[s-cars] V8 vs A8

Thu Feb 18 14:48:02 PST 2010

If you want the best of both worlds, I really like my S6 that I picked up
over the summer.   It had relatively high mileage (146k), but having put
about 10k on it, it's a no brainer.  All I've done is the timing belt &
change the oil.  The utility of the wagon is great & with a recoded trans
via VAG COM, the slushbox stigma is gotten over quickly.

There aren't too many around, but I picked mine up for about 10 grand.

Fact of the matter is, each one (B5 S4, C5 S6, D2 A/S8) have their
qualities, but it's a lot easier on the wallet than the UrS cars are.  No
brake booster bullshit to worry about, no turbo hoses to pop off if you're
getting a 4.2 & they're a lot nicer on the inside than the older cars.

May also want to think about an allroad 4.2.  They're decently quick & the
flared out fenders are pretty sick looking when painted.

Pizzo

On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 4:46 PM, <djdawson2 at aol.com> wrote:

>
>  Ben and Paul:
>
> As much as I love you guys, I hardly think this nice fellow from Columbus,
> Ohio (my original home town) should take car advice from a couple of guys
> who traded their manual transmissions in for skirts.
>
> (It's OK, I'm kidding)
>
> Seriously... if you're looking at an unavoidable gazillion dollar repair
> bill for the slushbox... that kind of opens up new options, from an
> economics perspective.  Sure, the 2.7tt cars require engine removal for some
> major failures.  But most of those have been handled by the time they reach
> their current age.  Yep, you can overspool the little K03 turbos and kill
> them.  But there are plenty of these cars on the market that have had the
> slightly larger K04 units already installed.  You can keep a manual
> transmission, and have a very reliable/fast/fun car.
>
> I bought a '01 S4 a couple of years ago.  I put on the typical RS4 upgrade
> parts, and replaced some of the usual failure items that are often
> neglected.  The car has been 100% trouble free... and it now has 172k miles
> on it.  It runs great and is impressively fast.  It also routinely returns
> about 24mpg.
>
> IMO, the eventual cost of trans repairs, the higher insurance premiums, and
> the significantly lower fuel mileage adds up to a lot in the long run.
>
> While I will freely admit that I love the S8... I can't see myself owning a
> slushbox, unless it was primarily for the little lady.  If the interior size
> constraints of a B5 are not an issue for you, I think you would find them
> fun and rewarding.
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pkrasusky at ups.com
> To: s-car-list at audifans.com; dconner at gmail.com
> Sent: Thu, Feb 18, 2010 1:20 pm
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] V8 vs A8
>
>
> Hey Dave-
>
> I came out of a urS6 for 5yrs /80k, and am 3.5yrs / 50k into a urS8.  I'll
> echo
> all of Ben's previous sentiments and add a few.
>
> It is CERTAINLY leaps ahead of most other cars out there, even today,
> chassis-wise.  A D2 (even an A8) are tremendous driving cars.  The overall
> ownership experience is quite rewarding.  A8s you want post-facelift
> ('00-'03)
> as the others have 1000% guaranteed tranny issues.  The later ones
> sometimes
> lose reverse, tho that seems sort of rare.  I don't think they are a
> guaranteed
> failure tho.  My //S8 box started slipping @ 130k in 1st / 2nd, it was a
> $4k
> rebuild.  Tho that's no surprise for a 4k lb car w/ 360hp being ahem
> enjoyed day
> / out, I don't feel it owed me much.  I haven't heard of many other //S8
> box
> failures, tho not many have the miles I've racked up.
>
> $10k buys a REALLY nice A8, heck less than $10k does.  $10k buys a 120k mi
> '01
> //S8 these days, or there about.  Like Ben said throw 2-4k more at it and
> you're
> in 90-100k range.
>
> They are very DIY, and like Ben said the QWD2 forum is phenomenal.  Mine's
> had
> some appetite for cash due to using it 20k+/yr, nothing scary though.
>  Extended
> warranties are your FRIEND (<100k cars).  Typical stuff.  Control arm
> bushings,
> leaks leaks and more leaks (trans output, front diff out put, and oil
> cooler
> coolant leak are ALL *guaranteed*), cam chain tensioner seized, my cats are
> rattling now @ 146k but many fail much (MUCH) earlier, blower motors chirp,
> etc.
>
> If you can stomach the slushbox a D2's a hit.  I'm a diehard stick junkie
> and I
> don't miss stick one bit (tho the //S8s have paddles).  Heck I'm bored w/
> cars
> after a couple of years yet each and every day I find myself more smitten
> w/ my
> D2.  Alumibitch, she's a temptress.
>
> Really loved my urS6, but no denying they are old and sounds like that's
> something you're aiming to get AWAY from. I WILL SAY tho that it dawned on
> me
> recently that I nearly never ever even open the hood on my car now,
> compared to
> seemingly weekly with my urS6.  Truth.
>
> Anyway, come on over to QWD2 if you need further help - enormous resource
> base
> there.  Heck a NUMBER of chaps have 2 even 3 of the things - madmen!
>  Speaks to
> the cars tho, and, all the owner's are very cool.
>
> HTH, good luck.  If you want a really clean sorted silver / grey alcantara
> (uber
> rare combo) '01 //S8 with 98k, LMK my bud's got one for ~ $14k -
> *everything*
> has been done to it (everything!)...
>
> -Paul NC bound for some _EPIC_JNRage_ this weekend of der P car / ECMag
> variety
> - muwhahahaaa - K.
>
>
>
> Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:39:50 -0500
>
> From: Dave C <dconner at gmail.com>
>
> Subject: [s-cars] V8 vs A8
>
> My fleet of Audi's consists of two 1987 type 44's. I bought one of them in
> 1992,
> and have been driving and maintaining these things for a very long time,
> doing
> all my own maintenance and know them inside and out. But they are getting
> on in
> years and I find myself considering replacement with something newer. The
> question is "how much newer?"
>
> I'm nervous about not understanding how a car works and maybe being unable
> to
> repair it when things go wrong, etc. I recently drove a 2007 A8 for the
> first
> time and was in awe of the complexity of the cockpit with so many
> electronic
> gizzies. I've never driven a V8, or even sat in one for that matter, but
> I'm
> aware of the loyal following they have.
>
> It looks like I could buy a first generation A8 (D2) for somewhere in the
> neighborhood of $10K but it would be a ten year old car with 100K miles on
> it,
> so I would need to anticipate repairs from the start. I don't want to spend
> a
> whole lot more than $10 K on a car, but could go higher if I felt it was
> worth
> it.
>
> I'd actually like to have an avant, but choices are limited. A 2002-3 S6
> avant
> would be very nice :-) Maybe I should consider an A6 avant.
>
> Considering that I like to keep my cars for a long time and do my own
> maintenance, would I be better off with the more familiar technology of the
>
> V8 or an URS4/6? I think there would be a benefit to getting something ten
> years
> newer than that (A8) but it would still be a 10 year old car. Another
> upside re:
> the A8 is that there are a >lot< more of them available to choose from.
> Most of
> the V8's and URS4's are pretty beat by now... clean low-mileage examples
> are
> quite scarce.
>
> So ... should look for a clean V8 or URS4?
>
> Or should I look at something much newer and try to adapt to 21st century
> automotive technology?
>
> Decisions, decisions.
>
> - -
>
> David Conner
>
> Columbus, OH
> _______________________________________________
> S-CAR-List mailing list
> http://audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/s-car-list
> http://www.audifans.com/kb/List_information
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> S-CAR-List mailing list
> http://audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/s-car-list
> http://www.audifans.com/kb/List_information
>