a8

[Mark R]

Trans: I think that was 97-98 cars.... pre tiptronic?
Heated steering wheel: The 1999 had it.  I thought it was stupid until I
used it.  LOVED it.  It was dropped in 2000 (supposedly they had a few
fires).  It was back for 2002? 3? 4?  I've not checked if it is currently
offered.
First owner was rarely a DIY.  After all, these cars stickered for $70,000.
Not many guys out there with $70K to drop on a car changed their own oil.
My father (an engineer) helped with anything non-warranty, but I did most of
it.

If you have an engineering background, you'll ADORE the A8.  The front crash
tubes and the machined door hinges were awesome to admire.

Mark Rosenkrantz


On 5/10/07, Ed Kellock <ekellock at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> -early cars had transmission issues
> -heated steering wheels failed and are no longer offered today
> -aluminum chassis requires special procedures and equipment to repair
> -typicaly original owner not a DIY'er and after warranty period, tires
> of dealership service cost.
>
> I haven't heard of much else though.
>
> Ed
>
>
> On 5/10/07, thejimrose <thejimrose at gmail.com> wrote:
> > i've thought the same thing. i'd LOVE an a8. big, quiet, comfy, smooth,
> etc.
> > the ultimate tahoe express. if i had to guess why they're so cheap it's
> > because of the cost of maintenance and ownership.
> >
> > my perception is that they were not very reliable, and a nightmare to
> have
> > repaired in the event that they got hit [alum body] so maybe insurance
> was
> > prohibitively expensive?
> >
> > post up what you find, id be curious to know what the 411 is on them.
> >
> >
> > > So I flip over to AutoTrader.com just to check out some prices.  To my
> > > pleasent surprise I'm seeing quite a few A8's in the 90K to 110K
> mileage
> > > range with price tags in the mid to upper $7k from 1997 to 1998.  Not
> bad
> > > for a luxo barge with a 300HP V8, fulltime AWD that cost close to $70k
> > > new.  Heck, I could buy a good example on CC and still have change
> left over
> > > for  t-belt and transmission service parts.
> > >
> > > If you compare the price of a used A6 to that of an A8 around the same
> > > years, they are fairly close.  So, why not buy an A8?
> > >
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