Re: V8 Madness?

[FBFISH@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-08-03 12:22:16 EDT, you write:

<< 1)  Anyone have an opinion on price?  Kelly's web site sez $17K resale
 for the V8, Edmunds suggests a more rational $12.9K retail.
 
 2)  What automatic was used on the V8 series and how reliable are they?
 The 5000/100/200 automatics are trouble-prone and I don't want to buy a
 problem if the V8 automatics are no better.  This is a serious issue for
 me.

I have 116K miles on my 1990 V8 and the only trouble I've had was once when it
went low on fluid . All the shift indicator lights came on, and it stayed in
3rd gear. The dipstick does not come with the car, you have to purchase one .
 
 3)  What are mechanical items I should specifically check on this V8?  I
 habla 5K/100/200 pretty well, but the V8 is a new one on me. 

You will get an ear full on this question, but I can relate my experience.
Almost everyone complains about the UFO brakes, but I have never had any
problems with them. I have had problems with the door lock (driver side) and
the trunk lock in the auto open mode. The heated seat on the drivers side went
out at approx 90k miles, and IMHO isn't worth fixing. I had to replace a torn
front CV joint outer boot, and add a power antenna to get decent AM radio
reception. There are two rubber breather hoses that disentegrated at about
100k miles. One interconnects the two heads, the other connects the drivers
side head to the crank case just under the air box. The later had me thinking
rear main seal (another oft noted problem). The only other problem I had was a
bad hall sensor. The symptom for it was the car barely ran, felt like about
two cylinders were firing. 

 4)  Any other observations or thoughts from the V8 owners on the list?

I just bought  a 1998 A8 and although its great, there  are aspects of the V8
which I prefer. Aside from the large trunk on the V8 which will hold a set of
golf clubs layed in athartships, the V8 handling at high speed is noticeably
firmer. I think the V8 is a great car and a very much under rated Audi. HTH

  >>
Frank Santoro
1990 V8 ( for sale)
1998 A8 ( luxurious to the point of obscenity)