[V8] What was I thinking!!! (was: the end of the Type 44?)

[Roger M. Woodbury]

I just did a little survey for my own thought process.  If I were to replace
my desire for another V8 with a more modern replacement, I have found that
the only choices that I find really interesting are either a 2002/03 S6
Avant, or an S8.  I really like the utility of a wagon body style.  More
often than not, there is a good, real reason to be able to open up the rear
an shove something in that simply won't fit in the trunk of a V8.  

Yesterday my wife and I had meetings in Augusta and from there, we drove to
South Portland for a few things, returning home before seven in the evening.
It was about a thirteen hour day and we put around 350 miles on her 100 CS
Quattro Avant.  It's a nice car for that sort of trip, although it needs
about thirty horsepower more than the V6 was designed to produce:  it really
needs a 3.6 litre V8 out of an early V8 that was crunched in the rear, is
what it really needs.

But the trip was smooth and quiet and overall, a perfect use for that car
which now has around 106,000 on it from new.  During the ride, I mused about
what a replacement for the Black Mariah, the 200 20valve Avant (due back
from surgery today), OR a '93 V8, if I end up not having another one.  

I have been watching the eBay auctions for both the S6 and the S8 recently.
It is very hard to buy any S6 for much less than $25,000, and most are still
above $30,000.  So also the S8.  Unless either car has more than 100,000
miles, either one is still beyond what I would pay for any vehicle that
couldn't be depreciated.

Out of curiosity though, I decided to do a little simple research this
morning, and looked at tire prices for all three vehicles which I covet.

To my surprise, the S8 require 18 inch wheels at a minimum, and Tire Rack
offers very few choices.  Since I run all season tires all year round with
the Quattros, I was shocked to see that tire prices run pretty much in the
$160-$275 range.  Ouch.

The S6 wasn't nearly so bad.  And assuming that the car has 17" wheels, tire
prices are more reasonable, and it would be possible to buy four new tires
right now, mount and balance them for less than a grand.

Compare that with a V8.  Well, MY next V8 would possibly have big front
brakes, and 16" wheels.  Still an all, four tires, mounted and balanced,
will not blow out$600.

And since I found the brakes on my '93 V8 to be adequate (not great, but
adequate to my driving needs), I could stay with the 15" size, and do even
better.  I need to point out here that really low aspect ratio tires in a
daily driver here in rural Maine will wear much faster and ride much more
harshly than larger aspect ratios since the roads are rough and get rougher
the further north and east in the state that you travel...which is where the
majority of my travel is.  MAYBE I could live with 16" wheels and 50 series
tires on the V8, but that would be it.  Forty series tires?  I doubt it.
Very quickly with really low aspect ratio tires the car begins to suffer
from road damage, requiring tie rods, wheel replacement and more frequent
rebalancing.

The V8 is looking better and better, and the idea of buying another 200
20valve for parts alone, is looking better and better, too.

Roger