MYFIRSTAUDI09

dont make the same mistake i made when i owned my BMW with the sport package run-flats. I went through about 4 tires at over 300 each and i tried to always be careful. its like those bubbles on the sidewalls just appear every few months.

Boilers

Before I purchased my '09 A4 (my second Audi), I did consider other vehicles, Acura TL SH-AWD, Benz C-Class 4matic, and 328i xDrive. As you can see, 4 wheel drive was a must in my decision making process.

I dropped the Acura as I just could not stand their new styling design language.

Drove a rear-wheel drive C-Class as a rental and was not impressed.

Test drove a 328i xDrive, which does not offer a sport package option. Felt solid, powerful, direct, and even without a sport package, body roll was minimal. But the interior was just blah (to me)....the dash was functional but seem too utilitarian for my taste. And since I drive 60-80 miles a day, interior/dash played into my decision. Exterior styling is better than the past few years as the hard lines have been softened a bit.

While the 2.0T may be considered underpowered compared to the 6-inline because it's only a 4 banger, it has plenty of 'giddy up' at the lower end of the spectrum due to it's relatively flat torque curve. The interior design has more character (IMHO) than the Bimmer. The way the dash is laid out, it feels more like a cockpit as the center stack is slightly angled towards the driver and the buttons/dials/controls are within the driver's reach. I just love the feel of the buttons/dials/controls. And the exterior styling of the Audi is just plain gorgeous.

Another observation that is more dealer oriented....at the Audi dealership, I was immediately greeted as I walked in and invited to look around and to ask if I had any questions. Sales person let me browse around a bit on my own before re-approaching me to ask if I was doing OK and if I had any questions. At the BMW dealership, after about 10 minutes of mulling around looking at vehicles, I had to track someone down, even though I noticed a group of employees huddled around a desk. Was impressed with Audi's customer service and disappointed with BMW's.

Again...just my 2 cents.

Current:
'09 A4 2.0T Quattro Meteor Gray Pearl, Light Gray Interior, 18" Sport Package

'99.5 1.8T Quattro Black, Sports Package, Bose

Audi4orce

They're called "Client Advisors" CA.<snif snif>

I too have visited 2 Bmw dealerships. One had a build in ramp that went to a second floor. It was like a road going up, inside the building very elaborate! All kinds of M cars parked along this ramp...etc.<<drooling>>They also had a glass room on the side of the showroom with the new 7series, locked up. You can look, but cant touch/get near...LOL
I too got the relaxed feeling and the CA told me $500 over invoice and was ready to order the car for me, with no pressure. Im just not ready yet and holding off. I dont have a car payment right now, and thats a good thing in this economy.

The only thing i did not like was if you looking to buy something off the lot, you are SOL. Every series tends to be "loaded" to the max!! 328's series sedans that approach $50K!!! To me is a turn-off. Especially in this bad economy!! Bottom line if you get a BMW, you gonna have to order it and wait 2-3months.
Last if you want wagon and manual trans...bmw is the ticket. At least for now!!

bimmers2

I'm just tired of BMW's interior design on 3 & 5 series. 3 facelift doesn't seem to change much. Should wait for the next generation to come. BMW should be aware that more and more customers are switching to Audi.

bimmers2

i owned a 05 330i then 06 325i, both were premium & sport with almost everything op'd. the 09 model just can't convince me that it's a new 3. got very bored even in test drive at crevier bmw. ok, the side mirrors are bigger....

bradaudi

I started my day today with the intention of purchasing an Audi A4. I was disappointed when the Audi salesman refused to negotiate. I wasn't asking for much, but the expectation appears to be full list for the A4.

I should mention that I was using the Audi supplier program discount, but expected a small discount in addition to that (some of the supplier discount is returned to the dealer, so I mistakenly thought they had room to discount further).

My next stop was the BMW dealership. As A4Driver mentioned, it was immediately obvious that the BMW dealership was more than willing to negotiate on the price of the 335ix. Similar to Audi, they also had limited inventory, but they had a 335ix on order that would be available in April with all the options I was looking for.

I have yet to test drive the 335ix (I've tried the 328ix and similar to the A4 2.0 it's not as powerful as I'd like). So, I've got a 335ix test drive scheduled and will likely end up purchasing a 335ix when it arrives in April.

Mobilehavoc

...it's unusual to see a Toyota or Honda. I think I walked through my garage once and counted about 15 BMW 3-series. I have the only 2009 A4 (B8) and I've only seen 2 on the road since I bought the car in Sept 08. In my garage there is maybe 2 A6, an A3 a B6 A4 and B7 A4.

BMW's are nice but they're just becoming so standard...bleh. The B8's LED headlights really make it stand out on top of everything else and I just prefer Audi's interior/exterior styling.

Spacecadet_CC

Choosing based on the dealership is not always the best move, although certainly understandable in some cases. If the sales service is garbage, then it makes it that much harder to get into a car. However, I think the fanciness of the dealership should be irrelevant - it depends on where the particular dealership is at in their reno plans. But it can be hard to remove one from this (I am a marketing/ad guy, so I know how important appearances are). But getting a look at the service area and how clean/organized is is very important IMO, as this is where your car will spend time - hopefully as little as possible. There are good BMW dealerships and bad ones, same as Audi.

As others point out, it also depends on your needs and with BMW your brand perception.

If you are a serious driver, and that is your only focus, then the BMW is maybe a better choice. You will appreciate the RWD and the dead-on connection between you, the car and the road. I have not owned a BMW, so I don't know beyond a few drives, both on street and autocross track, but it is pretty nice.

If you want the best interior in the business, then the Audi is the only way to go. Getting into any Audi is always a joy. My 5 year old S4 is a joy without even starting the engine. Perfect. It has fantastic functionality, clean simplicity, but total personality BMW cannot even hope to win this one at this point in time.

Brand perception is a personal thing, for sure. I agree with the comment that I would almost feel like I need to apologize for owning a BMW. To me it seems that this is the go-to car to make you look well-off. A very conspicuous status car. As much as it is a driver's car, it seems to me most of the drivers are not in the car for the driving experience, or even know how to really get that experience out of the car. I feel the Audi has been much more subtle in this respect, although this is certainly changing over the past 18 months. Which I have mixed feelings with.

I am a serious driver (I like to think) and I feel the Audi is balanced for how I drive it, usually, but with the killer interior and superior AWD. I prefer the brand identity and perception and enjoy not seeing many Audis on the road (although there are more and more these days, but nowhere the BMW scale). The final monthly cost may be a little higher after all the BMW incentives, but not significant enough to change my mind.

Either way - I do not think that you are going to regret your decision. Just make your decision true to what you feel like you want to get out of the car.

Toecutter

...sometimes a BMW v. Audi thread turns into "[our brand car] is completely awesome, the [other brand] thoroughly sucks!"

It's as if there's a law that a person may only like one or the other but not both. I don't get that at all. They're both exceptionally nice cars and you will end up with something very nice regardless of which one you end up choosing.

m1234

6000!!! on 09's? what?