[nascompilot]

Hi,

I just ordered my first ever brand new car - an Audi A5 3.0 TDI Quattro Sport in Garnet Red Metallic with all the options. I thought I better join the club to benefit from all the knowledge and tips going around.

I have driven a BMW 520SE for the last ten years (with a dented roof after we danced on it at a party a long time ago) and was encouraged by the guys at work to get a new car. I thought you might be interested in how I chose an A5:

- I test drove a BMW 530d which was solid and impressive and came with a £9,000 discount for a pre-registered car, but if you are buying a new car, I reckon has to be a different shape and a different colour from the old one, and this wasn't!
- I went to Audi to test drive the TT, not really aware of the A5
- I got 4 hours in the TT (2.0, 2 wheel drive, amazing gearbox)
- We decided I didn't really need another two seater sports car (I have a '73 MkIII MG Midget for summer fun)
- Spotted the A5 in the showroom and organised a test drive the following week
- Got 4 hours in the A5 and tested it with passengers in the back and loved the torque and all the equipment. When I returned, I managed to adopt the rather useless negotiating position of telling the salesman "That is the best car I have ever driven"! ;-)
- Test drove a Jaguar XK 4.2 V8 Coupe (lovely, silky smooth and fast), but the salesman insisted on coming out on the test with us and by sitting crouched in the back seats effectively proved it cannot carry adult passengers (durrhh!). I also "crashed" an XK without leaving the showroom when I attempted to connect my bluetooth phone. Oops!
- I looked at various other cars - Nissan 350Z (rather plasticy), used Porsche 996 (low interior spec equipment and pretty old to fit my budget), MB CLK (old model, seemed due to be replaced next year), but settled on the A5 because of the superb performance / environmental / style balance.
- I couldn't resist the options and bought pretty much all of them (Sport, Metallic paint, DVD Sat Nav, Bluetooth, Adaptive & Interior Lights, Keyless Entry, 20 spoke 19" alloys, Music Interface, Advanced parking, Sunroof etc etc). My wife had her head in her hands as I order Keyless Entry (at £495) just to get a starter button. Her Honda Civic has a big red starter button and I could just hear the "old fashioned starter" jibes if I had gone with the normal key!

I got prices from two Audi dealerships and eventually got 3.5% off everything (£1,570 total). The dealership has suggested delivery will be in late April, but this seems optimistic judging by the production update posts here, particularly as I have ordered the panoramic sunroof which seems to be suspended. I will bin that option if it is going to delay the car.

So, now I start the waiting game ...

Enjoy your cars, I'm looking forward to mine!

 

[normanh]

Welcome on board, April will soon come around, what toys did you get.

 

[REB_A5]

Welcome on board, April will soon come around, what toys did you get.

Did you actually read all of nascompilot's post

Nascompilot, nice car and an excellent spec. As an ex BMW man myself, I don't regret the switch to the A5 - it is streets ahead.

 

[Nate]

You guys get 4 hour test drives in the UK?

Wow.

I guess that balances out the higher cost for the car

 

[nascompilot]

No, I think a 4 hour test drive is unusual here too. The Audi dealership (Listers, Coventry) certainly impressed me - the sales guy said "Just top up the fuel and bring it back sometime after lunch"! They gave me time to get to know the car and let it sell itself. Quite a contrast with Jaguar's over-protective approach, which effectively demonstrated a weakness in the car (small back seats) that I might not have notice if I had driven it alone.

I wonder if Audi will lend me a car once a month to remind me what I am waiting for? Well, hey, I've nearly done 24 hours of my wait already ... ;-)

 

[normanh]

Did you actually read all of nascompilot's post

OOPs can I be forgiven
As an ex BMW man the jury is still out in my case on whether I made the right decision

 

[scratch113]

Firstly, welcome Nascompilot to the site - nice spec! Get some pictures up as soon as you get your car as there aren't many pics of either Garnet Red or the 20 spoke 19" alloys - most people go for the 19" Y-design wheels so will be interested to see how the combo works.

I got to drive two different A5 3.0 TDis in the run up to ordering my car - both times I was just told to bring the car back sometime later the same day and the cars were actually two of the sales men's own cars used as demonstrators (one even had golf cluns in the boot!) . I had the first one for 4 hours and did just over 100 miles, and the second one for around 2 hours. The main reason for the second test was to find out whether the A5 would fit in my garage as my old S4 was tight (the A5 is really tight, but fits - just!)

Compare this to the test I had with the local BMW dealer a few years ago when I was considering my S4. I was looking at a manual M3 coupe - after much procrastination, the dealer allowed me 20 minutes in an SMG M3 convertible, insisted on coming with me and spent the whole time waxing lyrical about how great the SMG and the electric hood were, knowing I didn't want either. After that supposed test drive I went straight round to Audi and ordered the S4 (no test drive that time as I actually ordered 6 months before they were first delivered!)

 

[nascompilot]

I had the dealership call me this morning. They had realised there are production problems with the sunroof which would delay delivery, so I pulled it from the spec of my car. They read out the same phrase as is posted in the S5 General Q&A forum : "Availability of the panoramic sunroof is reduced due to production constraints and is currently not available on new orders until June 2008".

I guess I will just drive the MG for fresh air motoring!