True Replacement

[sturs6]

Unless something changes...
I am going to buy an Allroad 4.2 then order a
Then give the Allroad to the wife and kids and trade in the ML55 for the M5.

[avdh]

Maybe it would be a good idea to take the new M5 for a very long and serious test drive, and after that make up your mind.

If you could also drive it the rain, that might give you a better perspective compared with your RS6.

As for the allroad for the wife & kids, great idea, there is nothing safer than quattro....

[sturs6]

Yes I understand that is going to be an issue. I drove the E55 Wednesday in the rain and I had a great time sliding it all over the place without traction control. I would prefer to have a 500 hp Audi instead but I can not get one here in the states anymore without taking a car that is two years old and has been driven as a demo or who knows what else. I grew up and learned to drive in a 350 hp Mustang Saleen I know this is alot more power than that but there is now traction control. Oh and there is always the power button on the M5.
I may just keep the allroad or Audi may come out with something else by then and I can get my money back on the M5 which would be great but until then I will just have to wait and see.
-Stuart

[Erik]

Just don't forget to get the new RS4 when it is out

[sturs6]

I would if it was an Avant.

[SpinEcho]

Traitor!

Just kidding. IMO, you can't go seriously wrong with any car currently offered in this class - RS6, M5, E55. And as always, BMW sets the hard core performance goals that every one else has to try to match. The V10 will be worth the price alone.

[Aronis]

The M5 is a great car, no doubt. I'd be driving one now if I did not live in the Winter Wonder Land of Northern New York.

But, I will not ever get on a waiting list for a car again! The RS6 was avaiable when I was looking and I got it. My prior M3 was on the lot, I bought it.

I was on a wait list for three years for a new M3, and the dealer never called me, dispite frequent phone conversations with him. I had a friend here who has purchased several high priced cars from them, Porsche 911 turbo, S500, etc, ask how long to get an M3, they told him a few months, !WHAT no wait list for him! Then he asked how many the dealer had 'delivered' so far, 12. I was supposed to be number 7 on the list! The excuse was that I had been considering a convertible, but the body style was not an issue for the wait list. I got very lame email back from BMW when I wrote to complain, next thing you know I am driving an Audi.

You will love the M5, assuming you have already been on a wait list for the past two years, or want to pay extra for a used demo LOL.

Mike

[Nordschleife]

Please don't confuse cars with dealers.

And if you really want a nice car, be prepared to wait for it. Use the delivery delay to order a specification you will enjoy. Even if you have to fly to Stuttgart/Munich/Ingolstadt and pick the leathers and colours at the factory atelier, its worth it.

Just buying cars off the lot is for lotto winners - think about it.

R+C

[sturs6]

Originally posted by Nordschleife
Please don't confuse cars with dealers.

And if you really want a nice car, be prepared to wait for it. Use the delivery delay to order a specification you will enjoy. Even if you have to fly to Stuttgart/Munich/Ingolstadt and pick the leathers and colours at the factory atelier, its worth it.

Just buying cars off the lot is for lotto winners - think about it.

R+C

That is exactlly my plan to fly to Germany to either choose the car or take delivery.

[SpinEcho]

Originally posted by Nordschleife
Please don't confuse cars with dealers.

This is precisely what is the matter with VW, BMW and Audi (can't say I have experience with Benz). The dealer is the link between the manufacturer and the customer. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure that the dealer does a good job representing them, and customer service is paramount to that job!

Just because they make 'special' cars and are European does not mean one should be forced to buy directly from the manufacturer in their home country. We aren't all prepared to travel overseas to pick up our cars, as you suggest, Nordschleife. Nor should we have to circumvent the dealer network to get reasonable service, especially in the case of a repeat cutomer such as Aronis.

It is high time the German manufacturers, especially Audi, realize that they are being poorly represented (at least in North America) by their dealer network. Otherwise they will continue to lose sales to other marques in the coming years.

[JAXRS6]

I prefer to order ahead so I can get the features & colors I want -- and did so for my RS6. Circumstances, however, don't always allow that.

And, yes, it's very important to distinguish between cars and their dealers. I would add that in Audi's case, there is also AOA, which in my case was party to poor communication that led to 30 days on a hoist -- unnecessary as it turned out. The other party in that fiasco was Audi in Germany, who reportedly failed to give AOA the info that could have avoided the wait.

When I returned to the Audi fold in 1998, after a 20 year absence, I was impressed with sales, service and attitudes at the dealership. Unfortunately that has not often been the case lately. Sometimes the fault lies with the dealer, sometimes beyond. And in my experience with the RS6, poor communication has been a bigger problem than failed hardware.

[Erik]

According to a rumor, most or all of the M5 production for next year is already gone. Too many people in the world with money and good taste.

[nyrs6]

Originally posted by Erik
According to a rumor, most or all of the M5 production for next year is already gone. Too many people in the world with money and good taste.

Naaa. Maybe in Europe. In the US nothing less then a ferrari is sold out. Look what happend whith the RS6. Not to worry, plenty will be available in the US.

[Erik]

Strange. Considering we Europeans would pay a lot more.
We'll see.

[Nordschleife]

I think American car buyers have to get real with their prices. The dollar is historically low against the euro, new European cars in the US are going to be much more expensive unless the manufacturer subsidises the price and makes low specification cars available to the US market. There is a limit to how long prices can be subsidised, especially when there is strong demand in other markets.
The M5 will be in short supply for some time, its a very desirable car.

R+C

[sturs6]

I think I have decided against all of the above and any other cars. I am returning to the car I love the RS6. I have found one in California that is almost the same car except it does not have the silver interior and no warm weather package which mean no fogged up windows in the rain. It has 30 miles and has been on the showroom floor since received. Yes I know call me crazy for replacing my car with a 2003 car but I just love this car.
-Stuart

[Erik]

Stuart, I must admit I'm a bit surprised but also happy to hear that you are staying with us.

Happier driving this time!

[sturs6]

Originally posted by Erik
Stuart, I must admit I'm a bit surprised but also happy to hear that you are staying with us.

Happier driving this time!

This is the second time this has happened to me with a car and the last time the replacement was perfectly fine but I later sold it and wish to this day I would have never sold it. I do not want to make that mistake again. After driving other cars this past week in the rain I have decided all I want is a powerhouse with quattro. This would be the RS6. I thought about just keeping this one since they told me all they had to do was reset the timer for the OnStar but then thhey found this one and I thought hey brand new same car but 30 miles not 28,000 what a deal. So I am still here. I would not have left anyway.