Speaking of A8s

[Tom Nas]

At 17:18 19-8-01 -0400, TM wrote:
>Thanks for your words of warning. The evidence of crash damage would
>kill the deal if a used A8 is seriously under consideration. If it got
>down to the nitty-gritty, I would have the local A8 collision experts
>take a close look at the car as well as my own mechanics and possibly
>another dealer mechanic- I'm not screwing around with a $50k used car
>purchase.

Getting it inspected is a very good idea, also look closely for trim 
falling off. The A8 is less than stellar in this department- I've driven a 
few in which the ashtray refused to close, for instance.

>As for the complexity of the systems in the car, it would be no different
>in that regard from the A6 or similar Benzes, BMWs, Lexi or Infinitis.
>It seems as though the newer German cars are far better than the early
>models w/ lots of electronics- the 8 series BMW is a much less
>electronically reliable car than the new Audis, from what I've heard.

Are those as cheap used as they are here? The 8-series doesn't seem to hold 
its value very well here in Holland...
It's not the reliability of the A8 that's my main worry (though bits 
falling off seems to be a problem with at least the first-generation 
pre-facelift A8) but the dealers' ability to fix them properly. I fear that 
they'll be cutting corners in order to keep bills down or to increase 
profits a couple of years down the line.

>In terms of reliability, I don't think the Germans are as good as the
>Japanese, but IMHO, the A8 is a far more involving car than an LS400/430.

Never driven a Lexus, but the A8 is good. It feels like an A4 when you're 
on the move- pretty good for such a large barge.

>That said, if Lexus offered an LS430 w/ sport package and AWD, that would
>be my Dad's next car. Heck, if BMW offered an AWD 5 series, that would be
>his next car- the local BMW dealership's service department is far more
>courteous and accomodating than the local Audi dealership. But I am not
>certain if that is because I went into the local BMW dealership to have
>an M5 serviced and they may be fearful of losing the owner's business
>if I was treated poorly. If that is SOP regardless of the car being a 318i
>or an M5, then the dealership is very good indeed and still much better
>than the local Audi dealership's service dept.

If distances are greater than they are here, dealer service might be a 
reason to buy a different make of car. Me, I just drive the 10 km to the 
next Audi dealership if I don't like the one here in town.

>I think it's a shame that new car purchases can be severely affected by
>how the service department of your local dealership treats its customers.

Indeed. The local dealership (due to the separation between VW and Audi 
it's now VW-only) had such a bad rep in this respect that they just sold 
cars and never saw them again for servicing.

Regards, Tom