peteypab

Long story short.. I am back on the forums. Been a member for like 8 years now or longer and it all started back in 2003 when I bought my first Audi TT at 18. Now I have been through many cars including a 700 AWHP Evo9 and more recently a 2013 GT500.

I just sold it and bought a 2013 Ford explorer (for my wife and our upcoming son) and now looking for something fun for myself. I Just sold my winter beater 99 A4 and still currently have my 2006 BMW 325xi that I will sell to get this.



Now to my real question.

12 and 13 owners can answer this for me.

Is there a big enough difference from the 2012-2013 model to make me want to spring the the 13 at almost $10,000 more than I can get a 12 for.

If I get the 12 I can get them for mid to low 40's loaded up and after putting about 10,000 or more down my payment would be less than a 13 with 5,000 down on a lease.


I really like the flat bottom steering wheel in the 13 (which I think is like $1500.00 to buy by itself)


Should I save money and get the 12, or get the 13 with all options basically being equal.


Thanks!
Eric.

moose_head

2013 has better front crash safety rating (might appeal to you as a family man )

Otherwise it comes down to how much you like the newer styling. The new headlight styling is making its way across the Audi lineup so the 2013 will look "newer" for a bit longer than the 2012. If that matters to you. I think only other Audi owners even notice this stuff.

Minor changes are that the 2013 has electromechanical steering vs hydraulic which feels a bit less connected but improves fuel economy and the 2013 S-tronic DCT has a slightly lower rev limit- irrelevant unless you are tuning. Honestly there are lots of threads about the differences.

GoNavy

if you don't care about the new styling or tech features (Audi Connect, Google Earth maps, etc...) then you can get away with a MY12. If you're a tech guy, then you may want to look into a MY13... I think the DSG has the new crown diff too on the MY13 (irrelevant to me since I have a 6MT!)

firstblood

I have a 2013 S4 with the new steering wheel. It looks different from the common round steering wheels, but is there any real utility advantage? I feel kind of weird when making sharp turns and the flat bottom seems more like an obstacle to me. maybe just easier to get into and exist from the car for some people.

Tweakophyte

The real question is how are you getting a loaded '12 for the low to mid 40s.

DrGP

DING! These cars are holding their resale value EXTREMELY well. There have been reports where dealers were actually asking more for a 1 model yr old low mileage S4 than new ones similarly equipped. I believe the OP is deluding himself to think he will find a loaded low mileage(CPO'd I would assume)2012 S4 in the low $40s. Lightly loaded or with mileage, yes.Leftover???

peteypab

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...teo&listType=1


And I am sure I could go in there and offer the guy $41,500 and he might take it. Put $20,000 down and only have a $400 something car payment. I think about leasing a new one, I dont want to purchase a new one, at least I dont think I want to.

peteypab

Anything is possible. I cannot understand why folks think these are any different than any S4 made. My TT and my A4 both lost soooo much money in about 2 years that I had. My only two cars I ever owned that stayed decent were my 2006 EVO 9 (lost $2500.00 after 6 years) and my 2013 GT500 which I lost $125.00 after 8 months and a couple thousand miles.

moose_head

The ad seems to be from a real Audi dealer (Carousel Motors) so the question to ask is "Why is it not CPO (certified pre-owned) ? "

peteypab

Here is a 2013 premium plus on ebay, has 3700 miles.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi-...item19d7792fdc

Buy it now for $48,000.

Another example of a dealer looking to sell cars. This car I bet could be had for $46,500 or $47,000 for a 2013 with some nice options.