The very common RS6

[2manycars]

I have been noting with much chagrin that there are numerous RS6's available. Virtually every dealer has at least two on thier lot, and it appears anyone who wants an RS6 can, within a 30 mile radious, find any color, or option package they want. I have also noticed from several posts on th eother board, that the cars are now selling for as little as 1 thousand over invoice.

This of course leads me to the depressing thought that this cars resale value will be worse than even the usual low value Audis seem to garner.

I must say, I am seriously questioning whether purchasing this car with the idea that it would retain a high resale, was a terrible mistake.

To end on a positive note.......The car does drive and handle wonderfully, and even my wife likes it.

[rs6w]

I guess that's never been something I've thought about in buying a car.

Hey I promised my wife I would keep this one for awhile.
So it's not going anywhere for a long time. I'll have to keep it at least as long as she's had her car.

If you're buying a car because of possible resale value, buying new is probably not the way to go....

[peterb]

Originally posted by rs6w
Hey I promised my wife I would keep this one for awhile.
So it's not going anywhere for a long time. I'll have to keep it at least as long as she's had her car.

You're better off than I am then! My wife says I'm not to buy another car - ever! :vsad2:

I know that I reach 50 before the end of this year, but I hope that I still have a few years of driving in front of me.

[iconcls]

We all got buggered by AoA when they didn't stick to the original allocation number.

Still love the car though and no regrets.

[TheBrit]

My dealer tells me that RS 6 prices are going through a little lull at the moment, but he expects them to stabilise a little more next year when new car supply dries up and the demand for 2nd user picks up.

The problem appear to be that the waiting list for new vanished, and the price difference between new and used was so low, it made sense for people to buy new.

Perhaps the same thing will happen in the US once the new car stock is gone from the forecourts?

[Alan]

Anybody see the Performance Car of the Year edition of CAR. They found the E55 to be dismal. But boy, is it ever a hot car with regard to sales. Go figure.

[Bauer]

Just goes to show you that the masses are a$$es. A bunch of sheep that are fools for following. also, sadly it shows most Americans are into image........not much else because if they wernt there would not be a waiting list for the E55 based upon reviews. Just my 2cents

[ksurg]

I'm selling my C4S to buy the RS-6. The whole car market is soft. My "it will be worth just as much in 3 years 'rare' C4S" has depreciated at least $20-25K in 18 months. As for the RS-6 I've ordered, I'm to expect to pay full MSRP( it's now built and in transit). Well I'll try to get the best deal I can but life is too short to let residuals get in the way of happiness. Keep in mind that many M5 and E55 owners, especially in California, paid $5-30K above MSRP. Sort of puts a twist on the whole residual concept. Trust your senses, the RS-6 in worth every penny.

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by ksurg
Trust your senses, the RS-6 in worth every penny.

I didn't always agree with this, but I'm beginning to think you're right.

Although the base price of the E55 (the only direct RS6 competitor at the moment IMO) starts about $7K lower in the U.S., the Audi has more standard equipment -- so by the time they are similarly equipped, the difference shrinks to around $2K.

And if you add AWD ... oops, can't get it in the E55! That alone makes the RS6 worth at LEAST $2K more. Some here have said they would pay $10K more if they had to, to get AWD, which adds a safety factor that I consider to be mandatory with so much power.

There's also the cache factor. Often I feel like I'm driving a celebrity -- not a passenger; the car itself! Is that happening with the E55, which is getting whipped by the RS6 in most magazine comparison tests here?

As for resale, it's too early to tell & will always be a little tricky to generalize because there are relatively few of them in our very large country & demand seems to vary from one region to another. I realize there are a lot of RS6s on the market now, but for those of us who don't plan to sell for a while, conditions in a year or three are much more important -- and difficult to predict.

As stated in a post above, tho, if depreciation is a big concern, buying used makes a lot of sense. And who knows -- maybe the E55 will do better than the RS6 in resale. The surprise would be if it doesn't, since Mercedes traditionally has done better than Audi in resale value.

[2manycars]

The oher potential problem wit the car is the fact that it is a 2003. It would appear many dealers will have "leftover" RS6's going forward. I wonder how many people when weighing the E55 against the RS6 will consider the fact that the RS6 is a full model year old now? As far as my white RS6 goes, who knows perhaps when it comes time to trade it (something I do far to frequently), the special order color will help the numbers-of course it could do the reverse as well.

Keep in mind i am an idealistic pessimist so these comments are based somewhat on my wanting the best, but always waiting for the worst!

[Mal]

It doesnt help though that they did not stick to their stated allocation. In the UK they originally stated that they would only sell 600 cars. But they discarded that and have sold as many as they can.

Its a bit short sighted really as Audi residuals in the UK are not good except for the limited editions such as the RS4 which still sells for 75% of its original price nearly four years later.

It wont help customers to be loyal if they state one thing and then change it so that it effects everyones finances.

Still I love the car and if it was worth nothing after 3 years I would still be happy with it.

[Bauer]

Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the RS6 and would not trade it for anyother car...ok maybe a Bugatti Veryon . The car is everything I want and more.....it is just amazing to me that people are so concerned with image which is the only conclusion I can come up with. If ALMOST EVERY car magazing preferrs the RS6 to the E55 why would you buy it? I know there is the argument that the person has loyalty to the manufacturer, which I TOTALY understand(see history of cars owned ). But you can't tell me that Merc has so many loyal followers that know the history of the manufacturer and attend auto races. Most Merc owners I know are not very intrested in the racing heritage or history of the make. please note I said most not all there is always a core group which is my point, outside of that core group.....it is really image and that is it.

I guess if we want good residuals we need to follow the masses....I personally would rather take the hit on depreciation and get what I want.....not what I think my neighbor thinks is cool.

just my 2 cents

[JAXRS6]

[i]I personally would rather take the hit on depreciation and get what I want.....not what I think my neighbor thinks is cool.[/B]

Good point -- and I suspect most RS6 owners agree; I certainly do. But this still raises an issue of credibility for Audi.

Next time, who will believe them when they promise limited production? I sure won't, and they'd best not even bring up the subject unless their numbers are promised in writing as part of my contract.

Which won't happen, of course. Which means whatever price Audi charges for the next vehicle I might want, that price must reflect inherent vehicle value rather than be based on any limited production number whatsoever.

Yes, I love the car too, but Audi snookered me a little with the price on this one. Their failure to follow through on the promised exclusivity of the RS6 has destroyed my trust of AoA on the subject of production numbers. Period.

[Finnus]

Does anyone have an actual count of RS6s that will be imported to the US? I think a lot of people backed out based on sticker shock, leaving a lot of RS6s in showrooms. My dealer had an allocation of 8 with at least 2 buyers backing out.

I think its a combo of importing more & selling less. Otherwise, it seems we're just speculating on how much AofA porked us with the "limited edition" BS.

Finnus

[Bauer]

I think its a combo of importing more & selling less. Otherwise, it seems we're just speculating on how much AofA porked us with the "limited edition" BS.

Agreed......Once the year is done with I would suspect that we should be able to dig up some numbers. Then we can see if we have been snookered. I do know that many of the cars were realocated to other dealers that were selling more. This may have changed the perception of how many cars were sent in to the states.

[Bauer]

I think its a combo of importing more & selling less. Otherwise, it seems we're just speculating on how much AofA porked us with the "limited edition" BS.

Agreed......Once the year is done with I would suspect that we should be able to dig up some numbers. Then we can see if we have been snookered. I do know that many of the cars were realocated to other dealers that were selling more. This may have changed the perception of how many cars were sent in to the states.

[Marcus Frost]

Let's also not forget marketing. The E55 AMG has quite a big marketing force behind it. The whole "beast" thing really draws attention to the cars, and the whole AMG line has people taking notice of MB's potential. The RS6 is a relative unknown in this country except amongst enthusiast circles, whereas the E55 is rapidly gaining fame.

I still prefer the RS6 because of three letters: AWD.

-m

[Benman]

Originally posted by Bauer
Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the RS6 and would not trade it for anyother car...ok maybe a Bugatti Veryon .

I guess if we want good residuals we need to follow the masses....I personally would rather take the hit on depreciation and get what I want.....not what I think my neighbor thinks is cool.

just my 2 cents

Well said. And let's not forget that the car IS rare. Although as Finnus points out no one still has an actuall count, the # seems to be @1100-1200 cars TOTAL to the U.S. Now considering that MB of America plans to import @3000-5000 E55 the first 12 calendar months and the same # each year for @3 years we can conclude that the RS 6 is WAAAAYYYYYYYYY more rare of a machine than the E55. The M5 (old body style) has @ 10000 alltogether in the states since its intro, NEARLY 10 TIMES AS COMMON as the RS 6.

But as Bauer says, it's about getting what YOU want NOT what other guys want you to have.

Ben