Unfortunately, the last thing I expected happened and I totaled my leased Audi A4 2019 (508$/12k/zero down) which I really loved a lot and was thinking of keeping. Geico settlement was 34k and car buyout was 28k but since Audi are the “owner” they said that they will not refund me the difference. Now I’m left without a car in a very rough market with a very small car inventory in my area.
I’m mainly looking for a German sedan car for < 600$ a month with 0 down and Audi were like no way we’re gunna do this. My local BMW had a very nice 330i loaner with 4k miles on it for 600$/mo but they backed out last second because “they have to keep a minimum amount of loaner cars at dealership”. Now BMW Atlanta seem to have some nice 330i loaners that may fit the budget of < 600$. What do you guys think, is it worth the travel to Atlanta (3 hours away) or should I buy a used cheap car for a couple months until I secure a better deal from my local BMW? (Audi are unlikely to have a good deal any time soon)
Yeah I heard that Progressive is different from Geico in this matter and they issue checks to the leaser. Also contracts in CA can be different. Glad you’re safe. Totaling a car is the last thing we expect but I’m happy that my Audi kept me so safe.
As others have said, three hours is not a long drive at all(I drove one car 15 hrs - it was a fun drive), but I would go through a LH broker instead because you can definitely do better than $600 a month with zero down on 3 series.
Stellarauto (as an example) has a 60k 530 demo available for 630 bucks a month with absolutely nothing down/0DAS.
I mean the do own the car… You are just renting it from them so I would expect that they are entitled to receive the settlement that restores them to whole.
3 hours is not that long of a drive if its a good car and you are sure of the deal. It would suck for you to go down there and them to pull dealer crap on you.
If Audi is entitled to the entire payment, even the overage, can you request Audi turn over the wrecked vehicle so you can part the car out? I have no idea if this is possible, but basically via insurance you are buying the car out.
It’d be very hard to go from a well optioned German car like the A4 down to a Hyundai. I went the other way and can’t imagine going back to a Genesis car. OP also specifically mentions he loved the A4 enough that he was planning on buying it out. In this market, you probably just have to take what you can get, though I personally think Hyundai sedans are a pretty hard sell.
