Hopefully somebody can help me out there.

A few months ago, the Costco buying program put me in touch with a dealer in my area and I told him that I was waiting for the B8 Avant, so I'd call back when it was out. I went in last week, got the Costco price and figured, 'hey I guess that's the price' so I asked him to find me a car.

I just touched base with the Costco buying program to find out if there's anything I needed to do on their end and they checked the records and said "that dealer isn't authorized to give you the Costco price on the 2009 model -- he is a Costco dealer for other models & years, but he's not speaking for us in this case." So now I question what I just assumed was a good deal, not to mention the honesty of my dealer and my own faith in the system.

What do you think's going on? Is Costco just being hyper-conservative? Might he be giving me the Costco discount unofficially? Can anybody tell me what that discount should be?

Thanks!

method for most non-car people to purchase a car at a ok price...

For true invoice it would take direct negotiation with probably the internet sales person at the dealer.
But if you are looking for a specific model with unique trim and color and a new model year then you have less chance of getting near invoice. MRSP is the more realistic price...

buy one at or close to invoice.

Is that because Audi hasn't shipped that many yet or because they're selling like hot cakes?

Kerry

But most dealers will not be doing that on such a new model...

I have a feeling Audi has changed its goal from increasing sales volume to not losing money or making a small profit. That's why you also don't see many A5/S5 coupes.

The Costco thing is decent, but going through the internet or fleet department is best. Doing that would require more knowledge and homework on your part, but it saves money.

first place. Not sure what the current ratio is, but I know back in 2001, it was probably 10 sedans to 1 Avant.

Any current ABS on the forum who could comment on the current shipments of Avants to the US.

Also, Avants are big sellers in Europe, where Audi makes better profits on each one. The Euro:$ ratio is just one more reason for Audi AG not to send more Avants here. And, Finally, most Americans don't like or buy Avants these days, but I think that could change if the price of gas stays above $3 or $4/gallon

Hope that answers some of your questions about Avants imported to the US.

Only allocated for two more this month and then won't see another on until December... So a combination of High Demand, and low US allocations...

the 5 Avants?

I wouldn't call 5 a high demand as much as I would call it a pent up demand.

Now, if you had another 10 orders in hand, then I'd be more likely to call demand high.

Do you know how many Avants you ended getting for MY2008? Ratio vs. sedans?

Thanks. . .

Station wagons are not popular in the US and Audi does not ship many in due to this. Those who do want them, don't get much of a choice. This tight supply works in Audi's favor, as it creates a supply and demand issue. Even though demand is low, so is the supply.
The other issue going on here is the B8 is brand new and neither the sedan nor Avant are going to get any huge discount. Wait one model year and the picture will be different.

bad for Audi buyers. The denied equipment options limiting to only one drive train and refusing to offer the S-Tronic, will limit the potential market demand that could have developed otherwise. Add to that the choked availability, and the Avant won't be far from dead in the NA market. Aside from that, the B8 Avant is to big. I do not understand what many see as the best styling so far, I don't like the B8 styling at all.
To me, it looks piggish, with the slabs of panel for the flanks, disharmonious and unpleasant proportions and irritating styling elements. The LED DRLs for example, are not attractive at all, are over styled and just don't work for me.
In my view, the issue of the unavailable options, awkward looking and bloated styling, increased size into the A6 range, and other aspects of the B8 that don't measure up to expectations I had, resulting in Audi not currently offering ANY compelling offering that is a suitable candidate as the replacment for my B6.

The allocation is small and when there is short production, demand increases. We have had two, and both sold.

Probably had between 15 and 20 sedans (about 15 2.0s vs 4 3.2s) at launch, and another 15 come in since 9/16...

I would say there was about a 12 to 1 ratio in 08 Allocation due to continued focus on the Q7...I would expect the ration to be lower since the bottom has fallen out of the Large SUV segment...