Audi A4

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Soldato
Joined
21 Jul 2004
Posts
6,360
Location
Harrow, UK
I'm looking to buy an Audi A4, 1-2 years old at most and £20k is the budget.

I have seen some pretty good looking ones at various Audi sites (looking at approved dealers only), but had a few questions:

1) Any particular reason why I shouldn't go for an A4?
2) Are you able to negotiate on price with approved dealers?
3) I plan on getting it on finance so can I ask them for some free extras (ie free servicing etc.) to sweeten the deal?
 
I think the basic underpinnings of the car are from 2008, so 6 years old now, so i'd think long and hard before blowing 20k on an old product.
 
Danger Phoenix said:
My reasoning was that I liked the new facelift look as opposed to the older style.
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Depending on what spec you are after you might be better looking at what deals you can get on a brand new one. You'll be able to get a significantly better finance deal on a new car, and are likely to be able to knock more money off the asking price too.

That's what i ended up doing. Originally was looking at buying a second hand TT for around 20k, ended up with a brand new TT which it works out I'm paying 20k for over 4 years
 
Either get the A6 if you want an Audi, or get the BMW 5 series, by far the best exec motor around.
 
Firestar_3x said:
I think the basic underpinnings of the car are from 2008, so 6 years old now, so i'd think long and hard before blowing 20k on an old product.
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Fair point :)

XeNoN89 said:
Depending on what spec you are after you might be better looking at what deals you can get on a brand new one. You'll be able to get a significantly better finance deal on a new car, and are likely to be able to knock more money off the asking price too.

That's what i ended up doing. Originally was looking at buying a second hand TT for around 20k, ended up with a brand new TT which it works out I'm paying 20k for over 4 years
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Will have a look at new deals, but surely what Firestar said still stands?

Tinders said:
Either get the A6 if you want an Audi, or get the BMW 5 series, by far the best exec motor around.
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A6 seems a little too big for my liking. I have never really liked the look of the BMW 5 series (interior or exterior).
 
Yes, the newer A4 is a lovely looking motor.

What is dictating the £20k budget here? Surely on finance the monthly payments should be the dictating factor, rather than the top line price.

If you can use monthly payments as your budget instead, then you might even be able to get a brand new one, within budget. I.e. Same monthly payment as 1 year old example. Often brand new cars are less per month than nearly new due to the extra dealer contribution and lower finance rates. Certainly I couldn't get anything 6-12 months old for as cheap as picking my own spec on a brand new motor.

Check out drive the deal. They often have cracking offers on new Audis. Spec up what you want, and let them quote you on finance. Take that to your local Audi dealer, and see if they will match it. If not, then go with DTD.

As for the car itself. They are lovely looking motors, and drive reasonably well. The Black Editions have a cracking spec on them, and that's the way I went with mine. But I also had Quattro and a 2.0 TDI which was useless on the fuel economy.

I have gone right off diesel Audis now, but would give a petrol a chance as they do look so good.

Mercedes often work out cheaper per month again than the Audi. I was quoted last year for an E220 CDI AMG Sport with command, tints and metallic at £2k down and £365 per month. That's really cheap. But it is because the residual value is so high, you almost have to hand the car back at the end, as it would be worth less than they are offering. If you don't mind that though, and are already an old man, the Mercs can be a really good deal.

A lot of people are getting 20% off their BMW 5 series just now too. I managed it (just). But that's a different league altogether when it comes to budget.
 
wozzizname said:
Spend £20K on a Jaguar XF instead...
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Looking at a couple of XFs myself tomorrow. You get so much more for your money than a similar A4.

The A4 looks very pretty poor at that budget, even the S-line is limited spec wise. The new A6 is much better for similar money. The multitronic auto is by far the most common in both the A4 and the A6 and I'm unsure how reliable the newer ones are, the older ones were pretty bad.
 
xs2man said:
Yes, the newer A4 is a lovely looking motor.

What is dictating the £20k budget here? Surely on finance the monthly payments should be the dictating factor, rather than the top line price.

If you can use monthly payments as your budget instead, then you might even be able to get a brand new one, within budget. I.e. Same monthly payment as 1 year old example. Often brand new cars are less per month than nearly new due to the extra dealer contribution and lower finance rates. Certainly I couldn't get anything 6-12 months old for as cheap as picking my own spec on a brand new motor.

Check out drive the deal. They often have cracking offers on new Audis. Spec up what you want, and let them quote you on finance. Take that to your local Audi dealer, and see if they will match it. If not, then go with DTD.

As for the car itself. They are lovely looking motors, and drive reasonably well. The Black Editions have a cracking spec on them, and that's the way I went with mine. But I also had Quattro and a 2.0 TDI which was useless on the fuel economy.

I have gone right off diesel Audis now, but would give a petrol a chance as they do look so good.

Mercedes often work out cheaper per month again than the Audi. I was quoted last year for an E220 CDI AMG Sport with command, tints and metallic at £2k down and £365 per month. That's really cheap. But it is because the residual value is so high, you almost have to hand the car back at the end, as it would be worth less than they are offering. If you don't mind that though, and are already an old man, the Mercs can be a really good deal.

A lot of people are getting 20% off their BMW 5 series just now too. I managed it (just). But that's a different league altogether when it comes to budget.
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Thank you very much for that. I had a quick look at the site and it does indeed seem more appealing than buying a second hand one.

Minstadave said:
Looking at a couple of XFs myself tomorrow. You get so much more for your money than a similar A4.

The A4 looks very pretty poor at that budget, even the S-line is limited spec wise. The new A6 is much better for similar money. The multitronic auto is by far the most common in both the A4 and the A6 and I'm unsure how reliable the newer ones are, the older ones were pretty bad.
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The A6 is too big for my liking, and the XF interior looks horrible.
 
I own a 2012 A4, amd you would be mad to drop 20k of your own money on one, dont get me wrong its a pleasant looking car, but coming from a 2009 accord, i wouldnt say it was so fantastically put together, and its certainly not as fun or involving to drive. I had a A6 rental for a while and it didnt feel much bigger than the A4 at all, it felt a much more premium product, but still a bit dull to drive.

Buy an A4 but not for 20k, also aim to get the MMI 3g with HDD based nav, makes the dash much more fancy to look at, also I have DAB and B&O stereo and its a great sounding setup, LED DRL's are a must, otherwise the just looks so dull. If you do look for a S/H car, try and find a SE Technik, they came with much more than the S-line in terms of spec.
 
wohoo said:
I own a 2012 A4, amd you would be mad to drop 20k of your own money on one, dont get me wrong its a pleasant looking car, but coming from a 2009 accord, i wouldnt say it was so fantastically put together, and its certainly not as fun or involving to drive. I had a A6 rental for a while and it didnt feel much bigger than the A4 at all, it felt a much more premium product, but still a bit dull to drive.

Buy an A4 but not for 20k, also aim to get the MMI 3g with HDD based nav, makes the dash much more fancy to look at, also I have DAB and B&O stereo and its a great sounding setup, LED DRL's are a must, otherwise the just looks so dull. If you do look for a S/H car, try and find a SE Technik, they came with much more than the S-line in terms of spec.
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Hmm, I am set on the A4 due to its looks, but in order to get the facelift model I would need to spent around the £20k mark :(
 
Leased car usually works out better than buying new. Just not as good as used.

Good option to take if you can get one with good cover, no shady small print etc.

Best way to work it out is estimate the money you'll lose buying it now and selling it in say 3 years. If they lease total cost is less than that then may as well lease.
 
A car that is average in nearly every single way, yet you pay a premium for it, 20k is silly silly money, but if your heart is set on it then you will probably end up with it.
 
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