RS4 $10,000 deposit?

[firewired]

Tell me if this sounds right to you all. I am on two lists for the RS4. #8 at my closest dealer who did not require a deposit to get on the list, and #7 two hours away that required $1000. Both are RS6 certified dealers. I obviously don't know how realistic my odds are of getting an allocation. Some say only two to three cars per dealer, others say a car or two a month per dealer. My salesman who placed me on the list, just left with some sort of bad feelings, and is working for the Porsche dealership the same day. My file was given to the internet sales-manager who called to let me know, and that he verified my place on the list. One thing that he mentioned, and that I have never had to do for any other high end car I have purchased, was that at the time of ordering they were going to want a $10,000 deposit. Does this sound out of line for a limited production vehicle like the RS4? It really puts a bad taste in my mouth, and I wondered if this is normal.

Thanks for any insights.

[rheudabaga]

1000 to hold my spot and that's it. no additional money to order. i think they're trying to manipulate you. $.02

[SoCal]

I agree. $10k deposit to hold a spot on the list sounds way off. Should be $1,500 max in my experience, if any deposit is needed at all.

There is no need to buy from a dealer that gives you a bad feeling...there are other dealers out there who are fair with whom you can build a relationship.

[Benman]

This is only my $.01, but here goes...

When I first was on the list for the RS 6, there was no list. :D That is how long ahead of time, I was prepared. At the time, zero deposit was required. Not a single penny. However, as the months went by (9 to be exact), the dealer (who will not be mentioned) told me that now they were not so sure that they would even receive any Rs 6s since AOA had certain "requirements" of all dealers who wished to receive the RS 6 (read...:deal: $$$).

Sooo.... having wasted the better part of an entire YEAR at the very top of one dealers "list" without a deposit got me nowhere. Now I had to find another dealer that I could "squeaze" onto the list.

The dealer I went with was Advantage Audi (they were then bought by another dealer, so no longer exist) and they, unlike the first dealer I was at, wanted a deposit. $5000.00 to be exact. This was a new experience for me. Like you, that sounded like a serious commitment on my part. But then I started to think. My first dealer didn't ask for a single penny, but I got squat. This dealer is now asking for $5K and I'll be all the way back at the freakin 6th spot (those 9 months of waiting to tell me that they weren't getting any RS 6s didn't pay off:( ) and like you I was also hearing the "We might only get 3 or 4 cars per dealer" story. But the dealer I was now going to be at assured me that my deposit will get me an RS 6. No matter what.

I also reasoned that the deposit was fully refundable. And if I was going to get the car anyway, then what is the big deal about the deposit. Spend now, spend later, same difference. One other thing the deposit assured me of, is that in writing, I would not pay one penny of mark up (a practice other dealers were engaging in as can be clearly seen by going down to most current BMW dealeships at looking at the out the door price of the new M5!!!!!).

Bottom line, if you don't really know for a fact that you are going to get the RS 4, then heck no, don't pay a deposit of any amount! Just stay at the 6th or 7th or whatever spot you are now at. If however, you are 100% absolutely positive (like I was) that you are going to get the car, and that it will gauranty you zero markup, then yeah go ahead. Only you can answer that.:cheers:

Ben:addict:

[firewired]

Benman and everyone else, thank you for your responses. I just spoke to the sales manager today. He said they are only going to ask for the deposit at the time they are assured of an allocation for me, and when I actually place my order for the car. He said the intent of the deposit was to minimize speculators buying the car only to flip it for profit. I have know the sales manager from when he was at the local Porsche dealership, and he agreed that $10K was too much. Just glad I am on the list at another dealership as a back up.

[Audihead]

I'm #1 at my dealership. They asked for $1K at that time. They also said at the time of ordering they will be asking for more of a deposit. This is a normal proceedure. Try ordering a high end AMG without it. They will laugh you out of the showroom. My dealer, i believe sold the second most RS6's in the country. Upwards of 13 or 15. They should be getting a nice alotment of RS4's. But in the end it's like Benman said, "
Only you can answer that. "

:rs4addict

[nene]

If your intentions are to really get the car, what is your beef? It's not as if they are asking for you pay the full car up front, and the deposit is refundable.

I do agree that $10K sounds a bit high, and the dealer may be going this route to get only real potential buyers. They may have had some bad experiences with RS6 wannabe owners. If you are really going to get the car, I say go for it...even for $10K.

Keep in mind that with small deposit required, many folks can get in line, and try to sell their spot to someone else to make money, and never actuall have intentions to buy the car. If you were behind 5 of these sort of folks, I'd say you have more reason to complain.

[steffenr]

personally i think 1-10K is pocket change to pay as the downpayment for an ltd. car, and if it is refundable i can't see the problem.

just my 0.12 d.kr.:D

[Erik]

I hate deposits. :vgrumpy:

[firewired]

I spoke to the sales manager who agreed 10K was out of line. He stated they wanted to put a significant enough deposit at the time that you actually place the order to limit speculators from ordering, so they just won't be buying it to flip it.