I am 6 months away from finally graduating college, and have been shopping for a car. The A4 looks very appealing, and I found a deal in my paper for a 1.8T fully loaded for 39 months, 1500 down, 389 per month. I have heard that the turbo lag on these models is the major drawback, but I have never test driven one to find out. I was thinking bout trying out the 2.8 V6 A4, I know there is a 4k difference between the models. However, I also want to keep my payments at or under the 400 dollar mark. Since this is my first new car, what do all you guys think? Also, the ads they show in the paper are for cars already on their lot, correct? Is it possible to go into an Audi dealership and basically pick out all the stuff you want and have them order the car for you to lease? Do they jack they payments up on you for handpicking a new model?

The A4 1.8T is a fabulous car. The 2.8 is quite a gem also. However, for someone who can
just barely get the 1.8T, like myself, it is a wonderful car. That lease deal sounds okay, depending on what is on the car. Honestly, I was going to lease, and decided against it. I
realized I could get a loan at a better interest rate than an Audi Financial Services lease, so
I am saving my cash for a down payment to purchase the car. If you can, I would suggest doing the same. Last I checked the money factor was not very appealing for current leases.

There is 0 turbo lag in the 1.8T. In a nutshell, this is because of the relatively small turbo and electronically controlled wastegate which work to make a very flat torque curve. The nice thing about the car is you can spend less than $200 for a computer upgrade and get 180hp instead of 150hp. You will notice that this concept of "chipping" this car is a quite seasoned topic on this board. 200hp out of the engine is relatively easy.

If you decide to lease, and decide to order a car for the lease, you are at the mercy of whatever the lease money factor will be at the time the car comes in. Just because now the rate may be at a nice 5%, doesn't mean it won't be 8% when you get it and end up with a higher payment.

Anyway, back to the car. The Audi A4 really shines when compared to anything else. Especially the 1.8T. Compare to anything in the same price range, and the amount of standard equipment, not to mention the handling, ride, and performance, are above the rest.

My advice, really, is to wait. Get a job, get out of school, get settled, save for a year, and buy the car. You will be much better off. At least that's what I'm doing. The car will still be there, and maybe you might like the 2001 model year instead.

Mark Collett

I recommend to try out both models before doing anything. For the lease deal, I think you can do better than that. As a matter of fact you should be able to order one with a better deal. I know about the ads because I live in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area and I got my 1.8TQS Tip last June(Yes, I am soooo HAPPY). Mine's from dealer's lot. I was lucky to find one with options I wanted. I called over 7 dealers to find mine. Anyway, Usually those deals are for $28~$29K MSRP. Tax is not included ,and aquisition fees are extra. I recommed to play with lease calculation. Follow link below to internet lease calc. By the way, there can be some price differece between 99 and 99.5.<ul><li><a href="http://www.leasesource.com/workshop/leasewizard_jr.htm">Lease Calculator</a></li></ul>