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Birchwood, TN Car Consumer Discussions

A4 Lease 04/24/08

by rich50 on Sat May 24 19:50:44 PDT 2008

Hello all, Thanks for everyone's help, finally pulled the trigger today. Here's the basics of my deal, I'll post complete details when I have a little more time. 2008 A4 Cabriolet CVT MSRP $44,600 options include premium package, convenience package, bose/sirius audio package, metallic paint, and birchwood interior trim. 36 month lease with 10k miles per year. Tax, tags, and dealer fee rolled into lease. Payments are $512.00 per month including 7% Florida sales tax, total out of pocket $512.00 (1st month payment). Have a great weekend, Rich

Re: Importing Lexus ES 350 from US [johnmayor35]

by gbabaluk on Fri May 02 08:38:30 PDT 2008

Hi Johnny: I hope you have "done the math" on that ES350. I did a quick calculation on the ES350 on both the US and CDN web sites and the difference in price is about 10% when you factor in the 6.1% import tax. On the regular model that is about $4K. I am not sure that after shipping the car,etc that it is worth it! On the more expensive Lexus models you can save a lot more but the ES is not one of them. Maybe the US dealers negotiate a little more than the local Lexus dealer(Birchwood). ANyway, keep us informed of your progress.

New forum member buying experience

by domenickamarc on Mon Sep 04 09:26:23 PDT 2006

About a month ago, I began researching and test-driving cars in the category being discussed on this forum. Decided to sign up and share my experience. So, here goes… Sidebar … CR and JD Powers didn’t seem like much help, since they show that (to take the recently release JD Powers Dependability study as an example) 2004 Lexus owners typically had one or two problems; 2004 Cadillac, BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, and BMW owners typically had two problems; 2004 MB and Audi owners typically had two or three problems -- in three years. I drove two 2007 MB E350s, one with and one without Sport Package. I like that all MBs, from the oldest I see on the road to the 2007s, look like members of the same family. Aesthetics matter a lot to me in car choice. I did not immediately love the MB interior -- just didn't feel my kind of "car-ness" in there. I did like the Sport Package's driving feel. I then checked out the BMW 5-series, but, having driven a 2002 530i for four years, I knew that I didn't like the design of the new ones. But nothing drives exactly like a BMW (I don't think BMW's drive better in every way, just distinctive - unlike one post I read where a BMW 5-series owner claimed never to have been passed on any curved road because all other cars had to drop off, unable to keep up with road-hugging Bimmer; I don't have that idealized image of Bimmers). I might have stayed with BMW, but the interior left me flat -- again, just me -- both in layout and backseat room. The car drove flawlessly smooth, but the extra smoothness, compared to my 2002, seemed to have pushed smoothness into some territory that, for me, felt less interesting. I had read a lot of wow! Words about the M35/M45 in newspapers and magazines and in Edmunds own comparison report. The M35/M45. M35x and M35/M45 Sports were unique among these cars. They got positioned in my mind as contemporary luxury muscle cars -- exhaust system tuned to make loud growl, 5 gears all set to keep rpms very high (and, according to car's computer, to keep gas companies happy -- I was quizzical when I read someone say you can balance it out by buying oil stocks; I own several, but can't quite see the joy in giving the company back the money I'm making), thump and bump rear end. But I get how Motor Trend and Car and Driver couldn't get past the muscle car acceleration. It's a kick. Infiniti saw a way to run to the top of the auto mag comparos (unlike the German big-3 whose engines have articles written about their blend of increased power and fuel efficiency) by taking their terrific V6 and setting up the drivetrain to stay in high-torque range (car rarely went below 3000 rpm even cruising on highway; in fact, when you start the engine the tach revs up close to redline and snaps back (very dramatic on bright orange gauge) and any touch of the gas in any gear pushes you above 4000 rpm). I did not like interior of "Luxury" M35, compared to "Sport" -- un-wowed me more than interior of any car I've driven). But the Sport was the bumpiest of any of the cars, including the MB Sport and Audi A6 S-Line. So, I dropped the M choice. I spent the most time at Lexus because I hadn't driven them. I tried the ES and GS. Too much torque steer in ES. GS was impressive, but had too much plush (in interior and handling) and not enough of the sport ingredient in the "performance" factor of LPS. Just not my brand -- totally understand, however, how some drivers love them. They offer a distinct choice. Audi has the design that turns my head. They look just right to me and the interior of the A6 felt right immediately. I had read a lot of positive things about the car, but also mentions of not-enough-low-end torque in the V6. My experience was different. In regular "Drive" mode, I felt what had been described: the car moves very quickly into higher gears, saving fuel (car computer matched CR's observed 4 mpg more than M35), but feeling almost like a bit of hesitation (if you're wanting to fly off the line). Then I flipped the transmission into Sport mode and got muscle-car type of instant acceleration. So, I came away feeling that the A6 3.2 Quattro gave me a nice choice of driving styles depending on whether I feel laid-back-smooth (it has the nicest blend, to my ears, of exhaust-system music and quiet) or high-testosterone. The small info screen right in front of the driver helps a lot to avoid constantly looking over at the Nav-Info screens that all these cars have. So, the next weekend, I narrowed down my choices to the 2007 MB E350 Sport and a 2006 or 2007 A6 (not much new that matters to me; in fact, I prefer the 2006 beeping "Park-tronic" rear parking assist to the 2007 rear camera; the camera thing distracts me and I couldn't get to trusting that it was showing me how close I was to the wall in the garage at my office (I drove both cars down the highway and into the city and right into my building, to see how each of the two finalists would feel on the route I drive 5 days a week). One deciding factor was the S-Line versus the MB Sport Package. The MB Sport suspension was lower but, other than that, didn't seem, in my hands, to dramatically change the handling/steering/engagement factor, while the S-Line sport suspension seemed to me (not sure of the engineering involved) to be a more complete "European-style" suspension change and to yield a real sports-car feel, without any loss of solid-quiet feel going over bumps. I also loved the gray birchwood trim that comes with the S-Line. The lack of an Audi equivalent to the "Oh, you're a Bimmer guy" or "So, you've moved up to MB" added some appeal (I liked that relative anonymity with the M35 too). And, on the most twisty backroad part of the final test-drives, the type of AWD Audi uses felt like it provided the most on-rails feeling. So, I bought a 2006 A6 3.2 Quattro with every option package (Premium, Technology, S-Line) and power rear and manual sunshades. MSRP = $55,790. Invoice (this dealer just handed me the vehicle invoice) = $51,958. Dealer offered it to me at invoice, with additional $6,000 off (due to Audi dealer incentive). So, I got it for $46,000. Very happy first week. Just my experience.

Buying My First Audi -- Need Advice on Wheels/Tires

by legendman on Wed Sep 14 20:54:41 PDT 2005

Hi Guys: Well, 'Mr. Acura' here is about to take a "walk on the wild side" and take ownership of a new, 2005 A6 3.2 sedan this weekend. Oyster Grey metallic with the Beige Leather Interior/Birchwood trim. Audi is selling them for $4500 below invoice now, so the price was right. Here's my question and I would appreciate a quick answer if you have one. The car is coming with the 16" tires/wheels which I don't think look so great or drive so well. I am attracted to either the 17" wheel (my first choice) and the 18" wheel (my second choice). I am looking for a tire size that will offer improved performance but not at the expense of ride comfort or fuel economy. I like the look of the 17" Audi rims, and the size seems to be a good trade-off for the reasons mentioned above. 1. Wheels -- How can I buy Audi brand wheels without paying parts department price? The cost on these wheels (not tires) supposedly is $485 each x 5 wheels. The dealer will give me a $500 credit for the old wheels and tires. Do any of you know where I can find these Audi OEM wheels at a discount -- from a reputable source? 2. Tires -- From what I have read at TireRack, most of the 17" Michellin, Pirelli, Continental and Dunlop brand tires are NOT great. The dealer wants $210 per 17" tire -- OEM brand, whatever it is. He is perfectly happy to put on any tires I want, including those I purchase on my own. Can anyone recommend a good tire/brand for Southern California application -- everyday driving, moderately spirited driving now and then? As mentioned earlier, comfort and noise are an issue. Handling is also important. Treadlife is a concern, though noise and comfort come first. On a related note, Falken tires enjoy a very good reputation (the Ziex ZE-512 235ZR - 17 97W REIN would presumably fit on the A6 3.2) They are sold at Discount Tire (tires.com) for $96.00 each. FWIW: I am driving the Yokohama AVS-db2 on my Legend now and am very happy at the price/performance trade off for an Ultra-high performance All Season tire. It's a good handling tire in its category. Thanks in advance guys!

Re: [igiban]

by highender on Tue Jan 04 23:43:29 PST 2005

my old Jaguar XJ-12 had real Peruvian boxwood inlaid into birchwood...   of course, that is in a luxury car....   but of course, it made no difference in enjoyment in the vehicle...    the TL handles the corners better, less roll, more electronics, conveniences, etc.     Jag had wool carpets, alpine stereo, conolly leather with piping, picnic tables, 12 cylinder engine, reading lights, etc...   but my wife and I prefer the TL any day of the week... :-)

Soledoc, you definitely seem to have a unique interior.

by tmart on Tue Jan 20 00:18:33 PST 2004

I believe until '04 or maybe '03, the red walnut was the only wood option, standard was the grey plastic. My '99 has real wood, but Volvo went to fake wood for a couple of years, '00 and '01, and then back to real. For '04, you can also get aluminum trim, in addition to the red walnut and brichwood. With your interior, the aluminum might be the way to go. I haven't seen it but have seen the birchwood. Don't think the birchwood looks good at all with the beige interior. Good luck!