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Comments
Fortunately, there was no other damage (alloy wheel held up perfectly). I also found out that the A6 comes with a full-size matching spare tire mounted on a fifth matching alloy wheel. Boy, I love this car.
My point is that a tire blowout at highway speed can have catastrophic results. Because of the quattro, I didn't even know it happened.
And boy do we have plenty of cars with the Lexus label on them, less so Infinity but a lot of them too.
So, this may or may not be an indicator of reliability -- if it is (which I would doubt), I would say it is an indicator that Audi's (and BMW's to be fair) are popular and reliable (as far as one could tell just from an informal census of Audis and BMW's in Cincinnapolis.
Mercedes may be more reliable than Audis -- I do not personally know and I only know one person who has one (a 1997 E class) and it always seems to be needing repairs that are generally three digits to the left of the decimal point.
I don't wish us to paint a rosier than real picture on this forum, but I wish sometimes that we would spend a little less energy trying to prove that Audis are less than reliable.
We all have our own or know of horror stories about every brand of car -- wait a minute, I do not know of any Rolls Royce horror stories, so I take that back.
2nd - My uncle test drove a 2002 A6 Quattro last week and tried to get it for $35 (with particular options this one had a sticker of $42,500) and the dealer in Palo Alto would only come down to $40 - although I saw it on carsdirect for $35,500.
Strange and makes me nervous about tryng to get mine for a steal....
As for carsdirect, I recently bought my '02 A6 3.0 with convienence and preferred packages, no quattro, and priced it off both carsdirect and edmunds to use as leverage at the dealership. The $35,500 number is a little shocking because just 4 weeks ago it was a couple of thousand more. If you can get it for that price - buy it.
Personal opinion: if there are stiffer anti-sway bars, get them too -- I would imagine that the sport suspension "shock absorbers" would be OK, but there are more heavily damped ones available.
Hoppen will tell you about the trade offs you will experience. You may lower the suspension, for example and leave the anti-sway bars as "audi stock" ditto the rest of the set up. Or you may mix and match, within the limits of safety, of course. Point is, each combination and or permutation of spring height, rate, sway bar and shock damping (as well as the wheels and tires) will effect the ride, handling and appearance of the car. You don't want to end up with a cool looking car that doesn't handle or ride to your tastes.
I have found, Hoppen's son, Mike to be very helpful and willing to discuss things in depth with you on the phone.
Good luck, keep us posted.
And hey, just in case the reliability rant was directed at me - I just meant it was crazy to be out of the SF Bay area for 5 days and not see any Audi's since while I'm on the road at home Audi's of all ages are on every corner reminding me to get to the dealer and buy!
Since it happens only under very specific circumstances it is hard to recreate for the dealer and I can see the service people looking at me wondering if my lithium levels are out of whack.
My A6 has 36,000 miles on it and several thousands of miles ago all four brake rotors were replaced -- still perfect, as is just about everything else about this car. My 2003 2.7T manual allroad is "on a truck" from port to Cincinnati. I should be getting a call next week or the week after telling me to "come on down" and pick it up.
Even though I have NOT enjoyed having a tiptronic -- I will miss this car. For the money, I still maintain ". . .nothing even comes close."
I hope to be saying the same about my allroad.
Aren't Beemers everywhere in SoCal?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I still don't like their cars, but after reading this article I now have respect for the company.
Anyway, I'm impressed with the number of older Audi's on our roads, and even more impressed when I see the vast majority of even the older models rust-free. Our streets and highways get TONS of salt dumped on them over the winter months, and many cars do rust out well before their time. Even though all cars are becoming less susceptible to prematurely rusting out, it seems to me that Audi's hold up particularly well (which is now backed up by their 10 year corrosion protection warranty). Of course even here, Audi sales picked up dramatically beginning with the '96 A4, so there are many more newer ones on the road than older models. But I do see many older ones on the roads around here, and most seem to have held up to our harsh elements relatively well.
Carousel's new "hanger-like" building is very impressive, I didn't know they were the largest Audi dealer in the country! I know that one of the salesmen there mentioned that 98% of the Audi sales are w/ Quattro- for obvious reasons here in the deep snow belt! It is snowing out right now as I write this posting!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Of course it helps, too, if you buy almost literally every car from the same dealer for over 25 years -- everyone, and I mean everyone (except for the brand new employees) knows my wife and me at our local Audi dealership. Heck, we even exchange Christmas gifts with some of the staff and management -- even had a couple of them over for dinner and been to the owner's house for dinner.
We do not regulary and frequently socialize with them, but we keep a very strong acquaintence with the folks at our dealership -- makes the process (of automobile acquisition and ownership) almost a pleasure.
Price is really a very small issue when it is something as important as a car -- at least here in the public transportation wasteland of Cincinnati Ohio. Service and support get my attention and my dollars.
In summary, size of the dealership is not very meaningful and size of the discount between dealers is usually diminimus, and as I noted often works out to cost more in the long run. The sweetness of low price is quickly forgotten after the bitterness of crummy service is discovered (and sometimes they do correlate).
More great service, I bought a set of Bridegstone Blizzak Snow tires for my 1992 Beretta when I was a freshman in college from a tire dealer near my house (they were even cheaper than tire rack). I mounted them on a separate set of wheels. The place where I bought the snow tires from did changeovers and tire rotations for free. So every spring and every fall I would go and have the tires changed over. I got rid of that car in 1998. Last year (4 years later) when I took my Saab in for inspection and a tire rotation, I looked at the bill and noticed they never charged me for the tire rotation. I went in and told him there was a mistake, he said that I was a good customer and not to worry about it. I will never buy tires from anywhere else ever again!
The dealer where I bought my 2001 Prelude from in April of 2002, went out of his way to locate a car that was sitting on another dealer's lot and sold it to me at invoice (other dealers wanted to charge me either sticker or $400-$600 above invoice) without charging me to go and get the car (like some other dealers were going to do). I will never buy a Honda anywhere else ever again.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Question is, what kind of tire pressure should I be using? Also, do you not think the alignment at the factory should be spot on (what with only 12k on the car and no serious bumps, curbs, or hits)? I've been carrying 37 psi all around and checking them fairly regularly.
Obviously, they've changed from quiet db's to very loud ones! Any ideas??!!
jk
Sure, some people can and will take advantage of businesses who are liberal with, say, their return policies, etc. but those individuals are in the minority. Nordstrom, for example, proved that point for their business philosophy from the beginning --starting when they were just a relatively small business-- was based on good customer service and a liberal return policy. Yes, they get burned frequently but they also have acquired many loyal customers who wouldn't think of shopping anywhere else. Their philosophy is "so we have a few who take advantage of us" but what counts is the end result and their policies have definitely paid off.
--'rocco
My relationship with the dealer is such that I apparently get to hear about the lengths some prospective customers will go to try to get a low price -- and of course what happens to the people who get the so-called low price? They get far fewer of the intangibles that can really make car ownership fun.
I, for one, don't want to steal from the dealer nor have the dealer steal from me.
This is not to say that I want to necessarily shave the dealer down to his last bit of profit, I just want to purchase the car for, again, the best price I can. Actually, what I really want is not to pay any more than the last guy paid and I guess that's the reason I want to dicker and compare prices others are paying. As I've posted in other threads before, I resent a dealer telling me "this is the price everyone else is paying so if you don't like it, go somewhere else and buy the car." But this is the response many in my area receive from a particular Audi dealer here in town. I did just that and went elsewhere to purchase my car for a better price and better treatment during and after the sale. Sure, the majority might fall for that line but I considered it arrogance on their part and didn't appreciate it.
Yes, I'd like to see the "Saturn approach" to pricing spread throughout the auto industry. I vehemently despise having to negotiate when purchasing a car ...although I realize many enjoy it. When you go into a grocery store to buy a quart of milk, you're right, you don't have to negotiate the price. The store makes its profit and you are happy you got a fresh quart of milk. All I ask is that when I go into the same grocery store a few minutes later, that I pay the same price for that quart of milk as you did.
That's my concern when I go into the Audi store to purchase an A6. I want to make sure that I pay a price as close to what you paid for your A6. Since I don't know what price you paid, the only way I can assure myself that I'm getting close is to do my homework in advance and then to dicker, offer, counter-offer, etc. with the hope I will be able to buy my A6 for the same price you did. If the dealer doesn't accept my offers and let's me walk, then obviously he feels he can sell the car to someone else who will pay the price he demands.
I don't want to go through this when buying a car; I don't enjoy this when buying a car; it's emotionally draining and frustrates me to no end to go through this when buying a car ...but I also don't particularly like Saturns. *laughs*
--'rocco
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
His first offer to me is almost always the best -- what changes (and I always lease) is [sometimes] the leasing deal that he puts together. Audi financial is usually the best deal, but on the last Audi A6 (which I had on a 27 month lease) -- my dealer's floor plan banker had a better rate for this short lease than Audi Financial. I prompted my dealer to shop the payments for me -- and I ask the question "is this as low as you can go."
I am not so altruistic that my concern for the dealer's profit transcends my personal desire for a good deal -- my point has and continues to be that what happens after the sale is at least as important as what happens during the sale.
One last example that may or may not further explain what I am talking about. Car deal is done -- and I ask for my door locks to be set to auto mode, I ask for a new (wood) shift knob and other (in the scheme of things) relatively minor (but potential revenue services / products for the dealership) things.
The dealer sets the locks, gives me the shift knob and also gives me a set of Audi coasters and an Audi coffee cup. At Christmas I got an Audi pen and pencil set. The dealer service manager came to our house on a Sunday afternoon when the power seat connection on my wife's Audi A4 became disconnected with the seat in the long leg position (and she is 5'4"). . .
Other too numerous to mention "perks" and "gifts of appreciation" and other "customer retention" activities have ensued over the years. On our first trip to Europe, we went to Munich Germany -- we told our dealer about our trip and he arranged a tour of the Audi plant (in Ingolstadt), in English, for just my wife and me -- on a day that an English tour had not been scheduled.
The customer who tries to shave the price so that the transaction is -- for the dealer -- down to the bone in profit, rarely gets these perks and amenities. Indeed, the dealer says that the customers who have the attitude that car dealers are crooks or think that they [dealers] gouge their customers generally receive the worst service. The dealer says that the customers who hammer them are rarely able to be satisfied and rarely are repeat customers.
There are of course two sides to the story -- I am not that blind -- but those who seem to expend time and energy on the deal, often get what they pay for. The lowest bidder is not necessarily the one that is the most attractive to do biz with.
I am used to seeing the price of gasoline be lower a day or two after I fill up, or at a different station down the street. So be it. It is extremely rare when I buy a stock that someone else cannot buy it for less a day or week later. If someone bought it at a lower price the week before I did or the week after I did, good for them. I am glad that automobile MSRP does not fluctuate like air travel prices.
I value long-term relationships. I prefer doing business with trustworthy, competent people in a Cheers environment where everybody knows your name. It sounds like that is what Mark has with his car dealer. I don't buy cars frequently enough to have achieved that yet.
If I had waited to buy my 2002 2.7t until now instead of getting it last April I would have gotten a much better price. At that time I sold my old car at a very attractive price. I'm sure I could have gotten more if I had put it on the open market, instead I sold it to someone I knew at a price they could not resist. At the same time they were selling a car. They received a low-ball offer and turned it down. They still have the car today and wished they had taken the low-ball.
There are those who will spend time to save money and those who will spend money to save time. I am in the latter group.
I fully understand what Mark is saying and have heard it elsewhere as well ...that those who do keep hammering to get the best deal will almost always be the first to complain, are nitpicky and never satisfied with their cars, and will give the worst CSIs.
I would love to have the kind of relationship with my dealer as Mark has with his ...and it might just happen if I continue to buy cars from my dealer in the future. I'm new to the "luxury" car experience and in the past have always just thought of the car buying experience as getting the car for the best price and getting out of there. I really didn't intend nor even want to establish any kind of relationship with the dealer. Now that I'm older with more disposable income (and possibly, eventually with even more time on my hands) and will be buying upscale vehicles from here on out, it becomes more apparent to me that I do in fact want to establish a relationship with a dealer.
But no, Mark, I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't see both sides of the story. I apologize, if I did.
--'rocco
Sometimes you don't.
When money is no object (or of little interest), those "intagibles" or perks matter a lot. Some people look at it differently, and I've heard that's why horse races exist. Some people own the horses and some bet on them.
Long-term value is a concept lost on many. I've been pleased to see the recent posts relating to older Audis that are still in service.
To each their own.
Money is both an object and of great interest to me -- but my time and convenience (aka opportunity costs) also have worth. The intagibles and perks are sometimes worth a tremendous amount -- if for no other reason than they create the lack of an additional cost (of both time and money).
The Sunday service call -- how can you put a price on this? My wife literally could not drive the car, she couldn't reach the pedals -- the dealer is 20 miles away. It would have been dangerous for her to sit on the front edge of the driver's seat and drive a stick shift for 20 miles. Some dealers would say, "fine, we'll use the Audi advantage to have the car picked up (maybe on a Sunday) -- and we can even have a loaner dropped off Monday after 8:00 AM." Hassle factor and costs would have been high.
Paying more for the car, which by the way we did not, IMO, would have been worth it -- after all no one seems to complain about the 50,000 bumber to bumper warraty and "free service" -- but we all know it is "in the price."
I just keep hoping that car companies will do what the airlines do -- set up "Medallion" programs for their customers -- I am a Delta Gold Medallion Flyer, and I have virtually never flown coach to Europe and I have NEVER paid for the privilege. The Audi Loyalty Progam is very nice indeed and I expect it will be expanded.
Here is my idea (not entirely well formed, I admit) -- sign up to be an Audi Frequent Fyler (or Frequent and/or Repeat Buyer) and establish a permanent step lease -- for the next 21 year you wil have 8 new Audis (one about every 33 months) and you will have no maintenance, ever, tires, liscense plates, perhaps even insurance all bundled in -- the car will be cleaned 52 times a year for you, and you will receive luggage tags denoting your status as an Audi Medallion Customer. Wait a minute, that is too much like the airlines -- but anyway, I'm sure you get my drift.
Car "buying" will become much more like buying a high end service if my "scheme" is adopted by the car companies.
This is kindof a hybrid between corporate computer buying and business air travellers in the major airlines Frequent Flyer prorams. Become loyal to one brand and there are benefits that will accrue to you. Realize that cars are technology acquisitions and have a relatively short shelf life and are to be expensed not capitalized.
Our clients basically upgrade their computer hardware and software about every 3 - 5 years and recession notwithstanding appear to be shortening the mean time between refreshes. Car companies increasingly need to have repeat buyers -- especially for high end cars. Marry the two concepts together and create a situation where the customer always buys X cars and buys them on a virtually predictable time frame (an annuity). The customer and the manufacturer (and those in the middle) stand to benefit.
And when Delta no longer pleases or somehow loses me as a customer, well then American (or whoever) will be the beneficiary of Delta's screw up. Car companies want and need repeat buyers -- I predict they will adopt models that are less price based than value based (which includes price, but so much more).
The relationship I have with my Audi dealer has been -- so far -- value based. The relationship I have had with Audi the car company has been less so and IMHO will need to be altered to reflect the changing expectations of the customers.
The new normal changes everything.
See if the above "predicition" comes true -- it will take at least until 2005 for this practice to become even remotely widespread. And BTW, Edmunds is part and parcel of this metamorphasis -- without the town hall and other similar "e" communication vehicles, the car companies could remain less responsive.
What data do you have to prove that the very same perks and service would not have been offered to you should have negotiated a better deal than the one that you settled for? Could it be possible that another customer who purchased a A6 from the same dealership for less than you payed, also received the same level of service?
But, the repeat, good customers do get a better after the sale experience than the "only go for the cheapest price" customer.
The Home Depot versus little guy story above rings true and is represented by numerous examples -- and my dealer principal has not been the only one to extend such extra perks to my wife and me. As I mentioned, the service manager, sales manager, owner -- even the bookkeeper at the dealer have demonstrated many "customer retention" behaviors.
The number of examples I can give you about how this dealer and even this Company Audi of America treat their good customers would fill many pages. But to further underscore my observations, I can tell you that the dealer specifically has shared how those who may get the best deal (initially) are so over the top demanding and provide so little benefit to the bottom line, that the dealer almost overtly only does what is required -- I believe it is this way in most human interactions and moreso in commercial transactions. The dealer in effect has to decide which customers should be fired -- they contribute so little to the financial bottom line and so little to the non-financial bottom line. I own my own business and even though it is a technical services business, I see the same patters that my dealer has described. And, granted much of my opinions as expressed here are due to my personal observation, too.
But, here is one additional example. In early December 2000, I came home one evening to find a Federal Express package at my front door. Inside a small box was an evenlope and as I recall a pair of luggage tags.
The envelope was a fine linen and I immediately recognized it as a [wedding] invitation. However, when I turned the envelope over I notice the familiar four rings embossed on the back. Inside the envelope was a letter from Mr. Hunt -- E VP of Audi of America. Hunt's letter, which appeared to be personal, said that some of the very pleasurable things he gets to do as AoA's top executive is to thank Audi's best customers for their business and support.
Very nice, very nice -- but what about the luggage tags? The letter concluded by saying that two round trip tickets to San Moritz Switzerland, 3 nights in the Badrut (SP?) Palace, $150 spending money, Audi clothing, all meals and drinks, entertainment and front row seat passes to the Womens Down Hill Skiing even in San Moritz were my wife's and mine if we call this number. The purpose of the luggage tags was very clear.
When we got to Zurich we were met by a representative (from the US) of AoA and taken by private car to San Moritz -- the next four days and three nights Audi entertained us (sleigh rides, fine dining and a stage show -- they called it a gala). Present at this event were Audi owners from all over the world -- as I recall there were about 2 dozen from the US (plus their guests, of course).
The director of the Audi loyalty and retention program from the US was our personal host -- she was there when we needed her and stayed out the way most of the time. If such a thing exists, we had a 6 star experience.
At no time were there any types of sales presentations -- although all the vehicles were, of course Audi quattros and the entire city seemed to be decorated in the four rings and had brand new Audi's strategically parked on every street corner.
At the gala, a representative from Audi AG got up and spoke in several languages and basically talked about skiing and had a one paragraph speech saying "thank you for your support."
Several of the people at our dinner table that nite were married to non-Audi owners, one man remarked, I've had 30 Mercedes and I've never even received a lousy bottle of beer" -- or words to that effect. Ditto sentiments from the man who had been loyal to Fords "forever."
Audi is perhaps unique in terms of the way it treats its customers -- in spite of the fact that I think Audi needs to do more and do it better, they are I am convinced a rare company in general and a very rare car company indeed.
Too long people have thought of [used] car salesmen and car dealers and insurance salesmen [men and women] as the scum or at best necessary evil of the world of commerce. Well, my wife is a lawyer so I guess perhaps I am more tolerant -- but I have found that in the world of autombile companies, Audi is in the top class insofar as being customer centric. The dealers, I know, are spotty -- all over the board from what I have read here on this and other forums.
But what comes from the top will eventually trickle to the dealers -- but to be treated the way you want to be treated, you must treat your vendor likewise.
I know we, me especially, have beaten this price versus value thing way beyond death -- but I am obviously passionate about this issue -- those that dwell on beating the dealer down usually pay more in the long run.
My feelings towards this subject, as I've stated, have been changing through the years but after reading that, I'm even more so convinced.
--'rocco
The price I pay in Cincinnati may for whatever reason not be able to duplicated in Dallas or Cheyenne or Mobile.
It is my intention of leasing my new allroad (which by the way I got in yesterday, even before all the paper, plastic, tape and cardboard were removed) for 36 months. I do not believe any information I can get here will change my deal. I have expectations for the experience of "ownership" -- I will gladly share them with this forum. Who cares what the price is -- as long as I am happy, that is what counts.
I want to know from you about your experience with the car and the dealer -- not how much you paid -- unless for some reason it in some way could effect my dealer and my transaction with that dealer.
My dealer also owns a VW store -- and he says that the difference in the customer base is 180 degrees apart. The VW customers are only concerned with the price, not about the service, the warranty or very much even about the product itself (the exceptions he says are those who want the special VW's -- the top Jettas, Passats, etc -- or those that he specifically dresses up for the showroom with custom wheels, spoilers, recaro seats, sound systems, etc). The Porsche and Audi customers conversely challenge the sales staff's product knowlege and often order their cars rather than buy off the lot (my car was ordered in early 2002, and it came in on Friday October 18). My wife ordered her new TT almost a year ago and it will be in next week.
We are "typical" Audi (and Porsche) buyers -- although Audi (and Porsche, too) are attempting to change this somewhat and I have noticed that the inventory of new cars has, in the past two years, increased somewhat. Half or more of the Audi's sold -- according to my guy -- are custom ordered and the time frame is generally 3 - 8 months in advance. Porsches are sometimes over a year in advance, especially for cars that are "On Allocation." I can only assume that the RS6 cars are 100% pre ordered as are the S8's and S6 avants. My dealer has already taken deposits for the new S4.
Yesterday the dealer was discussing the TT's upcoming new engine choices which he claims even include the possibility of an 8 cylinder model or a larger 6 than is currently offered in the Audi line. The show room was buzzing with customers and tire kickers and the discussions were about the cars, driving and future stuff --
Walking into the Audi dealership reminds me of the TV show "Cheers" -- when Norm comes in -- the customers are greeted warmly and "everybody knows your name." I watched the interaction yesterday while I waited for my new allroad's key -- since it had just literally come off the truck.
My dealer has -- about 7 months of the year -- a Saturday "grill out" -- it is not advertised, but if you go in you'll get a hamburger or hot dog and a soda-pop. Saturday mornings its coffee and donuts -- cause on Saturday's it free car wash days for all customers (of course we always tip the guy).
Sometimes it almost seems corny like those Wal-Mart commercials where the lady says I might as well work at Wal-Mart, cause I go there to drink coffee and socialize. Maybe in my next life -- retirement -- I'll work as a salesperson at my Audi dealership. But, heck the turnover is so low there and there is probably a line ahead of me. I mean most of the same service and sales people have been at this dealership for decades.
There are places like this all over, I am convinced. Perhaps there are more than we realize -- but perhaps many of us don't bother to get to know our dealership principals. Yet, we often consider cars our second most important purchase (in dollar terms) and think of cars like we think of indoor plumbing -- until they break.
It is my hope that we all try to become better customers -- which I am convinced, too will create better dealers (and not just limited to Automobile dealers, either).
Pertaining to dealer experiences, yes, I am beginning to understand what you are describing. I admit, I've always been one of those VW type customers you described. As my "life philosophy" is now shifting --a subject not to be discussed here-- towards a different approach on how I spend my money and my time, I now see the importance of establishing a relationship with my car dealer. When I was younger, yes, initial price was my main criteria when choosing a dealer. Although I have always been able to choose an upscale brand car, I never considered it because of wanting to save as much money as possible for a "rainy day" or retirement. Now that I'm on the "downside" (if you will) of life, --I'm in the same age range as you-- I'm beginning to understand the importance of, and have to concentrate on, spending money rather than saving it. Not a bad position to be in, I suppose.
My Audi dealer is also a VW and Porsche dealership too. I've noticed the same observations as you described when talking to my salesperson. It doesn't seem to quite have the "Cheers" atmosphere but I do observe a different "feeling" when I'm there that I haven't ever experienced at other car dealers I've dealt with in the past. I just assumed it was because this dealership is small and also located in a smaller town, not in a big metropolitan area, and not because I possibly could be subconsciously longing for a special reationship with a car dealer ...in reality, probably a little of both. Because of the way I've been treated there, I always bring Krispe Kremes for both the service and sales employees. This dealership is almost 100 miles away from my residence and also is that far away from the nearest KK so I think they really appreciate the treat.
So yes, maybe I'm starting to establish a relationship with my dealer and in all likelihood won't try to get the lowest price possible on my next purchase there. Since I continually refer people to that dealership, I hope they will give me a good price on the allroad or Touareg without my having to really negotiate too much. On a social plane, I can't really visit there to have coffee, etc. on a weekly basis because of the distance but I do exchange e-mail (jokes, etc. included) and phone calls with my salesman ...we are also share the same age so we tend to have more in common than just talking about Audis.
Bottom line: as you reference, I'm becoming a better customer ...I appreciate the way they treat me and hopefully they appreciate my business and the referrals I give them.
Funny thing, I too have considered selling Audis after I retire ...just as something to do which I think I'd enjoy piddling around with and not focusing on necessarily making huge commissions. I could never think of it as a "job" for I'd really enjoy talking about cars and in turn, I'd have to suspect that sales would naturally evolve since my focus wouldn't be to desperately make a sale.
--'rocco
Dealer prep, phone prep, sat nav disc acquisition and new tires for the TT -- we should have it by Saturday! The allroad a few days later since we are painting it "full paint" and getting new rubber to replace the OEM tires (Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 245 x 50 x 17's) -- also have to activate the phone, sign up for the OnStar and wait for the sat nav disc. Patience is a virtue?
The TT has 18" wheels with summer only tires -- we bought 4 Ultra High Performance all season tires 225 x 40 x 18 from the TireRack for our Cincinnati winter, in case you wondered.
Some day in my ideal car ordereing world you will be able to order your new car anyway you want and pay the manufacturer for doing so -- instead of the body shop and the tirerack (no offense). Mass customization is possible and would be no more difficult to implement than "option packages."
I know, complain complain complain. . .wah!
I thought I read quite a while back that you had discovered that you could order your Allroad with 'full paint'. I read that to mean fully painted at the factory. Am I mis-remembering?
Best of luck with both the new Audis (plural = Audi? Audii??)
Cheers,
- Ray
Who walked all over the VW Audi dealer's lot during the last oil change looking for (among other things) a 'full paint' Allroad . . .
Previously (2002) there were "a few" fully painted allroads -- in fact my dealer located a 2002 Ming Blue (not a standard allroad color in 2002) allroad. Initially, which I dutifully reported, the dealer said you can have any color you want except Pearl White Metallic and you can have the fully painted version -- if you are willing to pay the up charge (about $1,500 estimated) for the paint option.
We ordered the car, months BEFORE the 2003 order guides were "official" -- and the dealer, in good faith, believed that full paint would not be a problem. I believe his Audi coordinator even said "shouldn't be a problem."
You see the 2.7T and the 4.2's (allroads) "don't know" what they will end up being when they are first "born" -- so why should it matter what paint is applied just so long as it is an available paint at the factory and has been used before?
Bzzzz! Wrongo Chuck-o.
Full paint option cannot be officially sold for a 2.7T allroad. I wrote three letters to Audi of America saying in effect "take my money, please."
I received a very nice letter back saying sorry, if you want full paint get a 4.2 -- which will be delayed.
OK, I'll take a 4.2 with a 6spd manual.
Bzzzzz! Would you like to try again?
Net net -- full paint option applied here in Cincinnati -- $1620.40 (+$250 for the rocker panels, which after careful scruntity, I decided I would NOT do even if the price was onluy $25.00).
So all the stories I have relayed were AT THE POINT IN TIME I relayed them accurate insofar as I knew.
Since that time (when I was given the sorry you lose thanks for playing letter), I have seen the 2.7T in full paint as it has been shown at the European auto shows (pictures on audiworld.com).
Color (or paint) me confused: I have owned my own business for almost 20 years. As a business person I have discovered that saying "no" to a paying customer wins no friends and makes no money.
If Audi charges $1,600 for the full paint option -- well, one would imagine there is profit in doing so correct?
I am paying someone else $1,600 INSTEAD of Audi.
What am I missing? To paraphrase that famous (?) comedian, Henny Youngman, "take my money, please!"
Now, get this -- we are acquiring not one but two new Audis within the next two weeks at a combined MSRP of $90,000+ -- these Audis will mark #26 and #27 I believe (since 1978) -- it is still not possible to order wheels and tires (from the factory) that are appropriate to our geography and sense of style.
My wife wanted a TT with 18" wheels -- OK that, this year, can finally be done. But wait, the fine print for the 18" wheel option reads (summer tires only -- blah blah blah. . .) Now, this year, too, 17" wheels with All Season tires ARE available. OK methinks, there ARE NO all season tires available in the 18" fittment that are also ultra high performance -- it could be true.
Na baby na. . .
Go to tirerack and key UHP all season size 225 x 40 x 18 -- as I recall there are at least three offerings, no make it four. And, one of these is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S -- surely a tire worthy of being placed on a $42,000 Audi TT?!? Don't you think?
My clients since the late 1980's have been largely manufacturers and many of them tier one automotive suppliers -- the computer systems could easily handle another data field marked "tire characteristic" -- now I might understand that it would be possible to specify the type of tire (UHP All Season, for example) but NOT the specific brand name (just like they do with the 17" all season option for this particular Audi). And, that would be OK!
They could offer such options either as a competitive differentiator or for a slight charge or both -- I mean here we are with a brand new car with 7 miles on the odometer and we are replacing the summer tires with UHP A/S because here in southern Ohio we actually do not have perpetual summer and for whatever reason my wife prefers all season tires year round. And it is her money and it is her choice. Audi makes it somewhat more difficult to do business with them a a bit more expensive -- why not make the customer even happier and collect some money in the process?
Audi -- take my money, please.