ssedha

Gents,
Long time lurker. First time poster. I am in a conundrum here! I have been presented with a unique opportunity. I had a CC and turned out to be a lemon. Long story short, VW agreed to swap the car for me. I told them I didn't want a VW again, so they were nice enough to give me two options. I'm debating between 2.

Option 1:
Audi A4 Premium Plus, Auto, Sport Pkg, B&O Sound, Monsoon Gray Metallic
This car they can give me as an even exchange to my CC. Anything else I want to add, I would have to pay for it.

Option 2:
Audi S4 Premium Plus, Automatic, B&O Sound, Alacantara seats.
This car can be mine, but I have to pay $5085 in form of a cashier's check at time of delivery. Anything else I want to add (such as Sport Differential) I would have to pay for it.

In both options, they pay for any misc. fees. Also in both options, my original lease contract doesn't change; therefore my residual stays the same (approx $17,400). My monthly stays the same. They have already checked and said they would have to special order both vehicles which means 3 months time. At that point, i will be 11 months into my 3 yr lease with 45k miles allowed. So in approx. 2 years, I will have 45k allowed mileage.

What would you do in this situation and why? I liked the A4 with Sport Pkg. The S4, well it's the S4. I used to drive a 135i and boy did I miss that power. The S4 was able to provide it. Ultimately in the end, it's down to paying $5k vs. nothing. And if I read the forums a lot of people say getting Sport Diff. with the S4 is an absolute must. So $6k is a lot of cash... Albeit I may be able to make it all up towards the end of the lease...

Thoughts??

snagitseven

Just doing the math and assuming the options provided are for 2014 models (you didn't say in your post), if the residual is the same, you will very likely lose nothing in the end with the S4. You could buy it out at lease end and a two year old S4 should be worth at least the $5/6K difference if not much more. Seems like a no brainer.

ssedha

It is for the 2014 models. Apologize for not being clear. I checked the current residuals. It's at 55% for 15k/36 mo lease. So assuming the price is $52,400 (w. Sport Diff), that would be approx. $28,820. My CC's residual is $17,400. A difference of ~$11,420. Out of which I would have already paid $6,000. The car would be 2 yrs old at that point, which you have mentioned.

Thank you for the post. I appreciate the help...

waffles

if you're leasing the car AND $5-6k out of pocket breaks the bank, you should probably go with the lower cost car

also if you're debating S4 vs A4 with a $5k price difference you should definitely go A4. that shouldn't really even be a question

waffles

on a more serious note would like to hear more about lease terms, monthly payments, etc.

if what you typed means you can buy out your S4 at the end of your lease for $17 holy **** you're about to bank some serious cash

CaseyS4

You should go with the S4.

Even with 6K down....having such a low residual (17.5K) you will get the $6K back plus $8 to $10K in additional as the S4 will be worth in the low 30s...or more....if very low miles and mint condition.

The S4 will hold its value far better than that A4...look on line and you will see the wide gap.

Plus...you get to drive an S4 instead of an A4.

Not that the 2.0T is not a peppy engine...but the difference between the 2.0T in the A4 and the 3.0T in the S4 (plus suspension, brakes, etc) is like comparing "chicken sh__t to chicken salad".

And if you can make more $$$ eating chicken salad too...all the better!

ssedha

As far as lease terms go, I was paying $395 a month for a 2013 VW CC Lux. The terms were 3 yrs / 15k a year. So what I've been told is that my original contract will not change. Meaning the CC's VIN gets replaced by Audi's VIN. I have already made 9 payments and have 27 remaining. And yes, that's what I have been told that I can buy out my S4 at the end of my lease for $17,4XX. The cash is what I have to pay as the cost difference of my CC vs the S4 is nearly 13k. So I have to pay them a cashier's check of $5k at time of delivery. I want the S4, but my dad's a financial analyst and he has suggested keeping the cash with me. He says what any financial analyst would say - you cannot predict the market conditions. Haha.

BTW, searched some threads and read different things as far as purchasing/selling to 3rd party before lease ends. I called VW and if I go to Carmax to sell my car, VW says the payoff will be the same regardless of dealership.

Also have been told that they will have to special order the car (both A4 & S4) so it won't be before 3 months I get the replacement. So by the time I get the car, I will have 2 yrs left on my lease and a contractual allotment of 45k miles. Ran numbers today and based on Sept. numbers, 3 yr 15k/yr residual was at 55% for S4, and 54% for the A4.

So on another note, I don't really track the car. Never been (doesn't mean I can't start), but do I really need the Sport Differential? It adds $1100 to my payoff!!!

Toecutter

I can't decipher a damned thing about your financial factors but I went from an A4 to an S4 and at this point I would pay whatever price difference there might be to drive the S instead of the A. I'm very right-brained that way.

Chicken sh*t to chicken salad, I like that.

Sport diff yes.

Macallan21

The other posters here understand the money and leasing options better than I do.

From a drivers viewpoint... the A4 standard suspension is meh... the sport suspension is a good idea..
and the S4 is going to be a TON more fun to drive... and it's going to suck more gas..
the A4 + sport suspension can be modded with APR for $700..and get a lot more torque and hp.. if gas isn't a big concern, i'd get the S4.

DrGP

If you really want the extra performance of the s4 and are willing and able to afford it, get the S4. If performance is not a must or the extra cash is a hardship or better spent elsewhere, get the A4