Again, this was an S8 - more bolstering. This family arrived from out of state by limo back in July. They hate their local Audi dealer so they come to us for purchase & service - 3 hours each way. Dad took a certified 2006 A8L for himself, an A5 Coupe for one daughter and the S8 for mom. They're definitely the Clumps in the pants department. Mom barely drove the car, relying on her E350 so they decided to use it as a trade on the second daughter's 2009 A4....

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Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
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Do I miss being a service advisor ???

It's odd that I cannot access the "buy parts" feature here for Audi,yet other makes like Mercedes is viewable..

Audi - Ass Up ***** In

Audi - Always Under Diagnostic Inspection

Friends don't let friends drive Audi's. Unless your friend is Jason Statham, in which case, have at it.

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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg
1991 300E - 212K and rising fast...

I'd take a 2000s A8 for reliability over a 2000s S Class every day of the week. Interesting tidbits: VW never used biodegradable wiring insulation in their cars, don't have problems with spring perches rusting off the body, and you can get a high quality diagnostic tool that reads and writes to all the computers for $300.

I miss my 5000

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

A8s are very expensive to work on, and are notorious for electrical glitches as well as control arm fatigue. On the other hand, the 4.2L V8 is an excellent engine. Something in the back of my mind still wants a 4.2L S4....

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

The unforunate thing about the S8/A8 is that there are only a few qualified places in the USA that can repair the aluminum panels properly. The whole body is aluminum btw. They are more reliable than the same vintage S-class, but they are not without their own problems. I wouldn't say they are expensive to fix, no more than any MB, but they are always throwing codes and dash lites. (that goes for all the modern Audis)

AWD and all that room is nice though if you have a need for it.

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Jim

1992 500E
2007 CLK63
2003 Audi RS6
2001 Audi allroad

I really like these guys for Audi parts. You might want to put that Audi on the lift and see if the rear trans seal is leaking. The leak will drip on the converters and burn off and you will never know your tranny is going dry. A pretty easy repair though. http://www.blauparts.com/

http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/auto_transmission/transealreplacement.html seal problem/repair

I would argue the s class of the same vintage is also pretty expensive to fix

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

I don't know in my experience Audi interiors don't seem to age as well as Mercedes do. I don't know if I could be happy with a 10 year old example.

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2006 CL500
2009 C300 4matic
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I was one of the first in the US to see and sit in a A8. I worked on the introduction campaign of the A8: two top secret prototypes were flown in from Germany with four of-duty German cops as an escort to LA for a three week photo shoot. Both cars would not go faster then 40mph and the engines and trannies came out of previous Audi's.

Somewhere during the last week when we were all a little more relaxed about being discovered with the car we were shooting at a private ranch; at sun-down a small helicopter appeared straight out of the sun so we would not detect it before they reached us. I was close enough to the car to trow the protective cover on the hood and open all four doors so they could not photograph the lines of the car. The helicopter circled around the car twice and a guy was hanging out of the door with camera equipped with a long lens.

Since than I have a weak spot for the A8; still a great looking car. But if I would go for a similar car it would be the VW Pheaton: tops the A8 in every aspect.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

The Pheaton is a Bentley for Camry money these days.

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2006 CL500
2009 C300 4matic
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Ya, those didn't hold their value at all. A lot of car for the money!

Wait until you have to repair it! Cha-ching

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

No more $$ then an S I'd think...

Cars with a big MSRP are big $ on parts.

-J