Hey guys,
I just signed up but I have been cruising around on these forums frequently. It's pretty active compared to others, and you all seem pretty knowledgable.
I am currently looking to buy a B7 A4 and have narrowed down my search to a handful of them around my area. However, due to the excess snow that has been dumped on this area, I have not be able to get out and test drive any of them. I live in the Portland area, and it seems to be saturated with Audis which is good for getting a good deal. I know the car market is pretty depressed as well. With that in mind, I want to know if I can perhaps knock a few of these down in price from what they currently are. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

1. 2007 a4 2.0tq with 35,000 miles. Has S-Line Package, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Navigation for $23999

2.2005 a4 2.0tq with 38,500 miles with premium and cold weather for $19950

3. 2007 a4 2.0tq manual w/ 21,000 miles. Has premium and cold weather package for $23000

Thanks in advance for any help. I really appreciate it.

Adrian

As a general rule, you should get the newest car you can afford. It will have more of the mid-cycle updates which the earlier cars might not have. (I used to know all the interim changes on the B5 line, but I'm not really up on the B7s as much.)
And if resale is a concern for you, the car will be two years newer when you eventually go to sell it.
So if you should spring for that 2005 model it should have a much larger savings than only $3050, compared with a 2007.

That said, 2005 and 2006 model years still had Audi Advantage maintenance covered through 50k miles. Although with either of those cars you're only talking about one more "free" service anyway -- the 45k mile service. You can purchase the Audi Care prepaid maintenance package. On 05/06 cars it will take you out to 75k miles. On 07/08 cars it covers through 50k miles.

You said that your area is saturated with Audis. So it would be good to narrow down what you are looking for before narrowing down to three different cars. Do you want manual or tip? Personally, of the three you listed, I'd go for the 3rd one, simply because it's manual. But #1 has SLine and nav, for only $1k more, which sounds like a good deal. (I wanted SLine, but when I got my car last year, the dealers wanted a $2-3k premium for it. Not worth that much IMHO. However I did get the sport suspension, which was important to me.)

Are any/all of these cars CPO? Maintenance & repairs is expensive on these cars, so CPO is definitely good peace of mind.

If these are CPO cars you are looking at, $23k is a great deal for a 2007 model. Just for comparison, I paid $28k for my 2006 CPO just last year, and it does not have SLine. But I do have the technology package (HID headlights).

Good luck!
-- Peter

and ocean blue is the best color :)

and be aware that options are available cheaply on used cars vs. new cars. On a new car, cutting options is a great way to save cash, but if you have flexibility (time) when searching the used market, get the loaded one. I like the 1st one on the list for the nav and the fact that it's a 2007 which pete talked about. If you can find one with bluetooth, xenons (I'd HATE having a car without them), nav and manual, go for it!

Thanks a lot for all of the advice. I'll take this to heart.

The only problem I see with CPO in my mind, is that Sunset Audi (the dealer nearby) is the only actual Audi dealer in the area, and therefore commands a hefty premium on CPO A4s. I cannot justify spending 29-32k in this kind of economy for a 2007 CPO A4 for a little bit more warranty.

To me, dropping 3-4k in repairs over the life of a non CPO A4 is still cheaper than the CPO.

What do you guys think?

I'll do most things myself or pay a shop if it exceeds my pain threshold, so I didn't bother with CPO. If you have an independent mechanic that is reasonably, you're probably better off saving the cash, but have you looked at dealership rates lately? Last time I checked a simple oil change for my little 4 cyl was over $100.