dokebi1221

Yea, you will need a warranty on these vehicles for sure if you buy used. I recently went in for some warranty work and the price I had to pay if I didn't have a warranty was $4800…but since I had a warranty, I just paid $100 deductible.

EricVonHa

Good choice in not purchasing the Fidelity extended warranty. We can have an offline discussion regarding their lack of good business practices.

Audi supports Fidelity as seen directly on the Audi corporate website. However, that is where the association ends. When the rubber meets the road, Audi will distance themselves from Fidelity and Fidelity will continue to deny seemingly legitimate claims.

The hassle of going back and forth and acting like a referee between the dealer and Fidelity and asking for Audi oversight just is not worth my time. My time is much more valuable than dealing with a business who is not customer service oriented. Fidelity will attempt to thwart claims to the best intent of their carefully worded "insurance" contracts.

Don't even get me started on the less than ridiculously low shop rate hourly rates and flat rate hours assigned to various repairs. Basically, the pre-negotiated Audi/Fidelity repair plans absolutely screw the techs (the people we need the most).

You decide: Normal flat-rate for a drive-train drop and re-install in a D3 is 22 hours regular book time. Guess what Fidelity pays? 10 ! Basically the tech is getting paid less than half the normal rate and in order to do the job must work twice as fast to make decent money.

Anyone that has worked on any Audi B,C or D chassis car from 98 forward knows that any engine and trans removal cannot occur in 10 hours. 2 full days is more like it when attention to detail and doing the job properly is important. Basically the tech gets paid 1/2 the normal rate for Fidelity work requiring the drive-train removal.

Again, glad you chose not to go that route. Hope this helps future buyers to NOT buy anything related to Fidelity. Please feel free to contact me directly for more information.

cre8value

I'm not a literary man, I'm an engineer at heart, so please bare with me on this writeup.

I spent 5 months actively searching for my S8. I would classify my search for the car as "absurdly ****-retentive". I started off looking for a high mileage 2007 S8 and ended up with an ultra-low mileage 2009 S8. I placed hundreds of phone calls, wrote dozens of emails, and inspected 4 cars.

Here is my experience and what I have learned.

The Hunt

• Make a list of deal-breaker features and stick to it. For me, my deal-breaker list was: two-tone interior white on black, B&O, carbon fiber, leather upgrade, less than 50K miles. I was flexible on exterior color. Glad I didn't get black.
• Utilize Autotrader, Cars.com, CarGurus, Yahoo Cars, Audi CPO page and use the email alerts features. Use KBB.com to better understand used car prices.
• My experiences proved dealing with a dealer is easier than private seller. Audi dealer is much better than private dealer.
• If it's too good to be true, it is. Example: $29,000 for a 2009 S8 with only 31,000 miles! MUST SELL NOW! Yeah, no thanks.
• Realistic expectations. Its a used car. It won't be flawless, but it can still be "perfect", for you.
• Research, know, and "own" the marketplace. Know where cars should be priced by reading through similar listings, understanding the value of different features and options, and all the nuance like variables that go into used car pricing.
• Watch YouTube reviews and owner videos to get acquainted with various options, especially if you've never owned an S8 before.

Over the phone questions
Once I found a car I was interested in, I called the owner. Not email, call. I wanted to hear the seller talk about the car and have the opportunity for immediate followups to their responses.

• "I'm interested in this car. Tell me about it's history."
• Email me the Carfax report
• Email me all inspection reports, work orders, warranty work, etc. I strongly recommend reading through every line of these and inquiring about anything that sticks out
• Ask for # of previous owners, even if its on the Carfax. You'd be surprised what the salesperson might say...
• Who were the previous owners? Did you know them personally? How did they treat their car? Again, you might be surprised by what they say.
• Where did previous owner(s) service the vehicle?
• Email me pics of all tires
• Go and look at odometer and tell me the value it currently reads as of right now
• Was the previous owner a smoker? Is the interior of the car completely odorless?
• When was the last time oil was changed? Fluids topped off?
• Go out to the car and thoroughly look it over inside and out. For every chip/ding/scuff/scratch/whatever, no matter how small, take a picture and email it to me. "Not necessarily a dealbreaker, but I want to know in advance."
• "I need to get the car inspected by a nearby Audi dealer. Are you willing to drop it off for me?" If the seller says "No", run the other way.
• Often the seller will first ask for a refundable deposit before taking it to inspection. This part can be tricky. If it's a 100% match and looks perfect to you, I'd put down the deposit. I "lost" a car this way. 2 hours before the inspection, someone came and bought it. The Audi dealer didn't even call me beforehand to ask me if I wanted to place a deposit, even though the inspection service had already been scheduled and I was seriously interested in the car. So if you really, really like it, put the deposit down before the inspection so that doesn't happen to you.
• Stress to the seller that the Audi inspection will find any issues with the car, and if there is anything they haven't yet disclosed to you, to please do so now so as not to waste your time and their time. Not to mention your money. I had 4 vehicles inspected at Audi dealerships across the country, and the prices for inspections varied from $108 to $202 a pop. Every single seller lied to me about the car's condition except for the last one. The first 3 came back from inspection with anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 dollars of major mechanical/electrical/cosmetic issues that the seller lied about over the phone. The fourth car came back clean, clean, clean!

Road Test

• Ask to have vehicle cold upon arrival to see it Cold Start
• Engine turns over and starts without hesitation
• No service engine lamps
• Shift out of Park into R, N, D, S and then back. Each shift should be smooth without jerking.
• Wheel lock to wheel lock. Any belt squeeks or irregular steering rack behavior?
• Start road test out in D (not S). Look for smooth, seemless, and soft acceleration.
• Does transmission upshift smoothly?
• Is steering centered?
• Does steering pull to one side or another when at residential/boulevard/highway speeds? May not pull at 25mph but might at 65mph.
• Any shudder or vibrations when mildly, moderately, or aggressively braking?
• Any feedback or vibrations coming back through the steering wheel? Other than intentional vibration from Audi Lane Assist, of course.
• Cruise control functional?

Post Road Test Questions

• Check heat and AC works
• Check that each and every speaker works
• Check nav works
• AMI cables present?
• Spare tire present? Properly inflated?
• Toolkit present in trunk?
• Wheel lug locks? Key present?
• Check all power seat controls
• Check heated seat controls for front and rear
• Check that air suspension works on all 4 settings
• All interior cabin lights turn on and off?
• Mirrors adjust and fold without a problem?
• Sunroof operates smoothly? Opens and closes smoothly?
• When was sunroof plenum last cleaned?
• Each door, trunk, and hood opens and operates smoothly?
• All keys are present and each one individually can start the car? (You'll have to isolate each key 1 at a time to test this)
• All owners manuals, documentation, and original window sticker present?
• Reverse lamps and backup camera operational?
• Rear sunshades operational?
• Auto lights turn off?
• Cigarette outlet provides 12V?

Post Purchase Reflections

• As an audiophile and former sound engineer, the B & O premium sound system is overrated. It simply does not push the quality or quantity of sound I'd expect for that kind of money, in fact, not even close. But it looks cool. Really cool.
• Adaptive Cruise Control is more annoying than helpful, especially when the "ACC Sensor is Blocked!" warnings come on. It comes with the Technology Package, which also includes the Lane Assist and Blindspot Alert features which are both nice.
• Quartz Gray in person is actually quite nice. With blue undertones and a subtle sparkle, it is conservative but elegant. Daytona Gray still has a special place in my heart, though.
• The rear power sunshade is utterly useless.
• Having to tell every passenger "Don't slam the doors" gets old, quickly.
• The suspension and drivetrain is an absolute pleasure. The car handles curves at speed like it weighs half of what it weighs. Tight corners are still sloppy, comparatively, but it's a huge car. The suspension is actually stiffer and more aggressive than I anticipated it being. I can feel the dime on the road with my tire, but it doesn't bother me nor invoke a harsh ride quality. Very, very nice engineering.
• The engine. It's great. The sound, the never-ending torque, the ability to be quiet when you want it to. Nothing quite like it.
• The steering is heavily boosted. Didn't like it at first, now it's growing on me.

Before this turns into a failing novel, I will end it here. Will add more later if I can think of something important that adds value.
Hope that helps the next buyer!

Audi S8 Rules

Wow, yes that is all good information with a few i would not have thought of. Thanks very much for taking your time to write that.

My must halves, are;

-white exterior
-two tone interior Black with white inserts
-B&O
-Carbon fiber
However this combo could be limited.

So, willing to seriously look at;
-Daytona Grey Pearl exterior
-Two tone interior black with white seat inserts
-B&O
-Carbon Fiber

Year doesn't really matter. '08 if i had a choice. Looking to spend $27-35k. So best mileage i can get for that, looks to be around 70k miles.

Perfectly, a car in Canada would be easier and probably cheaper as the price of these cars has stabilized, but would cost me an extra 7% duty at the border and 5% GST on purchase price. But this makes my search even harder to find with maybe only 10% of the S8's that are in the US.

Cheers!

EricVonHa

Mr Calgary, sent you a PM.

TFT

I searched for almost a year. I knew exactly what color and options I wanted on the car and kept searching till I found it. It was well worth the "****-retentive" search. If you find exactly what you want you will be happy with your purchase for a very long time.
Mine is Daytona Gray/black interior with B&O, Carbon fiber and leather appointment upgrade. Actually it has every option possible on that car.
The original owner also had an MTM exhaust system installed as well as a lowering module and of course those custom CORE wheels.
The "quest" was well worth it.