Just a little background: I've been checking out this forum for the past couple of years in anticipation of the day when I would be able to purchase an A4. I thought my opportunity was in 1997, but alas the wife wanted an 4Runner. Well, the 4Runner is almost paid off and the car I am now driving (1985 Honda Accord) just failed emissions and nearly died on my way to Hartsfield Airport (Atlanta) last Thursday on our annual trip up north to St. Paul, MN to my parents for Christmas. I orginally had planned to order a Hibiscus Red 2.8 Manual with Sport, Trip Computer and maybe Quattro - I basically wanted to keep it under 30K. However, since the current transportation is on the fritz it looks like I'm going to need some transportation a little sooner than 4 months.<p>Anyhow, yesterday I was looking through the Minneapolis paper and spotted an ad for a year end clearance sale at Maplewood Imports. My thought was that if I could find a really good deal I would just buy it and drive back home. To make a long story short they only had 98 automatics marked down, BUT they also had on the lot a 99 Hibiscus Red 2.8 with Manual, Quattro, Leather, Sunroof, Sport Wheel, All Weather, and Trip computer. The dealer wants 31900 for the car. I'm thinking 31500 is more in line with what I've heard others are getting for similiar equipped vehicles (1500 over invoice). The only reason I am really considering is because it is in the color that I just got to have and its a manual. First question: Should I bargain more or just take the car? Second question: Is it a good idea to buy from an out of state dealer or should I just wait till I get back home? Thanx for your input in advance.<br>

TAKE THE CAR. 31900 AIN'T BAD. AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE QUATRO, YOU'LL NEVER MISS A COUPLE HUNDRED BUCKS. THIS IS EVEN MORE TRUE IF YOU CHIP OR SUPERCHARGE YOUR NEW TOY. I HELD OUT FOR 31750 FOR A LOADED PEARLESCENT 2.8 MANUAL WITH EVERYTHING. BEST CAR I HAV EVER HAD

31750 for everyting? Please define everything. Are you saying you got Sport Package, All Weather, Leather, Bose, Sunroof, etc for 31750? Come on...<br>

You said sport wheel, as in steering wheel, right? Not the whole sport package?<p>At any rate, what you are describing is a very fine price I must say. Almost too good, I have the same (in blue) w/ sport package and I paid quite a tad more :-)<p>If you can live without the sport package, then grab the car as long as this offer stands. The difference in the suspension can be felt at high speeds and in really fast corners, so for me it was a must, but you must decide for yourself. I put some 5,000 miles on a 2.8 w/o sport and 12k on mine with and in daily commute I can't tell that much difference - once I get onto the mountain road things are a tad different.<p>But as for your question, I'd say take it.<p>- Stan<br>

<br>Have you talked to dealers in Atlanta about what they're willing to sell for there? There does seem to be some geographic variation in what people have paid, with cars selling for less in the South (my unscientific impression, at least).<p>I bought a '99 hibiscus red 2.8 with quattro, manual, sport, leather, sunroof, and trip computer for $1700 over invoice (I believe it came to $31,170 plus tax, title, and license). I talked with 8 or 10 dealers before placing the order, and the price seemed to be the best I could do at the time. Since then, though, it seems like supply has increased somewhat, with a corresponding softening in prices, so you may be able to do better.<p>If you need a car right away, I suppose you do need to buy off the lot. If not, since you don't need the all weather package in Georgia (I live in Wisconsin, and I didn't want it--I had the heated seats on my previous Audi, and never used them), you could order a car without it and spend the money on the sport package instead, which is definitely worth getting.<p>As an aside, the hibiscus red is great (except that the pain is really soft, which probably applies to all Audi paints). I got the ecru/onyx interior, and I absolutely love it.

You lost a certain amount of credibility when you stated you had heated seats in Wisconsin and never used them. I live in Minnesota and after having had heated seats wouldn't even consider a car without them. Most folks who don't care whether a car has heated seats have never used them and don't know what they are missing.<p>My first heated seat car was a 1972 Saab 99LE, which was a passive type heater, controlled by a thermostat. The newer heated seats are user controlled, and are MUCH more powerful.<p>Heated seats start making their presence felt in about 60 seconds and really start "cooking" in about 2 minutes. In subzero temperatures, it can take 10 minutes for a car to start producing heat, and a good deal longer until the car "feels" warm--the seats being warmed by YOU and not the heater of the car.<p>If you live in Georgia, you don't need heated seats. But if you live in the northern tier of states, I can't imagine not ordering the heated seats if they are available.<p>(By the way, I'm not a hot house flower--enjoy winter camping in the Boundary Waters. But there, I'm dressed for the cold!)

Basically, everyone's different. In my case, I like cold and don't like heat. One of my complaints about the climate control in the A4 is that you can't set the temperature below 63, which I find uncomfortably warm, particularly in the winter when I'm wearing a coat. <p>So, when I said I didn't want heated seats, it's not because I didn't find them effective on my Audi 90. Instead, I found them too effective--I don't like the feeling of sitting on a warm seat (on a similar note, I've never understood how anyone would want warmed towels when getting out of the shower). Obviously, others do; it's a personal choice.<p>If Audi had offered ventilated seats for the summer, on the other hand, I would have signed up in a minute.<br>

I like my car cool also, but certainly not the temperature it attains after sitting all night in an unheated ramp during January. Once the car is warm, I open the cold air duct completely so I can have cool air on my face even while the car is warm. I don't see any point to having them on once the car has reached the temperature I want.<p>As far as 63 degrees being too warm, you do realize that in very cold weather the effective radiant temperature is much colder than that. This is why you have to increase the thermostat setting for your car during the coldest weather.<p>(I don't leave the heated seats on once the car has heated up. I just don't like my posterior in contact with leather that might be -20 deg. F. and having to use my body heat to warm the leather seat.)<p>I won't call you a liar if you insist you've never used your heated seats, but you have to realize you are a bit of an odd duck in that respect. <p>Even if you like to see your breath inside your car, perhaps your passenger might like a little warmth. Do all of your passengers share your love of frigid air?<br>

What do you mean, "open the cold air duct completely?" Is there a way to have cold air on your face without lowering the temp setting to LO? If there is, I haven't found it.