Is there a best time to buy a new Audi?
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm currently running a 57 plate A6 2.0tdi (140 PD) with a Revo stage 1 remap (185 hp). It' has 75k on the clock and is starting to exhibit a few niggles that are going to cost money to fix. I bought it with 50k on the clock and I don't think the previous owner looked after it very well hence the niggles. The Revo map has been brilliant.
I'm thinking of chopping it in for the same car but the 190 ps manual 'ultra' when it is released later this year. I'm in no particular rush so my question is, is there a time of year when dealerships are trying to hit targets and are likely to offer bigger discounts?
Thanks in advance
DP
I'm currently running a 57 plate A6 2.0tdi (140 PD) with a Revo stage 1 remap (185 hp). It' has 75k on the clock and is starting to exhibit a few niggles that are going to cost money to fix. I bought it with 50k on the clock and I don't think the previous owner looked after it very well hence the niggles. The Revo map has been brilliant.
I'm thinking of chopping it in for the same car but the 190 ps manual 'ultra' when it is released later this year. I'm in no particular rush so my question is, is there a time of year when dealerships are trying to hit targets and are likely to offer bigger discounts?
Thanks in advance
DP
Back in 2007 when I bought my A6, I went to the dear near the end of November with a price comparison from an online dealer Motorlogix.
The dealer matched the price so I got a car with a £43k list price for £36k. Factory order was delivered on 1st March.
I think that a good negotiating strategy and plenty of research is worth far more than end of month/end of quater quotas.
The dealer matched the price so I got a car with a £43k list price for £36k. Factory order was delivered on 1st March.
I think that a good negotiating strategy and plenty of research is worth far more than end of month/end of quater quotas.
The interior on first inspection albeit on my fairly basic car is ok , seat is fairly comfortable and you can get a good driving position, but then after a while there are numerous areas of ergonomics that for me do not work. Some are fairly basic school boy errors. Ride quality is abysmal I found the S Line A4 unacceptable jarring on the average A Road in the Uk and on the section of our awful M25 in Essex, terrible and worse than my my sports car as far as comfort is concerned. The only good thing is it tramlines so much put it on cruise control and you do not need to steer either ! This must be down to tyres and suspension geometry some thing is wrong with the compromise here between handling and ride , maybe its the struggle that always occurs with FWD cars when this is sorted out. If you drive in any areas frequented by speed humps as I do in London , then you will find the front end constantly bottoming out, i spoe to a tech on one of the dealers mycar has been in and he said yes , the front end of A4 underside's are usually the worse for wear from bottoming out, so approaching Speed Humps has to be carried out with some caution , Again my sports car suffers far less other than the small plastic winglets in front of the front wheel which often scrape.
Oh if you push the car really hard there is an odd , but not dangerous or such like definite weight shift that takes place mid bend from the front of the car to the rear , it was quiet interesting the first time i felt it, and i know i am getting there now when it happens, it could be considered to be "Fun" and maybe one is getting near the limit !!!
1) Coin slots, in a bit of plastic specifically made for R/H drive cars as this hole swaps for the electronic handbrake button , the slots are to small for £1 coins !
2) Head light adjustment knob is hidden behind the steering wheel and the stalks
3) Fog light switches are hidden behind steering wheel and stalks
4) Ignition key is hidden behind steering wheel and stalks
5) No simple way of turning of the MMI display other than via about 4 moves on the menu of the MMI. why not a simple button as on the A3
6) The MMI controls are so far away from the drivers sight line unless he trains himself/herself to operate it in the dark, blind this can be as dangerous as operating a phone on the move, it could easily swap place with the CD player or such like which is in a far better place and most likely rarely used nowadays other than to update software.
7)Normally there is just to much information displayed , the dash is fine on its own , but Audi just seem to think we are right charlies and need to keep reminding us how to drive , hence the comment above about being able to easily dump the MMI display
8)Several people have commented on the poor ingess and egress from the front complaining about what appears to be a small or poorly postioned door ! doesent seem a problem for me , and I am not skinny !
9)Wind noise around the A pillars at M way speeds, disturbs an other wise quiet cabin other than the bash crash wallop of the suspension over the slightest bump
10)Sat Nav in London for me is useless , well so far on the odd occasion i have used it , i have some discussion with her as she doesent seem to know here she is going !!!
11)Steering wheel is maybe just a tad large for me
12) Parking brake , don't get me started , even the guy at Audi UK admitted he hates them
13) Fuel Consumption is at least 30% down on the published figures , dealers see to think its the norm , are all manufactures now pulling the wool over our eyes on this , but most only seem to 10-15% out , Audi i believe have already fallen foul of the ASA on this issue. I see the Poxhall add on TV for the new Sigma clearly sates that the figure they quote are achieved in a lab and not in real world driving.
And the bottom line is , you may think I am Audi bashing just because of the problem i have that they wont fix or even acknowledge , but the fact is I have had far better customer service from Honda,Ford,Vauxhall And even Land Rover who at least sorted problem's promptly and with out fuss , and boy were there lots of problems with the LR, indeed they bought the car back in the end, but the customer relations was good and helpful
What would i get in place of the Audi , I don' t know at this time , but I wouldn't be swayed by colleagues and would take some time on research and much much longer test drives. But the list would include in no particular order , BMW, Merc , Maszda , Lexus , Poxhall , Ford ,Jaguar, yes I am afraid VAG products would not be on the list , Skoda a possibility as they do not fare to badly in reliability stats unlike Audi. Honda don't make a single decent car at the moment for the UK other than the Jizz which has a specific market place which i am not in , my wife is and waxes lyrical about the car , and its not at all a bad place to be in and does what it says on the tin without fuss, and is reliable , and cheap to run.
Oh if you push the car really hard there is an odd , but not dangerous or such like definite weight shift that takes place mid bend from the front of the car to the rear , it was quiet interesting the first time i felt it, and i know i am getting there now when it happens, it could be considered to be "Fun" and maybe one is getting near the limit !!!
1) Coin slots, in a bit of plastic specifically made for R/H drive cars as this hole swaps for the electronic handbrake button , the slots are to small for £1 coins !
2) Head light adjustment knob is hidden behind the steering wheel and the stalks
3) Fog light switches are hidden behind steering wheel and stalks
4) Ignition key is hidden behind steering wheel and stalks
5) No simple way of turning of the MMI display other than via about 4 moves on the menu of the MMI. why not a simple button as on the A3
6) The MMI controls are so far away from the drivers sight line unless he trains himself/herself to operate it in the dark, blind this can be as dangerous as operating a phone on the move, it could easily swap place with the CD player or such like which is in a far better place and most likely rarely used nowadays other than to update software.
7)Normally there is just to much information displayed , the dash is fine on its own , but Audi just seem to think we are right charlies and need to keep reminding us how to drive , hence the comment above about being able to easily dump the MMI display
8)Several people have commented on the poor ingess and egress from the front complaining about what appears to be a small or poorly postioned door ! doesent seem a problem for me , and I am not skinny !
9)Wind noise around the A pillars at M way speeds, disturbs an other wise quiet cabin other than the bash crash wallop of the suspension over the slightest bump
10)Sat Nav in London for me is useless , well so far on the odd occasion i have used it , i have some discussion with her as she doesent seem to know here she is going !!!
11)Steering wheel is maybe just a tad large for me
12) Parking brake , don't get me started , even the guy at Audi UK admitted he hates them
13) Fuel Consumption is at least 30% down on the published figures , dealers see to think its the norm , are all manufactures now pulling the wool over our eyes on this , but most only seem to 10-15% out , Audi i believe have already fallen foul of the ASA on this issue. I see the Poxhall add on TV for the new Sigma clearly sates that the figure they quote are achieved in a lab and not in real world driving.
And the bottom line is , you may think I am Audi bashing just because of the problem i have that they wont fix or even acknowledge , but the fact is I have had far better customer service from Honda,Ford,Vauxhall And even Land Rover who at least sorted problem's promptly and with out fuss , and boy were there lots of problems with the LR, indeed they bought the car back in the end, but the customer relations was good and helpful
What would i get in place of the Audi , I don' t know at this time , but I wouldn't be swayed by colleagues and would take some time on research and much much longer test drives. But the list would include in no particular order , BMW, Merc , Maszda , Lexus , Poxhall , Ford ,Jaguar, yes I am afraid VAG products would not be on the list , Skoda a possibility as they do not fare to badly in reliability stats unlike Audi. Honda don't make a single decent car at the moment for the UK other than the Jizz which has a specific market place which i am not in , my wife is and waxes lyrical about the car , and its not at all a bad place to be in and does what it says on the tin without fuss, and is reliable , and cheap to run.
Edited by Chippo1 on Tuesday 15th April 09:38
fatboy b said:
blueg33 said:
Yes - when you realise that they are nicer places to be every day than the equivalent BMW......
After 3 BMWs, and 3 Audis, I discovered a much much nicer place to be.Its always subjective
I agree, followed a Massa the other day even the wife said , "Now that looks like a nice car why can't we have one of those , I siad we could if wecould guess the correct 6 numbers ! And I dare say you would need a trailer to put all the bits and pieces in that kept falling of as you drove along!!!!
But it is personal preference in the end and I know for a fact that i can find small area of poor design in any car you sit me in, but its the overall package and in my case the level of customer service one gets from the Dealers and OEM that is coloring my opinions at the moment. And Makes me look even harder at the product.
The more i think about the whole VAG thing it is clear that for good cost engineering across the group there must and is a huge elemant of component sharing up to and including the body shells , floor pans , running gear engines and transmissions, so on that basis they must be cost engineered down to a cost acceptable for the lower end of the market brands which they offer. Smacks of Marina Door handles on Jaguars in the 1970's and Mariana Van rear lights on Mk1 Discovery. I saw it stated some where recently that VAG are looking for an overall build cost reduction at the moment of 20% across all of their brands , that is significant if its true and can only result in one thing ! draw your own conclusions.
But it is personal preference in the end and I know for a fact that i can find small area of poor design in any car you sit me in, but its the overall package and in my case the level of customer service one gets from the Dealers and OEM that is coloring my opinions at the moment. And Makes me look even harder at the product.
The more i think about the whole VAG thing it is clear that for good cost engineering across the group there must and is a huge elemant of component sharing up to and including the body shells , floor pans , running gear engines and transmissions, so on that basis they must be cost engineered down to a cost acceptable for the lower end of the market brands which they offer. Smacks of Marina Door handles on Jaguars in the 1970's and Mariana Van rear lights on Mk1 Discovery. I saw it stated some where recently that VAG are looking for an overall build cost reduction at the moment of 20% across all of their brands , that is significant if its true and can only result in one thing ! draw your own conclusions.
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff