I'm Back! 12 years later - New RS4 + Advice!

[Mr V10]

Without delving into this too much... Finance contributions aren't illegal, nor is paying off the agreement whenever you like, without penalty - quite the opposite! If you like your dealer, don't 'withdraw' from the agreement, and it wouldn't hurt to let it run 6 months or so. Be nice, a good salesperson will carry a lot of weight if something goes wrong/lending you sexy demonstrators.

It's very rare you'll be able to beat the Audi finance campaign rates, unless high net worth etc... I'd be interested to know what finance deal you've been offered outside of Audi? Whatever discount you've currently achieved not taking the finance, you should get a further £2k, the dealer invoices this £2k to VWFS so doesn't come out of their margin! I was sat looking at one of these invoices for an RS 4 today.

Also, although some salesmen are paid on profit per unit, most are paid per unit, so won't be bothered too much about what they sell it for, and unless working for a used car supermarket, should be earning more than £100 selling an A1, never mind an RS 4.

Anyway. Welcome back to RS Audi ownership, Boff. Photos when it arrives, red wheels = brave.

[johnnydog]

[quote="boff"]Hello!!! Hoo Roooo!

Epsom Audi are also a great dealer, servicing etc - all good. +++++


However - returning phone calls is something that I run my business on. ******



+++++ I bought my B7 Avant from Epsom Audi in 2009......would never recommend them or go back. Minor faults on the car on collection hadnt been repaired although they said they had been....had to eventually go to another dealer near home to get them sorted. The handover for my 'new to me'' car was atrocious... 'You've had an Audi before Sir, there's no need for me to show you round it. Here's the paperwork / keys, it's parked over there, Sir'. I appreciate sales people change and it was six years ago, but the disappointment in the standard of customer service stays with you for a long time.


****** Maybe having another poor experience with the current purchase of my B8. Agreed on the sale, paid my deposit, got the used car purchase invoice / agreement and now just waiting for the Audi 90 day demo period to elapse before I can take the car. Have since tried to contact the sales person on several occasions, just to clarify a few points, to be told that he is in a meeting, or with a customer, but despite on each occasion the promise of a return phone call, NOTHING! Since tried to to speak to the sales manager, who again was 'in a meeting', and again, despite the promise of a return phone call, NOTHING!! I'm not going to shame the dealer at this point, but if things don't quickly improve I WILL be doing. After all, it's not an A2 I am buying, it's a nearly new RS4. Not good customer service by any stretch of the imagination. Very disappointed with this (Yorkshire) dealer.....

[marc1]

Leeds Sytner?

[boff]

Ah ha!! I'd had similar issues with a dealer in yorkshire.

I think this is where it is wrong, the sales guys are no more incentivised to sell the RS cars over non rs cars, so there is no money motivation to sell more prestigious cars - to possibly more enthusiastic and expectant buyers. Audi's in all shapes are just marching out of the door at the moment....

Therefore you've got a product in demand, do I focus on selling the niche / prestige vehicles - which have a much longer sales cycle, and possibly are more demanding buyers - not only up front, but also afterwards i.e. if it goes wrong, which highly strung cars do - i'll end up with complaints, and people writing on forums about how bad I am / the dealer is. And earn £60 for the unit.

Or do I sell to these lovely people, who just want a normal car, that will keep coming back, don't even know what a forum is, have lower expectations - happy to just be in the brand, shorter sales cycle by far. And earn maximum bonus - as these guys take, the autoglym, the GAP, the wheel insurance, the finance......

I'm not at all saying this is the right way to conduct business. AT ALL infact.

But in sales commission often drives behaviour - If Audi wanted to improve the service that the premium product buyers experience, the best way to do it would be to run a S/RS bonus accelerator - something like that. Porsche Reading is the best experience I've ever had, and Porsche Guildford the worst - you can't win eh?!!!

I'm happy to be back in one, I guess I kicked this off to just share my experience as a buyer whilst they are running out - to hopefully give anyone who is looking for one now some guidance on how to speed up their search!!!

Fingers crossed everything goes through at my end.... and then I can get excited!! Waiting for my new gym palace....

[HYFR]

You are living in a dream world where you think an Audi salesman earns £60 a unit!

[tcmrdon]

most people agree that 12-13% is the max

Nope, I got 15.25% discount.

if im calculating correctly you got more than me i got £8000 off think its works out to be 12.03%

[boff]

You are living in a dream world where you think an Audi salesman earns £60 a unit!

On a heavily discounted car, after tax, thats exactly what they put in the bank

[boff]

Of course many pennies make many pounds

[marc1]

You are living in a dream world where you think an Audi salesman earns £60 a unit!

On a heavily discounted car, after tax, thats exactly what they put in the bank

How do you know this?

[boff]

Just heavy researching - it's £100 before tax

[marc1]

Lol, you have too much time on your hands then.

I don't think Google is going to give you a factual answer. Some of the guys on this forum do know for sure though... Just saying.

I really won't worry about what the Salesperson is making though and how motivated they are. If you're not happy with their service (and I can't blame you) then move to a different dealer. If it's Yorkshire, my view is within the Sytner group Harrogate is better than Leeds, but still not great. York (JCT600) is leagues above and hence I would go there if I was you.

March is a great time to buy as its financial year end, however they would need to invoice before the 31st in order to be 'motivated'. Their priority will be on what they can get out of the door before 31st. After that point it's another story.

IMO you need to go in knowing exactly what you want and that you are prepared to move very quickly if they can provide a suitable deal. If they think you're going to dawdle about they will not be interested.

[kmpowell]

most people agree that 12-13% is the max

Nope, I got 15.25% discount.

if im calculating correctly you got more than me i got £8000 off think its works out to be 12.03%

Give or take a few quid I got £9.5k off in total. The car was (again, give or take a few pounds) £61.5k OTR, but in total I paid £52k OTR.

£2k of that discount was Audi finance contribution. The £7.5k was dealer contribution.

On the PCP forms though they clearly moved some of discount into various buckets internally, because my paperwork states a Cash Price OTR cost of £56,500 (rather than the true £52k), with the "Advance payment/allowance **" then inflated by £4.5k which is the balance of their extra discount realigned.

[boff]

Haa haaa! Great news, i'm worried that my first post has gone out of control!!! Lol softie, anyway i think you've all done cracking deals, i guess the salesman in me is saying spare a thought!! We all need these dealers to give us cracking service, and maybe as i get older and stared a client in the eye - showing my cost and asking how much it is fair for me to make.... I set out on this mission to buy a car at a low price, i ended up settling on a fair price.

I think time of the month matters too, sometimes the dealer will want the revenue, sometimes happy to hold on for a margin.

Am i getting soft?? Lol

[boff]

Lol, you have too much time on your hands then.

I don't think Google is going to give you a factual answer. Some of the guys on this forum do know for sure though... Just saying.

I really won't worry about what the Salesperson is making though and how motivated they are. If you're not happy with their service (and I can't blame you) then move to a different dealer. If it's Yorkshire, my view is within the Sytner group Harrogate is better than Leeds, but still not great. York (JCT600) is leagues above and hence I would go there if I was you.

March is a great time to buy as its financial year end, however they would need to invoice before the 31st in order to be 'motivated'. Their priority will be on what they can get out of the door before 31st. After that point it's another story.

IMO you need to go in knowing exactly what you want and that you are prepared to move very quickly if they can provide a suitable deal. If they think you're going to dawdle about they will not be interested.

Great post marc

[boff]

This new fangled tapatalk thing is amazing