RE: $6

["Spire, Ed" <ed.spire@missioncritical.com>]

Any S6 Avant is really a 95.5, which is hard to price.

I did an exercise the other day, I took the Edmunds price for a 95 S6 sedan,
$29.6, and I adjusted it as follows:

Increased by 7%, which is what the 95 A6Q wagon gets over the 95 A6Q sedan

Increased again by 9%, which is half the increase that a 96 A6Q wagon gets
over a 95 A6Q wagon (to account for it being a 95.5, with the better quattro
system, the radio controlled remote locking that actually does work up to 30
feet, etc.)

Comes to $34.5K for a 95.5 A6 Avant.  Buy privately and you may be able to
get a better deal, simply because the guy doesn't know what he could get for
the car.

Now, if there were new production S models available in the US today, maybe
these cars wouldn't fetch such a high price.  But this is what folks are
willing to pay for them.  At 34.5K the 95.5 Avant still retains about 75% of
it's original real acquisition cost.  Note that the 95.5 S6 Avant list price
was nearly $10K more than the A6Q Avant, and there was very little
discounting going on, since this was the end of the production run, with no
replacement vehicle in sight for the US market.

When I leased mine, the dealer told me that I would most certainly want to
purchase it for the lease buyout, since the lessor didn't understand the
market, and the dealer knew these would be hot used cars.  He was certainly
right.

----------------------- original message
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Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 11:01:10 -0800
From: "Daily,DerekSJMCG" <DDaily@sjmcb.mitsui.com>
Subject: RE: S6 (aka $6)

John, 

Welcome to the light.

RE:  S6 Pricing.  I'm far from laughing at $24k.  Pick up any of the
published "prcie guides" at the Barnes and Noble and your pricing will be
pretty close to suggested MSRP for the 1996.  You'll find some sedans around
for that.  However, it is more common to expect around $26~29k asking.  Now
try this...find the 1996 A6q sedan.  Few around for $19k, most around
$21-22k.  How much of a premium did the S6 take at new MSRP?  $4-5k?
Interesting how that gap has grown larger over the years.  Now take a look
at most wagon prices.  It's a very bad joke.  CA dealers asking $35k for
these 4/5 year old cars.  Give me a break.

Now, if I develop S6 buyers rage and wish to pound on my chest and yell "I'm
mad as hell and not going to take it anymore" is that wrong of me?  ;-)