melissam

I remember the first time I saw an A5 in the parking lot. It was so gorgeous, it literally stopped me in my tracks. I've been pining for one ever since -- sometimes more seriously than others. It doesn't help that my boss has a black A5 that I walk by on a daily basis. Or that I work down the street from an Audi dealership and can pretty much tell you what their current A5 stock (new & used) consists of.

I could go into a long drawn out story of how many carfaxes I've looked at, how my specs for the "perfect A5" have evolved, how I missed out on the ultimate deal. And how the Maserati dealer who had just sold a nice A5 on their lot was only too happy to regale me with the loveliness that is a new Maserati. Sadly the amount I would have paid for the A5 would have made a "nice down payment on the Maserati." Uh yeah, I think it would have been overkill for my daily commute on 101 anyway.

I'll spare you the gory details of the hunt (which is one of the best parts of buying a car, isn't it?) and cut to the chase. The latest object of my desire is a new 2014 Monsoon Grey Metallic A5, with black interior. Premium Plus. Sports package. Black optics. Bang & Olufsen. Under invoice, since they've got a host of 2015's on the lot. It's not on the lot of the Audi dealer by where I work -- it's 50 miles away at another dealer. And therein lies the rub.

If it weren't for the torrential rains and the flash flood warnings in the Bay Area today, I would probably be petting the car in the comfort of my garage right now. But alas, I've made an appointment to take a look at it tomorrow. Hopefully the rains will settle down and no one else will snap it up before I get there.

I have a terrible poker face, so you just know that there's not going to be much negotiation on my end. I'll try to get them to throw in free Audi Care, but who am I kidding?

- Melissa

19hole

Good luck and enjoy your quest. Be careful out there, flooding is realy dangerous!

SloopJohnB@mac.com

to go home and sleep on it. Then WALK. There is generally no way they'll let you out of the showroom if your offer is acceptable. They know/feel you want the car and don't want you to leave because 90% of the time when you walk out you don't buy the car.
Get your ducks in a row…the car is sold at invoice less $500. Don't pay for stuff they threw on it for Additional Dealer Profit like rustproofing or paint sealer.

jrabakker

+1 on all. You have been searching for a long time, so what if you have to wait a little longer if you can't make this deal happen on your terms? I would insist on the audicare as a minimum. The dealer knows very well that selling a 2014 will be harder every day, especially if 2015 hits. And there's more of them out there, at different dealers.

Another thing to check: how much has it been driven already? If it has been on the lot for a while, chances are it has quite a bit of miles on it from testdrives. Not a real issue, but another bargaining chip in your pocket.

Finally, how are you paying? Cash, lease, finance? Whichever it is, do not discuss this until after you have settled on the price for the car itself. Negotiations on finance or lease are a separate round of negotiations.

If you're leasing, check the rates people have been getting on audi's:
Audi Lease Rates | RIDE with G

Ask specifically for the residual percentage, and what the money factor is, and for how many miles per year. Sometimes it's on the paperwork they put in front of you, sometimes they don't.

melissam

Thanks, everyone, for your advice!

Guess what? I bought the car!! I did a little bit of negotiating with my trade in and the price of the A5, and came away with a deal that I'm very happy with. The car had 90 miles after my test drive and is now up to about 500. It's been a pleasure breaking her in.

I've been busy learning the ins and outs of AudiConnect, the new navi system, the sound system, and the list goes on and on.

Once the break in's complete, I plan to play with Audi Drive Select and the Sports mode. Not sure if going into sports mode makes dynamic more dynamic, and I'm looking forward to finding out!

Thanks again for your advice!

- Melissa

jrabakker

Sure, but.... pics or it didn't happen! ;-)

PeterJay

I would never want to admit this to my Dealer but after owning a new Audi.......any model.........what the final price was, the final deal, the negotiation, etc. is immaterial, irrelevant. At least for me.
The pure LOVE of owning and driving such a beautifully engineered car trumps everything.
I would never consider another brand.
Period.