Project: B7 A4 Avant

[Apoc]

2.0 turbo 4 cyl, automatic

 
stahp, you're better than that

[.RJ]

The price puts me off more than the automatic gearbox. I also think its a bit of a novelty that would wear off within 6 months and I'd regret everything while holding a larger car note than I'd like and smashing my left foot through the floorboard.

Gonna take a 2nd look at a VW Alltrack I think. APR sells an ECU upgrade that pairs with the GTI turbocharger, which bolts in.

[.RJ]

Gonna take a 2nd look at a VW Alltrack I think.  APR sells an ECU upgrade that pairs with the GTI turbocharger, which bolts in.

And also a mini clubman.... if you believe the specs it has more cargo volume than my A4 did 

[Apoc]

New Clubmans are nice and they're definitely bigger than the one we had, but the trunk is still pretty small... noticeably smaller than an F31 trunk. They're not worth the price, IMO.

[.RJ]

New Clubmans are nice and they're definitely bigger than the one we had, but the trunk is still pretty small... noticeably smaller than an F31 trunk. They're not worth the price, IMO.

Interesting.  Going by the spec the volume is more for the new clubman than the E91.  Gonna go check one out and see what the tape measure says.

[Apoc]

The F31 and the new Clubman are identical at 17.5 cubic ft, but BMW was way more usable. It feels like the space is less tall, but wider and deeper in the 328. I didn't measure it and I'm too lazy to look up dimensions, but a stroller fit much better in our car. In the Clubman, we could get the stroller in, but the only way to put something else in was to stack on top of it and (potentially) block the rearview mirror.

[ViPER1313]

Any love for the Porsche Cayenne? If you are hunting for things that are unobtainable, a 2009/2010 Cayenne GTS w/ a 6 speed manual does exist... somewhere.

[.RJ]

DJ & Jake said they were garbage.

[.RJ]

The F31 and the new Clubman are identical at 17.5 cubic ft, but BMW was way more usable. It feels like the space is less tall, but wider and deeper in the 328. I didn't measure it and I'm too lazy to look up dimensions, but a stroller fit much better in our car. In the Clubman, we could get the stroller in, but the only way to put something else in was to stack on top of it and (potentially) block the rearview mirror.

Supposedly the Alltrack is listed with cargo volume of 30.4/66.5 cubic feet.  No way it was nearly twice as large as the F31 I looked at.  And the new GTI is listed at 22.8/52.7, and I am pretty sure its not 25% bigger than the F31, or my old A4.

I'm just going to disregard all of these numbers because none of them make any goddamn sense.  Gonna do some more car shopping after I get back from chicago this weekend.  

This is stupid.  I still want a manual E91.

[.RJ]

Car sales guys are the worst

RJ: Can I get the 0% financing *AND* the special VW internet price?
Sales guy: Let's talk about your trade in, are you trading in a car? We can work to get you the best price if we know the trade in!
RJ: Dont worry about that for now, can I get the 0% financing *AND* the special VW internet price?
Sales guy: Well the price is inclusive of all rebates and incentives, come in and talk to our finance guy to get the best rate, we're awesome!
RJ: Third time's a charm, my credit score is 800+ can I get the 0% financing *AND* the special VW internet price?
Sales guy: Oh you dont qualify for all the incentives so I dont know what the price would be

I assume this is the same nonsense Scotty dealt with.

I'm guessing some of the "incentives" are you must trade in a car and get pummeled by a 6.9% financing deal

[Jake]

DJ & Jake said they were garbage.

They're not like, super hot garbage. Just kinda cramped inside, weird ergonomics from the driver's seat, and 405 hp out of the GTS didn't really feel like it. The 385 hp N/A Range Rovers I drove felt quicker. Handled well enough. I just had a hard time getting excited about the one I drove.

[JPolen01]

I'm guessing some of the "incentives" are you must trade in a car and get pummeled by a 6.9% financing deal

I thought we already established they won't give 0% and the internet price. Also if your credit score is 800+ just take the internet price and finance through your own source. Your rate is going to be low anyway.

[.RJ]

I'm guessing some of the "incentives" are you must trade in a car and get pummeled by a 6.9% financing deal

I thought we already established they won't give 0% and the internet price. Also if your credit score is 800+ just take the internet price and finance through your own source. Your rate is going to be low anyway.

VW's got a revolving carnival of incentives and they still have 2017's sitting on the list, so who knows.  If they answer is "no, cant do both" then hey, cool, no problem, let me know what you can do.  But just answer the fucking question.

I asked for an OTD price at either cash or 0% financing, but I dont expect he'll answer that one either. If I was sitting in the dealership having this conversation I'd have started throwing things at them by now.

---

I asked for an OTD price at either cash or 0% financing, but I dont expect he'll answer that one either. 

Lulz, "let me forward this to the sales manager".

Aaaaaand we're done.

[Apoc]

I'm guessing some of the "incentives" are you must trade in a car and get pummeled by a 6.9% financing deal

I had to call my local dealer's bluff and they came back with a "we have negotiated deals with certain employers, who do you work for?" I got the impression that was how they sold the price to whoever is in charge and/or recorded the sale. I did not trade in a car and I got 2.49% as part of the purchase, but the actual loan is with a local credit union.

I personally think 0% isn't worth fighting for because the prices are already pretty freaking low. 2.5% on a 15k loan amounts to like 50 cents a day in interest.

[.RJ]

My CU offers 2.39% on new cars for 60 months so I'm not to worried about it. If I can use someone else's money for free for 5 years I'm all over it, but, 2.39% over 60 months is $1700 over the life of the loan, just need to factor that into whatever they're offering.

[ScottyB]

I assume this is the same nonsense Scotty dealt with.

I'm guessing some of the "incentives" are you must trade in a car and get pummeled by a 6.9% financing deal

you poor bastard.  i tried to warn you.

it wasn't that i was pissed about the incentive qualifications, or the fact that they were purposefully vague about the 0%/internet price being exclusive of one another - its that EVERY SINGLE VW sales assoc that i talked to (close to 12 in total) played the same waste-of-time "why don't you just come on into our showroom and we'll tell you how much you'll saaavveeee" game.  nobody would just be like, yeah we can put you in a GTI at that price, or nope sorry here's the best we can do.  i didn't parse words...i said upfront that i needed to be in a car in X days and here's the OTD price i can pay...but still nobody would just work with me. it was a Yes or No freakin question, this isn't hard. 

i should really do a writeup on the whole experience + negotiating with my insurance to get the settlement i got.  it was a couple weeks of real bullshit.

[.RJ]

I got passed over to the sales manager who worked up a price quote and sent it to me in an email, no hassle. $22,900 for a base model Alltrack OTD, irrespective of the financing, i.e. bring my own or bring a check for it or sort it out later. So I have at least one data point and something in writing.

The no internet price AND 0% baffles me a little, because, I'm assuming VW gives them some kind of spiff for signing customers up for it.

---

DJ & Jake said they were garbage.

They're not like, super hot garbage. Just kinda cramped inside, weird ergonomics from the driver's seat, and 405 hp out of the GTS didn't really feel like it. The 385 hp N/A Range Rovers I drove felt quicker. Handled well enough. I just had a hard time getting excited about the one I drove.

They're also out of my budget for a nice one.  For $30-35k I'm buying something different that doesnt result in a 4-figure bill every time I need to go to the parts counter.

[.RJ]

Still blogging.

Mini is out, too small. Interior is a hot mess of buttons, switches, levers, dials, shapes and plastic. Seriously its awful, it was designed by a kid in a car design studio.

Drove a different Alltrack @ Lindsay VW, this one didnt feel broken. Steering feel still is completely numb and non-existent, could maybe lower it and get some better tires or new wheels. Its slow, but I can install the GTI turbo & APR tune on it to solve that. The cargo space is still the best for the money. I also drove a new GTI.... fuck me, thats a nice car, just gonna be too small. I wish I had the GTI power & everything else with the Alltrack cargo storage in the back, that would be the ultimate car.

Got a quote on the base model of $22.5k OTD, and the next step up is $27.5k OTD and $5k buys you a big sunroof, keyless doors/ignition, and nicer stereo. I dont think all that is worth $5k, and at $27.5k I think I'd rather have the newer bmw 328 m-sport wagon, even with the autotragic.

I'm giving myself to the end of the month to find a suitable E91, and if no dice I think I'm buying an Alltrack now, and something else next year, maybe a 2nd gen Audi TT.

[SlimKlim]

In all honestly though, are you really gonna drop 23-large on a brand new car, then shit all over the warranty by throwing a few grand in mods at it? I get the space restrictions with the GTI, but it sounds like you're on the verge of spending more-than-GTI-money to attempt to build something that probably won't drive as well as the GTI in the end, and also won't have any warranty coverage.

[.RJ]

In all honestly though, are you really gonna drop 23-large on a brand new car, then shit all over the warranty by throwing a few grand in mods at it? 

Dunno.  Maybe.

I'd probably just start with the APR stage 1 tune and go from there.  The sales manager also suggested it too, said they dont really care about those for warranty service.