New Country Audi, Greenwich, CT
I am a NYC resident who really shopped around for my new A4. I went to five dealerships, dressed way down, and here's what I found:
Anchor in Lynbrook -- dealer spent a lot of time taking care of other people's business in front of us before even acknowledging we were sitting there. We were sent to test drive in a 2002 dealer car, not a new 2003 model.
Zumbach in Manhattan -- nothing bad to report, but they didn't seem to be real hungry for the business, although I did get a follow-up call. Sample lease rates seemed to be much higher than other dealers. Test drives in Manhattan are difficult. You don't get a good feel for a car -- you go short distances and get stuck in traffic. Usually you have to make an appointment in advance at a Manhattan dealer for a test drive.
Life Quality in Brooklyn -- This is the latest incarnation of the dealership where I got my current Jetta. Another Website gave a bad report about the service department; attitude of the service department for me has been one extreme or the other; service department is located far away from the dealership so I don't feel I have the support of the sales force in getting my problems taken care of. Dealer was extremely knowledgeable about the A4 and helped convince me not to get a BMW 3-series. I asked to take the test car on an expressway to see how whiney it was at high speed. We were only allowed to drive a measly 1/4 mile or so on the expressay!
Storms Motors in Southampton -- This dealer was very patient with me as I went on a total of five test drives. Dealer was a no-bullsh*t kind of guy, which I appreciated. Lease prices were pretty good. Downside is they sell many other makes of cars, including Saab and Jeep, leading me to wonder if my car would be serviced by an Audi-dedicated mechanic. Dealer is also a considerable distance from my home, ca. 95 miles.
New County Audi in Greenwich, CT -- this is the dealer I ultimately went with. While this was partly based on price, the dealer really went the extra mile to show us the benefits of the Audi on our test drive. He also didn't condemn other car manufacturers like some other dealers did, showing he was secure about the car he was selling and at the same time validating the other brands I was considering. Same dealer helped us on a second visit just before closing time, taking us on another test drive after the dealership closed and was gettting in trouble for not closing up. We went back and ordered the car a couple of weeks later, again near closing time, and as I was filling out the application and giving them a deposit, other dealers were shutting off the lights -- pretty rude. We completed the deal in the dark, for which my dealer apolgize profusely! New Country is also supposedly the world's biggest Audi dealer. We'll see how it goes from here when my car comes in at the end of the month.
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"We need more Calgon..."
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