Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Drag racing SUV’s is not my thing, though I’m of the philosophy –more power is always better-
Fuel economy and price is definitely important not sure when the Q7 diesel will come or how much it will cost., but I’ve always thought that big heavy vehicles (where 0-60 does not matter as much) would ideally come with a diesel.
I may be in the minority but I think the MB R350/R500 is the closest to the Q7 in terms of size, power, refinement, prestige.
:confuse:
I’m left with the impression – so what have you done lately? If they would like to show some of their history that’s fine; even show an old Auto Union race car. But if you’re going to show that you’re a modern company moving forward how about showing the TDI winning Le Mans maybe they’re modest and do not want to appear as braggarts.
After seeing the Q7 commercials I think to myself, nice car; lame commercial.
I actually like the latest VW Passat EGO commercials pretty funny.
Steve, Host
Dealers just got the pricing, but I haven't seen it online anywhere yet. My incoming Q7 is a 3.6 Premium with technology, infotainment, and convenience packages, and 4-zone climate control. Not sure of the breakdown, but total MSRP is $54,660.
Lease details were posted on the Q7 Lease thread.
The sales team have completely washed their hands of the problem. The service team in the mean time have supplied me with a new Q7 to drive until mine is repaired... :sick:
04 Sienna AWD LTD. love it, have 10/12 year old, has everything but nav/cam, bought new w/ext war so need to keep. Usually go used but new model, and really hated our caravan(needed awd/fold-down seats/mid window funct.)
01 M3 conv, bought used, in mint condition, probably a keeper, but pricey for a third car. Has 45K w/hrdtop, 6sp., steel grey w/imola red int...love it
00 A6 2.7T 6sp, w/85K also love this like a third car, low costs great year round, but will need timing belt, brakes, may have some seals failing.
The problem:
First, bought a heavy boat, second, would like to have only two cars, I think. Presently have short term solution in that friend trades me his 06 Tundra DC, for the audi. Actually working out real well this season, but would like my independance, and neither audi/bmw have any warrantee.
So, i've been back anf forth, keep m3, get newer 4runner, but after i drove one, and drove the Q7, my feelings changed, so here goes:
Sell M3(Ouch!), keep A6 until I can find good deal on Q7, lease or purchase, then keep sienna couple more years, then give wife Q7 and replace sienna w/S4 cab.
Seems to easy, other than that it's been driving me crazy for a while, other option is to repeat vehicle trade with friend for next two summers...he has a three year lease, I usually leave his car north so no mileage issue, he really like A6 for the summer two, but concerned with creeping maintenance costs even though it's reasonable for 85K. I've also looked at the Cayenne S, but a little over my head, no third row, no dealer relation ship. Or maybe the 07 X5.
any thoughts?
I'm in the process of negotiating to buy a pair of Audi Q7 Premium's loaded to the gills. I've talked to several dealers. One just offered to sell the cars for $500 over "invoice" each.
When it came time to begin writing up the contracts, 2 new charges miraculously appeared. One is called “NY Upstate Dealer Advertising Group” for $300, and the other is called “Preparation and Inspection” at $195.
I’ve searched here and Consumer Reports and can not find either of these charges listed. The dealer is insisting that these are both charges that the dealership pays and that they are billed by the manufacturer. He even gave me a copy of another Q7’s invoice that does in fact show both charges. That invoice carries a notice on the bottom that reads “Prices illustrated above are subject to change prior to drafting and final shipment”.
I had arrived at a price by simply adding up the wholesale price of the car and each option selected and then adding the “Destination Charge”. I thought that by simply adding another $500 I’d have the price of the car. These "extra charges" adds another $495 to the deal.
Re these charges for real – or is it a scam?
Does the manufacturer rebate this to the dealers to allow them more profit – beyond invoice – in a manner like holdback?
By the way, I’m told that Audi does not do “holdback”. Edmund’s site shows none. There appear to be no promotions available for Q7’s yet. Does anyone have any knowledge of this?
Thanks!
But really in the whole scheme of things, what is an extra $495 to get a hot new car?
And scam? I think not......a scam is something "fraudulent" or "intended to deceive" ...on the contrary, your dealer is being very honest with you.
Instead of focusing on these line items, focus on your out-the-door price and you won't care how the dealer allocates your money.
Don't forget we have a Audi Q7: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion!
Steve, Host
I now have almost 400 miles on my 'loaner' Q7 and the remote doesn't work unless you're 2 ft from the driver's door. Apart from that, no further problems to report.
I have categorically told the dealership (New Country Audi of Greenwich, CT) that I want a new Q7 and don't want that one back. By Wednesday, it will be off the road for 15 calendar days in the first month. The legal requirement in NY/CT for a car to be a lemon is 30 days off the road or back to the shop for the same thing 4 times. After that it must carry a big lemon sticker for all time, so it would seem to make sense that Audi would want to make sure that 'the first Q7 registered in New York State' isn't a :lemon: . Since every single electrical component has been taken out for diagnostics, I can see this car qualifying under the 4x rule pretty quickly.
I still love the car, but am less than impressed with the sales side of the dealership washing their hands of it completely, but so far service has been doing the right thing. I've called Audi of America to get them involved, since the dealership said the only way I was getting a new car was through AoA. They maintain that their primary goal is to 'repair the car', but since this is my first dealing with them I will reserve judgement.
Every year, Audi promises better reliability for their cars, but still doesn't seem to be able to deliver. I think I'm going to sit on the sidelines for a couple of more years and observe to see if audi is really serious about improving overall reliability or just saying the right things.
We will probably get rid of the car for now and get a short term lease on either the caddy srx or volvo xc90. Both are offering really attractive 24 month leases.
I hope that I am not in for a string of :lemon: 's.
Update on my Q7: the two parts needed to fix my car arrived at the dealership damaged, and there are no more spares in the Country. They have to order them from Germany and I still have no ETA as to when my car will be fixed or ready. The Service Advisor suggested they may take the parts out of another Q7 to see if that fixes the problem. Nothing back yet from Audi of America but today they inform me that the matter is being referred to another department, so maybe they will give me a new Q7 after all...
:mad:
As for the XC90, I have had one for 3 years. Only significant problem was a broker tie rod end that caused one wheel to wobble a little. Probably caused by a pothole, though you would think an SUV would be more durable. Fixed under warranty, car was never disabled (problem discovered during annual state inspection). Only other problem is the bolt attaching the driver door hinge to the frame is coming loose, meaning the door makes a little noise when opening. Could be easily fixed with a certain type of screwdriver that I don't own, so I just live with it until next trip to the dealer.
As of today (7/22) my Q7 has been 'off the road' for 18 calendar days and it will be Monday 7/24 (20 c.days) before they get the part to repair it (they think). I have been dealing with Audi of America on a regular basis and the update from them is as it was in the beginning: "Our primary responsibility is to get the car repaired and back on the road, and we are sorry for the inconvenience that you have experienced."
Turns out it was a leak in the rear sunroof that caused the MMI to short out, and the part that needed to be replaced was the entire rear sunroof assembly (yes, it comes as an entire unit). The replacement part was damaged and is due for delivery from Germany on Monday. After re-installation and testing, they will start putting my car back together and I should have it back on 7/26 (22 calendar days). The update now is that Audi of America have just offered me 2x lease payments ($792) as compensation for my inconvenience, however I am still requesting that a new Q7 be provided as I just don't trust this particular Q7 to ever be made right or whole again.
For the lemon laws to kick in, it has to be off the road for 30 calendar days in the first 2 years or 18,000 miles, (in CT) whichever comes first.
I have now almost 1000 miles on my 'loaner Q7', and I still love everthing about the car. If I could provide any recommendations it would be to include the Tech and NAV packages and the adaptive air suspension in your Q7. The Sirius Radio option ($550) really sucks as no matter what channel you listen to, there are constant drop-outs of 1/2 to 1 second that are really annoying. Both my original Q7 and my loaner have the same problem with drop-outs.
Interestingly enough, I checked out the United Kingdom Audi site for the Q7 and adaptive air suspension and acoustic parking (no camera) are standard in every Q7 delivered there. Homelink, heated seats, and a bunch of other standard options in the US however are expensive options on UK delivered models. It seems the Q7 in the US would be 'fully loaded' by UK standards, yet adaptive air is 'not an option' on UK delivered models. Go figure.
:confuse:
OK, the deal is done and I'll share details. I understand that it's not proper to post dealer names here - but I'll give you enough that you can figure it out if you really care to. The dealer is telling me that he's not happy with the deal "I'm not making any money on this..." and he does not want others trying to get the same deal. That said... give it a shot.
I can tell you that I've been very disappointed by the sales experience thus far. Unprofessional and shabby would be the way to describe these folks. I've purchased quite a few high end cars before (numerous brands) and when you are buying a pair of $66,000 MSRP cars - you expect that the salespeople will be somewhat more polished than your garden variety used car polyester suit types. Follow up has been poor. Did not know answers to many questions asked. I hope the service dept. is better.
The deal is $750 over what Edmunds and Consumer Reports show as "invoice" + a $45 fee for getting the car registered.
Deal done at a dealership in N*w Y*rk at a dealership in the Alb*ny area. This one is in the location that starts with the letter "L".
I can tell you that I had a bid from a Vermont Dealer (K*inney) and a salesperson named Johann. He was extremely professional - a true pleasure to work with. Price came in a little bit higher (not too much) and they are a bit farther away. Otherwise I would have loved to have bought from that fellow. If you are in his neighborhood track him down. I think you will be impressed and treated well.
So bottom line is $800 over “invoice” for out the door. The online services do not show the $300 Advertising fee the dealer insists is above invoice. I’ve been told (here on the forum) that this is legitimate. I’m told there is no holdback on this Audi. So the dealers real mark-up is $500 – this seems fair to me.
Thanks.
Maybe you're dealer is a small time guy that doesn't move a lot of cars and he's willing to give 2 of them away. Most people are paying MSRP or getting a few hundred, or maybe a grand off sticker. With about 4k or so of markup in each Q7, you're saving about $7000 and you're still complaining about not getting the "service" you're entitled to.
It seems that folk believe a dealer should sell a car at cost or at least only a few dollars over their cost.
Where is the sense in that?
I have to ask that buyer: would he work at his job to be only be paid his base expenses in life? No, of course not.
Everyone is entitled to a profit - one that the market will bear - and this is the ONLY reason that businesses exist.
Typical retail mark-up for just about any consumer product is 50% or more, so he is getting an unrealistic "deal" when a car retailer sells for 1.33% over his cost. Don't complain.. until that dealer goes out of business because his profit could not cover his overhead.
I would have been willing to pay more if sales service had been good from the offset - before price was mentioned. It became clear that they really did not follow up well, get correct information, etc. In fact they gave me incorrect info, and a lot of "I don't know - what does Audi say on their website" answers. They simply do not come accross as professional. I was not getting the Trump treatment - and then decided not to pay for it.
I told you that I would have paid more to the fellow at a different dealer had he been just a little closer. This dealer is getting what his service thus far has been worth.
So for those dealers who watch this site, please know this - when you are professional and pleasant - customers WILL be prepared to pay you more. When you are not, and you make price the only issue... your customers will deal hard.
This misses the point.
The dealers profit is the dealers concern. Our concern as buyers should be the "price we pay", not how much money the dealer is making.
Who, other than the dealer, or seller, is privy to the margins they require to make their business work?
Rather than being concerned about their profit, simply compare "bottom line SELLING prices"
Your concept would be akin to buying a can of baked beans based on the profit that the manufacturer makes. In the real world, a more efficient manufacturer may be able to sell at LOWER price and yet make MORE profit. You see where this argument is going?
That was the good news. Now the bad:
1. The car had been sitting in the dealer garage area with no sunroof for just over 3 weeks. The inside of the car now smells like the garage and there's a fine gray powder covering everything. There had been some effort to clean around the driver area.
2. The Sirrius codes had not been reprogrammed and another 1/2 hr wait cured that problem.
3. I've found 2 bolts under the passender seat that should probably have been put back 'somewhere'.
4. There's an obvious rattle in the roof on the rear left side when going over bumps.
5. The entire rear seating assembly now makes a noise like 2 sheets of styrofoam being rubbed together when there is any torsion on the chassis. This despite the dealership putting over 30 miles on the car.
6. After heavy rains on Friday, I checked to see that the leaks had in fact been fixed, only to discover that water is now getting in through the rear hatch in three places. They probably should have replaced the entire rubber seal as this is what keeps the headliner in place.
7. The rear deck (inside) panels are now misalinged so that the right side is higher and the floor panel now sits between the two side pieces at an angle.
In summary, my worst fears have been realized: the orignal problem has been fixed, but they incorporated a whole 'nother bunch in the repair process, but I had considered it was unlikely that I would get my car back in 'new from the factory' condition.
Five calls to my Customer Advocate (Regional Coordinator for AoA) on Friday have not been returned as he was 'busy helping other customers'. I re-iterated my request to be put into a new Q7. They made notes. I attempted to book my car back into the repair shop to fix the new problmes, but my Service Advisor wouldn't accept the booking until he spoke to his manager, who was on vacation.
I increasingly find myself confused as to who to turn to and who is responsible for tihs mess. Sales? They just offered me winter mats and said it was a service problem. Service? They're doing all they can to repair the car and two engineers have travelled to the dealership on many occassions. AoA, as the manufacturer are under the obligation to fix the repair of the original problem. Now that the repair process has incorporated so many new problems, who is at fault? The service dept who are servcing two customers: me and AoA, or AoA telling me my car was fixed, when it so clearly wasn't (althoght the MMI does work now... satellite still has 1/2 to 1 second drops on any channel which is very annoying.
:lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
At this point it sounds like what you are doing is documenting legal lemon status - for the fight ahead....
Also, anyone seen a Q7 in Condor Gray Metallic? I've got a 4.2 Q7 Premium on order and am having second thoughts about seat config and color.
:confuse:
Personally, even though I rarely expect to need 7 seats, the 6 seat idea seems more problematic. You can't just slide over to let someone else in. You also can't easily load more than one person through the same door. The second person has to go around to the other side of the car to get in. Sometimes that is impractical or even dangerous.
I also have a Condor Gray on order, though I too have never seen one in person. I figure I'll see one soon, and if I don't like it, I can switch my order to something else. Dealer has lots of incoming Q7's.
I used to hate SUVs. Now I have one (XC90), and I have another on order (Q7). Honestly, I still don't love them, but I understand the appeal. IMO, the best overall styling these days is in the SUV category. Most new sedans are either ugly or just boring and bland (which might be even worse than being ugly).
Why buy an Audi when you can drive a Porsche for the same price? Well, that third row is the biggest reason. The Audi is also a little more luxurious. Audi has the best interiors of any make.
The Q7 is based on the same platform as the Cayenne and Touareg, with many parts and systems shared with the A6 and A8. Reliability should be better than the typical new model.
As for that Audi reliability record, I never had a problem with my A6 (or my Passat for that matter). Gotta trust personal experience. Repair costs? Wait until you get a bill for that Cayenne. Besides, I lease, so any repairs are still under warranty. Let the next owner pay for repairs.
Quite simply, there is no perfect car. In most cases, some tradeoffs are needed. Unless you want to own multiple vehicles for all your various needs, you have to find one that accomodates everything.
Here are some replies to your comments:
>>The 7 seat SUVs are for people that only occasionally need more than 5 seats.
>>Luxury buyers want to show off a little.
Luxury buyers typically have more than one car. If it's only for occasional use, then any other second car will do.
>>Also, try to find a minivan from a prestigious luxury make. Doesn't exist.
Well, it's called the Mercedes R-Class. Here's another example of a car that tries to be multiple things. It's turning out to be a failure for Mercedes.
>>The Audi is also a little more luxurious. Audi has the best interiors of any make.
It depends on how you equipt the Cayenne. There are lots of options to make it more luxurious (e.g. order "soft-look" leather seats, or the higher grade "smooth leather" interior)
>>The Q7 is based on the same platform as the Cayenne and Touareg, with many parts and systems shared with the A6 and A8. Reliability should be better than the typical new model.
Reliability issues is generally not caused by major systems or platform factors anyways. Usually it's the little things. A little problem can cause a big problem. For example, a $10 seal that leaks, causing water to get in and damage a $500 component that requires major dismantling of the car to get at.
>>I never had a problem with my A6 (or my Passat for that matter).
How many miles have you got on it? My colleague's A6 has required several $2000+ service and repair jobs.