Bad Time to Lease an S4 Avant?

[FT@SGP]

I stopped by the Audi dealer, I really like the utility, design and comfort of Audi's, not to mention the power of S-series. After looking into some scenarios, they are asking $1K/mo. with 0 down for 36 mo and 12K mi./yr.

That sounds really rediculous to me. Any thoughts or deals anyone may know?

I might go back to a Subaru Outback as well, the '08 improved a little in transmission and interior I hear.

Thanks,

[TD]

I remember a $499/mo lease deal a couple of years ago on the S4. Are you sure this isn't for the RS4?

Although when I inquired as to a lease rate for an A3 2.0T last year, I was quoted something around $500/mo.

I guess crappy residuals and inflated money factors will do that.

[FT@SGP]

Yes, not RS4; and they quoted me ~$700 for an A4 Avant with same terms.

May be its just the interest rates, Subaru was $450 with similar terms as well, which is not a bargain either frankly.

[TD]

Yes, not RS4; and they quoted me ~$700 for an A4 Avant with same terms.

May be its just the interest rates, Subaru was $450 with similar terms as well, which is not a bargain either frankly.
Sounds like they're smoking the good stuff.

We all know that one can lease a 335i with 15K/yr for <$600/mo. $700 for an A4 Avant is just nuts.

[JST]

I remember a $499/mo lease deal a couple of years ago on the S4. Are you sure this isn't for the RS4?

Although when I inquired as to a lease rate for an A3 2.0T last year, I was quoted something around $500/mo.

I guess crappy residuals and inflated money factors will do that.

I think that they must have really dialed back production on the S4s; I haven't seen any special deals on them recently, and the inventory at the local dealers seems much lower these days.

S4 Avants are harder to come by used, but S4 sedans shed value fairly quickly.

[FT@SGP]

Frankly, I am not buying any more BMWs, ever again. The reason I am looking into a new car is because I am selling the 6er. I and especially my wife loves the car, but I really had it so bad with any of the service centers that the 'value' equation broke down, not worth the money for us any more.

After the last service bull sh*t, I called my wife, who is a person who litterally won't sell anything and keep things forever for no good reason, said "sell it before you come home". Obviously, I could not at that point, but I will sell it and stay the heck away from BMW. So, their lease rates are not even a consideration for me.

[FT@SGP]

I think that they must have really dialed back production on the S4s; I haven't seen any special deals on them recently, and the inventory at the local dealers seems much lower these days.

S4 Avants are harder to come by used, but S4 sedans shed value fairly quickly.
You may be right; though, interstingly this dealer in Rockville had 6 RS4s on the lot and probably over 10 Caymans :lol:

[TD]

You may be right; though, interstingly this dealer in Rockville had 6 RS4s on the lot and probably over 10 Caymans :lol:
Hmph.

[clyde]

Every time I drive by that dealership, I keep finding myself wondering how the Chrysler dealer got so many Porsche and Audi trade ins.

[TD]

Every time I drive by that dealership, I keep finding myself wondering how the Chrysler dealer got so many Porsche and Audi trade ins.
I have an easier time remembering they moved since every morning I pass the brand new Lexus dealership that sits where the Porsche Audi dealership used to.

You know they are building a new facility across from Best Buy in Rockville.

[ff]

Although when I inquired as to a lease rate for an A3 2.0T last year, I was quoted something around $500/mo.


That sounds unusually high too. I was quoted something like $400/mo for an A4 Quattro last spring (2006). It's been a while, so I may be off on the price or exact model, but that's what I remember.

[FC]

Sounds like they're smoking the good stuff.

You're not kidding.:ack: :eek:

[equ]

I picked up my s4avant last night (from a mansion in Greenwich, more on that later)... I will post a longer blurb, but for now, the positives are awesome acceleration (better than cayman? No but more like if both are imperfectly driven, aka real world, in a straight line, I think it will take the little frog). Suspension is good, car is very quiet on the hwy (on this aspect I thought I would miss the 5er but I don't). Clutch is nicer than bmws with progressive engagement in the middle. Turns better than I expected. Also bose+XM kicks ass. First time I get to have built in sat radio. :D The recaros are unbelievable. Even my gf who only drove it briefly could not stop talking about them. I feel like my back is taking a vacation while on them. The looks are awesome as well as the previous owner detailed it and now I have dolphin avant with big wheels and some tint. :eeps:

Negatives, the engine sounds a bit weird at times. v8? It got 17.5 mpg where the CayS got 21, so from now on the frog is officially my economy car. The biggest adjustment will be control inputs. I've only driven bmw/subaru/porsche in the last 3 years. This is a fingertips car. The suspension is comfortable but it can be upset - unlike th zhp or CS. The H.Hudson bridge made the car pogo a bit. I'm actually not minding the low feedback steering. Not sth you want to race/track with, but it's at least precise and unbusy at high speeds. The hardest adjustment for me are throttle and brakes. I feel I'm surging when I'm not intending to. Is this the v8? I've almost never driven a v8 let alone ever own one. The brake pedal modulation is not coming naturally to me as it has long mushy travel. Perhaps, it needs a fluid flush.

All in all, it's something special.

[ff]

I picked up my s4avant last night [...]The recaros are unbelievable. Even my gf who only drove it briefly could not stop talking about them. I feel like my back is taking a vacation while on them.

Congrats, man. Pics please :)

Don't the right seats make all the difference in the world? Most people probably wouldn't believe me, but the seats in my Civic Si are also something very special. The bolstering is damn near perfect, and holds you absolutely still in the perfect seating position. The sides are very stiff, and the center section is the perfect blend of soft and firm. Man, I love those seats.

[FC]

Congrats, man. Pics please :)

Don't the right seats make all the difference in the world? Most people probably wouldn't believe me, but the seats in my Civic Si are also something very special. The bolstering is damn near perfect, and holds you absolutely still in the perfect seating position. The sides are very stiff, and the center section is the perfect blend of soft and firm. Man, I love those seats.

Seats are a big deal. My wife LOVES the R seats. Maybe because she can sleep for hours on the way to Montreal, but they are really great and she appreciates them more now that she is pregnant, AND coming from the Saabaru seats.

...which is why I am so set on getting P-car sport seats if I ever own one, yet few people/dealers spec them.

[JST]

I picked up my s4avant last night (from a mansion in Greenwich, more on that later)... I will post a longer blurb, but for now, the positives are awesome acceleration (better than cayman? No but more like if both are imperfectly driven, aka real world, in a straight line, I think it will take the little frog). Suspension is good, car is very quiet on the hwy (on this aspect I thought I would miss the 5er but I don't). Clutch is nicer than bmws with progressive engagement in the middle. Turns better than I expected. Also bose+XM kicks ass. First time I get to have built in sat radio. :D The recaros are unbelievable. Even my gf who only drove it briefly could not stop talking about them. I feel like my back is taking a vacation while on them. The looks are awesome as well as the previous owner detailed it and now I have dolphin avant with big wheels and some tint. :eeps:

Negatives, the engine sounds a bit weird at times. v8? It got 17.5 mpg where the CayS got 21, so from now on the frog is officially my economy car. The biggest adjustment will be control inputs. I've only driven bmw/subaru/porsche in the last 3 years. This is a fingertips car. The suspension is comfortable but it can be upset - unlike th zhp or CS. The H.Hudson bridge made the car pogo a bit. I'm actually not minding the low feedback steering. Not sth you want to race/track with, but it's at least precise and unbusy at high speeds. The hardest adjustment for me are throttle and brakes. I feel I'm surging when I'm not intending to. Is this the v8? I've almost never driven a v8 let alone ever own one. The brake pedal modulation is not coming naturally to me as it has long mushy travel. Perhaps, it needs a fluid flush.

All in all, it's something special.

It's not the V8; it's Audi's control inputs. Dunno why Audi insists on fitting jumpy throttles to their cars, but I noticed this in my test drives of the S4, too. I also noticed the engine sound. I recall there being a fairly pronounced ...whine is too strong, but high register sound from the engine. I suspect it has something to do with the weird accessory belt arrangement that they had to use to get the 4.2 to fit in the A4.

Your comments about the suspension are also well-taken. I recall driving an S4 back to back with a ZHP (that would later be mine) and an M3 (that was mine at the time) (right? I think so), and thinking that while the Audi's engine was head and shoulders above either the M3 or 330, the suspension needed some work. It is easier to upset, and feels overall less well dialed in--it's like the springs and the dampers were developed at slightly different times by teams that weren't on the best speaking terms. Perhaps it is the extra weight, though BMW manages to disguise similar or worse weight in the 335 and (old) M5.

But, overall, nice grab. There are few if any cars out there that offer the power/utility of an S4 Avant. And you are also right about those Recaros. Best seats I've ever sat in (VERY unlike the base A4 seats, which suck ass).

[Sharp11]

The suspension is comfortable but it can be upset - unlike th zhp or CS. The H.Hudson bridge made the car pogo a bit.

I think you mean the Harlem River bridge (which is route 9, aka the Henry Hudson) :dunno:

That bridge is a great test of any car's suspension - I drove the ZHP over it last month, I still had the snows on, but it continues to impress with its near-perfect blend of ride and handling.

Ed

[Plaz]

I think you mean the Harlem River bridge (which is route 9, aka the Henry Hudson) :dunno:

That bridge is a great test of any car's suspension - I drove the ZHP over it last month, I still had the snows on, but it continues to impress with its near-perfect blend of ride and handling.

Ed

The ramps from the cross-bronx to the GWB in that same area are also a pretty good test. (IOW, the road surface profile looks like a cross between an oscilloscope reading and an expanded accordion.) :lol:

[Sharp11]

The ramps from the cross-bronx to the GWB in that same area are also a pretty good test. (IOW, the road surface profile looks like a cross between an oscilloscope reading and an expanded accordion.) :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Nothing beats the FDR, though - I love how you can be doing, say, 50 and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the most horrific landscape you've ever seen appears right in front of you - sort of looks like an asphalted version of a ww2 battlefield.

The trick here is to actually speed up in the hope you'll skip over some of the worst of it :lol:

Ed

[equ]

FT: That's a really bad lease. I'd like to think I got lucky but I got a clean 04 with 19k miles for 60% of msrp. Generally, leasing expensive audis is a very bad idea.

JST: The suspension is really not that bad - it's rare bumps that get it. There's a bit of side to side sway as well but I can totally live with it as is. Engine sound is ok on hwy once cruising. Heavy acceleration is awesome as well, it's the light/medium throttle that just sound strange. But in the end, there were very few competitors to it, if any, and very few of these cars to start with so, so far I consider myself lucky.

I actually bought it and picked it up without seeing it in daylight (as someone else would have bought it the next morning). This morning, it looked just fine, better than expected.

[equ]

I think you mean the Harlem River bridge (which is route 9, aka the Henry Hudson) :dunno:

That bridge is a great test of any car's suspension - I drove the ZHP over it last month, I still had the snows on, but it continues to impress with its near-perfect blend of ride and handling.

Ed

http://www.mta.info/bandt/html/henry.htm

[Sharp11]

http://www.mta.info/bandt/html/henry.htm

Wow, since I was a kid, we always called it the harlem river bridge - oh well.

Ed

[equ]

Cool, at least we're talking about the same bridge.

[FT@SGP]

Now, OK, $1K/mo. sounded out of line, but this is rediculous:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ncal_id=1127163&car_id=222675023&dealer_id=55171742&car_year=2007&search_type=both&num_records=&make=AUDI&keywordsfyc=&transmission=&distance=100&model=S4&address=20876&make2=&advanced=&default_sort=priceDESC&certified=&max_mileage=&max_price=&sort_type=priceDESC&min_price=&body_code=128&end_year=2008&color=&keywordsrep=&start_year=2005&drive=&car_year=2007&engine=&body_style=WAGON&doors=&style_flag=2&fuel=&cardist=98

[FC]

Now, OK, $1K/mo. sounded out of line, but this is rediculous:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ncal_id=1127163&car_id=222675023&dealer_id=55171742&car_year=2007&search_type=both&num_records=&make=AUDI&keywordsfyc=&transmission=&distance=100&model=S4&address=20876&make2=&advanced=&default_sort=priceDESC&certified=&max_mileage=&max_price=&sort_type=priceDESC&min_price=&body_code=128&end_year=2008&color=&keywordsrep=&start_year=2005&drive=&car_year=2007&engine=&body_style=WAGON&doors=&style_flag=2&fuel=&cardist=98

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[lemming]

S4 sedan: funny lookin.

S4 avant: uberkewl.

[equ]

Here she is...

We've put 350 miles on her (in 4 days!). As I adjust to the inputs and low feel/feedback, it is becoming very enjoyable. For the first 100 miles/2 days, I thought of turning it for a bmw/subie as I didn't feel smooth or connected. Just numb and choppy. I'm now getting used to the different feel. The engine is so awesome that it gives the car great character. Hard even pull from 2000 to 7000rpm = fun :)

It is a great highway car and fantastic for dealing with aggressive traffic. Just watch your front and don't worry about the back as no one is catching up to you...

Also love the new p zero nero AS that came with the car, great all (3?) season tires. I'm getting 19-20mpg on the hwy and 16-17 combined.

[Sharp11]

I thought of turning it for a bmw/subie as I didn't feel smooth or connected. Just numb and choppy.

Ok, who's in line for eq's next sale? :grin:

Ed

[JST]

Ok, who's in line for eq's next sale? :grin:

Ed

Me.

[zach]

Ok, who's in line for eq's next sale? :grin:

Ed

Me.

[equ]

Actually the tint guy I know (he owns an LGT wagon) made it very clear that he wanted to be notified if I were to sell this car... Me selling a car? Imagine that.

[TD]

Ok, who's in line for eq's next sale? :grin:

Ed
Hey Zach, I already claimed second (after JST).

[TD]

Actually the tint guy I know (he owns an LGT wagon) made it very clear that he wanted to be notified if I were to sell this car... Me selling a car? Imagine that.
So you'd sell to some random tint guy over us?!?!?!

[rumatt]

So you'd sell to some random tint guy over us?!?!?!

:ban:

[zach]

Hey Zach, I already claimed second (after JST).

I'll swoop in while you are waffling. ;)

[equ]

Will you guys cleanly de-tint and re-tint my front windows?

[JST]

Will you guys cleanly de-tint and re-tint my front windows?

I'll give it a shot. What do I need, some saran wrap and a sharpie? No problem.

[FC]

I'll give it a shot. What do I need, some saran wrap and a sharpie? No problem.

F-that. Just use a gray crayon.:cool:

[FT@SGP]

We certainly have very similar tastes; I would have picked the same color. After thinking long and hard, looking at prices gains/losses, we decided to keep the 645, at least until next service time when they piss me or my wife off.

Enjoy the car in good health equ :thumbup: