Audi Marketing Incompetency

[Pat James <jamesp@sk.sympatico.ca>]

Well, I went down the local temporary heated indoor AutoMalls and
located the VW/Audi/MB/Volvo dealer. My 4000q is getting a bit past it a
I am interested in upgrading.  I located the A4/v6/auto/q demo in black. 

Very impressed with the interior quality as compared to the C series MB
and 325 BMW. The BMW quality seemed like a bad interior quality design
patched up
with better quaility parts as required. Anyway,( pause for coffee), the
salesman located me and wanted to price out the new A4Tq manual. The
total came out to $44,000Cdn with tax. This is with no sunroof which
"cost" $1465Cdn. No leather - $650Cdn, No BLOSE stereo $1000Cdn.
Hmmmm....I looked over the prices and find the Q option is a $2650
option ! Ahem isn't a that a $1000US option?  

      No comes the good part... So he asks me if I would like to order
it now ! And by the way I'll have no real choice in options and colour !
And no, I can't drive one because they are all sold for the next three
months or longer  !

 From previous experience I know that VAG in Canada runs in the most 
anal retentive way. The HQ allocates a set number of vehicles for each
dealer ship ONCE a year. Even after two years of the A4 sales they are
still allocating the same number of vehicles plus and extra 10% each
year for each dealer.  I have run into this when I tried to by a Audi
Coupe, Corrado V6 and now the A4T. The list plus extras pricing and no
choice of colours and availabilty drives me around the bend. 

  I don't know what drives me more around the bend , the "sniffy"
attitude of the dealership or the arrogance trying to have the consumer
buy the second largest purchase with no test drive or choice of options.

If VAG continues to do this in North America they will never by a major
player in this niche market(oxymoron?). How about quit selling base 1.6
A4's in the EEC  and sell loaded high profit A4's in North America ? 

Anyway, I told them to call me when the get a A4/Manual in so I can 
drive it first. But at that pricing I am walking away anyway. 

I will probably purchase a S4 once I've taken it for a test drive. 
Question ? Do S4's like doing 4 wheel drifts ? 


 Patrick James
 jamesp@sk.sympatico.ca

 "I think animal testing is a terrible idea;
 They get all nervous and give the wrong answers."