% off a 2108 RS 5 leftover MSRP $81500
12-17-2018, 03:23 PM
#11
AudiWorld Super User
+1... Audi had an amazing program here in San Francisco called Audi on Demand. Unfortunately, they terminated it in favor of Silvercar. Audi on Demand rented almost any current Audi model all the way to the R8. I was an avid user and regularly took out their R8s and I used it to extensively test drive all the new RS models. It helped me realize that I much rather look at and occasionally drive an R8 than owning one, and that I don't wanna own any other current Audi model. Audi on Demand is still available in other countries in various forms, but we only get Silvercar here in the USA, which is much less interesting. They only have Q5s, A5 cabs and A4s. I rented other makes through services like Turo and Getaway, which is a bit more difficult as you can rarely find brand new models, but it helps. I have largely given up on test driving a car at a dealership. A 10-20 minute drive around the immediate vicinity of the dealership is just not enough to evaluate a car w/o getting seat time some other way.
I always encourage clients to take extended test drives with me, and it definitely helps. 5-10 minutes is not enough, even if you're shopping for a Q5. The more rare/unique the car gets, the more you underscore the need for a different process.
Renting one is even better. Sure, it will cost you a couple bucks - but WAY less than the depreciation hit you likely take by buying the wrong car, and then having to make a move to get out of it
12-17-2018, 03:37 PM
#12
AudiWorld Super User
especially on these more esoteric models.
I always encourage clients to take extended test drives with me, and it definitely helps. 5-10 minutes is not enough, even if you're shopping for a Q5. The more rare/unique the car gets, the more you underscore the need for a different process.
Renting one is even better. Sure, it will cost you a couple bucks - but WAY less than the depreciation hit you likely take by buying the wrong car, and then having to make a move to get out of it
I always encourage clients to take extended test drives with me, and it definitely helps. 5-10 minutes is not enough, even if you're shopping for a Q5. The more rare/unique the car gets, the more you underscore the need for a different process.
Renting one is even better. Sure, it will cost you a couple bucks - but WAY less than the depreciation hit you likely take by buying the wrong car, and then having to make a move to get out of it
12-17-2018, 03:41 PM
#13
AudiWorld Super User
Exactly. Even though I ended up deciding against most cars I drove, it still made for fun days in the canyons so the money wasn't wasted and I only rented cars I was genuinely interested in already. Doing the kind of driving that one is planning to do with the new car and see how it suits that purpose is really the only way. I wish dealerships would do 24 hour test drives, so you can take the car home and spend a typical day in it.
12-17-2018, 04:40 PM
#14
Club AutoUnion
I would have really appreciated that but the dealer I bought from did not even have an S5 Coupe — and did not have any prospects for one coming in within the next 3 months (this was March of this year). So I lordered it based on reviews and specs.
It did work out for me as I really enjoy my S5!
12-17-2018, 07:00 PM
#15
-Charles
12-17-2018, 07:23 PM
#18
Audiworld Junior Member
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12-18-2018, 05:26 AM
#19
AudiWorld Super User
I am going through something similar in my search for a 2019 S5 or S4. It seems that no dealers want to discuss pricing over e-mail and instead want me to come to the dealer and put a deposit on a car with the likely expectation that I will pay MSRP or very close. I'm thinking of expanding my search to other brands as neither of these cars are quite as rare as the local dealers seem to believe.
