My Saga....I have been looking around Southwestern Ohio Tristate area (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky) to lease a 99.5 A4Q 5speed, with the following options; sunroof, leather, winter, Bose and trip computer. My color preferences are Santorin Blue, Casablanca White or Melange. I recently found the "perfect" car at one of the local Audi dealers. MSRP is $33,940 (includes $500 destination). Dealer cost appears to be $31,250. The $1000 lease rebate runs till 8/31/99, which brought the car down to $30,250. I figured $750 dealer profit and offered an even $31k for it. The salesman quickly re-offered $31,250 + $125 "prep" fee, for a total of $31,375. This brought dealer profit to $1,125.

WHEW! My request is this....are there folks out there who would be willing to share their dealership/leasing experiences with me either in this forum or via my personal email address? Since I'm quickly learning that Audi owners are far from unprepared, I'd like to a couple of things...

1-What are your opinions on the options I mentioned above? Worth the $ or not?
2-To the best of your knowledge, what did the dealer make on your sale/lease?
3-Has anyone ever paid this "prep" fee. The dealer made it sound like the charges incurred for removing the protective plastic from the interior and exterior, and putting the car in what I would call "saleable" condition. If I am buying a car, I would expect it to have the plastic removed before I left the lot. Is this not something a dealer must do before they release the car anyway?
4-Are you happy with the Audi ownership experience to date?

I do apologize for such a long message, but this is a dangerous time for me. I fear I'm in love with a CAR!!!! All of the accolades I've read lead me to believe this car is everything its praised for, but how can you get one without getting gouged by the dealer? Or is this the current normal profit margin for an Audi with such equipment?

Chris

The $1125 profit on a $30,250 invoice price seems very reasonable - it's about 3.7%. The "dealer prep" business seems a little squirrely, but the bottom line number still seems good, if you're sure about the invoice price.

I think your option package sounds good, but some would argue the Bose is not worth the money. If it sounds good to you, and you don't want to bother with an aftermarket stereo upgrade, I say go for it.

As for the "Audi experience, I bought my first in 96, another in 99, and I'll likely replace the 96 with an 00 this year. I'm hooked, I think you'll be too!

John G
96 A4 FWDM Pearl
99 A6 Avant Brilliant Black