This might ramble a bit, so I hope that the regulars here will indulge me a little, given that it is my first post. I have never participated in online forums, as I have found that most if the exchanges that I have observed tend to involve zealously uninformed opinions held by those ungoverned by decency, grammar or logic. And then I saw an A5 cruising south on the 5 one day...I had to know more about this car. In recent years, I have chosen to not keep up with all of the models and specs for my favorite German manufacturer. I did not want to tempt myself to set unrealistic goals during a very financially and emotionally challenging time. The page is now in the process of turning and I am once again in goal-setting mode. I wanted to do as much research about this auto as I could, so that when the time comes I can make the most informed decisions possible. From what I have read here, I guess I have been "lurking" for 2 days. I do not know what the etiquette is, but I just did not want to jump right in before having some idea of what this is. From what I have seen, this is a very diverse, knowledgeable and considerate place. Many of my initial questions about the vehicle itself and the experiences with lead times, sales policies, options, maintenance issues and driving characteristics were answered very quickly and easily. I am hoping to draw on this unique pool of knowledge and experience to make my process go smoothly.
I visited my local dealer over the weekend just to get a peek at what one looked like standing still...silly plan really, since they look like they are screaming even when parked. There was only one on the lot and it was just after the place opened on a Saturday. No other customers on the lot and no service operations. I was approached by a very pleasant woman who "noticed" I was looking. She offered me some information about the time it takes for these cars to arrive and allocations for dealerships. Since we tend to dress down quite a bit for the weekends, my wife and I rarely get a hard sell. The saleswoman said that her dealership sells "at MSRP", even after I pointed out a 3"x5" piece of paper taped to the windshield with some additional "delivery and preparation" costs on it. By the way, how do they think that someone seriously in the market for one of these autos would do anything but unstick that little note and blow their nose with it? The thing was not even near the invoice on the passenger window. I leased my first Audi, an A4 that I will describe in greater detail in other posts, from this same dealership. I doubt that they will recognize that as any kind of loyalty and from what I have read here, for this car it would not really matter.
The catalog is now a bit worn, as I have read little else over the weekend. At first blush, this is what I am considering:
A5 6M 3.2 FSI, Meteor Gray, Cinnamon Brown, Laurel Nutmeg Inlays, Tech, Premium, B & O, 18" 5 spokes. Fairly unassuming, but with some flourish and a bit easier on fuel.
Can I have some specific input on ordering and pricing? From what I have read, MSRP is the number to shoot for, while trying to have a dealer include some perks in that price. Even though this process for me is far from an actual deposit, I appreciate any input from the members here that will assist a fellow Audiphile to reach his goal.
