A Volvo salesman told me your best deals are always in Feb as it has traditionally been the slowest month of the year for car sales. If cars aren't moving, dealers wiill deal. There are no guarantees that you can get the same deal later on.

2) The car being out a year doesn't dictate price. Demand and availability dictate price. If the dealer does not have many on the lot, there is no incentive to deal. If you want to bargain hard, you need to go for an Audi that is not moving for whatever reason (like unpopular options or lack of popular options) or pick another brand. Volvo dealer in my area is dealing hard with V50s to the tune of $3-5k. I was offered $3k off just walking in the door and another $1k over the phone.

3) Lying about invoice is just stupid in this day and age. Invoice prices are just too easy to get.

rjlaero

The MSRP on a DSG sport pack, metallic paint car is $28,470 w/ destination. You need to realize that there's very little mark-up in the A3's. That car probably has about $1500-1600 dealer front-end gross profit. They're no doubt making more than $500 on it, so that's not true. I'd say if you can get 700/800 off MSRP on that car, it's not a bad deal. There's no dealer cash or rebates on A3's right now.

kurtamaxxxguy

If Audi has published comments saying RS3, etc is totally unfeasable for our market, or the entire USA, please direct me there as I would enjoy reading them!

FYI, I'm a boomer, and ditto most dudes I hang out with. We like the A3 with AWD but not its lack of AWD choices. That's come up on other threads here.

The A4 Avant is interesting - will check it more closely now that there's no answer for A3 AWD other than S. Fingers x'ed there'll be more choices in '07.

Meanwhile, The article I read was on Wards, saying in essence the Boomer markets' being ignored was a big mistake as, right now, they are the ones with the bucks to spend.

misterjj

I got $1k over invoice in San Diego with no additional fees. Not even the "trade zone" or whatever that extra fee is called. Which dealer are you dealing with? The one in Carlsbad acted like they were giving up their first born when they finally offered me $500 below MSRP. :mad:

ccd1

What is it that you don't get??? Whether you have the money or not, you wouldn't buy the RS3 because of the suspension and neither would I. I'd bet your friends would pass on that rock hard suspension too. THAT is why your argument for bringing the RS3 into the US makes no sense. You don't need to read any published comments from Audi, just listen to yourself complain about the suspension in the S-line and understand that the RS3's suspension would be much firmer. Boomers aren't going for that. It's not a money issue.

andres3

My impression of all the deals on A3's in the San Diego area is that the cars are selling, but selling very slowly. I've noticed cars sitting on the lot for a long period of time, and they appear to be trickling out at best.

Therefore, I'd say demand is fairly low, and supply is actually relatively high. I would say that the reason they are not selling is because Audi has overpriced the A3 significantly. Cars are only worth what people are willing to pay for them. When nice Hondas, Toyotas, and Mazdas are coming in with great products at good prices, you can't overprice them by 10K and expect to sell a lot.

In my opinion 30K cars compete with 20K cars, because the 30K car better seem like its 10K better and more valuable.
Otherwise its a terrible VALUE, and a lot of people such as myself won't go for a bad value.

donthegreek

The closest Audit dealer to me (ithaca,ny) has their A3 2.0 marked at $1000 off sticker...and 2 of em have been sitting on the lot for over 6 months...

kurtamaxxxguy

As wale said, we're in circular arguement on '06 models.

For me, it's closed; AWD-S is out. But if it works for you and the other AWD-S buyers, that's good!
When Audi announces what it's doing for '07, I'll take another look.

A4 looked nice but Avant doesn't have DGS yet (as far as I can tell). Maybe in '07.

As for the Caliber SRT-4, no AWD. What the heck ??? They put their most powerful engine in a FWD-only car? Perhaps a limitation of their AWD system or the engine cannot be easilly adapted?

kurtamaxxxguy

How are other models at that dealership doing? Do they have a big seller?

ccd1

$20k cars compete with $30k cars??? You can't be serious! To approximate the premium on the A3 you need to first decide what class it falls in. Most people would compare it to a CUV, small sporty wagon or performance hatch backs. The closest thing to the A3 in the Toyota line is the RAV4 (6 cylinder). Price them out as closely as you can and the difference is around $5k, NOT $10k. So is the A3 with less utility and power than the RAV4 worth an extra $5k for its better interior, DSG and better handling? Matter of personal preference.

Value is subjective. If you place no importance on superior handling and things like DSG, then the Audi is a terrible value. If you do then the A3 isn't such a terrible value.

The other less subjective determinant of value is depreciation. Audis have average depreciation so if you want the most value, buy a 1 yr old A3 with low miles for around 20% off the new car price.

BTW, I've heard that some Audi dealers are offering $1500 off on the A3 2.0.

ccd1

I checked Edmunds for up to 300 mi from my area (DC) and you are beginning to see quite a few A3s with low miles (under 10k)

kurtamaxxxguy

odd......

Wonder why they are showing up?

Are these lease returns (people started with an A3 and decided they wanted to move to a larger Audi) ?

funkur

Just bought a Lava Grey 2.0T DSG w/ Premium Pkg and Open Sky in Northern VA for $27,669 + $295 fee before T&T's. MSRP is $30,435 and Edmund's Invoice is $28,344. Got the price via email with no haggling whatsoever. When asking around, most other dealers told me to take the deal, as they couldn't match it within $500-$2000. One even accused the price of being "fake."

The car has 27mi on it and had been on the lot for about 2 weeks. I chose not to go with Sound/Nav/Sat/BT, as I prefer a quality aftermarket setup. I would have liked Xenon lamps, but would've had to order them if I wanted to avoid any of the aformentioned options.

Regarding the Used A3's, I noticed a number of dealer demos up for sale in the MD/VA/DC area, but none w/ over 5-7K miles.

andres3

When I was talking 20K vs. 30K I was thinking more like the closest exact replica of the A3 in 20K price version, which would be the Mazda 3. Clearly, the Audi A3 is a level up in every regard, including engine, transmission, interior quality, ect.

However, I'm not convinced the A3 is 10K better when you add the differences in quality up.

donthegreek

How are other models at that dealership doing? Do they have a big seller?

Not sure...they have a bunch of A4's.....they also sell new Chevys/Subaru's/VW's.

don

ccd1

I have no idea why they are showing up. I suggest you do a check at Edmunds in your area and see what turns up. I bet you will find quite a few used A3s available.

At an Audi forum, there is some talk that problems are turning up on the A3s. But I wouldn't base an opinion on A3 reliability on one or two comments.

BTW, your car sounds sweet.

ccd1

If you look at the Jan/Feb sales figures for AOA, the big seller for Audi is the A4.