[V8] Replacing your V8? You may be out of your mind!

[Stephen B. Harper]

I think the thing to remember is that everyone has different thresholds 
with regards to the automotive shenanigans that they are willing to put 
up with.

I love my V8, and having driven a few newer vehicles (see my previous 
post) and toyed with the idea of getting something newer, I can honestly 
say that they don't measure up.  So certainly for the short-to-medium 
term I have no intentions of selling the car.  Somewhat ironically, most 
of the arguments made against the Saab and the Jaguar (excepting the 
fact that they don't drive as well) are the very same arguments that 
were made years ago by people opposed to my purchase of  the 5000 Turbo 
and then the V8.  At that time, the nearest Audi dealer was a 45 minute 
drive away (now it's 5 minutes!), and there were only 4 or 5 Audi 
dealers in the entire western half of Canada.  Nobody wanted the cars, 
resale value was a joke, and reliability was an altogether different 
issue.  How things have changed for Audi during the last 10 years!

Having purchased the V8 in 1993 for $35,000 CDN, I have subsequently 
spent an additional $30,000 CDN keeping it in perfect running order.  
The car has stranded me on many occasions, and has at times been 
frustrating to deal with, but to me personally the pros outweigh the 
cons.  But as a Lotus owner, I do recognize the fact that not everyone 
has the time, patience, and money to keep an older car on the road, 
especially if they are not mechanically inclined and don't have a second 
vehicle.  For example, the Lotus requires approximately 1 hour of 
maintenance and repairs for every hour of driving.  As much as the 
people on this list are true die-hard car enthusiasts, I doubt that many 
of them would be willing to own a car that requires that much of a 
commitment.  Everyone's standards are just a little bit different.

As our V8s continue to age, there will be more and more people on this 
list who will be faced with the prospect of getting a newer vehicle.  
Nothing lasts forever.  Perhaps the best thing I've ever done is buy 
another car to act as a supplement and backup to the V8, thus ensuring 
that I'll always have access to reliable transportation while also 
helping to split the mileage.

Regards,
Stephen
1990 Audi V8
1993 Isuzu Impulse
1975 Lotus Elite