So, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Paul, and I'm considering buying a new Audi A3 Quattro.

I checked all of the Audi dealerships within a three or so hour drive from Portland, OR, but there was not a single Quattro currently available. I decided to go down to my local dealer to at least check a FWD A3. I went down there but they did not have a single A3, except for a loaner car.

The salesperson let my wife and I go back in the service bay to look at the car- not drive it, just look. We looked for a few minutes and explained to the salesperson that we wanted to drive an A3 Quattro. The salesperson snickered and (smugly) said, "That will never happen!" I said, "Is your dealership unable to get one?" He replied, "We can order one, but you'll never be able to test drive a Quattro. Everyone sells their allotment before they get to the dealership." (I should add this was said as he was snickering- it was very odd.) My wife (who is VERY mild-mannered) then said, "Well it looks like we won't be seeing you again then," and walked out.

So, I'm curious is every single A3 Quattro owner buying this car without having driven it? That seems crazy to me, but perhaps that is reality?

Even if this car is highly desired, why is the salesperson act like a smug a-hole? Are these cars so hot the dealership can act like a jerk toward potential customers? I tend to think in this economy, people would be a little more open to at least letting someone TEST DRIVE a car.

This experience has definitely led me to question what dealing with Audi would be like after I bought their car. If they treat potential customers like this, how are they going to treat people that have already purchased a car? I like the things I have read about the A3, but every VW I have owned has been a complete and utter POS, so I'm wanting to have confidence in the car and the BRAND before I buy from Audi. This experience hasn't helped me, but perhaps I'm mistaken.

So, is this the reality or is there a problem with the dealer?

 

I am not very well rehearsed on the A3s, but as far as I know, they don't come with quattro at all. As for the a-hole at the dealership, I think you just ran into a bad apple. If it bothers you enough, a simple e-mail to the manager about the rude treatment by one of the employees may change a few things.

 

According to their website, they are definitely making a Quattro A3. I also saw one recently on the road.

Here is a little write-up about it. 2012 Audi A3 Rendered - Car News - Car and Driver

I may very well contact the dealership about this issue, but since I have never dealt with Audi, I wanted to check on this forum to find out if this is "business as usual" for this brand.

 

theyve been selling quattro a3s in the US for years, and yes, they are hard to come by. most are the 3.2L V6, but were also made in 2.0t quattro available in automatic only.

due to the relatively low sales volume of the models, it IS possible that dealers dont keep them on the lots due to the lack of demand. since the FWD models have much higher sales, thats what you will find on the lot. my guess is that practically all of the quattro a3s are special order, and are very rare to come by on a dealers lot.

 

It is not as if the A3 is selling like hotcakes, but instead it is the fact that AOA strictly limits the number of A3 imported to the US. Plus, without factory sponsored or subsidized leasing, A3's sales number will never go off the charts. It being a 'hatchback', but not one jacked up on stilts (as in SUVs) also doesn't help.

Without factory leasing, people showing up in the showroom, even if they lean toward the A3, when it comes down to number crunching time, when they find out they have to go to a 3rd party to get a lease, they will think WTF and sometimes balk. Given the vast majority of ppl lease 'luxury' cars instead of outright buying them, A3's sales goes nowhere.

The likelyhood of A3 buyers are not window shoppers or cross shoppers, where the dealer could persuade you to buy an Audi instead of a Toyoxus. Much of A3 buyers have settled on that 'obscure' car already by the time they go to the dealer.

 

We had a similar experience here in Minnesota. But without the smugness. We went to 3 different dealerships in the state and found no A3's. Each one told us they did not get any allotment to build and what few A3's they were designated to receive were sold long before they got to the dealership. When I asked how I would get one I was told I'd have to buy it and wait 6-8 months to get it. No way to test drive.

However my wife located a dealership in Dallas, TX that had a 2012 TDI. (She actually found a few A3's down south)We were visiting out daughter in Austin so it was a stroke of luck that we were able to pick it up. But they are somewhat rare in the sense that Audi is known for its higher end cars while the A3 is more of family type hatchback. Not a car I'd call luxury. On the outside that is. The interior is all Audi and quite nice.

Good luck in your search. The A3 TDI is only available in FWD while the gas is Quattro. That may change in 2015 but time will tell I guess.

 

Where do you live? I just purchased a new 2012 A3 (traded in my 2009) in December. I live in the greater Washington, D.C. area and visited 3 dealerships before purchasing. There is never a high stock of A3's at any dealership, but each one I visited had at least 2 on the lot. Maybe it is just where you live, but I did a search on autotrader with a 500 mile radius of Washington, D.C. for 2011-2012 A3 and it found at least 8 Quattro A3's. There were multiple "used" 2011's with less than 10K on the odo, and several new 2012 models.

The experience you had at the dealership is isolated (in my opinion). At least in my area, all of the Audi dealerships have very good customer service. I would most definitely write that dealership's sales manager and complain. Unlike other auto makers, Audi seems to actually listen to customers. Don't give up on the A3, its an excellent value. Now, what I would do is really ask yourself why you want Quattro? I decided on a FWD due to slightly better gas mileage and the fact that I wouldn't be driving the car on deeply snow covered roads.

 

I live in Portland, Oregon, but I did a search all over Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. There was 1 A3 available, 180 miles away and a front wheel drive only instead of the AWD, and it was a stick instead of an automatic. (We drove it anyway.) We liked the car, but it was really tough to get a feel for how it would be as an automatic and as an AWD car.

We talked to every dealer in Portland about ordering one, but we were told it would take "At least four months". Unfortunately our family can't wait four months. (A month or two would be fine, but we just can't go that long with one car.) We decided to move on.

 

I will say the other main dealer in Portland was fantastic to deal with, so I'm guessing it was more of an isolated incident with the first dealership.

 

In our short experience with Audi, and Audi Dealers (including researching via forums and review sites) there are a lot of arrogant dealers selling Audi, and Audi also does not seem to care about customers as well. See my post " Audi defects"

Or,

perhaps it is the new economic pressures causing all these dealerships to act like stereotypical used car salesmen, and arrogant asses.