Before I test drove anything, I pretty much (almost definitely) knew I wanted to get a Q3. Having had both good and meh experiences with dealerships in the past, I know that once you decide on the kind of car you want, picking the right dealer is absolutely crucial. The car, if not sitting on the lot, can be sourced from almost anywhere - but your negotiation, bottom line, and post-purchase experience are very dealer and sales representative-centric.
First impressions are everything - don't run up to my face, and don't ignore me until I exhibit "purchasing posture". Don't talk to me like I don't know what a car is. Also, please don't say "Ohhhh we'll get you to sign before you leave!" No, you will not.
I was lucky enough to walk into Audi Meadowlands and work with James Erlikh - the epitome of a car enthusiast, a no-nonsense, regular down-to-earth guy. My experience with him was very much great, in addition to, and as well as, awesome.
In my initial visit, we talked about the Q3 and I went on a test drive. I asked about 1,000 questions, and he was able to provide all of the answers. He helped evaluate my trade (2010 IS350) and we looked through the inventory to see if the package and color combination I wanted was available. It was, in PA. Cool. Noted.
Then I left.
Nobody glued me to the seats; nobody grabbed my leg and clung for dear life to get me to stay. I'm sure it's dealer 101 to "keep the customer in the dealership" but he had no issues with me leaving. I had one test drive left for the day - the NX350 at a Lexus dealership that shall remain nameless, which was a contender because I was trading in a Lexus so I figured I could snag a customer loyalty deal if I found the car to be even more amazing than the Q3. After the test drive, lowball trade offer, and easy decision to head back to Audi...I tried to leave, and i'm surprised I wasn't actually handcuffed to the seats or glued to the wall...but I did manage to get out.
...back to Audi! Let's make deal. The negotiations were no-nonsense, very upfront. I came in with reasonable expectations on sticker and trade, and James made it happen in less than 10 minutes. I came in with a monthly payment in mind, and he got it done for me. No games, no last minute additions, no "by the way...", just real, fair numbers.
We also worked in a price for the wheel/tire/ding/insurance (less than list) and I purchased Audi Care for service through 50k miles at a very reasonable price. So...I basically pay for nothing for the next few years. Love it. GO AUDI!
Soooo...I moved forward with the car in PA, I made my deposit, and that was that.
Except that wasn't that.
The dealership in PA (again, nameless) is bad at checking e-mails, super bad at listening to voicemails, so a full three days after I wrote my deposit check, the car was sold to someone else, despite James doing pretty much everything to get their attention, save for actually driving to PA to retrieve it himself.
Q3 inventory was (and still is) rather low, so James looked everywhere from Maine to Virginia, showing me what was available with all the options I wanted, just with different interior/exterior color combinations. He new I didn't want to settle. I knew I didn't want to settle. That was that.
I decided upon a Silver Q3 with brown interior and walnut trim from MA that is absolutely beautiful (I was on the fence about this particular combination and I engaged in a lot of back and forth e-mails and calls with James with really minor stupid questions). His replies were almost instantaneous, even outside of business hours - and talking on the phone was like talking to a friend.
He arranged for my car to be delivered via truck, and I took delivery a 12 or so days after purchase. I was moving this past weekend so I wanted my focus to be on that, not on filling up my new car with boxes, distracted from playing with all the buttons and maps and screens and fun.
I picked my new #silverbullet up a few days ago and had a very enjoyable time working with their finance manager - we arranged the final payment so that I was able to pay for the extras upfront and not finance them, and also paid for the tax upfront. We laughed, we joked, and I made very specific requests on the license plates I wanted (specific letters and numbers, if possible) for when they went to get them for me - yes I know, I'm weird, but apparently not the first person to make this request.
After the paperwork was done, James gave me the full tour of the car, and then I was on my way.
In the end, Audi Meadowlands was the perfect choice for me. The staff is extremely nice, and the "above and beyond" services they offer (they will pick up my car and drop off a loaner for me while I am at work when it needs service) are amazing.
I'll be back as regularly as my service schedule dictates, and mark this as the bar for all dealership experiences going forward.