the_duke

I think the value for money right now is the 2013 A8 4.0T. They can be had for around $40k and you get a lot for that money. Good looking car, arguably the best interior of any luxury car, and 420hp/444ft lbs. Spend $1500 on a tune and your at S8 HP numbers.

S8ilver

A D4 out of warranty scares the $hit out of me with the plethora of electronic gremlin stories I've read about. The D3 FSI has its own set of engine problems as well. A trouble free tranny is nice, but not if it's gonna take $1500 every couple years to keep the carbon out of the motor.

Hmm, I might just have to keep my D2 or go back to BMW. I'm on my 4th Bimmer now, never a major problem with any of them. I lost two to hail (E30 325i, E28 535i), sold one (E34 M5) to buy the S8 and have an M Roadster now that's as trouble-free as could be, and it's supercharged and 17 years old!

the_duke

I've learned over the years that you have to pay to play. But really reliability isn't too bad. There have been a few reported cases that required carbon cleaning but not very many. Also some electronics related issues. But again not many. Probably the biggest across the board failures have been air suspension and suspension bushings. All those problems are D3 related. The D4 will most likely see the same issues. Already some reports of suspension bushings but not many with air suspension problems. There are a lot of early D4's out there and I think we would have heard about it by now if there were major issues. Bottom line is that it's a $90-$100k car that you can buy for about half price. In a couple more years the 4.0t cars will be at $30 or less.

Y888

keep calm and drive d2

2001 S8

Don't forget about D3's four corner air suspension issues. That's like having four transmissions on a D2.

The post below makes me appreciate my analog D2 S8 even more : )

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...ts-s8-2893106/

the_duke

Air struts arn't that expensive. The rears almost never have problems. A pair of fronts that will last around 100k miles are $780 shipped. And install is a piece of cake.

I do understand the loyalty to the D2 but the D3 and D4 are newer, more technologically advanced, and more powerful. Purchase price and maintenance are going to cost more. I guess it depends on what you want out of your car. Personally I want comfort, gadgets, and speed. That's why I'm watching the D4 4.0t prices.

twentysevenlitres

Whoever buys that original car will be in for a surprise when they try to use the 'Steering wheel mounted audio controls'