I got 8% off the list price of a new S4 Avant

[dcheah]

happy to share the info if anyones interested

[JohnW]

yeah, I'd be interested.
I tried 2 places and both said no way.
Direct Importers couldn't help either as they were quoting long deliveries.

So what's the story then [img]images/graemlins/boots.gif[/img]

[dcheah]

if you look in exchange and mart, you may have noticed a company called autoebid. They are 'brokers' and have connections to dealers that are offering discounts (not sure how, as they wouldnt say) They charge 1% of the spec'd car you want and then put you in touch with the official Audi dealership, you then deal with Audi for ordering/finalising details of your car.

[DavidT]

Nice one, good for you.

8% is about the price of a decent extra's list and it makes the new S4 a whole different proposition.

[Dippy]

Yes, 8%-9% is a fairly typical discount for a dealer to offer trade. Of course when you pay UK prices you are paying well over the odds anyway so even with a 8-9% discount Audi is still laughing all the way to the bank!

[Gareth]

Are these UK or EU dealers?

[wazza]

I just checked on Autoebid and the S4 prices were:
Saloon £31,995.14
Avant £32,999.48

It talks about both UK and EU purchases.

[djr2712]

The site lists both UK and import prices - the UK "target price" on a saloon is just under 9% discount, which is by far the best price I've come across!

[Taipan]

On UK vs EU imports : due to Right Hand Drive prerequesite, is there really a "grey" market for import cars into UK, as for the rest of Continental Europe with LHD ?

I'd thought that Audi Europe would have come up with -and been able to enforce- one single ex-factory pricing for RHD cars since final destination is obvious, so whether you're a UK dealer, a Spanish or a German one, you'll always pay the same for a RHD (ie not true for LHD, thus the grey market).
Am I wrong ?
[img]images/graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

Eric

[JohnW]

There may well be one ex-factory price, but as with all car manufacturers (and pretty much anything for that matter) I understand that certain dealers get bigger discounts due to their increased sales numbers.

Also, Audi UK supposedly factor in a margin.
They aren't alone in doing this.Other cars which are actually built in the uk can be brought cheaper in mainland Europe, even though they have to be shipped there from the uk first !
Absolutely crazy, but that's the way it is.

[dog]

Well, the UK is not the only market for RHD cars!

[JohnW]

Very true, but Audi UK pick a basic spec from all the available options. Therefore a rhd car could be brought in Europe with a different spec to that normally available in the uk.

You will probably find the same is true for Oz, Hong Kong, etc. From my knowledge of Porsches I know that HK cars have different specs to those in the uk (including different lights), so the same is probably true for Audis too.

[Taipan]

Dog, no offense meant for all the RHD of the world (Australia, HongKong, etc.), I was just refering to Audi Europe's territory which I assume only includes UK.
[img]images/graemlins/beerchug.gif[/img]
I still believe that if a Spanish dealer ask for a RHD, it's obvious the car won't be used there, thus Audi Europe could "easily" give him a standard ex-factory quote identical to UK dealers, exclusive of any volume discount, plus a "special custom-order fee" to make it even more expensive within the law.
Well, that's what I would do if I really meant to stop any "grey" import to UK and protect my dealership network there.

Eric

[Dippy]

Just to be picky, the UK is part of the EU, so a UK car is also an EU car!

Taipan,
Correct, my dealer in Germany ordered my RHD drive car as a full UK spec car destined for the UK, but I still only paid the German pre-tax price. Indeed VAG have done what you suggest on MANY occasions, but it's against EU law which is why they got fined many millions of Euros as a result.

Make no mistake, the UK is still the most lucrative car market in Europe for manufacturers, partly because of the block exemption laws, and partly because of the strong company car market (buyers expect quantity discount, so as a result the price for Joe Public buying a single car has to go up).

There still are a few cars made in the UK, and even these can be bought cheaper from a continental dealer!!!

[JohnH]

Obviously with the current strength of the Euro the savings on UK spec cars from the continent are now very small and when you factor in the large deposit asked for, possible warranty upgrade required, no part-ex possible and likely resale issues then the justification is now very marginal compared with a year or so ago. As far as I understand it most EU manufacturers charge an additional fee for selling a RHD car on the continent compared with a LHD. Otherwise its just a case of ensuring the car is full UK spec which you need to be very careful about as I know several people who have bought so called UK spec cars only to find they are missing some options.