Steve99A8

I just drove home my newly purchased '99 A8 and I'm thrilled. It is nearly perfect, fully loaded, black/black, and has 19,000 miles on it. I bought it for $35,000, which is about $9K less than blue book trade in. The man said that the dealer offered him $34K so he was content taking my $35K just to get it off his hands (he is about to go on a month long vacation). Is it standard procedure for a dealer to undercut the blue book trade in value so much? I'm glad they did because he passed the savings on to me!

Next it's my turn to get screwed as I try to unload my '92 Subaru SVX.

-Steve

hAudi Folks!

Congratulations on a great purchase! You cannot possibly get a nicer car for $35K. Your deal highlights one of the major problems with purchasing a brand new A8. The depreciation hit is much more severe than any of its competitors (S-Class, 740i, LS430, etc.). I think until this situation improves, Audi will continue to sell A8s in far fewer numbers than its competitors.

SLLAW

Having recently gotten my A6 4.2, I'm thinking of selling my 92 SVX LS-L. I love the SVX, but the more I drive the A6, the more impressed I am. Next time, maybe the S8...

Steve99A8

Depreciation seems to be a considerable downside to purchasing a new A8 ( mostly due to the lack of the "look at me and my financial status!" statement).

On the upside, you don't drive a car that screams "look at me and my financial status!". Sometimes this statement can be inferred as "My PP is small and this disturbs me deeply", but that's another discussion.

Brooklyn

Last month I saw an A8L up close and realized that even with an auto I could definitely live with an A8! I've been trying to figure out how long after law school it would take me to be in a position to purchase one of these wonders. Now my 5 year plan doesn't seem too bad. Good luck with the new car!

Steve99A8

I viewed a 97 in good condition with 64K for $25.8. It's listed in classifieds2000.com for $27K (in San Ramon, CA). How much do you plan on spending (or is the amount a function of how much time you can put it off?). I think I got a great deal but it should take too long before $35K for a similar car is the standard deal.

40 Jahre

About a month ago, I traded my 98 A8 with 48,000 miles on it for an '01 allroad. The
dealer allowed me $34k for the A8 and discounted the $48k allroad by $3k, which I
thought was a fair deal on this particular car. I saw the A8 on his lot the next weekend
with a $39,xxx price on it. Sounds like he will have about a 4-6% margin when all is
said and done, depending on overhead structure, commission, etc. I will admit to missing the A8 -- somewhat faster, better gas mileage, top of the line features, etc. But the
allroad was $15-20k less than a new A8, and I've got a full new car warranty again.