I am about to put down a $1000 deposit on an new, presumably factory-ordered A4 2.8. I say presumably factory-ordered because of the following options: cloth seats in ambition/opal grey, no cold-weather package, sunroof, quattro, five-speed manual, sport package, trip computer and upgraded sound system. I have a few questions regarding the upcoming 1999.5 changes:<p>(1) I assume that a factory order at this (12/21/98) or a later date will result in a 1999.5 model, not a 1999.<p>(2) my dealer indicated that the price he quoted me (a little over 7 percent above invoice) will depend on any pricing changes for the 1999.5. Has anyone heard that prices will change?<p>(3) My dealer told me that the aluminum silver exterior will be replaced by a new silver. Does anyone have pictures they can share of this new color?<p>(4) Will opal grey cloth still be available with silver in the 1999.5?<p>Any insights you can share will be much appreciated.

1. Any orders after early November will result in a 99.5 car. Any car built after the second week of January is a 99.5; I believe cars ordered now are March or April DELIVERY cars.<p>2. We haven't heard of any official price changes (since initially it was uncertain whether North America would even see the updated car before summer). There are multiple variables - a. cost of updating the model, b. possible updated Symphony radio w/ CD/cassette, c. SIDEGUARD airbag curtain option, d. question on sport package contents/availability, etc. However, you shouldn't have to pay more than $1500-$2000 over invoice for an ordered car.<p>3. The new silver has "less blue" in it that aluminum silver. The photos at <A HREF=http://www.vwvortex.com/features/99_A4/index.html>VW Vortex</A> have a good deal of silver A4 content.<p>4. We can only imagine so... I believe the steering wheel will now be the same color as the dashboard.<p><br>-josh<br>98.5 2.8qms

Coupla comments:<p>You say "presumably ordered"; I think your dealer might be able to do a dealer search and save you 3-4 months of waiting. My experience is that the sport seats are very hard to find in stock, but most of the stuff you mentioned could possibly be available. I suspect the cloth seats will be the biggest stumbling block.<p>As for the rest -- an order now will definitely be a 99.5, and as far as I know, there is no pricing change. The new silver is apparently less "bluish" than the current -- more MB-like. No pics that I know of yet.<p>Good luck!

Have you been with the forum for a while? There are an awful lot of postings along the lines of "I can't stand waiting, how much longer will I have to wait, mebbe I should have ...." This process will take months. Rule of thumb - take your dealer's estimate and DOUBLE it (just like construction), and don't worry they'll figure out a way to make the price higher than quoted too.<p>My advice is, find a car very close to the one you want and BUY IT, right there and then. There is no noticable advantage to waiting and lots of heartache. If you ask enough dealers and are ready to buy, cars will magically appear. And before you complain that you will spend too many more $$$ than you wish, sit down and figure out the difference on a monthly, and then a weekly, basis. Isn't this small sum of money more than worth it to drive an excellent car right now, and for years to come?<p>If you know you want an A4, do it. If you're not sure, move on.

If you're gonna own a car for "years to come", doesn't it make more sense to get *exactly* the car you want? I'm as impatient as anyone in the world but I would be willing to wait four months now so that I can have sport seats for the next 5 years. As soon as you get the car, you forget about how painful the four months were.<p>And there's no way you'd have to double the time or add any extra cost. Refuse to pay *anything* other than what you originally agreed on. As for the wait, the consensus is 3-4 months (that is, unless the dealer screws up...)

Hi

1) Yes.<br>2) No change (yet), ut you're protected if there is.<br>3) Brighter silver - no pictures yet.<br>4) Yes.

If you factory order an A4 before any price increase, you are frozen at the current price. If Audi does increase the price of the 99.5s at some point, which is very possible, you are guaranteed if your dealer follows the (very simple) price protection procedure (ppp?). A signed order, with a deposit, is enough to guarantee you your "price at time of ordering." <br>I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did raise the price; I actually think that's why they didn't bump it from '98 to '99: an equipment bump for the 99.5s will be a little easier to digest. JMHO

The dealers received paint chips for the Audi TT. They include a silver that is supposed to be the exact silver that will be used on the 99.5 A4, although it has a different name. I held the TT silver chip against a silver A4 (1998 model) on the showroom floor and I couldn't see any difference. It was under incandescent lighting at night. I'm sure there must be some difference but it can't be very great.

(NT)