RS6 - Canada order guide - HELP!

[2046]

Thanks for reading this thread, as I find that during my research this is the best RS6 forum with owners who are open minded and knowledgeable.

Today i got a call from my dealer - asking me to confirm the order. The basics are essentially like the 2003 US cars. briefly:

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2004 RS6 Canada 4B45EZ $109,000 CAD (xe.net conversion today: $85k USD $67k EUR)

colors: M.blue, A.Silver, Ebony, D.Gray, G.Green, M.Red
int: ebony/silver with all of the above.
options:
PWX - warm weather package $1525
7Q9 - Navi (CD) $1975
4X4 - rear side airbags $490
5TU - carbon fiber int trim $450
YRT - sound enh. exhaust system w/ blk tips $1400
Destination charge $600

+ $100 air con tax
+ $x dealer prep

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supposedly 85 cars now. feb/march production.

now, please help me:
i am driving a 2001 A6 4.2 with low mileage as a family car. other cars incl an m roadster and an m coupe. elise is on order but not confirmed for canada. resale/trade-in for the 4.2 is dismal.

option 1: RS6! trade in 4.2 = need to put in $70k+ CAD or $50k USD from a 01 to an 04 super A6.

option 2: 2005 M5 with european delivery end of the year. similar money with trade in 4.2.

RS6: For - useable power, quattro, traction, exclusiveness(?), stealthness, Cosworth(!).
Against - outdated and simple interior, 'old body style' in 6 months. looks of a $40k car by non-enthusiasts. a little too late for introduction.

M5: For - newer design in and out. power. european delivery.
against - debateable design. traction. questionable reliability of the V10.

not interested in the E55.

looking at what audi has done with the A8L, A8L W12, and previews of the 2005 A6, it seems like the newer gen of audi's are technologically advanced. also looking at the spy pics of upcoming MB S class, it seems that i-drive or MMI are here to stay. it's mostly fear that the RS6 will be dated outside in 6 months, and technologically in 2 years when the new RS6 comes out.

my question is, can someone please give me some insight as to why i want to pay this much money to get into the RS6 instead of the M5? I respect you all can give good recommendations. thanks in advance.

perhaps if i am so unsure, this is not the right car for me?
or, i will regret not getting an RS6?
:addict:

[nyrs6]

first of all in terms of USD i dont know canadian D you said that you will have to pay 50,000 USD to trade that means 35,000 USD you are getting for youre a6 the question is how many miles you have on the a6 so i dont know if you are getting a good deal or not.

2nd
you said maybe wait for the M5
depends if you are willing to wait from what i hear the M5 wont be coming for a year or so. one advantage the rs6 has over the M5 is allwheel drive and that could play a major role in cold states i could imagine canada has cold winters so the rs6 would probably be best

BTW you guys are getting a better deal youre rs6s will be 2004 and ours is 2003 ours realy should be 2004 consedering that it came out in the spring and that messes up the resale value

Just my opinon

[2046]

nyrs6 thanks for your input!
the a6 4.2 is about 25,000km or 18k miles perhaps. sport + premium + ...

rains all the time here (100+/365 days).
resale on the RS6 in canada is really questionable... any thoughts? i am scared looking at the first year unsold units in the US already or 2ndary market value (ref. that white RS6 in texas on ebay last month). :cry:

M5 release date - really i m in no hurry to trade in the 4.2. i have been waiting for the RS6 for so long... and it seems the wrong time to release this car.:bang:

[Erik]

With less than 90 cars coming to Canada it will be exclusive. :addict:

Regarding options I could only recommend special paint to make it more exclusive. Sprint Blue is a favourite of mine.
Now your salesman will probably tell you you can't get it.
You couldn't get it in the USA either, but still people have it...
I say if you want it you can get it. The factory can make it for sure.

I'm surprised they charge you extra for the carbon fibre trim. That option is standard in Europe. What is standard according to your papers?

I agree on the issues you bring forward, but the M5 is still very far away.

The RS4 was a limited edition, the RS6 is not. But with <90 cars it would actually be more exclusive than the RS4 ever was in Europe for instance. And the RS4 value has stood up pretty well around here.

And thanks for supporting RS6.com!

[RobertV]

I do not know what the cost or hassle would be, BUT my with the "extra" ones on the lots, you may make a great deal.
My suggestion is to get the RS6 now, you never know what the future will bring. Plus with all the rain you get, the M5 would be a handful to drive fast/agressively in the rain (you know how well your A6 does, compare that to a high HP rear wheel drive car.)

[avdh]

I read somewhere today that the new E60 (?) M5 will have 410 kW/560 bhp.

Great, but it's only a 2 wheel drive. How are going to handle that in the rain and the snow?

As for interiors, I have seen the new 5's and frankly I am not impressed with the front dash and the centre console. The RS6, which I do not think looks dated, looks far better.
Also the new 5's do not seems to have the same built quality as the C5 A6/S6/RS6's.

Just my 4 cents worth....

[2046]

erik, yes, it is going to be a rare sight to see an rs6, considering how many M5's or M3's there are in town. to be honest with you, i have doubts that they sell that many S6's here. the standard interior is leather, and poplar gray wood.

robertv, yeah, i thought about importing one with the exchange and good price, but the 2003 (and strangely 2004?) RS6 is listed as a non-admissible vehicle from the US on the RIV/Transport Canada list of cars. if pricing was a concern i am sure the dealer will be willing to deal by the end of the year, very much like the 800+ car situation in the US.

avdh, i absolutely agree with u. even 400hp+ driven by only 2 wheels on a sedan which carries my family does not seem 'safe'. and the build quality is really like 3 series instead of 7 series for the 5.

[Bauer]

2046-

Quite a decission you have to make here. I am going to be bias as I am an avid Audi fan. With that few cars in the country it will be VERY exclusive unlike the dime a dozen M5's and E55's. As far as traction there is NO comparison between AWD and RWD especaily with the power we are talking here.

For resale, well that has always been the big question. The only Audi that has done reasonably well is the RS4, you might have a good chance with such a limited number of cars....better than us in the US at least.

As for the styling and that only enthusiast would recognize the car. I can't tell you how many time people have approached me about the car. About a week ago....a guy on a beat up old schwinn bike who looked like he did not even own a car, road by staring at my RS6 and said "awsome car" . I doubt he was an enthusiast:D . Then last Thursaday I ran into the bank and when I came out, there were about 5 kids between 15 and 17 standing and looking at my car. One of the guys said "cool car" then the other asked how much it cost, I told him at which point he said "you want to trade cars".....I told him only if drove a Lambo:D . More peole recognize this car then I EVER thought would. It is the first car I have ever owned that gets so much attention....I am really not use to it.

Also, one other thing, have you seen the car in person yet? I looks way more agressive in person than in pics.

Lastly, if you search all over this board you will see almost the same response from all the owners. Quotes like " this car is amazing","I cant stop driving it","I am more impressed every day". Hell, we even had one member buy it, says he loves is but wished the styling looked a little newer. Then traded it in after about two to three weeks for a CLK 430....then took that back about two days latter saying he wanted his RS6 back. Dealer said sorry its gone, but we can sell you this new E55. He took the E55 and drove it for about a week or two and then went back to the Audi dealership and traded the E55 in for ANOTHER RS6. So when I say the car is addictive I MEAN IT...just look at almost all of the owners on this board. One way or another we have a problem with driving this car....we cant stop.

Anyway I am done ranting...sorry for the long post, but hope it helps with your decission....like I said I offer my car for a test drive:D

:cheers:

[nyrs6]

only 18000 miles and 35000 fro trade in edmunds.com reports that youre car is 28000 USD for trade in so u are getting a great deal good luck

[YS]

Recently, Mercedes, Audis and BMWs have lost about 50% of their original value in 3 to 4 years. (ie. S-class, 7 series, all Audis, etc.). This is evident in the lease buy back prices. The RS6 will not be different wrt. resale value for the following reasons IMHO:

1) New A6, RS6 coming.

2) Canada will not have 85 buyers for the RS6. Most buyers will be from Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Each of these cities will not have 20-25 buyers.

The demand for used RS6 will be low, hence, low resale price.

The present M5, held its value quite well until last year, and it is still difficult to find a used one at 50% of retail (ditto for the E55), eventhough the new E55 is out, and the new M5 is coming.

The price of driving any car is the difference between the purchase price and the resale price. So, some homework is required with each of these cars in order to find the best value (unless $ is no object).