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Comments
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
By the way, the parts are back0orderd for at least a week. The A4 loaner takes some of the sting, but not all.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
What did you put down, and what are your monthly payments? What package did you get? Anyone who chose the premier purchase program? What is that percentage rate?
Any advice for someone looking to lease?
2) Around $565/month, but I have an A6 Avant.
3) Everything, except the telematic ,the solar sunroof and the third seat.
4) The premier purchase program is like a balloon payment plan(if I remember correctly), it is offer in states where lease is not allow.
5) The lease percentage rate varies by region and time frame.
6) Advice in looking at leasing? Read all the articles about leasing on Edmunds here and make sure you have a basic understanding on all areas about leasing. If still confuse after reading the articles, post your questions on the finance board/leasing topic area.
Also, NEVER lease longer than 36 or 39 months.
Even though leasing is working out great for me, I do understand that its not for everybody.
Good luck.
I don't think that it is ever a good idea to put money down on a lease. You are not reducing your payment significantly, and you are taking a big risk - if your car is totalled, the "downpayment" (technically a "Capital Cost Reduction" in a lease) is wasted. If you are serious about reducing your payment with upfront money, you are better off doing multiple security deposits. Basically for each security deposit you make beyond the initial one (usually $500 or so) you get a better finance rate. The extra deposits are fully refunded at the the end of the lease. The return on you money varies depending on the finance rate and the number of deposits, but in my case it was better than leaving it in the bank
Also, if you are going to lease, you must go into the negotiation knowing the current finance rate (aka money factor) and the residual value of the car you want. These vary month to month, so you need current info. The Lease board here can provide these figures. Note that the residual is set in stone, and the finance rate may be worse but will not be better at the dealer.
If you know the money factor and the residual, there is only one other number you need to know to get your lease rate - the price of the car, which you will negotiate. ALWAYS negotiate the price of the car, NEVER negotiate the monthly payment.
Once you and the dealer settle on a fair price, plug the price into the lease formula (it is complicated but available any number of places online) and it should spit out the monthly payment. My advice is to bring a calculator and work it out yourself. If there is a discrepancy, it is usually because the dealer is adding a finance rate surcharge onto the published rates. They are allowed to do that, but you don't have to accept it.
In my mind, the biggest mistakes people make leasing are:
1) too long of a term - in an Audi, 48 months (the length of the warranty and free maintenance) is the absolute max you should do
2) big downpayments - shoot for $0
3) negotiating on the monthly and not the total cost - it's an easy way to wind up paying sticker (or more)
Did you post that you are purchasing an '03 A4 for $428/mo at 48 months? I'm not sure what "premier purchase" means but if you were able to buy this A4 for $20,544.00 including the extras, that is an incredible deal!!
This would mean you will be buying an '03 Audi A4 for about $18,500+ taxes! Where can I find such a deal??
NOW that sounds more like it. The 20,000 figure for leasing sounds in the ballpark. You either give it back or pay the $17000 to finish paying for the vehicle at the end of 48 months.
This is what I did on my '98 Toyota Camry XLE. Just the figures were different.$2000 down-$348 for 36 months-then I bought it at the end of the lease- about $17,000 residual- same payment (nothing down) only over 60 months!
What was the %rate that you were able to get with the Premier Purchase?
Up here in Chicago we just got a dusting of snow and it's Quattro weather :>
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Billy
I'm loving this car more and more.
Biggest complaint so far... can't get the Homelink to work. Salesman tried to program it when I picked it up. I tried at home after reading the manual. No luck. Garage opener is a 1992-3 Genie which worked with a 97 Explorer and a 2000 Jeep. I knew the cupholders would suck and I was not disappointed.
On the upside I returned from Xmas holiday and can't wait to head out to work tomorrow. Car drives great and working the 5 speed is just plain entertaining. Xenons are something else.
This car came with a manual drivers seat which I understand will become a power seat soon.
Any compass or Homelink suggestions I am all ears.
Wow looks like in 2003 they took away the auto dim mirrors inside and out along with the compass in the A4 1.8T.....my 01.5 doesn't have compass anyway but the packages do include auto dim inside and out mirrors. And you can't even get leatherette anymore.....too bad.
Well if you have the Sports pkg with the ultra high perf tires, yeah you better hope the Nokians are on their way fast. It's simply not safe to drive the ultra high perf tires in the cold in Minneapolis.
Good luck and have fun!
Billy
Also, any good comparisons between the A4 and the Passat?
In just the 6 months I've had my A4, I think that the autodimming feature alone is worth that.
3.8% on the premier purchase.. not too bad. The dealer was quoting me between 7 and 8 (with no look at my credit). At what point did you tell the salesperson that you were looking at the premier purchase program?
The most obvious difference is that you can't get 4Motion (aka Quattro in VW) on the 1.8T Passats, while you can slap Quattro on any A4's. If you want Quattro (or 4Motion) and the 1.8T engine, you can forget about the Passat.
Billy
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
It is my belief that VW and Audi are TODAY at a point of more similarity than either marquis likes or would care to admit. It is also my belief that VW is marching down a path that will, superficially at first, appear to be a march upward -- in price. Ultimately, VW claims it wants to compete with Mercedes, virtually model for model but at 80% of the price. The end goal, apparently, is to move VW in the customer's mind to a competitor with Mercedes in feature and function at a more affordable price. Nobel and worthwhile effort, to be sure -- doable? Well, I think over time it can happen -- many disagree with me.
First salvo -- Passat W8 four motion. Second salvo -- Passat W8 with 6spd manual, sport suspension and bigger wheels and tires -- priced like an Audi A4 3.0 quattro. The Passat and the A4 at this point (which is to say soon) should be technically speaking confusing their customers. A $40,000 Passat you say? Yep -- but with a W8 engine, 270hp and most of the underpinnings of an Audi. Fit and finish, design and engineering -- probably the winner is Audi -- but the Passat (TODAY) could possibly be called a "poor person's" Audi A5 or perhaps an A4+.
Over the next 3 to 4 years, Audi will increase everything and branch one way and VW will increase everyting and branch another. This is based on the assumption that you will at least agree (partially) that the VW and the Audi brands TODAY may be technically at least fraternal twins (not so much in the US as in Europe -- where they have A3's, for example). In the US the main "twins" are the Passat and the A4 and kinda, sorta A6. Any second now, things may start to get a lot more confusing -- the new VW Phaeton is bound for the US. The Phaeton may fail (here) who knows. Initially, however, a Phaeton and an Audi A8 surely will be at least cousins if not the afforementioned fraternal twins.
Audi already is (in the pipeline, at least) doing a lot to differentiate the new A8 from the new Phaeton. The A8 will be "sporty" in its presentation of luxury. The Phaeton will be "classic" (think Mercedes rival) in its interpretation of the theme. There will be many subtle differences and many not so subtle similarities. Wait, give both Audi and VW at least a couple more model years and the differences will be easier to spot.
So without summarizing all of the writings and press releases from Audi and VW on the subject, suffice it to say that the Audi A4 quattro 1.8T has NO direct comparison (in the US) that is possible to the Passat FWD 1.8T. They are very different, but they come from the same family (get behind the wheel and check out the switchgear -- many things appear to be cut from the same cloth). The Audi A4 1.8t w/quattro, however is much more of a sporty mode of transportation -- even with standard suspension -- than the Passat.
Now, up your price point about $8-$11,000 and check out an Audi A4 6spd w/sport and 3.0 engine with all the toys and compare it to a Passat W8 (if you can find one, yet) with the sport pkg and 6spd, etc. Content, in my opinion, will be higher in the Audi -- but just barely. The VW however with a W8 should in a straight line at least, outperform the Audi. The back seat in the VW will be bigger too. Except for the "image" thing, the VW could win the value for the dollar argument TODAY. Many disagree with me on this last point. And, truth be told, I'd probably go for the Audi (I always have so far and I just picked up 2 03's -- an allroad and a TT -- so I am out of the market). But, if IMAGE is not in your top 5 reasons to buy, the Passat W8 6spd sport would be tough to beat.
Audis always seem to be a bit tighter, a bit more willing to respond to the driver's commands, and a bit better screwed together than VW's. Audis generally have more "stuff" earlier than the VW's -- ABS, ESP, sat nav, On*star, etc. -- the VW's in the US get features and options two or three years after the Audi models.
Warranty and dealer service is generally in a better class with the Audi -- but this is supposedly changing -- soon. Then again, Audi too is moving up up and away into the stratosphere of cars and services that had originally been associated with (hushed tones) Lexus and some really high end European brands of yore.
In 2005 perhaps this will all make sense -- today, if you're looking for a comparison between the Passat FWD 1.8t and the Audi A4 1.8t quattro -- there are obvious differences. Who knows if you'd feel a Passat W8 sport a worthy competitor to the A4 3.0 -- who knows if an $80,000 VW will fly in the US.
The times will certainly be interesting over the next few years though.
net net: go for the A4 1.8t quattro with sport and a 5spd manual (today) and don't look back.
Both are silver, with cd players.
Which one to chose?
What considerations to take in mind"?
I want to buy my car today or tomorrow.
thanks!
But the two cars are kindof apples and oranges. The A4 with quattro and the Audi chassis, should be a sportier ride. The GLX with a 6 has some merit too -- but with only fwd it should be at a disadvantage except in straight ahead dry pavement acceleration.
Then, too, the A4 1.8T can be chipped for under $600 and would probably give up little to the GLX. Having had 3 1.8T engines, I personally don't get the term buzzy, but I assume that it was not meant to be pejorative.
The A4 is bigger inside too. But, quattro makes all the difference IMO.
Thanks for the advice.
I'm also heading for the audi a4.
I also just found out that the jetta glx was in an accident damaging the top right fender and some mechnical damage was there. all was completely fixed and no signs of an accident at all. should this make a difference to me?
lastly, neither of them have warranties...
is it worth buying a warranty for the 2 yr old a4 which just ran out of warranty?
can i buy just a warranty from somewhere?
thanks...
Thanks!
Billy