peja16

Hi there everyone. As you can see I am new here and new to Audi so be gentle....

Yesterday a friend offered to sell me his '98 A8 Quattro. It has 133k miles on it. He is an older gentleman and has taken good care of this car. It was always washed, never missed an oil change, just had new brakes put on, etc. I know he has replaced the water pump as well during that maintenance. Most of his maintenance work was done at the Audi dealership which unfortunately, is 2.5 hours away in a different city.

The interior is still in very good condition and was always clean. I test drove it yesterday and it seems to drive very nice. Good acceleration and braking. Didn't hear any squeaks or any other out of the ordinary noises.

He said he would take $3500 for it. I don't really see a lot of cars out there for $3500 that offer what this car does.

My question to you is, is this 16 year old car worth it? I know Audi's are nice cars but I am concerned about some of the stories I have read on the internet. I know care for these cars and parts are more expensive than most so that is a factor I have to take in account.

Today I will be asking him some questions, especially if the transmission has ever been replaced or rebuilt. I've read about how those can be problematic if not serviced. Can you think of any other questions I need to ask him?

What are some issues I need to be on the look out for? I have come to you to guide me through this possible purchase....PLEASE HELP as I know nothing about Audi!!

I don't NEED a new car but could definitely use one if the right one came around. It's too bad I couldn't get a warranty at this point ease my mind.

Thank you for any help you can give me. I really do appreciate it.

Peja

StanA8L

Short answer is buy the car. A friend of mine just bought a 2002 120,000 mile Honda Accord for his 16 year old kid for $7,500. Yours will undoubtedly need repairs and parts are more than most cars. If everything is working today and no check engine light, then set a dollar amount for a major repair that you won't spend. (Like maybe $2,500) Set an annual limit you are willing to spend for other repairs. Tires, brakes, battery, etc don't count.

I have a 2001 A8L with 175,000 miles on it. The last 12 months have been hard on the wallet. Fuel pump, various sensors, coil pack, front axles, front brakes, battery. The next timing belt change is around the corner, so really looking at dumping it. However, the 12 month previous had been tires and oil changes only. Tranny seems fine (knocking on wood). Bought it at 4 years old with 45,000 miles on it for $21,000. Extended warranty helped with some repairs early on. But this car has cost me about $15,000 in repairs in the 10 years I've owned it.

nossisnave

Each car will be unique, if it was well taken care of it will prob last a long time. You'll never need to worry about the body rusting. The transmissions do seem to give out a lot, having the fliud/filter service is something that must be done on a regular schedule, and details should be followed very carefully. Even then they seem to fail.

How much work can you do yourself? If you have a trusted indy shop you'll certainly do better than taking it to the dealer. 8's are a very nice ride, comfortable, eye catching IMHO. I prefer the L personally.

Since owning mine for 7k-8k miles it's been great. After rebuilding the transmission and replacing the motor that is.

Having owned a few other makes besides Audi's, l haven't yet found any that were maintenance or trouble free. I really prefer Audi, but that's only my viewpoint

peja16

Thank you everyone for your replies. I like the vehicle and it still drives nice but it is a 16 year old vehicle and I don't think the transmission has been rebuilt. But like I said, he took good care of it and had it serviced regularly.

Attached is a spreadsheet he sent me (just a zip of excel....not a virus. Can't upload xls file extensions). This shows all the work he has had done, dates, and prices. Does anything catch your eye? Anything that isn't on there that should be? Even though it is only $3500 he would be charging me, it still worries me he has spent around 7k in 4 years on repairs and service.

Thanks again for the comments and please share any more comments/concerns with me.

Peja.

nossisnave

Sorry peja l wasn't able to open the file on my phone, but if the work was done at the dealer then that would certainly account for the high repair/maintenance costs. Frankly, prices will nearly always be higher when someone else does your work for you compared to being a DIYer. There are a multitude of articles on here and other forums to fix stuff that goes wrong. Even if you don't do any of your own repairs, simply educating yourself as to what goes into a certain maintenance process can benefit you in gauging what you're willing to pay somebody to do it for you, how reasonable the amount they want to charge you is.

If the transmission hasn't had any work it would prob be wise to budget for a rebuild at some point in the future. I believe other audiworlders would concur. Tozo can probably give you a quote to swap in a 6 speed manual if ya want.

uberwgn

While the initial purchase price may appear low, you need to have significant dollars in reserve for potential repairs...or be prepared to walk away from it when the first substantial repair estimate is handed to you.

twentysevenlitres

There is no denying that A8's are expensive cars to repair, unless you want to turn your own spanners.
The only items I spotted in that excel file of interest is the "90,000 mile service $2400 odd" - sounds like timing belt was done. Then there was a "coolant leak" repair in 2012 for $500 odd - find out if that was the oil cooler - a common place for the cooling system to fail.
The brake ("break") repairs were quite expensive, but not out of the ballpark for this car.

Sooner or later the fuel pump will fail. Unless you find a sympathetic Indy who's willing to replace the pump in the old assembly, you're up for $1000 - and thats just for the part (pump assembly can be repaired for around $350 in parts plus labour).
Then theres always uncertainty over that transmission...

dreamhope

This. I should've walked away from it when the transmission blew up. Now with double the price I have a car with ****ty half-repaired transmission. Could've used the repair money to buy a C208 CLK430 that's probably more reliable and fuel efficient.

In North America, I would consider a Lexus SC400. Probably going to save you 10k down the road and last longer.

TerminA8r

If you are not a DIY kind of guy, or have access to a inexpensive trusted Audi mechanic, the only Audi you should buy, is one that comes with a bumper to bumper warranty.

peja16

I thank everyone for their responses and I may end up passing on this offer. I don't have a dealership close by and the no warranty and 16 year old car is making my me feel uncertain about it. I can do repairs on my own but having never repaired an Audi I don't feel comfortable.

Are the D3's any more reasonable or is that audi in general? Bmw? Mercedes? Cadillac is the only luxury car dealership near by and a Toyota for Lexus repairs.

Thank you again for all the help with someone new to the community.

Peja