I'm hoping to stick with the Audi brand and set my sights on the A3 TDI. Ideally, I'd love to get the "new" 2014 A3 TDI that will be available in Europe.
Pictures from Autoblog.com
Unfortunately, it appears that Audi of America has no plans to bring the new A3 Sportback to the US. In fact, starting with the 2014 models, the A3 will only be available as a sedan in the US. If I want an A3 Sportback, I have to buy it now. And so, I go in search of the A3.
As you can imagine, the A3 TDI's are scarce! Supply is nearly exhausted and dealers want MSRP for their remaining inventory. Undaunted, I contact a fair number of dealers and have visited a handful of them. Today's visit with Audi Beverly Hills stood out as to why I hate new car shopping and I thought I would share. Here's my Audi Beverly Hills review...
I have been exchanging emails with the folks at Audi Beverly Hills. I ask them about a fully loaded A3 TDI they have in stock and ask what's the best price I can get it for. They reply that they will stay as close to MSRP as possible and I tell them that I'll pass. A day later, I receive an email from a manager at Audi Beverly Hills informing me that he'd like to make a deal work. I respond by telling him explicitly that I will not pay MSRP and that I will begin looking at other cars/brands if the A3 TDI doesn't work out. He in turn offers the following: $500 over invoice on any new TDI I pick.
That's a great offer. While I want the best price possible, I also realize that the dealership needs to make some money. $500 over invoice is something I would readily agree to.
I ask what A3 TDI's are in stock and the manager tells me he has only 1 left - the fully loaded A3 TDI I had originally inquired about. I decide to go to the dealership to take a look. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I get there and meet the manager I had exchanged emails with, he tells me that the fully loaded A3 TDI has been promised to an Audi rep from corporate as it's the last A3 (as configured) in the entire US. (Note: I guess it's more important for Audi Beverly Hills to make corporate happy than to satisfy a customer.) However, the manager tells me that he has two A3 TDI's coming in (the dealership got them from another dealer in Arizona) and should arrive next week. He goes off to check and I end up speaking with the salesperson who initially greeted me when I stepped into Audi Beverly Hills.
As I speak to the salesperson and he helps me to value my trade-in, he offers the advice that I need a reality check. He says to me (and I'm paraphrasing), "It's all about supply and demand and it's not realistic to pay just $500 over invoice on a car that's in limited supply and high demand."
I bite my tongue. I just let him go on with his reality check and I leave the dealership a few minutes later. It wasn't worth my time to tell him that it was the manager who originally offered the $500 over invoice deal. I never once said how much I was willing to pay or what my budget was. Hell, no one at the dealership even bothered to ask!
When I get home, I find that the manager had emailed me to give me the details on the two A3 TDI's that will be arriving. To his credit, he offered either one of the cars to me for $500 over invoice plus $350 for the shipping. Unfortunately, neither of the A3's has the options/packages that I had shared over email that I wanted. It was easy for me to decline with a simple "no thanks."
Audi Beverly Hills probably doesn't really care. At the end of the day, the A3 TDI won't net them much profit, especially when compared to the higher end Audi models (like the TT-RS or R8's) they have in stock and ready for sale. As such, I doubt I will set foot into Audi Beverly Hills again.
