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Audi A4 Lease Questions

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Comments

  • simansiman Member Posts: 7
    We plan to revisit the dealership this Saturday and will let you know what I get from them.
    It looks like the special leasing program is the bottom price and I am sure they will try to add on some other fees as you are dealing with them in person.
    I will try to minimize my downpayment and monthly payments :-)
    Thanks!
    PS: My dealership is Crown Audi - clearwater, FL.
  • flashbordnflashbordn Member Posts: 1
    This just happened to me. I leased my audi and got my loan through Audi Financial Services (AFS). I had my mechanic sell my car and we listed it at the pay-off I was quoted by AFS. Needless to say I now owe my mechanic money because when the car sold yesterday and he purchased the car from AFS with the money he was given by the purchaser, AFS charges him the higher price (which neither of us knew anything about). This being said has anyone ever been succsesful in having AFS re-pay them the diffirence between the two pay-offs?
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
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  • edwardsfedwardsf Member Posts: 190
    Thanks for your attempts to explain this. According to 2 contract attorneys in my office, your view that it is unethical for AFS to require that "ONLY [the lessee] can buy it for the price agreed," has no basis in contract law. The third party buyer has no privity with the lessor, AFS, and therefore has no right to the price that the lessee contracted for. Why you guys think that a lessee can transfer the lease buyout terms to a third party or that the lessor would allow the lessee to do so is beyond the understanding of the two contract attorneys I spoke to. That is, if you want out of a business deal, you got to pay.

    Remember, by selling to the third party at resdiual, Audi will lose interest. AFS can certainly agree to release the lessee but they can also make up for this lost profit by charging more to the third party. Even if the lessee himself can eliminate the interest through a prepayment buyout, AFS has no obligation to grant this original contract inducement to a third party. By agreeing to transfer this price to the third party, Audi loses the opportunity to sell the car for the price and manner they choose. After all, it is AFS' car and they get to sell it at the terms they set. Again, AFS is under no obligation to provide a third party with the terms that they have negotiated with the lessee.

    I never said that Audi is taking a consumer friendly position. I only said that I don't believe that such a consumer friendly practice is industry custom. Neither of your combined 5 or 6 posts has provided any support for the existence of this supposed custom, so I can only conclude that it does not exist. One thing that we can agree on is that lessees should not assume that Audi - who subvents these leases - will let them transfer favorable lease terms to a third party.

    BTW, I never bragged about residual rates, just made a typo that a low residual is good. I meant a high residual is favorable. I did not get a great residual (.51) but I did buy at $1000 under invoice.
  • hybidzhybidz Member Posts: 1
    what are the june buy rates on a 2007 a4 2.0 cvt cab
  • audihorseaudihorse Member Posts: 15
    I am happy that you finally understand the 3rd party issue.

    I did not say AFS was unethical - maybe unfriendly, yes. And I believe the original poster if he says his research indicates other car cos. will sell to 3rd party for same price as they will to lessee.

    BTW, if you or I pay off a lease early- AFS will not charge interest on remaining payments so that is not the issue. Base payments + residual. But at equivalent of 1.29% interest, etc. who wants to do that? And as you noted, none of their terms -prepayment buy out of remaining payments due less interest + set residual (or if at lease end residual only) are avail to 3rd party. I have no problem with their terms - I just leased another Audi - and I fully understand the deal. But I thought Mcwenzel's point of view was perfectly legitimate and that he explained it quite well.

    Very good that you got $1000 below invoice. Did you pay that $495 advertising/prep fee they claim is on their "invoice"?
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    This is normal. You and Audi had the contract not a 3rd party. Any manufacturer can sell the car for anything they want other than the original lessee. You're lucky they would even sell the car to him. Most of the time the manufacturer won't.
    They nothing wrong! You avoided payhing sales tax if you bought it.
  • glynis0916glynis0916 Member Posts: 6
    hello all:

    I was at a southern california dealership today and while I was negotiating the price of an '07 a4 2.0t the dealer tried to throw in two fees: an "ad" fee, around $250 or so and an "inspection and preparation fee" around $175. He claimed that he was giving me the invoice price of the car, but with these two fees, it really seemed like $400 over invoice. I have heard something about a coop ad fee that I think is legit, but do dealers generally waive this after some negotiation? With the inspection fee, I feel like this is total bs--any input?

    Also, I was under the impression that maintenance is part of the 4 year warranty, but learned with Audis only the first--5K or 10K? miles--is free. So they tried to sell me the Audi car care program for $590 and said because the residual value is 55% instead of 54% it practically pays for itself. He also claimed they require certain maintenance as part of the lease contract which ends up costing more that $590. What's the deal with this?

    Appreciate your help. Thanks!
  • audihorseaudihorse Member Posts: 15
    The add on fees are something that Boston area dealers do, too - adding up to $495. Read the previous recent posts on this board for info. Negotiate to under invoice or tell the dealer you don't want to pay those fees and will go elsewhere. Although because every dealer in So Cal is in on these "invoice" add ons it might be easier to ignore the fees and just negotiate to the price you have in mind which should be invoice or below on an 07 (before the fees.) If I had it to do over I would have struck a better deal for myself and I did get my lease at invoice. At least in SoCal I think they go easy on doc fees $45? (for title, reg. etc.) - separate from this advertising/prep add on "invoice" fee. I made them throw in all weather mats and wagon mat to make up for that $300 doc fee in Boston area.

    Audi Care is legit. Audi used to include free maintenance. Now they don't. If your lease is for 36 mos. get the Audi Care. And yes they will make you sign a doc saying you will use the Audi Care because they want to insure that their leased car will be maintained. Since you are paying for it it makes sense you would use it. But because it does bring residual up a point it is worth it.
  • rallyfanrallyfan Member Posts: 36
    DID YOU LEASE THE A4 I WAS LOOKING INTO THE SAME CAR CAN YOU POST SOME OF THE NUMBERS DID YOU HAVE TO PUT THE 999 DOWN AND THE OTHER FEES THAT EQUAL APPR. 2300 DOLLARS I HEARD THE MAINTENCE FEE IS LEGIT AND A GOOD DEAL CONSDERING THEY CHARGE 100 DOLLARS FOR THE 10K OIL CHANGE AND SERVICE THANKS GOOD LUCK
  • alex320alex320 Member Posts: 8
    Siman,

    So what was the final downpayment and monthly payment you got from them? I'm thinking about taking the plunge soon but I want to know how much they try to add on. Did you ask them about more mileage and how much that would cost? I'm not sure I could get by on only 10k a year.
  • glynis0916glynis0916 Member Posts: 6
    Well I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it definitely was less than $2,300. The only up front fees I remember are the acquisition fee, registration fee, and then potentially Audi Care, which I was hesitant at first, but now will probably do based on the posts here. I think it came out to around $1,300 or $1,400. I would never put any additional money down, and I'm sure others here agree, if you do you're just throwing it away when you lease. They always want you to put money down because it makes your monthly payments lower. You're never forced to put any money down unless your going through the Audi USA deals but I don't think the current one is all that great.

    As I mentioned, I negotiated to invoice except it was really around $400 over with the ad and inspection fees. When I go to the next dealership this weekend, I'll just aim for $400 below invoice, that way if they throw in the fees it will come out to invoice.

    MF is .00054 (no security deposit but previously financed through volkswagen so they gave me the better rate)

    I didn't end up leasing because they were trying to rip me off on my trade-in but that's another story.
  • pinkertonfloydpinkertonfloyd Member Posts: 1
    They *CANNOT* force Audi-Care on you. It is illegal.

    (It's also a complete Rip-Off, as It *ONLY* covers 15K services (Mostly Oil Changes and a few Air Filters, No Brakes, or other items that Audi used to cover for free(!) Audi says you shoudl change the oil more under "severe service"... Right??? guess what... That's on YOUR dime, Audicare or NOT!

    I just leased an A4 Cabrolet, and yes, the finance person pre-added AudiCare, and I pointed to have it removed. Magically, they dropped it and still leased the car. They only added that we can purchase it later if we change our mind, it'll be the same $590!... wow... amazing).

    IT IS ILLEGAL FOR THEM TO FORCE YOU TO BUY SERVICE CONTRACTS... Google "Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act". That's Federal law, unless they want to do the service for free, they must allow you to have others service your car.

    I called my local German Auto Repair (who works on my other Audi's that are no longer in Warranty), and found out that he will charge me, about $300 for the same work. He'll also validate the service book, no problems.

    Funny is that my local dealer is famous for doing sloppy work. They use cheap Valvoline bulk-oil (not the VW-502 Rated Oil Audi states you must use). My local German Auto Service guy uses German Syntec (VW502 Rated), and a Mann or Maule Oil Filter (German OEM).... He charges a whole $50... out the door, tax and everything. He's got one Audi Trained tech that only works on Audi's and VW's. He's got another who just works on BMWs... no question on who worked on your car.
  • audihorseaudihorse Member Posts: 15
    I don't think anyone here stated that Audi was "forcing" anyone to buy Audi Care. They increase the residual by one percentage point in a lease to make the $590 cost more palatable. In my case this meant Audi Care cost $209. They did ask me to sign a doc stating that I would get follow thru and get the car serviced at the requested intervals or pay a penalty of $400 - which I think is to cover them in case someone blew off oil changes, maintenance since it is leased car. But since you pay for it in advance you might as well take care of the car - even if you plan to turn it in at end of lease. The maintenance intervals are 5,000 (which is free, period) and then it is in 10k intervals, - so it is 15k, 25k, 35K, and 45k that is covered. Brakes are covered under warranty until 12k - but yes, the previous warranty was much more geneorus and maintenance was free for the length of warranty. They replaced many more wear and tear items, too, but now they only do that until 12k.
  • glynis0916glynis0916 Member Posts: 6
    Since I'm really bad at math can you confirm how you determine how much you save on Audi Care based on the one point residual increase: You take the difference between the residual value with Audi Care and without Audi Care, let's say that's $400. In that case you're really only paying $190 for the program?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    If you can negotiate a little bit off of the $590 cost, it might even be less than that.

    If you plan on getting your car serviced at the dealer, it is a no-brainer for a 36 month lease.

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  • audihorseaudihorse Member Posts: 15
    i will use an example: lets say the car is MSRP at 38,100. The residual is set by AFS on that months' program and is always based on MSRP regardless of the price you negotiate down to - those savings are attained within the leased portion of the car.

    So at 51% residual of an MSRP of it is $19,431 and a bump up to 52% (with Audi Care) is $19,812. That saves you $381. or subtracted from the $590 it is $209 that you are paying for Audi Care. Not a bad deal.
  • rallyfanrallyfan Member Posts: 36
    WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD LEASE FOR A A4 2.0 CVT APPR 15K A YEAR WHAT IS A GOOD FACTOR RATE AND WHAT IS A BAD ONE
  • chips_n_salsachips_n_salsa Member Posts: 5
    I am a few months away from ending my current 24mo lease on an A4 2.0T Quattro. I have two questions:

    1) Is it possible to get the $350 lease termination fee waived if I choose not to purchase or lease another Audi/Volkswagon?

    2) I still have the original Continental brand tires on the car, but may need to replace all four since the tread might be getting close to the 1/8" minimum. If this is the case, how critical is Audi when it comes to the tires at lease turn in time? Should I not replace any and take my chances, or is it best to replace them? My lease contract under Excessive Wear and Use (part 22B) states that I will need to replace any tires that are not part of the matching set of five (including full size spare) with the same brand, size and quality. Will they hold me to this, or can I get away with putting a different/less costly brand? I planned on just going to a local Sams Club and putting the cheapest 235/45/17 tire I can find (Bridgestone Fusion at $95/ea). I am looking at a lot more $ for the same continental tires.
    Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.
  • audihorseaudihorse Member Posts: 15
    No you have to pay the 350 if not leasing/buying from them again - they have no incentive to waive otherwise.

    on tires, get the lease inspection (call Audi or local dealer to get inspection co. # in your area) done as soon as you can within the 3 mos. window to turn in date and see if the independent inspector dings you on tires. If he doesn't, they will go by the inspection report even if the tires are bald by the time you turn it in 3 months later. If he does list it on the report he provides to you (they list everything and give you a chance to repair or replace before turn in), you will want to replace or confirm with Audi that each tire charge is $120 if they replace after turn in as it states in Wear and Tear info on Audi web site. The inspector did not enforce the matching spare with me. Depends on the inspector.

    You can put cheaper brand on as long as all four tires match. They don't mean you have to put original brand on - they just want all 4 current tires to match. Probably can get away with older, but good, spare as long as it is same speed rating.
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    1) No
    2) the inspection company was very easy to work with. I thought I was going to have more charges. They only charged me for 1 item when I thoguht there was more. ON the tires let them inspect it prior to turn in and you will find out what they charge. You then have a choice to do it yourself
  • cgib2000cgib2000 Member Posts: 20
    I'm new here and this is my first posting. I've been getting lease quotes lately for an 2007 A4 2.0 CVT with the premium pkg, convenience pkg, and heated front seats. So far the best price I've gotten is this offer:

    MSRP: $34,040
    Invoice: $31,938
    Sales price w/out tax/license: $31,138
    Due at lease signing: $2,726 ($1000 down, $267 CA registration/$371.47 1st month payment, $400 sec. deposit, $575 acquisition fee, ? dealer fees)
    Money factor: .00054
    Residual: 55%

    36 month w/ 10k miles year = $344 mo + $27.47 tax = $371.47 mo. How does this deal look? Does the drive off amount look too high? Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  • audihorseaudihorse Member Posts: 15
    good deal if you will only drive the 10k miles per year. But if you can afford higher monthly payment then get rid of the 1000 down and try to get rid of security dep. if you have excellent credit and it does not increase MF.
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    I looked again. It covers all scheduled maintenance. 1st one at 5k then every 15k.
    if you lease for $5/mth how can you lose?
  • totowatotowa Member Posts: 14
    I am also in the market for A4 lease, but none of local dealers won't even go with invoice price. Can I ask where did you get this offer? Thanks in advance
  • cgib2000cgib2000 Member Posts: 20
    I'm in So. Cal. The quotes came from the Audi dealer in Carlsbad and Mission Viejo. Seems like they are willing to work on selling cars.
  • kilt98kilt98 Member Posts: 3
    I am in the market for a new A4 3.2. I drove the car yesterday and loved it. I have a couple of questions that would help me so I am prepared for negotiations once I am ready to deal. First, I have leased from Audi before - does that waive the security deposit? Secondly, could you please provide the current residuals and money factors for a 3.2 with the convenience package, bose sound system and the s-line. I drive 12K per year and would like for both 24 and 36 months. Thanks!
  • ferkyferky Member Posts: 20
    I am currently leasing a 2005.5 A4 2.0T Quatro automatic. I have a 36 mo./12k mile lease and pay roughly $490/mo., but I do not have any specific breakdown (MSRP,MF,etc.).

    July will be my 24th month into the lease (1 year to go) and the car is in great condition and has only 20k miles out of my 24k allotment.

    I am interested in lowering my monthly payments and am perfectly happy entering into a new 36 mo. lease for a new '07. Wouldn't Audi have an incentive to get me out of the old lease and into a new one now, while the car's residual is significantly higher than it will be at lease termination? I spoke to my dealership and they didn't sound as interested in the deal as I thought they would be. Any tips on getting the best deal for the new lease considering that I could always walk away, keep the lease for another year and not guaranty them a customer for another 3 years?
  • edwardsfedwardsf Member Posts: 190
    Hmm, I don't know what to do; we finally agreed (except for McWenzels' martyr status). While it is true that I did not I did not undersand his labored, indignant explanations, my BS detector and understanding of the law were indeed both correct: no contract or consumer rights were violated. They simply would not do him a favor. Good grief.

    Regarding the $495 prep fee, no I did not pay it...sort of.
    First I said "I am offering $1000 under invoice."
    The sales guy just gulped and asked, "Can I ask where you arrived at that figure?"
    Me: "End of model year, end of month, end of holiday weekend sales push."
    Sales guy: Well okay, good point, but you gotta pay the $495 prep fee.
    Me: "I am not paying it."
    He said, "But I HAVE to charge it to you."
    I said, "Okay, go ahead and charge it; then my offer is $1500 under invoice."
    He gulped again but when I started moving toward the door he said "fine."

    He also gave me a good trade in rate. I ended up $3700 under MSRP then another $2500 from the trade in and ended up at $400/month for an Avant w/ premium, convenience, sport, blue tooth, higher priced metallic paint, Audicare. (BTW, my situation required trade-in, so putting that down worked for me).

    To All: If you got this far, I am not making this up. Go to a dealer with a big inventory on 4th of July and lowball them. As the Dire Straits song goes, "We gotta move those refridgerAtors, gotta move those color TVeeees...."
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    all depends on what the car is worth in trade. if the vehicle is worth the payoff then your're all set. If not you have to make up difference
  • kocsi1kocsi1 Member Posts: 11
    Hi, I've been trolling the boards pretty carefully and trying to integrate everyone's advice. It's tough!
    I was looking at a 2.0T quattro, prem pack, heated seats, met paint here in illinois.
    The running "special" is
    10k
    36mo
    349/mo
    MSRP 33565 (lease based on)
    3k down (349 1st pymt, 575 aquisition, 350 secur dep, and 1726 dp? ) + tax, title, license, and doc fees.
    He says based on the above, if I was to lease without DP and taxes rolled in, monthly would be $484 per dealer

    earlier this year:
    "2007 A4 2.0T quattro with Tiptronic transmission
    $379 per month
    36-month lease*
    ---------------------------------------------------
    Down payment $999
    Security deposit $400
    Acquisition fee $575
    First month payment $379
    ---------------------------------------------------
    Amount due at lease inception $2,353 "

    I know the above is choppy. I guess I'm really asking is if the deal audi is offering itself is legit. I read on leasekit (?) that the advertised offers are often a deal, sometimes not.

    Thx!
  • kocsi1kocsi1 Member Posts: 11
    :) Hahaha, Edward, that story rocks! I'm totally inspired to do some razing myself the next couple of days. After all, it is "End of model year, end of month, end of holiday weekend sales push."
    That's really amazing. I wonder what it would've been without the trade in.
    Any specifics available, MSRP, invoice, residual, etc.

    Thanks
  • newportcarguynewportcarguy Member Posts: 8
    Why do people go into dealerships and offer stupid numbers? Why would you expect people to only make a couple hundred bucks on a 30,000 dollar item?
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    You should be looking at yourself(referring to your industry) in the mirror for the following reasons
    1)The car makers themselves created this by allowing many sources of MSRP and dealer invoice to the public. They really don't care about the dealer. They've sold the car when it is delivered to the dealer.
    If you could buy something less elsewhere for the same product don't you?
    2) You as salepeople and dealers have created this situation further by low balling and lying to the public. You created people making crazy offers because your competition has made offers to them. How can you blame us?
    I used to be in the business years ago and understand what you're saying however, until the industry starts doing things differntly this will stay the same regardless of the price of the vehicle
    Remember most dealers charge over sticker when the vehicle is hot and tight availablilty.
    Again, fix who's looking in the mirror and maybe the industry some day will change
  • kocsi1kocsi1 Member Posts: 11
    Well, Newportcarguy, would you be so kind as to enlighten us by explaining how some people have managed to get their cars for below invoice. I mean, wow, what idiots, no, morons, they are for low-balling and actually winning. That's a really novel concept.
    Have you done any travel outside of the US or even shopped at a flea market? You would know that a large part of sales transactions are based on the seller expecting the customer to make an offer. Usually a savvy customer will make a low offer and an astute salesman will give a counter-offer. This banter continues until a deal is made.
    This is kind of the basic tenets of business. In general, if you sell low, but sell a lot, you can make a lot more than selling at a higher price and selling less. We can see this with (sadly) diminishing mom-and-pop stores d/t super stores being able to implement this concept and run them (M&P store) out of business.
    When I bought my home, I (unknowingly) low-balled my offer. The sellers, naturally offended, responded by a counter offer of $1 less than the listing price. That was a nice way of letting me know "get serious!" Rather than getting huffy and saying "Don't offer me stupid numbers and get out of my face!"
    Did you ever take a moment to think that ppl who are buying cars >$100k are usually well-off enough that $1k to them might be equal to $50 in most people's eyes? With that amount of disposable income they, as a family member of mine would say, "can't be bothered" with getting the rock bottom best deal. It's not that they realize that car sales is a business and that they want you to make money. Your post was hilarious!
    I have a family friend who if even the slightest modification is made to the car she owns now, regardless of how much it cost, she'll dump it and get the new version. Why? B/c she has loads of money and she wants the newest and best thing out there. She doesn't care that she's losing money--there's plenty more in the account and she sure doesn't care about you making money! She wants, she can afford it, she buys it. The profit you make is chump change (literally). Wow, where did you go to school?!
    It's baffling that you should bring in logic as an issue among others. The irony is you had the nerve to say "I'm not attacking anyone at all." Yet 1/2 of your post was pointing out flaws among customers.
    BTW, there are a lot of people in this forum making more than 150k, lawyers, physicians, business people, etc. I would be careful before saying something as ignorant as "the select few of us that make 150k plus a year are actually much smarter and more resonable then people give us credit for." First, basic grammar, don't end a sentence with a preposition. Second, I would never want to be associated with an individual like you based on my annual income.

    Thanks for your help! :D
  • newportcarguynewportcarguy Member Posts: 8
    Why do you look at it as winning? This is not a who can beat who transaction. People go into a dealership scared that they are going to be ripped off. How many of you actually have been ripped off. Is paying a thousand dollars more then your friend being ripped off? I dont think so in the least.

    Also, how would you unknowingly low ball someone on a house? You didn't do your research? You didn't know how much the house was? You are the low ball type of person i described. I never said a salesman should get "huffy", thats your view of us when you dont get what you want. Again, make low ball offers and get treated like a low ball customer. The customer that asks for 1500 dollars off a 40 thousand dollar car will get treated with kid gloves every time. They can call me to set up service, address me with any concerns they have about the vehicle. Its the customer that asks for unreasonable things that gets treated unreasonably. If you dont understand that i feel sorry for you, you arnt very rational.


    Sales people are not born with this attitude. The "grinder" customer just gets old at a certain point. You work with someone for four hours trying to get them a deal and they are not willing to budge and make a fair offer. I find that to be unreasonable, basically we are suppose to give everything and if its not what you want you get up and leave. You are right, it is a negotiation. Not hey im gonna offer you a really low price and not move, if your not being reasonable then why should i be?Its the people that tell you " my offer is 2 grand under invoice, either you do it or ill leave" That is plain disrespect to a salesperson and his job. If someone feels disrespect ed then why should the sales person continue to be rational when the customer isn't?

    Also, Whatever you do for a living, lets say you install windows. You come to my house to give me a free estimate. You spend an hour with me showing me different options, giving opinions on what you think would fit me best. You've done your job very well, you lay down some pricing to me. I then proceed to ask you for your invoice on parts and tell you i want all that stuff for 2 grand less then you paid for it and if not then you can leave. This is common place in the 10-50 thousand dollar car market. That would blow your mind wouldn't it?

    Your apparently took my post to the heart, attacking my grammar being the evidence. Do me a favor, read the above paragraph and acutally think about it.

    You apparently have no idea about people that can afford a 100 thousand dollar car, having an family friend that makes loads of money doesn't count. People in that arena of life actually do care about being fair and you making some money too. When i go and buy a Breitling watch, i dont grind and grind for a couple hundred bucks off the 8 grand asking price. If the salesman does a good job and shows me different options he DESERVES a good commission on the piece.

    Based on your mindset, you will never be associated with "people" like me, regardless of income.
  • baxterdownbaxterdown Member Posts: 36
    Does anyone know if lease money factor and residuals are published somewhere?

    Thanks
  • aephemeaepheme Member Posts: 48
    Nice rant.

    I think the objection here arises from the fact that most of the users on this board DO NOT REQUIRE the services of a salesperson. If we could, we would be just as happy to bypass them completely and buy directly from the manufacturer. You're annoyed because the people here aren't willing to pay for your services. Well, the truth is we DON'T WANT your services.

    It's like the book industry. Some people want a nice cushy environment, friendly & helpful salespeople, and the ability to browse. They can pay $25 at Borders. Others know exactly what they want. They can pay $17 at Amazon.

    Unfortunately, in the auto industry, informed consumers don't have a choice. We're still forced to do business with you. Don't worry -- there will always be customers who want your services (like my Grandparents) and are willing to pay the premium.

    Just don't be mad at those of us who don't want to pay for services we don't use.
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    For the newportcarguy if you are complaining about how your horse trading works then GET OUT! The auto industry created the business and how it works. we as consumers didn't.
    You have no one blame except yourselves!
    I used to be in the business years ago and know of all the games and trickery that still exists today.
    I got out because of the way your industry does business. For years I worked only by referral. I could be trusted and my customers knew what they were getting from me-MY SERVICES AND HONESTY!
    To disagree with this writer there is a place for their advice and knowledge, the problem is these type of salespeople are few and very far between.
    For years and still to this day most dealers treat their employees like crap. The good people like myself got out. Why?
    Being cheated, lied to, shorted on commissions, crazy hours and lack of a private life. How many friends and relatives can you spend time with when you work all weekend and have a day off during the week?
    Bottom line the auto induistry for the most part has attracted people who know nothing about the product they sell and move around from dealer to dealer. it's pretty sad when we as consumers know more than the salepeople.
    One other reason we shop is the experience when I went to trade my wife's car, we agree on a price and they had to locate the car. When the car came in and went in to finalize the deal and look at the car they changed the price by $4000(ie the trade 3 days later)!
    Like I said car guy look at your industry and you know why people don't want to deal with you.
    Perhaps and I repeat you should get out!
  • newportcarguynewportcarguy Member Posts: 8
    Again, every industry has there problems. The dealership i work at has a 100% honesty rate. We NEVER lie to anyone at all, for any reason. We dont work crazy hours, I get 3 days off in a row every other weekend, friday, saturday and sunday. I have never been cheated on a commission here once. Maybe its the caliber of the dealership? I started in the industry at a Mitsubishi dealership. The owner was probably one of the most reliable, trust worthy and honest people i have ever known. When people are treated badly at a place of business why dont you just leave and go elsewhere? If you had a bad experience at a dry cleaners you wouldn't go to the next one with a chip on your shoulder would you? I have never once changed the price of a vehicle in that short amount of time, ever.

    And what "games" and "trickery" do you speak of? Maybe you just worked for a bad guy. Can happen at a auto repair shop too.

    Also, if you worked only on refferal you must have been a very good salesperson. You can simply operate as your own franchise, your and independent contractor. Its sales, i understand people will low ball from time to time. I guess i just dont understand the stigma on us. More then any other thing i would say in history.

    People tend to work for companies that mirror themselves. The manufacturer I work for gave me a 24 thousand dollar watch last year in appreciation for selling a certain amount of vehicles while holding a certain amount of gross. Its like the saying goes, you are who your friends are, it translates to your employer as well. Work for bad people, either leave, or more then likely you are not a stand up person either.
  • newportcarguynewportcarguy Member Posts: 8
    Seems a bit anti-american to me. No sales people? How would that make any sense. So your going right to the manufacturer to buy your car right? Who's gonna take your order? Who's gonna do your financing? That would all require new people at the manufacturer's level. You think they would get paid less then we do being in the union? That would make the price of your car more then it would be if a 18 year old sold it to you. You obviously didn't think about what you were saying one bit. You are obviously the kind of person that "know's someone in the business" right, im sure you've dropped that one on a salesmen during negotiations. Do you think that you would just be able to call Chevy and say ok i want this this and that and im gonna pay this flat rate? You make no sense, think before you put in your two cents
  • cars0153cars0153 Member Posts: 45
    Good for you! You're very lucky. They do exist but a few and far between. Many dealers around here are always looking for sales help.This is an indication of turnover. I ran an dealership(got sold) and turnover over was low, like you said treat people right.
    My last job in the industry owed me a lot of money and wouldn't pay me. That's when I got out
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey rallyfan. I would be happy to give you an idea of what the car that you are interested in would cost to lease. Just let me know what the MSRP and either the approximate selling price or dealer invoice price of the exact model that you want are and I will crunch some numbers for you. You can look up this information in the following section of this site: Edmunds.com - New Vehicle Pricing.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi alex320. Consumers are usually able to negotiate better deals than manufacturers' official advertised lease payments. The attractiveness of dealer-specific ads are varies from store to store. The best way to negotiate an attractive deal on a lease is to shop around for the lowest possible selling price on the A4 that you want. Once you have arrived at a good selling price, have the dealer that quoted it to you calculate your car's monthly payment using its buy rate lease money factor.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi hybidz. Here is the latest lease program on the car that you're interested in. You never mentioned how long you want to lease it for or how many miles per year you need to be able to drive it, so for now I will assume that you are interested in a 36 month lease with 15,000 miles per year. Let me know if you want something different. Audi Financial Services' current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2007 Audi A4 2.0T Convertible without quattro with 15,000 miles per year are .00170 and 55%, respectively.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi rallyfan. I would be happy to give you an idea of what it would cost to lease the car that you are interested in. I need you to provide me with the full MSRP and either the approximate selling price or the dealer invoice price of the exact model that you want in order to calculate a lease payment on it for you. You can find this information by visiting the following section of this site: Edmunds.com - New Vehicle Pricing.

    As far as what a good money factor is goes, Audi Financial Services' current buy rate lease money factor for a 36 month lease of a 2007 Audi A4 2.0T is .00095. Make sure that this is the factor that the dealer you are working with uses to calculate your car's monthly payment.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi chips_n_salsa. Unfortunately, you will be required to pay the $350 disposition fee if you decide not to lease another vehicle through Audi Financial Services. This fee is charged by them and individual dealers do not have the authority to waive it.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Greetings kilt98. I don't believe that Audi Financial Services will waive its security deposit requirement for free unless you are a current lessee. AFS' current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 24 month, 12,000 mile per year lease of a 2007 A4 3.2 Sedan with the S-Line Package but without quattro are .00115 and 54%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical 36 month lease are .00115 and 46%.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi ferky. Unfortunately, unless Audi is running some sort of special early lease termination program that I am not aware of it is likely going to be fairly expensive for you to get out of your lease a year before its scheduled end date.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi kocsi1. Savvy consumers who are in an area that has a decent level of competition for their business are usually able to beat manufacturers' official advertised lease payments. I would not be surprised if you were able to negotiate a lower selling price than the one that was used to calculate the payment that you mentioned in your post. Comparison shop with a few dealers for the lowest possible price on the car that you want and the have the dealer that gives you the best price calculate your monthly payment using Audi Financial Services' buy rate lease money factor for it.

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