My B7 lease is expiring in May next year. Would you get a 2009 B8 with no discount or extend the lease for a few months and get a 2010 B8 in late August or September hopefully with some discount?

Why are you assuming there will be no discount?

I'd want to know what the order guide for 2010 models looks like before I made any determination -- the 2010 order guide if 2008 is any indication, should be out before your lease expires.

Maybe there will be improved content on the 2010, more engine options, etc etc etc.

You can cherry pick if you want, you've got time on your side.

Some might claim that first year jitters aren't real, but come on. This is a Volkswagen brand. My B5 was one of the last 50 B5 A4s made and its still riddled with quality niggles, Germaneering goofs, etc. i.e. heredity is going to give it enough problems as is, don't compound them by getting in on the steep side of the how-to-build-it learning curve.

The pricing is going to be atrocious since demand will outstrip supply as is typical for first year intros of foreign autos. That much isn't up for debate I don't think.

And lastly we've still got a fighting chance of getting a TDI into the car at some point, but it won't be in 2009. Hopefully by next year the interior options will include the Mustang brown leather that's unavailable at the moment (despite being in a lot of the advertising and astroturfing thus far). Maybe there will be more transmission options as well.

Audi has put in significant effort to improve quality. Issues you have on your B5 is rather irrelevant to initial B8 quality. Even the B7 is being recommended by Consumer Reports with above average quality.

Those span several platforms and a multitude of years. Some of the niggles are design deficiencies that are as much a part of the Audi branding language as the four rings and quattro are. The selection of engineering plastics is something that VAG hasn't really excelled at either, the arrangement of the engine compartment makes maintenance more difficult than it needs to be, stuff like that. It's a testament to the fun-factor and enjoyment I get out of my car that these irritating issues haven't kept me from coming back for more.

I hope that overall quality has improved, but as someone who's been around the block a few times I'd like folks to go into it with eyes wide open.

my old 02 B6 was relatively issue-free compared to multiple friends' B5s, and my current B7 is almost completely issue-free. The only problem was a popping noise in the overhead trim hot weather, and it was fixed promptly.

The first model year will be tight due to supply and demand of the new model. Then as the 2010's first start rolling out, you are dealing with a fresh model year... which rarely ever produces good deals the first few months. Only until around December do things start lightening up. So look at it this way... May-July on an old model (closing out), or December for a new model year (slow selling time).

... so we actually will be getting the car in the <b>second year</b> of production.
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