TT4Me

Well I've been lurking in here for a while now as I research the TT....needless to say I'm in love and am looking to get one soon, and this forum has provided a wealth of info.

I'm in the Boston area and am looking for tips from other TT owners in MA about the following:

1. Dealer experiences you've had...good and bad...with respect to purchase/lease prices, service, etc...
2. Time it took from order to delivery of your TT (assuming you didn't take from dealer stock)
3. What you ultimately ended up paying for your lease/financing, i.e. $ down, monthly payments, etc.

Thanks!

TTunable

Here's my TT buying summary.
1) One looked at one dealer. IRA Danvers..Had what I wanted on the lot. Mike was great. SO far service is pretty good. Wished they offered loaners, but what can you do.

2) Took mine right off the showroom floor.

3) I paid sticker price...At the time, the only had the one TTR and weren't willing to negotiate. I traded in my Land Rover and am only financing 15K, so... 315/mo

All in all a great car buying experience. Will definately buy from them again...maybe when the TTR V6 comes out?! hehe

Lexx

For Sales, our dealer, Rietzl was great. "A+" Clair received wrong car (not entirely their fault-manual top 225). Would have charged $500 to do a dealer swap for us."C" Bernardi lied big time about a car 'at the docks waiting to clear Customs' when it was still in Germany. "D-" So far we have had our name on 3 TTs before actually owning one.

Each dealer I called about service has some major flaw.

Our dealer (Rietzl) offers no loaners, no Saturday hours, 8-5 M-F only (Although the hours stated are 7-7). Will give a ride to work, but no pickup when car is done (??)

Clair offers loaners and Sat hours, but 2-4 weeks for an appointment.

Bernardi has Sat hours,no loaners. Dealer is a little far from me. Heard some not-so-great things about them.

Pass and Wiess - no experience - short work hours (8-5 M-F) offers Sat hours but no loaners

Mattie - no experience - No Sat hours, 8-5 M-F only. No loaners.

I would get your own financing - just get a blank check from your favorite bank for a pre-approved $ amount (what we did). I see no advantage in leasing (unless they come out with a 10 year lease). We put 20 large down, financed 20 or so (~$500/mo)

All in all: Audi gets a C- overall in my book. B- for sales. D for service. They have a great product, but sales practice needs improvement, service needs major help. Not in quality work, but in meeting customer needs (longer hours, Sat hours, loaners).

If you live near or work near a dealer, you should have better luck at service. We are 'land-locked' from every Audi dealer - 17+ mi is the closest one from us. I virtually need to miss a day of work to get service done (since I can't get a ride or a loaner).

Paul

BBTT

I bought mine about two months ago. I live in the city, so I first visited Clair in Brookline - they didn't even have a coupe on the show floor, I had to look at one in the garage, and getting a test drive would have meant scheduling a special appointment. Forget it.

Next I went to the dealer in Burlington (Pass & Weisz?), where I was offered a test drive of both engines - that's when I decided I HAD to have the 225! They handle identically, but the 180 just didn't give me the kick in the seat that I expect from this type of car. The salesman was very friendly and helpful, but wouldn't go more than $500 off list and offered me a pittance on my trade-in.

So I went up 128 to IRA in Danvers. They had at least ten TTs in stock at that point, a few of which had been there a while, so they were willing to deal. One of these had everything I wanted in terms of color combination and features. The salesman, Alan, offered me $2000 off list, plus twice as much on my trade-in as the other guys, and when I hesitated (started to walk out, actually - this always works for me in negotiating high-ticket items), he came down another $500. So I bought it for $2500 off list.

That's about as low as I've seen anywhere on a new TT, but part of it was that I bought in February when demand was low and supply (at least at that particular dealer) was high. Now that spring is here - on the calendar at least - more people are thinking of fun cars, so it may be tougher to bargain.

As for financing, I put down about half, and the dealer got me a 6.9% loan on the balance, which was better than any other bank I tried. And rates are down a bit since then, you should be able to shoot for close to 6%.

Good luck, and be sure to tell us what you get!

- Bob

JHC

I've had my two TT's for over a year now- my advice. Go to IRA for purchase. They have the best selection and price.

As for service, That's still up in the air. IRA is good but no loaners and the wait for a service date can get long. Part wait is acceptable.

Pass and Weisz is good but you need to be very clear on what you want done. Long wait on parts. They do have loaners. Also, the Shop Foreman owns two TTs- so they are very aware of issues and you can ask to have him work on your car.

I haven't seen reviews for other service depts- but I would avoid the "auto mile" dealerships.

juliem

My experience with Ira is as follows:

Get a good salesman - I have a good one and I do get a loaner car. I have to work just a little with his schedule though as he's off Wed and it is sometimes harder. I also am willing to wait for short task (oil change) and so I come early.

Find a tech you like and request him each time. I've found one I like and trust and have spoken to him personally about my car. Nice regular guy.

Be patient but firm

sandra

Parktown Imports in St. Louis is the best dealership I've ever been to.

Lexx

Pass and Weiss has loaners? Is this new?

gio

Luckily I got my TT back today and it was washed this time!

Bolivia

I bought my TT from Rietzl in Norwell. My salesperson was good, Ed, however, the service has been aweful. Shortly after I bought it (about 2 weeks after) I had the car in to be checked out because it had rattles in the back window and the pick-up was poor. When I picked it up, I was told that the technician heard nothing and the accelaration was fine. Now, nearly 7 months later, I still have the same problems. Also, 2 of my tires have blown-out after going over minor potholes. The Bridgestone tires on the TT are a disgrace. Audi has agreed to replace all such tires free of charge, but they will not change all 4 and replace them with a better tire! The tires are clearly defective and a safety risk. Needless to say, I am unhappy with Audi's decision to wait until someone gets seriously hurt before deciding to replace these tires all together, like Ford and Firestone have done with the Explorer. I would not recommend Rietzl.

I also tried to deal with Bernardi and they were complete swindlers. They tried to lowball me about $2,000 on my Saab trade-in.

I can't speak about any of the other dealers. Happy hunting, although I am somewhat sorry I bought the TT.