Your Good Friend Tells You He's Going To Buy An Audi A4-How Would You Talk Them Out Of It?

This one's easy, I would say: "test drive a G37"

I'd say go for it. Ask him to test drive the 3-series and C-class first. If he doesnt change his mind. Let him buy it. Wouldnt disapprove an A4. Wouldnt recommend one either.

Why wouldn't you recommend one?

001

— Agent001

> Why wouldn't you recommend one?

Because for some 32k USD Audi sells you front wheel drive with a four banger.

For the same price, BMW sells you the rear wheel drive, more powerful true inline six and driving characteristics from another league.


This is why Audi has to name their equipment lines "premium", a clear proof showing how badly they lack confidence. Other brands don't have to remind potential customers about their position. Cheap FWD and the engine straight from economy class make Audi's effort even more lame.


Counterfeit vehicles and fake luxury are Audi's specialty and trademark. They want to sell Audi A3 diesel here for 30k USD. Problem is this car is technically 100% identical with the PREVIOUS generation VW Rabbit/Golf (see VW/Audi parts catalogue for poof), which, as a diesel, is worth 20k USD. I wonder where are they going to find customers dumb enough to fart out 10k USD for thin air.

Same with the TT - a two seater front wheel drive Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf in disguise, for 45k USD.

Audi A8 is technically identical with the VW Phaeton. Audi Q7 is strongly based on VW Touareg.

All engines Audi uses (except probably two biggest ones which make for nearly 0 sales) are to be found in vehicles by Volkswagen and Skoda/Seat cheapo brands. Is this what people call "premium"?

So, downtoearth.....I'm getting a hint that you don;t care for Audis.

I have to agree with downtoearth about AUDI. Sad, but unfortunately it is true. And the models he wrote about are not the only ones in AUDI's line up. In fact there is only one that makes AUDI look good, the R8 (derived from the Galardo).

Two words: resale value.

If resale value is your friend's number one priority, tell him/her to buy a Camry. People on this site who keep bringing up Audi's resale value are either living in the past or just using random arguments to justify their personal opinions.

So you would be lying to your friend? The A4 has always had good resell value. The A4 has better residuals then the 3 Series and the MB.
Compare from the ALG guide months
2010 36 48 60
1 MB C300W 4dr Sdn C300 Sport 50 41 34
2. BMW 4dr Sdn 328i 55 45 38
3. Audi 4dr Sdn 2.0T Prem AT 56 44 35
4. S4 4dr Sdn Premium Plus AT 51 40 32
5. BMW 4dr Sdn 335i 50 41 36

2009

1. Audi 4dr Sdn 2.0T Prem AT 51 40 31
2. BMW 09** 4dr Sdn 328i 48 39 33
3. G37 90419 4dr Base 51 42 35
4. IS 250 4dr Sdn AT 49 41 34
5. C300W 4dr Sdn C300 Sport 46 37 31

Yes the ALG guide is not "resell" value but ALG is the the bible in the industry and they billions are at risk based on what they say.

If you are going to attack the A4 resell is not the best place.

If you are going to talk your friend out of something then you have to find out what is important to him/her.

Japanese cars have always had more electronic features for the money.

If you want advanced key or backup camera that that is the most important thing to your friend then he will have to spend thousands more.

But if he/she is looking for resell value, fit & finish, interior quality, AWD, and overall value then the A4 is a great choice.

001, Just a comment about the question.

It says "I just test drove the _______ today and I can't stop thinking about it! I'm going to buy one tomorrow!!!!"

If they just test drove it and felt that happy about it, isn't that what you are supposed to feel when you go to buy a car? Isn't that love? I wouldn't talk them out of it if they "can't stop thinking about it".



I suppose I'll get deboosted for being such a picky fop...

The car is slowwww and for its price is not on point with its competitors. Looks wise I'd take it over a 3er. Everything else wise Id take the 3er. The C-class is decent too. My girlfriend has a white C350. Its a nice cruising car,but it doesn't give me confidence when I push it around. It as well isnt a bullet,but it certainly is better than the A4,motor wise. I know,speed isnt everything,but it has a lot to do with the purchase of a car for me. I like the feeling of being pushed back in my seat as i downshift and give it gas.I like to be able to merge on a highway and not have to beat the crap out of the car just to get up to speed. The A4's motor just feels like your hauling a million pounds. If you have more than one person in the car its even worse.

Since when is 0-60 under 6 seconds considered slow?

I guess slow is from point of view. He just got out of his Bugatti Veryon before he drove the A4. Wow that A4 is slow!

The 2009 Audi A4 quattro clocks in a 7.0-6.9 0-60,slower than its competition is what I was trying to say and yes it is MY opinion. Thats slower than any car I own. And IAmEvilMoron,maybe it feels like a Ferrari to you,being that you probably drive an econobox. You should go get an A4 than,your pockets are probably heavy from the cash you save from lack of a social life.How do you know I cant afford a Veyron? Your one of those guys that sees someone out of the norm driving an exotic car and says things like "its his dads,hes a drug dealer,its a rental". Grow up hater.You'll always be just a regular guy with the mentality your showing. Stop worrying about what i drive and/or my opinion and worry about yourself. Maybe than you will get places in life. Loser.

How about 0-60 in 5.7s. Here's the review:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/08q3/2009_audi_a4_3.2_quattro-road_test

And by the way, have you driven one?

are you a loon rxh8me9000 ? I was teasing the fact that you thought 5.7 is slow. If you want faster the S4 (A4 with a supercharger nicely loaded at $45,900)

Edmunds.com "At our test track, the A4 3.2 Quattro sedan made it from zero to 60 mph in 6.9 "

thecarconnection.com
“a BMW 335i can blow its doors off,” they report, clocking their own 0-60 mph run of “6.9 seconds,”

The list goes on,but im too tired to keep looking. I guarentee you the car does not touch 0-60 in under 6 seconds. This is getting ridiculous,I stated 0-60 isnt everything. Its just a buying factor for me,not just 0-60 but overall power and the A4 is lacking.

Obviously I have driven the car. If you read my first post i state "The A4's motor just feels like your hauling a million pounds. If you have more than one person in the car its even worse"

Motortrend: At $46,675, our loaded tester doesn't scream bargain, but it nonetheless embodies a $3300 savings compared with the comparably equipped 3.2.

$46,000 for a loaded 2.0T? Are you serious? $50,000 for a loaded 3.2?! The car I drove was a 3.2 Quattro Auto. The A4 isn't a bad car at all,but for the money there are much better competitors. An Acura TL is cheaper,posts 0.91 g on the skidpad compared to the Audi's 0.84 g,it is bigger,heavier and beats the A4 in most if not every track test. It has just as many if not more standard features. We can argue for hours,but the point remains. The sky is blue and the Audi A4 is not a bargain.

I made my point,you guys made yours. No hard feelings. Even a sub 7 second car isn't really considered slow.What I meant was the car feels like its always hauling a lot of weight,its basically sluggish. To ME that is why the A4 felt like it lacked power.

Also Iamevil homer, this comes directly from www.audiusa.com. Your Audi S4
3.0 TFSI® Premium Plus with six-speed manual transmission and quattro®
Price as Built $ 46,375. Thats starting. I didnt put one option on it.

Engine


3.0 TFSI® Prestige with six-speed manual transmission and quattro®
$ 52,000


Exterior


Brilliant Red



Interior


S sports seat


Silk Nappa leather


Magma red


black interior



Equipment


Audi drive select package
$ 3,950

Silk Nappa leather
$ 1,000

Your Audi S4
Total Price
$ 56,950

On a final note (sorry for all the posts) Iamevilhomer, I apologize. I took your comment offensivly when you were just making a joke. Plus I was having a bad day lol,but nevertheless no hard feelings.

i'd tell them to go test drive the pontiac g8 before they are all gone.

the a4 2.0 stock is not a sub 6 second car.... I have driven lots of them and clocked them. the fastest time around 6.5 on a cool day.
the engine does seem sluggish but that is nothing a quick chip can't fix.
a chipped a4 is almost a second faster. I have gotten different times 0-60 depending on temp and humidity but on every car i have chipped its .8 seconds faster after the tune on the avg.
btw i used OCT program.
the question i keep asking is why oh why does Audi build this engine and leaves so much on the table that any tuner can gain +60 hp out of it. the same story continues with the new s4 as well.

I'd say you don't deserve it. Go buy a merc lex bmw. Once you're a better person you can buy an audi.

'cause Jezza said so

I would tell them to price out how much the dealer charges for servicing and the cost of parts, then I would show my friend where the Audi rates on the JD Powers reliability report, that would be enough to scare anyone.$$$$ If you are not scared by that and have a lot of $$ they are great performance cars and would be fun to drive and look great.

I would tell him to buy used. Something like 4,000-10,000 KMS driven medium optioned example. Because resale value of all Audi models is very bad here in Middle East.

JUGNU

well i am sure most people on this US based website will be worried about the resell value in Iran :)

001, now you done gone and pissed off 009!!!

Something's telling me Agent001 has no friends or that he's really desperate to stop people from buying a certain car. As much as I hate what cars some people buy, I have no problem letting people buy the car he/she wants.

you forgot 001 is a so in love with BMW he named his Daughter

Bertha Marie Washington.

LOLOL!!!

001

Take a look at it, and move on!

I would talk him out of it. But I would let him know he is betting on the underdog and there are plenty of misinformed souls out there might differ with his choice.

But in general he won't be a cookie cutter luxury car owner.

Underdog? The A4 is doing quite well. Globally, it is a jaggernaut. You poor misguided soul. You and Downtoearthidiot can cry during your Audi hater's club next meeting.

Tomorrow: Your best friend wants to buy a donkey. How would you talk them out of it?

A donkey, that one's easy. I'd tell him it has limited seating space, the ride is rough, the 0-60 time is quite slow and the emissions are a killer. Actually, except for the 0-60 time, a donkey is not too different from a Veryon ;0)

If it's a woman? I'd say buy it.

A man? No.

The Audi A4 is a MILF car.

I honestly dont see how anyone could drop that much money on a weak 4 cylinder powered psuedo-luxury sedan. If I read correctly, the V6, which wasnt anything special, was dropped for the '10 model year, so you're left with the lumpy, rough-idling 4 banger, or the yet-introduced supercharged s4. If any one of my friends considered one, I'd laugh at them.

I have a few ignorant female friends who would probably consider one, since it looks like the ultimate chick car. Speaking of looks, this thing has been on the road all of 10 minutes and already looks dated; not a good thing.

again 5.7 0-60 is slow?

I wouldn't tell him anything. I think everyone knows what best suits him/her. If he bought 3, c-classe or g it would go fine with me as well. People that usually try to convince others they know better than them what to do, buy.... are real pain in the a$$. I used to have a friend that pretended to know everything better than the others. You know what happened? He is a lonely man now, without friends, even his wife left him. I haven't talked to him for years, so did nobody of his former friends.

I would mention Audi's legendary unreliable electronics. The problems are so bad that a friend of mine got theirs lemon-lawed (previous gen A4, not 2009).

I made my point,you guys made yours. No hard feelings. Even a sub 7 second car isn't really considered slow.What I meant was the car feels like its always hauling a lot of weight,its basically sluggish. To ME that is why the A4 felt like it lacked power.

On a final note (sorry for all the posts) Iamevilhomer, I apologize. I took your comment offensivly when you were just making a joke. Plus I was having a bad day lol,but nevertheless no hard feelings.

It has a different chassis then a VW completely with an engine mounted north south instead of east west, you are clueless. Audi also has a different engineering department and is pretty autonomous from VW now. This is not the mid 90's dude.

And then you'll tell your friend to go buy what...a Camry?

The problems with A4
-4 cylinder motor not as fun as a 6.
-Pricey
-Not as reliable as an Infiniti
-Infiniti has self healing paint with nano technology

Good parts about A4
Has more roomy interior and nicer materials then an Infiniti.
Has a simpler AWD then Infiniti that is less complicated
Gets better Gas millage then Infiniti

Bottom line it depends on how much money you want to spend on maintenance for the A4 and how slow you want to go.

I drive a 2009 Audi A4, and I hope to get the new S4 within the next few months. However, if Audi can't solve the following problem with the A4 I will have to change my automotive plans.
For the last five months I have noticed an intermittent buzzing sound emanating from the dashboard - not caused by loose trim. It can come from either the left or right side of the dash. Usually it happens at highway speeds, but I have noticed that it can happen at low as 35-40 mph on some streets. This buzzing sound is made when the car is driven on bumpy or patched roads, but it can also be heard when driving over smooth but well-worn pavement.

The sound is analagous to the buzzing sound a car body makes when it is being vibrated by huge subwoofers playing at ear-shattering volume levels. (In my case, I don't have a "monster audio system", and the buzzing sound is made when the audio is turned off.)

I notice it quite frequently when I am driving it, and my passengers have noticed it as well. One of the dealer's own salesmen has noticed it when he drove the car.

Unfortunately, the sound is intermittent, and it has not been noticed by the dealer's technicians when they drive it. Audi's regional sales rep has driven the car with me. The sound began during part of the drive, but he claimed that he couldn't hear it. (However, it should be noted that he had told me earlier in the drive that he suffered a hearing loss from his days in the Artillery Corps.)

The Audi sales rep claimed that I MIGHT be hearing the ticking of the engine's fuel injection pump, and that is normal. That doesn't make any sense. I have owned an Audi A8, a Mercedes CLK, two BMW 3-series, and a Nissan 240SX beforehand, all of them fuel-injected, and in none of them have I experienced a buzzing sound, intermittent or otherwise, emanating from the dash.

Audi has refused to pursue the matter any further. Any ideas what to do next? Any suggestions from you guys would be appreciated.

P.S.,

Except for the buzzing sound, I'm perfectly happy with the car.