[V8] V8 vs A8

[Tony and Lillie]

Dave, 

I usually don't chime in too much on these, but I have a couple of points for you.

First of all, I've owned and daily driven mostly Audi's since I started driving in 1990. Back then I lived in Montana, since I've moved quite a bit and currently reside in Houston.

Started with a 1976 Fox, then several other Foxes, a couple of 4000's (including a 5+5), onto a 4000Q, then several more (about 10 total, including two I drive now) some 5000's, one of which was a TQ, a 91 V8Q auto, and several others. I also currently have at least 10 Audi parts cars. Yep, I love them ;-)Also add in there some VW's as well.

Each model has its own character. I liked several aspects of each. I've also worked in shops up till recently and driven plenty of A8's and one S8. Also, driven newer V8's with the 4.2, 5-speed 3.6 V8's (both stock and modded) and a transplanted 4.2 5-speed. 

I'd say for starters drive as many of them as you can, and see what you like about each one. I'll have to admit when I first started driving the A8's, I fell in love with them. I also still hold the 98-04 A6's interior as my favorite of all time. However, as the years go on and I do my own work, I prefer the older Audi's much more than the newer ones. SO, that brings the question, do you plan on doing the work yourself? If so, the older ones are easier to work on, and there's less plastic to break. However, with this caveat: If you are buying an older car for ease of maintenance, and every bolt on the thing is rusted in place, well, you have defeated the purpose. So, check them out as well and make sure you aren't getting into a "low" maintenance headache as well, where every simple thing turns into a chore. 

As for the newer cars and what goes wrong, search the audiworld or quattroworld forums and see what the common questions/problems are. I know most of what I've seen/worked on were electrical, with a few sensor issues as well. Most of it is pretty simple, but if you are more comfortable with the mechanical aspects than the electrical ones, I'd say stay with the older ones. If you prefer electronic troubleshooting, the newer ones should be better. Oh, and the pixels in the instrument cluster go bad. This is one thing I'd check and make sure is taken care of, unless the car is a great deal. Also, if you do decide to go newer, add in the price of VAG-COM as well. I wouldn't even consider owning one without it. That's for anything OBD2, which is 1996 and newer.

BTW, I saw someone said the V8's are gas hogs. Mine gets 19mpg in mixed driving and 25 highway at 80. Not sure that's super efficient, but not a gas hog to me, anyhow. And, that's a stock 1991 3.6 auto with (now) over 300K on it. Original trans as well.

On the subject of transmissions, in the A8's, here's one other thing to keep in mind. I'll have to agree with all of those who say plan on a trans rebuild no matter what, unless it's already been done. I've heard that the newer cars have better luck, but they also are lower milage. And, I've seen plenty of them with bad transmissions (just watch ebay). That includes the tip ones as well, though 02. In fact, a friend bought an 01 A8L recently with about 120K on it. About three months later the trans went. So, they seem just as trouble prone, and will continue to surface in the future. The S6 Avant shares much of the drivetrain with the A8/S8 as well. 

My favorite on your list is still the UrS cars, though. Newer interior with tilt and telescoping steering. It also has the nicer climate control from the later V8's, a nicer stereo, and very nice seats. And, they get about the same milage as the V8's. I believe the A8's are right in the same range as well. You didn't mention your preference of transmission, but these are also manual only. The V8's of course are hard to find manual, and A8's are all but unavailable with manual. The S6 Avant is also auto only. But, at the end of the day, it's whatever you like the best. Do some checking and continue asking questions, and you should be able to find the perfect car for yourself.

Tony




-----Original Message-----
>Subject: [V8] V8 vs A8
>
>Howdy Q-heads,
>
>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