[A4] Prospective A4 Buyer

[Rocky Mullin]

At 7:49 PM -0700 7/6/06, Nicholas Stock wrote:
>If you can write off the lease payment against a business go ahead.
>However, if you decide to keep the car, you will always pay more for
>it through a lease and the residual over the life of the car than if
>you purchased it (in my experience).

	my payments are so low in part because the residual is sky high.
i have *zero* interest in owning any car and can say without doubt that
i will feel that way for the next ~5 years.  also it's a simple matter
of a phone call to extend a lease if i want to keep it longer.  i'd
extend it a year, of course, so my next lease start would be in december
again so i can find a dealership (what, five audi dealerships within
100 miles of me?) looking to unload something.  mine had 100 miles on
it and was a test driver.  my sales guy at rector kicks ass and i can
start working with him on test driver stock or other inventory that
has got to go at that time. long before my lease is set to end.

	owning a car to me is to get stuck holding the bag as cool new
technologies (especially MPG related ones, and DIESEL!) emerge.

>You are also handcuffed on the
>number of miles you can drive every year without penalty.

	we did the math.  the mileage penalty is only $250 lower than
the cost of prepaying an additional 2000/miles per year.  so we figured
we'd try lower payments and "gamble" that we can keep the mileage low.
so far we're right on target.  i work a mile from my office, wifey 3
miles down the subway line, and we have 2 motorcycles and two scooters
between us.  it's such a no brainer.  we couldn't afford more than we
are playing, so if we wanted to buy, we would have gone from havin our
bought-new A4 to a subaru or rav4 or something.  now, the upper-end
legacy *is* a great car, the nav has touch screen, *and* it is rated
to tow my camper (i have to use my benz sprinter for that now, which
is my company vehicle, and i usually have to wrestle my business
partner over it.)

>Your
>insurance payment may also be different too...

	my insurance went up a little bit.  i have no certain idea why,
though it's technically a newer car that is worth a lot more.  also i got
two points last year; why didn't it go up more than a tiny bit?  i got
married last year too, doesn't that make 'em go down?  so, hell, i can't
answer that question, but your insurance company can.

-- 
  Rocky Mullin 

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