Audi dealers in trouble?

[Deva Link]

Heard a couple of mutterings about this - delivery mileage A5's appearing at auction etc, and saw a comment from a respected contributor on another forum saying he knows of one dealer selling cars off cheaply to pay staff wages.

[ukdavvy12]

I have posted on another thread about being interested in a Q7 if the price is right

I dont get the impression they are selling many
My local dealer group have just cancelled the registration of a car they were about to use as a demo
All of the S/H ones are at full whack but the ££££'s fall off without much negotiation
One has lost 5k overnight

If anyone sees a cheap V8 Im in

[Dr G]

Busiest August anyone can remember for us...

[ukdavvy12]

Dr G

Hi, are you an Audi dealer?

Sorry for not knowing, Im quite a newbie here

I 'need' an SUV in the next few months
Timing flexible but definitely before the winter

The dealers here for all marques cant believe their luck when I talk to them

Are you busy across the board or just with some cars but not others?

If you need to shift an SUV then let me know
I have no P/X and dont need finance

However if you are really run off your feet then it looks like Im kidding myself

Cheers

Edited by ukdavvy12 on Saturday 30th August 00:21

[Tim.s]

I think on the new car side of things its just the normal plate change thing. We have a compound full of new cars which no-one wants to collect until tomorrow!!

Aftersales wise, we did suffer a lull last month but this month has been full on again, more work than we can handle.

[kent_phil]

Cannot recommend the Q7 enough - for a reference point I was in a similar position end of last month, shopped around and got an '07 4.2 S-line in dark grey with 17k on the clock, lots of toys and 4 new tyres for just over £33k from the local dealer. Was £3k off the sticker price.

If you don't mind colours then the Northampton Audi red one or the Coventry Audi light green one were on the market when I shopped last month so likely to be up for a deal. They didn't want to budge on the sticker price when I went in but sure its different now, they've dropped £3k off the price since last month.

As for other marques, the local Audi dealer was buzzing when I was in there - would say it was mainly A3's and A4's that people were buying though. The local BMW dealer had tumble weed blowing across the showroom and they refused to discount an X5 4.8i they had (and still have), Merc dealer asked me to come back later in the day to speak to someone...wasn't busy, they just didn't seem to have many sales people.

Edited by kent_phil on Saturday 30th August 10:30

[Tame Technician]

We have more September orders than last year, I did 10hours overtime this week prepping them.

[Deva Link]

kent_phil said:

The local BMW dealer had tumble weed blowing across the showroom

BMW was one of a very few marques to have increased sales in July, and they're 12% up YTD.

kent_phil said:

Merc dealer asked me to come back later in the day to speak to someone...wasn't busy, they just didn't seem to have many sales people.

Heard that before about Mercedes - there's a story on the MB forum (I have a Merc) about someone who decided to order an S Class. Figured out exactly what he wanted and went to the dealership and they said they were busy (wasn't) and said someone might be able to see him if he waited a couple of hours.

[ukdavvy12]

Phil

Hey - bargaintastic

What was the original sticker price and how easy was the discount?

I ask as the cheapest V8 I can find on the Audi configurator seems a fair bit more than that

The local dealer is eager to talk though
But I havent played my hand till I can test one
Which I cant as they have cancelled the registration of their demo - which I just cant ignore
But 33k gives me plenty of room to stand depreciation

Cheers

[kent_phil]

Was listed at just over £36k and got at just over £33k.

Negotiating was pretty long winded (visited the showroom at 9am and 4pm) but have always found that its best to do homework, work out a deal that I would be happy with - take a bit off and go in with the stance of 'if you can do this I will sign now' - generally have to find a middle ground but as long as its within the number I first thought of, I'm happy.

Fairly certain the dealer still made a profit on this one but I'm a happy customer - a lot of car for the money, great for the kids and the engine sounds fantastic along with propelling it pretty rapidly. Avoid the 3.6's, very wheezey and avoid the SE's.

[Deva Link]

kent_phil said:

Was listed at just over £36k and got at just over £33k.

Ring the dealer and say you want to sell it and see what you get offered.

[kent_phil]

But I don't want to sell it, its great - lifes too short to worry about depreciation, if you do then don't buy cars - I've got a guaranteed value of £19k in 3 years time, £14k loss in that period is very reasonable in my book and depreciating less than my house at the moment...

[Deva Link]

kent_phil said:

But I don't want to sell it, its great - lifes too short to worry about depreciation, if you do then don't buy cars - I've got a guaranteed value of £19k in 3 years time, £14k loss in that period is very reasonable in my book and depreciating less than my house at the moment...

I think that's the only sensible way to acquire this kind of vehicle - in that case the price doesn't really matter, you're simply renting the car for 3yrs.

I was thinking that even at £33K you'd probably way overpaid compared to what these cars are really worth (which is completely different to what they're sitting in the showrooms for).

[ukdavvy12]

Deva Link said:

I was thinking that even at £33K you'd probably way overpaid compared to what these cars are really worth (which is completely different to what they're sitting in the showrooms for).

I completely agree but dont have anything other than intuition and this article to go on:
http://www.eurotaxglass.co.uk/newspublisher/headli...
(Ta for the link in another thread BTW)

The toughie is when will the dealers appreciate this and drop their prices?

Gilders in Sheffield just bewilder me

1) They dont have a demo as they arent selling new ones

2) They knock £££££ off S/H stock when you take them to task

3) And this is the stupid one...... they have a 6/12 moth old V8 with modest spec, it was on just under list then was reduced by 5k on the website a while ago, and now they have just changed its price to higher than it was originally on for

Its bonkers

If they arent selling new ones - which they cant be as they have no need for a demo - then why is their s/h fleet listed at just under new list (and more than a broker for brand new) and why do they change their prices UP????

Weird

And I really should get a signature here, but I still want a V8 Q7 bit only at a sensible price and Im totally happy to wait a while until they are stickered accordingly at the dealers, but if anyone would like to approach me then go right ahead

Cheers

[2something]

Tame Technician said:

We have more September orders than last year, I did 10hours overtime this week prepping them.

We ordered a new Audi over a month ago .. delivery mid-december if we're lucky!

[baz1985]

Hmmn, I asked for a cost-to-change figure on a 07 RS4 today....came back with £25k, I said that's too much.......'how about £20k?'......'£18k and you've a sale' I replied......Waiting for a call back.

[Dr G]

I work for an Independent - used, rather than new Audis

I can't speak for the new market, but in terms of used it seems only the dealers who are staying sharp and current on pricing are doing well. Sounds like an absolutely awful plug but that is what I've noticed the market doing over the last 6 months.

[ukdavvy12]

Dr G

Ta for the honesty

Im still keen to buy a 4.2 TDi

How do you see things panning out over the next 2-3 months?

Im getting quotes of GFV of approx 30% at 3 years for the V8

This seems at odds with what my local guys are asking for nearly new ones

Who is missing the point here?
Im amazed they are still asking top dollar when the PCP plans all tell me S/H values are rubbish

All I hear about is how strong residuals are
Which is blatantly rubbish but if the dealers arent dropping their prices I just have to assume they are selling them on

But there again 12 new-ish Q7's on the yard suggests they arent

Ho hum - Im in no rush..................

Davvy

[baz1985]

It's damn hard work trying to buy. It's almost as if they expect you to find out whether a car is still available, trace the history, and throw a £5k margin at them, before they even return your call.

[David911RSR]

Everey dealer I speak to both francise or Indie are suffering. I have walked into Merc and Audi showrooms in the last couple of weeks ans was offered in the region of 10% off a new car. Audi have off loaded a huge number of Q7's to the leasing boy's at 22%+ discount. Thats why you can get a straight 2 year lease on a Q7 for 499 per mnth.