tasty A-6s

[Roger M. Woodbury]

I think the operative and perhaps the defeating term is "around" followed by
any address.

My 100CS is in Kansas City.  I am near Bar Harbor, Maine.  It is fairly
difficult and complicated for me to fly out and drive it back, but I will do
it, and have done so for the past three vehicles that I have bought. (1989
200 Avant:  Minneapolic; 1993 V8 Quattro:  Philadelphia).

Right now, there is an absolutely YUMMY A6 (40,xxx miles in Oklahoma City
that needs a good home. I wanted this car, but couldn't get the price down
where I wanted it.  It was on Ebay, and after the auction, AND after the car
failed to meet its reserve three times on Ebay, the seller wrote to me.  I
offered something over $20k...the seller said that it was time for the car
to go away....but they said not lower than 24K, so I bought the 100CS.

Just after I did that deal, the Oklahoma City deal came back offering their
car at $22,400.  TOO LATE!  But it is there, and if you want an email
address, email me and I will forward it to you.  I think it was a really
nice example.

The 100 CS was found on Trader Online, and is at a BMW/VW dealer.  Carfax
was clean:  ONE registration in 1994, and I have a service history and a LOT
of photographs.  I could have the car shipped, but I don't want anyone
touching this except me...besides, flying halfway across the country and
driving back is a sort of adventure in itself...I am into that kind of
thing, generally.

Roger's Rules:
    1.  talk to the people:  make them answer YOUR questions and know more
about the car than they do.
    2.  Deal with an authorized dealership of some sort:  they have a LOT to
lose in terms of their franchise costs and their reputations.  Believe it or
not, that is worth something even today.  They know that if they burn
someone who comes from a thousand miles away who heard about them on the
Internet, they will hear about it for a LONG time, because the adverse
publicity on the Internet will burn them MUCH more than the profit that they
make on the sale.  When I bought my '89 200, I called the dealer in
Minneapolis who was advertising in the Quattro Club newsletter.  They asked
why I, in coastal Maine, was calling a dealer in Minneapolis.  I told them.
They told me that this car was the "real thing", and I let them take a
credit card imprint on the spot, flew out and bought the car, all basically,
sight unsee.  I told them that I figured that the Quattro fraternity was
still small enough so that they didn't need to mess with a buyer from away,
as I would dutifully report the experience throught the Quattro Quarterly.
The sales manager told me that that dealership was a staunch supporter of
the Quattro Club, and that I had nothing to be concerned about.  They were
right:  the '89 is the BEST automobile that I have ever owned, a wonderful
example of a perfectly maintained Audi.

So, I am now two for two doing business long distance, and hopefully, will
be three for three.  When I get back from picking up the car...around the
26th of the month, I think, I will write out all the details here for all of
you to read.  It will be either great press for the dealership, or their
name will be mud here on the Internet...so far, I am betting that this will
be the "real deal".

But to pull it off, it is important to think in terms of more than the car
guy down the street...think about traveling some to get what you want, and
it is there, in great shape, with a seller who wants to move it any way
he/she can....to you.

Roger