kltklt

I've been looking at S4s for about a month now and drove one at alocal dealer (DFW area) earlier this month. I've also been trolling thefew local dealers’ inventories ever since and it seems like S4 stock justdoesn't move very fast. The 5 S4s that were available when I testdrove are still available according to the dealer website, and online inventoryat other dealers seem to rarely, if at all, change. I'm wondering ifS4 sales are just slow in my area or if it's nationwide, or if dealers justaren't updating their online inventory. I would assume online inventoryis accurate since the dealers put effort to post actual photos of vehicles theyhave available.
I'm looking for a Prestige with drivers assistance and without theS sport package in specific (but not rare) color combos, but all of thePrestige models dealers seem to stock are fully loaded with more options than Icare for (including things like $110 USB cables ).
If sales are in fact slow, I wonder if I would be able to get abetter deal on a fully loaded Prestige on the lot, or on one I special orderwith only the options I want. The dealer I've spoken to doesn't seem to be tooenthusiastic or encouraging about placing a custom order.

What are everyone's thoughts?

markcincinnati

If you have the time and patience, ordering a car that is EXACTLY what you want is always a good idea. If there is a car that is EXACTLY what you want but it has an extra option or two, only you can decide if "getting it now" is the right thing to do.

An ordered car -- without a deposit -- is always able to be sold to you for "less". The reason for this, generally speaking, is that a "sold" order will be very low risk and very low cost for the dealer. Every car in inventory carries with it "Holding Costs," a sold order car will not incur days or weeks worth of these costs.

My wife and I have ordered 29 or 30 of our 33 Audis. Never have put a deposit down and we believe we got a good deal (be wary of the person who says they could have gotten it for you cheaper, unless that person is the one putting out the money for you).

I would have no problem buying out of inventory, however. The thing is, it is very difficult to find EXACTLY what you want, often you will have to take a color that you wouldn't order or an interior that is OK, but not what you would have ordered. If you have this flexibility, then go for the one in inventory if you don't have the patience to wait.

Now, to your point: Sedans are less popular at this juncture than they have been historically. Yet, here in Cincinnati, S4's move in and move out with some degree of speed that seems to belie the declining popularity of the 4-door sedan.

My dealer seems to get a "stripped" S4 in -- and it doesn't sell. A highly contented version, on the other hand will NOT last more than a couple of weeks. The strippie seems to become one of the loaner cars -- I know, as an S4 owner, the service department does try to put me in a loaner S4 when mine is in for service. In my case, I usually ask to be placed into a model that is dissimilar to my daily driver. So, I might request a Q7 or an A6 while my S4 is in for service.

The Prestige S4's come in, get PDR'd and before you can say "test drive" are sold. I have no idea if this is typical or even if the other Audi dealer in Cincinnati has a different experience.

It would seem, if you have a good selection in inventory in the Dallas area, you might find a good deal is yours for the taking.

You know it does seem odd to me -- I have read so many test reports about the 5's and very few about the 4's -- it is as if the S4 is not advertised much due to the decline of the interest level in sedans.

I'm on my second S4 and my wife is on her second SQ5. We both ordered our cars. I ordered two S4s at the same time. When I picked the one I wanted, I also wanted to drive the one I didn't buy -- picked up my S4 on Saturday and went back to dealer on Tuesday and the one I didn't buy was already gone.

Conclusion: different markets.

jrw1

I live in the Houston area and have noticed very little movement as well.

NHman

In my area, the same S4's are sitting on the lots from 2-3 months ago. SQ5's seem to be moving. I don't know if it's lack of interest or awareness, preference for a CUV or the competition having a better option. I also don't see a lot of the B9 A4's in my area. Strangely enough, I have seen more (current platform) Q7's than a combination of A4's and S4's.

I think, in general, the buying public would rather have a CUV or SUV. Perhaps I should opt for the SQ5 (vs. the pending arrival of my S4).

Versprechen

I think it's a bang for the buck thing. The S4 at almost $10M more in exchange for a more powerful 6-cyl, flat bottom steering wheel and additional badging and stitching may not appeal to buyers looking at the A4.

Maybe the S-type's real competition is the A class. Lots of S-types on the lot here and A-types are flying out of the dealership. I've seen a few 2017 A's on the roads here but no S-types that I'm aware of, speaking of which, it's also very hard to tell them apart on the fly -- another reason they may not be selling as well?

This area has lots of money so I don't think that's the case, at least in Fairfield County Connecticut.

Just my perspective -- I really like the S but could not justify it.

Lawgone

I concur with what Mark said. I believe we went to the same dealer. I think I got the second S4 (Prestige) off the truck and they sold all the others that day as well. It's hard to say no once you test drive one.