If its any consolation and I'm sure its not, I have purchased several Audis: A4, Allroad, A8 W12, and my 911 from the same dealership. I have a great relationship with them and when I placed my deposit about 18 months ago, they told me that they would definitely be getting an allocation. They told me after I spec'd the car and the order was confirmed by Audi that mine was the only one they were going to get for 2007. They have at least 7 customers with deposits, and will only be getting 1 car this year. Everyone else will get theirs after January 2008. They are NOT a stealership. Some of the other people after me even offered to pay more for the car and the guys at my dealership said no way. Its that kind of ethical behavior that made me decide to buy the R8 and not a Gallardo. It makes me sick to think that there are dealerships out there that would do that to a loyal customer like you. Even if it wasn't malicious, the incompetent management of a process that your dealer had to know would be tricky is inexcuseable.

 

like yours. and your story is the way it should go. you happened to go to the right dealership at the right time. in reality, though, you dealership could not have known it would be getting an allocation 18 months ago but it happens that they did. and further, you were first on their list. so things worked out great.

but what if your stars had not lined up the way they did? the process ends up being geared towards rewarding dealerships, not customers.

imo all audi had to do was simple: cross check who had deposits where (which they did- aoa knew exactly which dealerships i had deposits at, where i live, and what number i was at each!) and triage the buyers in one way or another. then assure the highest priority buyers they'd get a car at the closest dealership possible in order to eliminate the redundancy of multiple deposits. and that's that.

its clear that even doing it that way not everyone would get a car and some would wait much longer than others. perhaps myself included. but you know what? i'd know that audi did the best they could, that they took steps to appreciate me and my fellow audi lovers, and that they recognized my love for the brand. that would make even a one year wait relatively painless.

but as it stands............. not even close.

 

I don't think having bought lots of Audis entitles a person to an R8 more than anybody else. Who is to say somebody who has owned 873 audis in the last 4 months "deserves" an R8 more than somebody who has been driving a rusted Cavalier for 20 years to be able to afford to support a family, quietly saving every penny possible to one day buy their dream car? Your model just rewards the rich, not necessarily the dedicated. Someone who has bought 5 Audis may have also bought 18 BMWs, 14 Lexuses and 9 Mercedes in the same time period. Is this beneficial to Audi?

I think the dealers should be up front about how many cars they will get, and each customer should be made aware of their position on the waiting list. But other than that I say it's every man for himself. It's a limited production car, not everybody gets what they want when they want it. If you're lucky and get a good spot on the list, good for you. If not, that's life. Audi cannot be expected to conduct a background search to judge the qualifications of each buyer.

You could not apply this logic to other products, either. You go to the Quik-E-Mart to buy a pack of gum. There is only one pack left. As you hand your money to the clerk, another customer walks in. The clerk looks at you and says "you can't have this gum, because that guy has bought some before so he deserves it more". Fair?

 

With all due respect your anology is flawed to the max. The idea of a "halo" vehicle for any manufacturer is the benchmark of their engineering and design capabilities. As such, a "halo" vehicle is the pinnicle of the class. For Audi, the R8 is the reward for owners who have endured many years of substandard vehicles. I go way back with the worst being my 5000 Turbo, but I have been loyal. My Audi experience over the past seven years is as good as any consumer could ever want with not one failure of any kind on 10 different Audi vehicles.

Audi has brought the R8 to market and in most cases is using the R8 as a reward for buying loyalty. No different than Ferrari and their pre-qualification for their "halo" vehicles such as the F430 and the 599. If you don't have a Ferrari history you won't be buying an F430 or 599. And even those with extremely deep pockets were not allowed to buy the Enzo unless they has a substancial Ferrari history.

IMHO the Audi loyalty reward is the right approach with the R8. It has NOTHING to do with how much money you have but rather how loyal you have been to Audi. For the guy in your anology let him buy at a premiumn from the brokers or scalpers as there will be those who are fortunate enough to secure an R8 with no intention of driving what may well be the finest sports car in the world.

 

You didn't let the different dealers know that you had multiple deposits did you? Without each dealership knowing you personally or knowing that you only wanted one car, the fact that you had multiple deposits might have lead them to believe that you were a speculator who was trying to ****** more than one car for the obvious resale value. Did any of the other two deposits pay off for you? Those other dealerships; did they get an allocation? Just curious to see if you had kept all three deposits open, whether your situation would have turned out differently. Eventually, you will get one, and my guess is that the list will get shorter as people get fed up with waiting. In the end, your loyalty to Audi will pay off. BTW what part of the country are you in?

 

i had mutliple deposits. i know both dealers pretty well. i am a very open and honest guy. i told them up front. when audi told me (and i had heard) that they wanted buyers to have only one deposit i went to the dealer i felt closest to- Reeves in Tampa. my luck- the other dealer, in Orlando, gets two allocations right away. mine, none. they will get one for dec. delivery it seems. but i am number three.

the third dealer i deposited in after the R8 was out, but it was too far away. i pulled my deposit from there too, of course.

my main concern was that i wanted audi to know i wasn't a speculator. i wanted to do everything possible to play by the book. hence my decisions.

i have to say that Reeves is a very good dealer. i like them very much. so is the Orlando dealer. i think they have been very honest with me. and until i have proof that they were playing me i will give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

i bet you will be suprised that there will be very little "loyalty" or audi buying history. Whoever gets an R8 is willing to pay for their spot in line, pay for the car and the dealer markup for the first yr, I think it might be as simple as that.

 

I have purchased or leased 13 vehicles from my dealer (multi brand) over the past eight model years. My R8 is @ MSRP, no dealer markup and I am in 1st position for the only R8 the dealer will get in 2007. I also hold 1st position on the first R8 V-10 my dealer is allocated and I will give the dealer first right of refusal on the R8 V-8 at trade. All of which are my way of showing the dealer my loyalty to the brand and the dealership.

No, I don't have too much money or a lot of money for that matter, I just allocate a higher percentage of my income to a very bad habit. As a 60 year old gear head I am much more into the core of the R8 than the substance. I have had the priveledge of driving the R8 several times in Las Vegas at the R8 VIP Experience and at Sebring during the 12 Hours and the R8 is worth every penny of its price. If the badge on the hood was a Bull or prancing horse the price would be $100K more.

No quality dealer will charge one dollar more than the MSRP for the R8, however we all know that there are dealers that will try. If my dealer did, I would be buying elsewhere.

 

i don't know why it is a foregone conclusion for everyone around here that the majority of dealers are marking this car up. i have yet to hear of any such thing and i have been in contact with dealers in at least five states and know people who are listed in other dealerships, none of whom are marking the car up.

like most people on this board, i love the R8 because of what it means for a company that has grown at the same time i have grown as a professional. you can see it in the cars i've bought. i too am not loaded in money, but i also happen to admit that cars are my "habit" so i allocate a good portion of my income to that habit.

and i can assure you that even if i had the money i would not buy the car from a dealer that marks it up- on principle alone. i give audi credit because it has asked dealers not to mark the car up. and until i hear of a dealer that is doing it i will take my hats of to the brand for that kind of class that they show.

i am glad that there are guys like offroad911 who will be first to get the car. they work hard, like i do. and they've been working hard longer than i- since i am 33. and i'm glad we have people on here that can share their passion for the car and show it. i wish more people did.

 

but it still goes witohut saying, If someone never owned an audi and put their name on their list with an open check book, they would gladly accept it ahead of a loyal audi customer without question.