I am seriously considering buying an RS4 as my next car. This will be my first high-end performance car. I have done some research on the web and know price details of the base car - $60k invoice - $66k MSRP. Just curious, what are the dealers getting? Wondering if there is much negotiating / haggling that can be done on this high-end car?

Honest and kind opinions appreciated.

 

NJ Ranger, The cars MSRP is 66k and by the time youre all said and dont I paid 73K. Of course I bought it just as it hit the US and there was no negotiating whatsoever. I did manage to squeeze a maintanance plan with that price but that was about it. You can try it but there is a lot of people looking for these cars so dont think time will play in your favor. As far as the car and hopefully this can help your decision, if i had to pay 90k I would have. Its just awesome, you wont regret it, its fun, its fast, its safe and everything you read up to its arrival is absolutely true and more. Hope you join our family and invest with confidence here.

I have a mugello blue which i think looks awesome on it, I bough it out of nj myself because they are not just parked in any audi dealership. I called all up and down the east coast and some of them told me it would take 6 months to get them. Some of that was BS but its not easy to come across these cars. If there is one at your dealership play around, squeeze them hard and get this car.
You wont regret it

 

Expect to pay MSRP, which with premium pkg is over $70K, plus gas guzzler tax, etc - gets it way up there. But worth every single penny. Great car with luxury/comfort/convenience and performance, looks, and a sound like nothing else. Amazing car!

 

the first batch of cars i understand all came with premium package and moonroof but you should be able to order exactly what you want by now. my personal opinion is that the premium package is just not worth it. the navi is a generation behind those from lexus and infiniti and is difficult to use (toggle, push, toggle, push, $#*% this). the bluetooth phone integration is nice for hand free but again, unlike the lexus system, it doesn't integrate as seemlessly and you have to re enter all your phone numbers from your phone to the audi system anyways. memory seat is useless to me because no one other than me drives it the SD card slot is nice for MP3s but a $100 i-pod will do the same thing. same for satellite radio, just buy an aftermarket unit for next to nothing. rain sensing wipers? are people that lazy?? the rear and side sunshades are nice, but not $4,700 nice. if i were to buy now, i would take a $66K model and spend the $4,700 on other goodies, like an old alfa convertible!!?

my guess is dealers are still getting full MSRP for them, but DON'T pay a penny over. and no pin striping. no door edge guards. no paint protection. i bought mine in early july and got it at MSRP. there's absolutely no reason why you should be paying a markup anywhere now. if they are, just turn around and go to another dealer.

 

I truely feel if tsunami didn't get a bad apple he wouldn't be so negative. The car is great and don't pay attention to his remarks. Frankly, he is hurting the RS name and resale. Buy one if you can...no other car like it...especially against Toyota/I mean Lexus-haha! The nav isn't that difficult, trust me. Also, Alfa's blow. The RS4 is in a class of its own! If you want something for under a 100k that will blow the doors off of anything...there are plenty of choices however, this car wins in all classes combined. Buy it and don't look back.
PS-it will cost 75-80k when all is said and done.

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wait, i was being very objective in my last comment. i didn't say "don't get an RS4 they suck". i said "save your money and don't get the $4,700 premium package". there are alot of people who agree with me that it if you don't need/like the navi or satellite radio or bluetooth telephone, you're better served without it.

and once you use a lexus or infiniti or acura navi system with touch screen technology, live traffic feeds, muti dimensional views, and how much more intuitive it is to use, you'll understand what i mean about how antiquated our audi navi really is. again, my comment right now is only regarding the navigation system.

and without the premium pack, your price of admission starts at $66,000 plus $2100 gas guzzler tax and $720 destination charge - local tax, registration, documentation fees and other charges may apply. visit your authorized audi retailer for complete details. buckle up for safety.

 

Tsumani, I agree with Trev on this one. When you walked up to your RS4 for the first time, what were you looking to buy, performance? or luxury? This car has both, nav is idiotproof, surround system is great sirius radio etc etc. But who cares about music, i dont even turn mine on all you really want to hear is the beautiful note of the engine and the enhaust. You wont regret anything about buying this car.

 

i personally bought it for "uncompromised performance" and "uncompromised practicality", not "luxury". i feel for a $73K car, there's not enough "luxury" compared to other cars you can get for $73K, because the stuff you get as part of the RS4 premium package can all be had in a $54K S4 (build one for yourself at audiusa.com). but again, "luxury" isn't why any of us bought this car, is it? otherwise, we would be much happier with a S4 and $20K cash in our wallets.

that's why the premium package doesn't mean that much to me, again in my opinion. the goods you get as part of the premium package, to me, isn't worth the $4700 pricetag, and do nothing to boost the primary objective of this car, which for me, is "uncompromised performance" while preserving "uncompromised practicality". if i had the opportunity to buy a RS4 with premium package and an RS4 without premium package, i would have chosen the one without premium package. but when i bought, i took what i could find. that's all i'm saying.

by the way, i will argue that because i've gone through so many problems with my car AND STILL OWN IT, that is the strongest endorsement for the sheer performance and driving experience of "THE" RS4. i considered many other cars (and still do), and despite the quality and service headaches, i can't think of anything else i would rather drive right now than "THE" RS4. do not mistake my bitching about "MY" dealer and "MY" audi of america experience and the factory that built "MY" RS4 versus my continued appreciation, enjoyment and respect of "THE" RS4.

i should get an AF medal or something

 

I agree with tsunami racer 100%. I am too considering RS4 as my next car, and his experience with the dealer's service is very useful information to me. I have owned Benz, BMW, and Lexus, and know what a pain it could be if your car has a lot of little nagging problems. The remark regarding the premium package is also helpful, as I know Lexus's navigation is far better than what BMW and Benz has to offer, so I knew tsunami racer is giving his honest opinion. I found it strange that some people would think this kind of discussion would depress the car's value, because the reasoning is backward. If the owners of the car do not complain and Audi fix the problem asap, do you think the customer satisfaction would go up?

I have never owned an Audi before, so I don't know how much I would have to deal with the dealer. tsunami racer, do you mind telling the name of the dealer so I could avoid them? I am also in California, thanks.

 

hlee, my issue wasn't so much with my dealer as much as it was with audi of america, as it was their techs who mostly worked (if i may use that word) on my car's problems. they were the ones who put excessive miles on my car and they were the ones who did nothing to respond to my complaints. just so long as you go in and get the RS4 for it's performance and unparalled practicality and accept the reality of audi's crap customer service, i don't think you'll be disappointed. if you're expecting the same level of attentive service and concern for your problems from the manufacturer as a mercedes-benz or lexus like i was, you're only setting yourself up for frustration.

i go to mckenna in norwalk and deal directly with the service manager now. i was happy with my purchase experience and now that i'm dealing with the service manager himself, i'm happy with the service side as well. my buying experience told me that larger dealers have larger inventories and were much more upfront with the deal. i went to pacific audi in torrance where they had an RS4 with a $5000 markup, and circle audi in long beach didn't have one, wanted a $10,000 deposit to order one, and wouldn't guarantee they'd wouldn't "bid" the car to the highest bidder once it landed. when i gathered myself after laughing so hard at these little dealers, i went and bought at mckenna right off the showroom floor. no markup. no waiting. no games.

again, despite all this, i still can't think of another car i'd rather be driving. my only suggestion is to avoid early VIN cars like mine; by now they should hopefully be screwed together better. good luck on your purchase!!