S4 Order and Beyond
06-15-2017, 07:12 PM
#1
S4 Order and Beyond
I have been planning for tomorrow for several months now. But before I get too far, I'd like to thank many of you for your insights, reviews and musings about this B9 platform. I knew earlier this year that I would be buying a car later in the year but had not been plugged into Audi for quite some time. You see I buy and drive cars for a long time before I replace them. Currently, I am driving a 2005 allroad 2.7t with 6spd manual and 159k miles that I bought new. I've had many adventures and aside from the moderate maintenance costs, it's been a great car (named "Gandalf the Grey")
I knew I wanted an Audi again (this will be my 3rd one) and also knew I wanted a sportier model. Since I saw an S4 back in '98 I knew I would own one eventually. Tomorrow my ownership starts its journey.
I live in Albuquerque, NM and there is only one dealer, which luckily is a good one. Back in Feb, from reading this board and others I found out that the 2018 S4 would be arriving at dealers soon and that it was a new platform which was loaded with tech and hp. Reviews were mixed but the only negative for me was no manual trans. When I was finally able to drive one that was a P+ with hardly any options it was awesome.
Then I heard about the S5 SB and had my first dilemma. It looked great in the pictures I could find, but for I variety of reasons I was drawn to the S4. Once I saw (and sat in) an A5 SB, my decision was finalized, S4 was the one for me.
My next dilemma was color. I was drawn to Navarro blue for weeks, but then saw it in person and it was too purple for me. It's a really nice color, just not for me. Red was out, black looks great but I don't have time to wash it all the time, grey/silver is what I have now and want a change, so white it is. I prefer Glacier after seeing them side by side. Green is interesting but too dark and much better on the allroad than the sedan IMO.
Next dilema, since there is only one dealer here, and a small one at that, there was no way to test drive any options. I'm a tech guy so I want the driving assistance option (Thanks markcincinnati), so that means Prestige but everything else I was unsure. But eventually I got there thanks to much reading and knowing my desires and needs.
Also because of this forum, I have joined ACNA months ago and know a ton more than I would have when I go in tomorrow to place my order, so thanks again.
Tomorrow I will order:
S4, Prestige
Glacier white, rotor grey Napa
Driver assist
Sport package
Dynamic Steering
18" wheels with summer tires
Rear airbags
and remove front license plate
Audi care will be added up to 90k
New Mexico has no sales tax on new cars but has a 3% New motor vehicle excise tax. I will try and negotiate another 0.5-1% off above the 6% ACNA discount.
I let you know how it goes, I've never been so excited to wait 100 days for something. I plan to update along the way.
Thanks again for for all your help!
BTW, anyone guess the new cars name?
I knew I wanted an Audi again (this will be my 3rd one) and also knew I wanted a sportier model. Since I saw an S4 back in '98 I knew I would own one eventually. Tomorrow my ownership starts its journey.
I live in Albuquerque, NM and there is only one dealer, which luckily is a good one. Back in Feb, from reading this board and others I found out that the 2018 S4 would be arriving at dealers soon and that it was a new platform which was loaded with tech and hp. Reviews were mixed but the only negative for me was no manual trans. When I was finally able to drive one that was a P+ with hardly any options it was awesome.
Then I heard about the S5 SB and had my first dilemma. It looked great in the pictures I could find, but for I variety of reasons I was drawn to the S4. Once I saw (and sat in) an A5 SB, my decision was finalized, S4 was the one for me.
My next dilemma was color. I was drawn to Navarro blue for weeks, but then saw it in person and it was too purple for me. It's a really nice color, just not for me. Red was out, black looks great but I don't have time to wash it all the time, grey/silver is what I have now and want a change, so white it is. I prefer Glacier after seeing them side by side. Green is interesting but too dark and much better on the allroad than the sedan IMO.
Next dilema, since there is only one dealer here, and a small one at that, there was no way to test drive any options. I'm a tech guy so I want the driving assistance option (Thanks markcincinnati), so that means Prestige but everything else I was unsure. But eventually I got there thanks to much reading and knowing my desires and needs.
Also because of this forum, I have joined ACNA months ago and know a ton more than I would have when I go in tomorrow to place my order, so thanks again.
Tomorrow I will order:
S4, Prestige
Glacier white, rotor grey Napa
Driver assist
Sport package
Dynamic Steering
18" wheels with summer tires
Rear airbags
and remove front license plate
Audi care will be added up to 90k
New Mexico has no sales tax on new cars but has a 3% New motor vehicle excise tax. I will try and negotiate another 0.5-1% off above the 6% ACNA discount.
I let you know how it goes, I've never been so excited to wait 100 days for something. I plan to update along the way.
Thanks again for for all your help!
BTW, anyone guess the new cars name?
06-16-2017, 08:11 AM
#2
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Congrats on your new ride. I ordered mine on May 26, so I too have several weeks to go.
My guess: Gandalf the White
IMO: The Navarro Blue is not even close to purple. Regardless of the light, I never see purple when I look at that color. It's not even close for me.
My guess: Gandalf the White
IMO: The Navarro Blue is not even close to purple. Regardless of the light, I never see purple when I look at that color. It's not even close for me.
06-16-2017, 08:47 AM
#3
I ordered TWO new S4's at the same time (well 5 minutes apart); your configuration other than in Ibis and Red Napa is the same as I ordered. I ended up taking the one without the sport package for a variety of reasons, but your config, based on my experience, eductaion and training is the optimal one for performance.
Why would you get the 90k Audi care at the outset? Is there a price consideration? We added the extended on my wife's '14 SQ5 when she reached 49,999 miles -- I am unaware of cost considerations, but am all ears if there are any.
I have become such a fan of the Driver assist, I will be interested in learning your impressions of it, perhaps after 1,000+ miles have gone by.
Congrats!
Why would you get the 90k Audi care at the outset? Is there a price consideration? We added the extended on my wife's '14 SQ5 when she reached 49,999 miles -- I am unaware of cost considerations, but am all ears if there are any.
I have become such a fan of the Driver assist, I will be interested in learning your impressions of it, perhaps after 1,000+ miles have gone by.
Congrats!
06-16-2017, 11:28 AM
#5
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I ordered TWO new S4's at the same time (well 5 minutes apart); your configuration other than in Ibis and Red Napa is the same as I ordered. I ended up taking the one without the sport package for a variety of reasons, but your config, based on my experience, eductaion and training is the optimal one for performance.
Why would you get the 90k Audi care at the outset? Is there a price consideration? We added the extended on my wife's '14 SQ5 when she reached 49,999 miles -- I am unaware of cost considerations, but am all ears if there are any.
I have become such a fan of the Driver assist, I will be interested in learning your impressions of it, perhaps after 1,000+ miles have gone by.
Congrats!
Why would you get the 90k Audi care at the outset? Is there a price consideration? We added the extended on my wife's '14 SQ5 when she reached 49,999 miles -- I am unaware of cost considerations, but am all ears if there are any.
I have become such a fan of the Driver assist, I will be interested in learning your impressions of it, perhaps after 1,000+ miles have gone by.
Congrats!
06-16-2017, 11:42 AM
#6
Just got back from the dealer...
Order has been placed; very simple process (This is my first ordered car). Here are some notes and thoughts.
Deposit was $2500 (refundable) which is higher than many others on this forum have paid, but did not seem too egregious to me considering the dealer size and location. It’s refundable so I don’t mind and in the end I will be putting down at least $5k more. I knew this several months ago so it was not a surprise.
They will apply ACNA discount to total price including destination which was not what I expected, but it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. They will not be willing to give any further discount or throw-ins beyond the ACNA 6% andthe $750 loyalty discount. I will take it.
Title and license ‘service fee’ is $395 which includes 1 year registration.
They do not allow for purchasing more than 1 Audi care package at a time. I planned on 3 (1 Audi Care for up to 50k miles and 2 Audi Care Select to get up to the max 90k). There was no special reason for me to go that high except that I keep cars for a long time and just to have it rolled into my financing). In the end it’s probably better this way as life happens and if something were to happen to the car I would be on the hook to pay that off. He let me know the price of the Audi Care and it was $20 cheaper than in the brochure ($849 vs $869). Again, I’ll take it.
Final OTD price: $61,974.58 + Audi Care
The dealer is fully aware of the Owner in Waiting program and seems like he will provide all relevant milestone dates and information. I would say ‘Can’t Wait!’ but unfortunately I will have to…
As to the guess above…I love it! Close, but no cigar.
Order has been placed; very simple process (This is my first ordered car). Here are some notes and thoughts.
Deposit was $2500 (refundable) which is higher than many others on this forum have paid, but did not seem too egregious to me considering the dealer size and location. It’s refundable so I don’t mind and in the end I will be putting down at least $5k more. I knew this several months ago so it was not a surprise.
They will apply ACNA discount to total price including destination which was not what I expected, but it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. They will not be willing to give any further discount or throw-ins beyond the ACNA 6% andthe $750 loyalty discount. I will take it.
Title and license ‘service fee’ is $395 which includes 1 year registration.
They do not allow for purchasing more than 1 Audi care package at a time. I planned on 3 (1 Audi Care for up to 50k miles and 2 Audi Care Select to get up to the max 90k). There was no special reason for me to go that high except that I keep cars for a long time and just to have it rolled into my financing). In the end it’s probably better this way as life happens and if something were to happen to the car I would be on the hook to pay that off. He let me know the price of the Audi Care and it was $20 cheaper than in the brochure ($849 vs $869). Again, I’ll take it.
Final OTD price: $61,974.58 + Audi Care
The dealer is fully aware of the Owner in Waiting program and seems like he will provide all relevant milestone dates and information. I would say ‘Can’t Wait!’ but unfortunately I will have to…
As to the guess above…I love it! Close, but no cigar.
Last edited by Jhbrew; 06-16-2017 at 11:49 AM.
06-16-2017, 01:53 PM
#7
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That is a great deal. However, I'm not sure about the Audi Care. Seems like big bucks for oil changes and a set of plugs. I have a local Audi speciality shop so I will have them do the oil change with multipoint inspection.
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06-16-2017, 03:18 PM
#8
2014 SQ5 Prestige
2018 S4 Prestige
2018 SQ5 Prestige
My Previous S6, was from an era when you ordered the car with the options you wanted, period. 1995.
My 2009 A4, too, was Prestige -- frankly, the most desirable, as far as I'm concerned.
I wanted top view camera and I wanted the dual pane glass and the ability to order the Driver Assistance Package -- Prestige only.
Besides, my wife wouldn't let me hear the end of it -- she has been reminding me for 43 months "my SQ5 is Prestige." So, even had I not wanted one, I would have had to have one so I wouldn't have to hear it any more.
06-16-2017, 04:45 PM
#9
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2014 S4 P+
2014 SQ5 Prestige
2018 S4 Prestige
2018 SQ5 Prestige
My Previous S6, was from an era when you ordered the car with the options you wanted, period. 1995.
My 2009 A4, too, was Prestige -- frankly, the most desirable, as far as I'm concerned.
I wanted top view camera and I wanted the dual pane glass and the ability to order the Driver Assistance Package -- Prestige only.
Besides, my wife wouldn't let me hear the end of it -- she has been reminding me for 43 months "my SQ5 is Prestige." So, even had I not wanted one, I would have had to have one so I wouldn't have to hear it any more.
2014 SQ5 Prestige
2018 S4 Prestige
2018 SQ5 Prestige
My Previous S6, was from an era when you ordered the car with the options you wanted, period. 1995.
My 2009 A4, too, was Prestige -- frankly, the most desirable, as far as I'm concerned.
I wanted top view camera and I wanted the dual pane glass and the ability to order the Driver Assistance Package -- Prestige only.
Besides, my wife wouldn't let me hear the end of it -- she has been reminding me for 43 months "my SQ5 is Prestige." So, even had I not wanted one, I would have had to have one so I wouldn't have to hear it any more.
06-16-2017, 09:07 PM
#10
As long as you, or anyone, is OK with putting down a "refundable" order deposit, my opinion is not meaningful. Having said that, virtually all of the 33 Audis my wife and I have had have been ordered -- and we have never put down a deposit.
The dealer claims that the reason is that the cars that we order will sell quickly so "refundable" money down is more of a way to "force the issue" of "will he or won't he" take the car when it comes in.
We literally ordered three vehicles at once -- two new S4's and an SQ5. My wife wanted the heated rear seats and was fine with taking the ROUND steering wheel considering it was heated. She did not want the Driver Assistance Package (even though she was fine with me ordering mine with it). She claims she would never even turn on ACC.
At the exact moment she ordered, anyway, that option was not showing as able to be ordered. Given that four levels of assistance come with the Prestige configuration, she was OK with not having full stop/start capabilities.
The point is that we ordered three vehicles -- and they knew we would only take two of them -- without putting money down. Our dealer -- the same one we've used since 1977 has never required a "refundable" fee (what I would assume is akin to earnest money).
If you do not order a configuration that would likely "sit on the lot" they ought to let anyone (within reason) order a car no money required.
$2500 seems like a huge amount.
I know you have every intention of buying the vehicle -- I just wonder how easily and quickly the deposit would be refunded if you do change your mind.
OK, enough of that.
On the subject of the prepaid maintenance, we did go ahead and get it on the 2014 SQ5, one "service pack" at a time. There was no discount for buying more than one -- and since the 55,000 mile service interval is HUGE and expensive, that service pack, at least, seems to be a no brainer.
We ALWAYS change the oil+filter every 5K miles, so we do end paying for every other oils change. But, oil changes, relatively speaking, are inexpensive and are themselves cheap insurance. Having the car at the dealer every 5K miles also means the dealer is checking the fluids, belts, brakes, etc. Our SQ5 at 92,000 miles feels virtually the same as it did the day we took delivery.
If this is your first Audi, you are in for a treat -- this S4. especially, is a our best Audi ever.
You're in for a real treat.
The dealer claims that the reason is that the cars that we order will sell quickly so "refundable" money down is more of a way to "force the issue" of "will he or won't he" take the car when it comes in.
We literally ordered three vehicles at once -- two new S4's and an SQ5. My wife wanted the heated rear seats and was fine with taking the ROUND steering wheel considering it was heated. She did not want the Driver Assistance Package (even though she was fine with me ordering mine with it). She claims she would never even turn on ACC.
At the exact moment she ordered, anyway, that option was not showing as able to be ordered. Given that four levels of assistance come with the Prestige configuration, she was OK with not having full stop/start capabilities.
The point is that we ordered three vehicles -- and they knew we would only take two of them -- without putting money down. Our dealer -- the same one we've used since 1977 has never required a "refundable" fee (what I would assume is akin to earnest money).
If you do not order a configuration that would likely "sit on the lot" they ought to let anyone (within reason) order a car no money required.
$2500 seems like a huge amount.
I know you have every intention of buying the vehicle -- I just wonder how easily and quickly the deposit would be refunded if you do change your mind.
OK, enough of that.
On the subject of the prepaid maintenance, we did go ahead and get it on the 2014 SQ5, one "service pack" at a time. There was no discount for buying more than one -- and since the 55,000 mile service interval is HUGE and expensive, that service pack, at least, seems to be a no brainer.
We ALWAYS change the oil+filter every 5K miles, so we do end paying for every other oils change. But, oil changes, relatively speaking, are inexpensive and are themselves cheap insurance. Having the car at the dealer every 5K miles also means the dealer is checking the fluids, belts, brakes, etc. Our SQ5 at 92,000 miles feels virtually the same as it did the day we took delivery.
If this is your first Audi, you are in for a treat -- this S4. especially, is a our best Audi ever.
You're in for a real treat.
Last edited by markcincinnati; 06-16-2017 at 09:09 PM.