[V8] And we once ate (miles) like kings...

[Scott Justusson]

Updates from the bitter cold windy city!  Many years ago, I was the heretic on these forums for predicting the demise of such a fine albatross.  And so many here, including myself, bitterly fighting the realities of owning such a fine engineering marvel of its time.  Alas, so many hard cores from this very list, finding the dark side, or the light side depending on the sieves to your wallets.  My first realization of trouble was a few years ago, where I couldn't sell a running 91 v8 for more than the price of the torsen, the tail lights and scrap.  I gave in and took the easy route.  I now face the same reality of my 92, and will likely pop the tails and the torsen and send her on her way...  Sad?  Not really, the v8s were great machines, I had 4 of them total over the years.  But realities of wallet and reliability, and residual value became too real.
I am still well into quattros, with some 7 or so in my stable, but the daily driver chores of my v8 was replaced by the 95.5 S6.  And more recently, the covetted 95.5 S6 Avant.  But even those are starting to show age related malaises, and I have too been bitten by the merican iron.   My 15 year loyal 94 FJ80 Landcruiser qresq tow vehicle will find its way to Colorado to be amongst the poser offroaders...  And my recent acquisition of a dynosaur killing 8.1L (yup 500ci of torque!) gas engine, 2003 Suburban 2500 will take on the heavy lifts and tows.  With Autoride and all the toys, it makes long trips with or without trailer (5000tq track car), easy.  For the knock around fill it with anything, loan it to anyone, my 500$ investment in a 300k 1500 2wd pickup is testimonial to how to build a tank that won't die.  A/C blows cold, cruise works, it burns no oil,  and the 4.3 v6 starts after months of sitting, ready for the next haul.  I did a set of plugs in it, because the PO couldn't remember doing them.  lol.
And now, the next purge will be the urs cars, both of them, replaced by a 07 Tauoreg v10tdi.  I am prepared from years of v8q ownership, to have a money drain in the tdi, and it should be interesting to see if the cost per mile can better than the gas guzzling suburban.  I doubt it.  But that tdi reminds me of the v8q as a road car, effortlessly chewing miles with mountains of torque to whisk me on my travels
Thankfully, I did predict at some point (wasnt' sure it was gonna be in my lifetime) the price of the urquattros would skyrocket, so those 2 will stick around a bit longer.  My 91 200 Ice-track car will likely become a driveline doner to one of the urqs, and my fully restored 4kq20vt will take over the fun duties at steamboat and local ice racing series.  A few odds and ends to clear house of most quattros, including a 43k '99 A4qavant that I rescued from an insurance total because no tailgate available?!  I digress, but my interest in the quattros wains terribly after my2005....
My sig-o drives a SRX AWD wagon, and she loves it, and I must admit, it is a fine midwest 'merican quattro, with very few trips to the dealer, even closing in on 100k, the 3.6 engine has plenty of power and refinement.  Once we start talkin parts, rock auto sure favors the merican goods, as new ceramic painted rotors for the suburban with hipo pads was under $200 to my door.  
In the end, I was a proud owner of a handful of v8qs.  The design is classic, but the engineering was too much to survive japanese and even american reliability.  I am thoroughly enjoying the freedom however, and my replacements seem to not make me regret the realities the v8s made me face.  In the meantime, if anyone is interested in the 92, it needs a fuel pump to run again, has euros and ABT computer and S4 seats.  Alas, I doubt anyone will want it, and will plan once again with no regret, to just pull the torsen, headlights and tails, and let her go to the quattro gods.
Cheers for the new year everyone!  And FYI, last time I visited ingo he was v8-free as well, ripping up the pavement in a saab 9-3 turbo automatic.
Scott J92 v891 200tq'03 Suburban 2500 (Thor)'99 Silverado 1500 p/u'95 S6 sedan'95 S6 Avant'99 A4q Avant'91 200tq'87 4kq20vt'94 Landcruiser'84 urq'83 urq'87 5ktq caged track car