Indecision

[V8Meister]

First of all, I would like to say hello to everyone on this board. I was never a fan of Audi until today. I testdrove a new RS6 for the hell of it and fell in love.
I'm currently driving a 2003 S500 and am reconsidering my lease purchase. It's a very nice car, but I feel like I jumped into getting it out of excitement. My lease on my prior car ended and I needed a car quick. I honestly should have slowed down.
What I really wanted was a performance car, with enough room to seat five. At the time (8 months ago) the only cars available was the current M5 and the W210 E55.
To make a long story short, I have 2 1/2 years left on my lease. The Audi salesmanager told me that he would take the car from me and finish off the lease payments. I'm 22 so the payments are relatively high (not enough credit history). I would love to get the RS6, but in order to the monthly payments the same, I would have to put down 10K.
I honestly made a mistake by rushing and getting the S500. Should I just suck it up and wait until the end of the lease, or what? I honestly don't know what I should do. Please give me some constructive advice. I'm sorry for this long and boring post. For those of you that are older or wiser, what would you do?

[Bauer]

V8,

First off let me welcome you and I am glad you had a good experience in the RS6. I can only guess what the difference in the driving experience must have been like. A luxo bardge to an RS6:D .

Look all comes down to money and what you want. I have two lease payments and probably not the wisest financial decissions I have made but they are the most fun:incar: . It comes down to what you are comfortable with as far as cash out upfront and over 4yrs(or whatever term). If you have the financial ability to get the car and not do any harm to yourself financially then I say what the hell.....you only live once. But if this will be a difficult financially then I would take a hard look. I know the money is better spent on stocks, rental properties or other investments....but live a little if it does not hurt you in the big picture. You have already "blown" a wad of cash on the S500 if the $150 per month difference is too difficult then it might not be the right choice. Believe me I am an Audi freak....I would love to tell you GET IT but that would be irresponsiable of me. Also I am 32 so take this with a grain of salt....I have a lot to learn still:D :D .

one last thought....If you live in the States there is the question of limited suply unless you can find one used in two years.

Whatever your decission I hope it is the right on for YOU.


P.S. I hope you get the car;)

[AvusRS6]

WOW!!! 22 and driving a S500...man, at that age I had a hand me down :D

I have to agree with Baur on this one, although it may not be wise. My outlook of it is...my guess is that you're paying around $1200+ per month on the S500, my philosophy is if you're already at $1200 per, what's another $150? But then that's the whole reason I'm in a RS6 instead of a A8L. The RS6 is a BLAST to drive...we'll get to chipping, etc later on :addict:

Like Baur, I'm only 31 years old so I'm probably one of the worst people to give advise on this as I lost a ton of money in the last 5 years getting in and out of cars but again, like Baur said, you only live once - LIVE IT UP!:addict: :addict:

[V8Meister]

Thank you for the reply. I guess I'll go back tomorrow and see what the actual difference in payments are. If it's only $150 I'll get it. I'll wait for some more replies first. I should have known that I would be sick of this huge car. I guess it's a pricey lesson that I learned.
The car was beautiful, inside and out.
The only question that I have, is about the Nav. Is there no nav screen on the center dash (ie BMW, Lexus, MB)? The one in the RS6 was right next to the speedometer.

[avdh]

We all make mistakes in our lifes, but the biggest mistake is not to try to correct them, as life is too short.

So, if you can afford it: GO FOR THE RS6!!!

Now that you have driven the RS6 and liked it, you'll never be happy S500.... Do you want that for two (long) years?

[Erik]

Welcome V8Meister! :addict:

S500 and RS6 - two different worlds!

Get it if you can. :deal:

[quattroboy]

V8

I bought an expensive car at your age and later realized I should have gotten into real estate first. That's my sage wisdom. But I don't know your situation, so...if you really want the RS6 and can afford it, then consider these facts:

1) Letting a dealer handle unpleasant aspects of a financial transaction is usually a bad idea-they are in the business of making money. Having said that, there are some genuinely good guys out there, but you must get your facts straight or you are likely to get fleeced. Your alternative to the Audi dealer trade-in is to find someone to take over the lease by advertising the car on e-bay or whatever (but check the rules of the finance institution-having someone take over a lease always involves various fees and credit checks, etc). Checking e-bay for people looking to off their S500 lease is something you should also do.

2) Another step is to go to the MB dealer or call the bank/finance folks and find out what your S500 is worth relative to what you owe on it. If you didn't put much down, i guarantee you are upside down in this transaction, which is probably why the Audi sales manager is asking for 10K. However, if you are only upside down by 5K, then he's padding the RS6 sale by 5K. You gotta know this.

3) Go back to the Audi dealer (or another one) and find out what they will sell the car to you w/o considering the MB-tell them your dad/girlfriend/best friend is gonna take over the lease on the MB and you want a payment on the Audi based on a MSRP purchase price and 10K drive off (or substitute your own numbers)-see what the numbers look like. Most dealers will give you a printout of this. Many dealers are offering the RS6 at MSRP, but not all, so make sure you are at one of those dealers.

4) Some dealers will show you the rate sheet for the lease factors from Audi/VW credit. This is usually some number like .00215 or so for an RS6. The dealer usually marks this up a little, but that is negotiable, so don't get fleeced. (BTW, multiplying the lease factor by 2400 gives the interest rate on the lease). Compare these numbers to your MB lease and to what you were quoted by the sales manager and see how it looks. Realize that the payment is also affected by the lease term, but I'd stick to 36 months max on an RS6, as a 48 month lease puts you close to the end of the warranty (replacing something that broke on a leased car because the mileage has taken you out of warranty is really dumb)

5) Don't kid yourself about how many miles you will drive to keep the payments low-this mistake can get expensive at the end of a lease if you don't plan to buy the car.

6) Good luck with your decision and possible $$ transaction-send me a private message if you want more help/guidance regarding leasing.

BTW, regarding the NAV, there is no center screen except on what Audi calls Nav+, which is currently only avail on A8L's in the US. You can get cheaper hand-held units for PDA's, etc that will do the same things, but some people like it embedded in the car. Not worth $1400 IMHO

quattroboy

[iconcls]

Mr Meister,
(Uh hum, clears throat) As one of the elder, (apparently) wiser board members, I'd have to say:

You can live in your car, but you can't drive your house! :)


Just kidding. First off, I'm jealous, I was pimping in a fuggin' Jetta at your age. Secondly, if you can't still save a decent amount of your income with the RS 6 purchase, then skip it. I've seen way too many guys "Over-carred" and "Under-housed" only later to have to go back driving more modest transportation around residence purchase time--the going "back" part is a b*tch.

[TheBrit]

I'd just like to say that I think quattroboy has hit the nail on the head, that's the kind of advice I would have given you if he hadn't first... ;)

As iconcls says, if ever you would be faced with "going back", that would be hard, so think about how much leeway for "life changes" you're leaving yourself.

When I was your age (to add to the jealous moaning of the old-timers!), I only drove around in a diesel Vauxhall (GM) car, but I did have a family and a mortgage, and I had just taken the step of being self-employed. I'm glad I did have the house, as it's been a good investment and has given me the equity to be able to move on after 9 years to a place that the RS 6 doesn't look out of place in front of.

Here's hoping you can sort the finances out and get the car you want! :)

[Alan]

Carholics Anonymous-

Ask yourself this -

when the new V10 M5 and RS6s come out in a year or so, will you be jumping out of the '03 RS6 lease?

If so, develop the discipline now to resist, otherwise you are setting yourself up for financial misery.

The reason why auto dealers love leases is they make alot of money on them. They are delighted to help you get screwed.

Life is too short, but getting yourself in over your head financially when you are young can certainly make it feel very long.

Sorry for the lecture, but you asked

[Bauer]

V8-

This is all very good advice...I would look at it closely. Life is more than fast cars and what people think in the long run. Like some of the other posts at an "early" age I invested in Real Estate and some in stocks and luckly it has turned out to afford me a lifestyle that other wise would have been very difficult with out those investments. I have always owned Audis but early on they were paid for in cash or very very little loans.

You have to look at the big picture and you are already IN the S500 lease which means it would be somewhat expensive to go back at this point, like wise with an RS6. If that is not really a factor and the car is a fairly low part of you debt to income ratios then go for....but take quattro boys advice on the lease. Also just for your information the lease money COST to the dealer is .0018 from Audi Financail.....you are unlikley to get it for that but try as hard as you can.....I had to hammer mine down..... took some time and effort but well worth it. Tell them you have gotten that quote from 3 three other dealers and thats what you want because you know some dealers are sitting on the cars. Also it costs them $500 a month(A8 and RS6's) just to have the car on the lot so there is motivation for them to move it.

I hope this helps:cheers:

[V8Meister]

You guys have been extremely helpful. I think the wise thing to do is to keep my S500 for the time being. It will be two long years. Hopefully when the lease is up the new RS6 will be out. I'll tell you guys. The RS6 made me fall in love with Audi. The first second I lay my eyes on the Black Pearl color, I really was shocked at the beauty. Until then, I'll just have to try hard to resist getting the Audi. I now feel like I'm driving a large, but nice boat. Really. At least I know that big luxo sedans are not my cup of tea. I should have listened to my dad. Ugh. Now he's just laughing at me.

[Bauer]

V8,

Glad we could be of help, sorry its probably not what you want to hear but should. A wise man once told me that sometimes the advice to get is not always what you wants to hear, listen carefully because it could be the best advice. You just need to know when it is.....please keep posting and what part of the States do you live in? Maybe you could attend a meet....as I have seen all car fans are welcome on this board:cheers:

[Erik]

Originally posted by V8Meister
I'm driving a large, but nice boat.

You're not driving, you're being transported. ;)

Just kidding, I hope we've been of help and that RS6.com can be of some support (pics/videos etc.) until it's time for the real thing.

:addict:

[gregoryindiana]

It was a hard discipline to follow, but you give purchases a lot more thought, I think.

Always have had Audi. First an 86 5000 (200 in Europe) Turbo Quattro. Owned till 94, though I loved the 1990 V8 power, then the 20 valve S4.

Thought I could justify the ur S4 purchase in 94 after 8 years. No regrets, a great car.

The RS6 is a special case, and I would have been sick to have missed it. Again, after 9 years in the S4, I could justify the change.

If I had gotten a new car last year, and i seriously considered an S6 or S8 (but wanted a turbo car), then I would have waited for the next RS6.

Either way, if you choose your current vehicle carefully, it makes the wait until the next one a LOT easier.

[V8Meister]

Bauer,
I live in the Bay Area. I would definitely join u guys at a meet. That's the great thing about Audi and BMW drivers. They are pure enthusiasts, and love to meet to share and showoff their cars. That doesn't exist in the MB community (including AMG fans).

[Bauer]

V8meister,

Where did you test drive the RS6? I live in Lafayette in the east bay. my email is ben_lee_bauer@yahoo.com if you wish to comunicate that way.

by the way there are under scores between ben lee and bauer.....the system underlines it making it impossiable to see.

:cheers:

[rs6w]

Originally posted by iconcls

You can live in your car, but you can't drive your house! :)


that is so true. I'd feel kind of guilty if I didn't already have a house and a large sum of $ invested before buying the RS6. (Probably wouldn't have done it...)

Ya live and learn.