Here it is. If someone wants to decide between the two cars based on the deal they can get how can they estimate what kind of a price they can negotiate with each? I live in Florida. How much over invoice (%) would I expect to pay for a 1999 2.8 manual and a 1999 323i manual? Then, after figuring that out, how much would I pay for each option that comes with the car? Should I be paying the MSRP for each of those options or the invoice price for each of those options. What do you guys think?<p>The info is for a friend.

I think the deal you can get on an a 1999 A4 and BMW 3-Series is pretty similar in terms of $ over invoice price. My brother has ordered a 323i for a total of $1400 over invoice price (including the dealer advertising fee) in the Los Angeles area. I think you can get a similar kind of deal on an A4 2.8.<p>If you agree on a dollar figure over invoice, your options will cost just the invoice price. If you agree on a percentage over invoice (5% for example), then you would pay that percentage over the invoice price for each option.

My brother got a 323i manual in Titanium silver with the following options: Gray leather seats, wood trim, moonroof, sport package, HK stereo, in-dash CD, xenon headlamps, metallic paint and folding rear seats. The MSRP is something like $34,800 and he is getting about $2600 discount off this number.

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NT

I tried to steer him toward a 2.8 quattro, but he wants the new body style of the E46 and the BMW name and prestige. He has also been reading about the problems reported by A4 owners on this forum and he is convinced that the A4 has a lot of bugs that have yet to be worked out. <p>Here in LA, BMW's are dime a dozen, but they still have an instant recongizability that Audi still lacks. Personally, I like the relative exclusivity of the A4 and the more stylish body design of the A4. I must admit, however, that the new body design and interior of the E46 is quite attractive, especially the killer front end.