I currently own a 2006 A4 3.2 Quattro with manual transmission and w/o nav. It's the most perfect Audi I've driven since my 1985 4000. Love it. :)

Except, I hate the Bose. And, my experience with Audi maintenance/repair is that costs climb swiftly once out of warranty. So, I'm considering:

1. Keeping my A4, putting about $5k into the audio system, purchasing a 7-year warranty, and keeping the car through the 2012 model year.

2. Buying a new A4, either 2009 or 2010.

3. Buying a new A5, either 2009 or 2010.

Some other considerations:

* I really love the MT. I'm curious and optimistic about the s-tronic. But, my past experience with tiptronic in a 1998 A8 leaves my very wary of the tiptronic.

* I’d prefer not to spend the cash on Audi Drive Select.

* I’d strongly prefer not to spend the cash on an S4 or S5 or even S-Line upgrades. I will purchase the sport suspension separately.

* I hear the A5 may lose the MT for 2010. :(

* I understand the 3G MMI is coming, but I’m not clear on when and in which models or even whether it’s a big improvement.

Anyone have advice to share?

TIA
/jab

And, would it be against forum etiquette to post a link to this in the A4 B8 forum?

/jab

I ordered an A5 Sline with nothing else in it because I also don't care so much about Nav, Drive select etc... and I wanted to make the cost as low as possible.

I was originally thinking about the A4 however with no MT, I wasn't about to spend that much money on a car that wasn't exactly what I wanted.

I'm in Canada and used A5's cost a premium since there aren't that many available and ordering will take around 4 months so I had no choice.

You, being from the US should look at a lightly used A5 since there are a lot more available for you and the price should be more reasonable.

Good luck.

I ordered an A5 Sline with nothing else in it because I also don't care so much about Nav, Drive select etc... and I wanted to make the cost as low as possible.

I was originally thinking about the A4 however with no MT, I wasn't about to spend that much money on a car that wasn't exactly what I wanted.

I'm in Canada and used A5's cost a premium since there aren't that many available and ordering will take around 4 months so I had no choice.

You, being from the US should look at a lightly used A5 since there are a lot more available for you and the price should be more reasonable.

Good luck.

I hope you know that buying a car without options means you save a lot at first but lose a lot later also.

2nd -- most folks expect NAV in these cars. When the time comes to sell you will get bottom dollar because of missing Nav+prem+sport... etc. However i think this is a good time to get into a used car -- may not be that many locally but if you are willing to travel i'm sure there are plenty on the west coast.

I forgot to add that it will be a leased car so i'm not concerned with resale value. I'm gonna beat the hell out of the car too.

I ordered an A5 Sline with nothing else in it because I also don't care so much about Nav, Drive select etc... and I wanted to make the cost as low as possible.

I was originally thinking about the A4 however with no MT, I wasn't about to spend that much money on a car that wasn't exactly what I wanted.

I'm in Canada and used A5's cost a premium since there aren't that many available and ordering will take around 4 months so I had no choice.

You, being from the US should look at a lightly used A5 since there are a lot more available for you and the price should be more reasonable.

Good luck.


I'm in Canada, same boat as you, going to drive the A4 this weekend. Not really want I want, ideally a TT or A5 but its just a big jump monthly (lease) from the A4.
Mind if I ask what your payments are and if you put anything down?

I'm in Canada, same boat as you, going to drive the A4 this weekend. Not really want I want, ideally a TT or A5 but its just a big jump monthly (lease) from the A4.
Mind if I ask what your payments are and if you put anything down?

0 down, 36 month cost 950/month but that was at the 8.2% back when I ordered it in Dec.

0 down, 36 month cost 950/month but that was at the 8.2% back when I ordered it in Dec.


Yup too rich for my blood, although I'm looking for 48 months so that should drop $100 or so. The intrest rate is just silly on the A5 when compaired to the A4.

Yup too rich for my blood, although I'm looking for 48 months so that should drop $100 or so. The intrest rate is just silly on the A5 when compaired to the A4.

I was also looking for the A4 however with no MT, I didn't even bother eventhough it would have suited my lifestyle much more than a 2 door A5. I guess I might as well do it now before I have more kids.

There is no S-tronic in the US except for the A3. Don't confuse it with the Tiptronic. Those are two totally different transmissions.

[QUOTE=SFV A4;23744781]There is no S-tronic in the US except for the A3. QUOTE]

Not true. S-tronic is available in the US in the TT.

Yep, the TT too. Just not on the A4.

I drove an A5 S-line with MT and an A5 with tiptronic, so here's an update, in case it sparks some advice or helps others...

The car benefits dramatically from the improved suspension in the S-line package. It’s a real pity that Audi no longer offers the sport suspension as a separate option, as they did with the B7 A4. My first conclusion is that I simply will not buy a car without an upgraded suspension, whether factor or after market.

The MT was very nice and typical Audi. I felt instantly at home moving from my B7 A4. The tiptronic in sport mode was surprisingly good. Tiptronic has come a long way since what I experienced it in the D2 A8.

The tiptronic was more sluggish off the line in normal driving, largely because I’m less certain what the car is going to do as I pile on the gas; something that is very predicatable with an MT, and something to which I’d probably adapt, if drove the tiptronic daily.

The predictable automatic transmission issues—holding gears longer than I would on straightaways and not downshifting as aggressively as I would into the corners—are attributes to which it would be harder to adapt. I’ll be the first to admit this is partly a driver problem. I just cannot adapt to manually shifting an automatic, even with paddle shifters. I need that positional/muscle feedback of holding the stick to know what gear I’m in and where I need to be headed next. Without it, I need to look at the dash to read the gear position, and that’s something I’m much less likely to do while accelerating rapidly or cornering, the primary times when I’d want to control the shifter anyway.

I’m disappointed in some of the interior changes from the B7 A4. Having two differently sized cup holders is a definite WAF reducing change, although it leaves room for acts of chivalry. :)

The new arm rest, which costs extra without full leather seats, feels cheap. While it’s a given with a coupe, I was truly surprised at how little room there is in the back. I’m about 6’, and with the seat in driving position, I’m not sure my 10-year old daughter would be comfortable in the back. And, the Bang & Olufsen audio, while better than the Bose, still doesn’t match the audio systems available from Lexus, which IMHO, has always lead the industry in premium mobile audio.

Pricing out my choices…

* A5 S-line or S5 for sport suspension.
* Navigation
* B&O
* Technology package

…I find that the price difference between the two is down to about $6,000 MSRP. Making the S5 a very, very tempting choice and making the lack of an MT on the 2010 A5 an immaterial factor. And, now that I’m in S5 territory, I’ll add the 2010 S4 to the list for the rear leg rooom and the stunning performance detailed here: http://www.audiworld.com/news/08/b8-s4-first-drive/ .

So, which to buy?

* 2010/2011 Audi S4
* 2010 S5 4.2, but only if the sport diff is available
* 2011 S5 3.0T

A bonus for the 2011 models is that HD Radio will be added that model year and that s-tronic would be available as an option on the S5. Decisions, decisions. :)

/jab

How do we know HD is going in for the 2011's? Where and when was this announced?

HD Radio web site (http://hdradio.com/buyers_guide.php?prime=autonew&sec=all&price=any&brand=any&pull=98#BuyersGuideController)

cnet (http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10074104-48.html)

There are more sources, but those are the first two I found.

is that a lease or purchase?

Is what a lease or a purchase?

950 a month for a a5 lease?