I got tired of waiting for the new NSX so decided the R-8 would be neat as my first new sportscar. Went to DFW Audi about 8 months ago to secure one and was told to put my name on their list. I went by last month to check up on the status, They could not find my name but told me to call the person responsible for the list which I did. He said he could not find my name but the Manager would call me. I went to Boardwalk to see how they were doing it; $5k deposit secures a spot, in order, at MSRP but they had a 2 year wait. DFW manager calls and was told my name was not on any list. When asked about availability and price he waffled. When I told him of Boardwalk's procedure he accuses me of "shopping". I am going to trust them ?!?! Basically had the feeling they are going to auction the cars off to high bidder. If I had known how this was going to be handled by these inept people and had gone to Baoardwalk initially, I would have had a secure spot and would have had one of the first in the area.
That DFW Audi B.S. is similar to, but still significantly better than Boardwalk Ferrari's behaviour. By a long way, at least so far. Ask them if you need to buy a two-year old A6 at 50% over new MSRP before they'll actually put you on the list AND keep you there without bumping you several more times. Then, you have a comparison.
David, did you secure anything with a deposit with Baillargeon? Regardless of that man that sucks. Me thinks a certain former employee will be sure to give you a review of their business practices.
I could have sworn putting down a $1k deposit but my accountant (wife) cant find a record. Without that its my word vs theirs. With it; Atourney time. Dealers have to put up a big fee and be approved to get the right to sell the car. Next stop; Audi USA If for nothing else to allert them to DFWs happy ways.
I do not know who the current manager is there but I can tell you that Bobby Baillargeon has no idea how to run a highline dealership. After being with BMW for 17 years, 11 as a GSM or GM and three years with FoD and developing a large following of past clients who would follow me wherever I went, I almost went bankrupt while working there. He thinks he knows how to sell highline but tries to accomplish it the way he sold Fords. He might have been an excellent Ford dealer but as an Audi dealer he left a lot to be desired. I came to him with many years of highline sales and management and he would not listen to a word I suggested. I was able to obtain the Audi R8 that ran at Lemans for the grand opening. Not only was I not given any credit for it arriving, I was told to stay away from it because I had no experience with high performance equipment. This after being involved with Risi Comp with the 333SP and 360 Challenge and 360GT. And after being one of the few in the US who has spent several days behind the wheel of a McLaren F1. Nope, I know nothing about high performance. If I had any knowledge of your thinking about going there I would have definitely recommended going somewhere else. I love the new Audi's but would buy a KIA before buying anything there. I actually got out of the car business because of the terrible experience I had there. I am now thinking about getting back in in a small way. Maybe, if I do, I could help you locate the car you are looking for. Just in the thinking stages now, but it could happen........... I hope it turns out well for you.
James; Too late for an initial R-8 for me. Sooo... I went down to the Lotus dealer and put a deposit, the first in DFW, on the New Esprit. I actually like the preliminary looks better.
Very cool. Let me know when it arrives. I am sure Writerguy will want the 2nd drive, after you........
I know of an R8 allocation for Fall that's unspoken for if you're interested (no, I'm not getting anything out of it...). They want a few over list though, at least that's what the salesman knew as of last week.
Man......I know how you feel. I went through the same thing with a local Subaru/Suzuki/Lincoln-Mercury/Mazda dealer. Left a comfortable spot where I had been for 10 years to be this guys GM....Only to find out he was NUTS! Thanks for the warning on Baillargeon....Best to learn from the mistakes of others.
I can get you on our list, the wait, for now appears long, but there is ALWAYS attrition, and it does appear, the ONLY way to get one of these cars, is to get on a list, or pay way over list, which I wouldn't advise. There are only 200 coming to the US this year, 400 next, 800 the following, with a 1000 unit cap in year 4. This could always change, but as of two weeks ago, this was still the plan. NOT every dealer is going to be an R8 dealer, and I suspect one of the three locally will NOT make it, perhaps that is one of the reasons for the trouble you are having, if I can help, PM me, be glad to help.
Greg Minor at Boardwalk Ferrari was sales manager for him for a short time, emphasis on short time. He left as soon as he figured out what was happening......nothing.............I left right after Greg did.
I have 5 Audis and race 2 of them (big parts consumptions) and can add nothing else but endorse your clearly knowledgable opinion. Audis in the US are largely sold by dealers whose qualification to be such is a financial one alone and few have any enthusiasm for the product. I have ordered my R8 through http://www.criswellaudi.com/ because of the excellent experience I have had with these guys and their participation in ACNA where the owners are members and track the cars on the East Coast.
Don Istook came out and talked to me about participating at Daytona with him in some way. I went to Bobby with it and he poofooed the idea saying that racing did nothing to further the image. Duh,,Audi,,,no racing image............ Don became a pretty good friend and actually helped me get the Lemans car there. We brought out one of his cars also and put it on display in the shop during the grand opening. Funny thing....the two race cars drew more interest during the opening than the new Audis....."Racing does nothing to further the image of the car"......right!!!!!!!!!!!11
Colin - congrats on getting the R8. I sat in one this weekend in Sebring - very nice car. They had one on the track just prior to the race with the tt coupe and a few others. What color did you order? Carol
David- I highly recommend that you get involved with the North Texas Lotus Group...as a fellow Lotus owner, I can tell you there are numerous stories of people having problems with the local Lotus dealer that sound frighteningly similar to your experience with the Audi dealer! Plus, they are the only game in town for service. Frances
AudiGuy, After reading about your experience with the aforementioned Audi dealer I think a name change is in order...Unless you still love the breed. That being said, were you referring to Mr. Beales F1 when he had at the old FoD on Central? p
Actually there is many a slip...my car is not scheduled for delivery until the end of 2008 and I hear that intitial deliveries are slipping because of some TUV and supplier issues. Not that I care how long I wait but there are no prices yet. Mine is spec'd in a metallic dark blue which is a custom color ordered through Audi Tradition who handle my SQ parts and service needs.
Both Don and I have a fairly dim view of the Audi compeition perspective in the US but frankly its not entirely the fault of the dealers or Audi USA. The effect of the UA/60 mins debacle was devastating and still not forgotten at Ingolstadt. The economics of the business went south in 6 months to such an extent that plans were put in place to start shutting down Audi in the US. The resulting low mar numbers of cars sold made it impossible to align any marketing strategy with racing unlike BMW whose lease and sales volumes could afford it. Furthermore MB has stayed out of the racing business in the US too. So along with the trategy of aligning Audi with better finnish, design and technology along with the safety of quattro, the whole network has been going after the MB image at a better price point than the BMW one. Allied with the allocated cost of ALMS events, this has left little for the playthings that are used in Speed, SCCA or Grand Am. With that said they have participated in all 3 series since my A4 was entered in Garand Am in 1997. The first events they entered after the cleaned up at IMSA and post UA. So some dealers can afford to get with the racing program because ALMS comes to their neighborhood and others do not care. Now Mazda is where you want to go if you want factory "interest" - whole different story there.
I really do need to change it. Right after I left there I came on F/C and asked everyone what I should change to but have been busy elsewhere and have never gotten it done. I sound kind of hypocritical here don't I? I spent 17 years at BMW and left there as the North American Product Knowledge champion when I moved to Ferrari where I stayed for almost four years. I was only with Audi for one year and that was enough for me. Prior to BMW I had worked in the grocery industry for 17 years with Safeway and had time to race a couple of years professionally back in the 70's for Kawasaki in M/X (previous lifetime, it seems)...... Yes, he is a friend of mine. He let me have the car for three days and said "have fun". I had it before FoD had it for the day. I helped arrange the one day swap with the F50. Bill, Mike, Steve and Danny loved getting to drive it. So did I..... Maybe it is time for a change. Any suggestions?????
I like that. I was thinking something like the way I used to sign the red license plate tags I would put on the new car purchases I sold, "Another Dunne Deal". What do ya'll think of that. Gotta get rid of "Audiguy" tag.........
