JRS4

It may not be as bad as you fear, but make sure they know it's aluminum.

Maybe go back and bring an Audi mechanic with you to check out the car more thoroughly.

wws03

I don't think I would have taken the car on the spot either...
You'll probably need to spend quite a bit of $ and time just getting the car to your liking. With that, you might as well find a car that has been pampered.

I looked into paintless dent removal on my car at one point, it may be worthwhile doing, but don't expect perfect results.

The A8 comes up on auction all the time on ebay. If you're not in a rush, you can find a very nice one that will serve you well for a while. But I always wonder how much they can hide on the ebay pictures alone; just as you have found out that the car isn't exactly what it seems on ebay. There are quite a bit of "complaints" on these cars sold on ebay. There are many crooks out there too. Don't forget, they are out there to make $$$, and it's easy to get carried away with bidding on cars whic has nice "book value", only to find that the actual vehicle isn't what they advertise. Then it gets very complicated. I had a friend who bought a BMW last year, in "show-room" condition, and believe me, the pictures looked excellent. But it turned out to be an "average" condition, and it had several hidden problems, reflecting why the previous owner dumped it. Then the seller usually has the mentality that if you find the problems on the spot (usually not obvious), then they can lower their final price a bit or pay for 1/2 of the cost.

I agree if the car goes for less than $14k, I would think it's worth getting and fixing up.
good luck!

wws03

tires- $500
brakes/drums- $300-600 depending how many
brake flush- $150
coolant flush- $150
water pump should have been replaced with timing belt, now they have to do the same work just to get to the water pump- $$$$$ I didn't think that a water pump can last that long... so it's ready to go anytime.
body work- $500-$1000?

you can see that it adds up VERY fast...

It is concerning that there is no record of maintenance after 95k miles... I personally have a hard time looking for a good non-dealer mechanic willing to work on the A8 reliably.

PaulW

....the Audi's really clean up well. If you cleaned the paint with Zymol HD cleanse or the McGuire's clay treatment, you'll be able to get all the swirls out of it and a lot of the scratches. The interiors almost always come up very clean as long as the carpet and seats aren't trashed. Very high quality materials in there.

I haven't seen anything for less than 20K for a 4.2 quattro, I personally wouldn't be worried about the water pump, but if they timing belt got replaced at 95K, it will need to be replaced 160-170K. If the dealer replaced the timing belt, I imagine they replaced the water pump. If you have the VIN and call around Minneapolis to the dealers, see if they have records on the car. All dealers will have warranty records, but only the dealer who did the work will have the records of what was replaced. They will tell you that as part of their service, there is no cost for it.

However, be prepared to dump some repair money into this car. It has 135K on it.

If you just started looking at A8's I might consider looking a little bit longer and use the internet. There were 1,000 or so imported in 97 and 98, the 98's are all off of lease, so now they are falling too. I would look for a nice 98 with 80K or less (almost all of them) with cold weather package (think all have it), 17" wheels (you'll want them after you see them, the 16" are good for snows though), and electronics which include the xenon headlights (a must for a top notch car) and auto dimming side mirrors. I'm actually happy that I don't have the hot weather package now with the complaints about the cell phone use, mine drops enough as it is, but the double paned glass is cool! Big advantage of the 98, has a Tiptronic tranny and not the failures that the 97's had.

You could have this car for as low as 23K if you really looked around for a few months, or could have it tomorrow for 28K. Even choose your color then start your search.

Either way, I think you're going to buy one!

pw

PaulW

What is a spot mirror? Those round wide angle ones on trucks?

ryoung

... yep, I've also got my mirror "out" as far as it'll go, and I still have the huge blind spot.

I'd like to find a way to install a full-size convex mirror like on the passenger side, or failing that, I'll guess I'll just mount a small convex mirror on top of it (like the wide angle mirrors on a truck, aargh).

April

were a must for backing up and lane changing.

April

waiting for another.

In all honesty, given that you have admitted you are a chequebook mechanic, I would hold off getting this particular car. It sounds as if it MIGHT be ok with careful grooming, but then again may need a deft touch mechanically. It could just need a very good refurbishing....

Have you checked out the various enthusiast links here on Audi World ? Many of them have a classifieds section. Also, try visiting your local Audi dealers. Make an appointment with the ABS ( Audi Brand Specialist - factory trained sales ). Tell them what you want. Most will take your name and number and should they know of a car like that coming up for sale, will call you.

A loaded Camry is knocking on the door of 30K. For very close to that, you can find an Audi assured car. If your budget is not going that far, a car with 70 to 80K will still be in your reach.Keep in mind that car sales are slow in the winter which means prices are better, but selection is reduced. Most A8s were leased in the summer for 2 or 3 year terms.

wws03

For those of us without the skills, it's probably not worth it. 98 does have the tip-tronics. A friend of mine has it, my 97 doesn't. I don't miss it.

I suggest looking for a silver A8, that's what I have. I think that's the best color, and hides dirt well. But of course I'm biased.

acheap8

Thanks again all, if I do end up buying one as Paul predicts, I'll know where to turn.

Thanks Paul for the run-down on the 98 features. I was disappointed that the 97 didn't have the Tiptronic when I looked at it, I thought all models did. Though I'm only acedemically disappointed, never having driven one with it.

Re: some of the questions...

The water pump was not replaced at the same time as the timing belt -- selling dealer specifically mentioned it was unusual since it's normally done together.

The problem with removing the dent without putty work or whatever is that it's very near the edge, into the multiple-layer metal. Selling dealer thought it would be a problem too.

As far as the maintenance, apparently the guy had some worries about the transmission while in warranty, his Audi dealer didn't fix it, and then he got stuck with replacing it outside of warranty at 95K. So, he was understandably PO'ed at his dealer, and subsequently was having it serviced by an independent, which I gathered consistented mostly of oil changes. His experience with that Audi dealer explains why he'd sell it through an independent dealer too -- I don't think he was trading it in on a new Audi!

Regarding various suggestions to look at Audi-Assured cars, a quick search on Audi's site turned up a 1997 w/63,000 miles at $28K. Figuring a few thousand to bring the eBay one up to snuff, that's "only" about $10K more. Or after my $2000/year maintenance estimate, only about $6K more. And for far less miles. Hmm...

Of course once I've justified that, it's "only" another $6,000 or so to get a 1998.

<a href="http://www.audiusa.com/preowned_search_results?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audia po.com%2Finventoryws.cgi&model=A8&year=all&search_ state=MN&zip_code=&area_code=">Link to Minnesota AA cars</a>

The Audi Assured cars are marked by [AA]. Note also the very low-mileage 1997 A8 for $30,900, but *not* Audi Assured. I guess it flunked?

For those of you who've bought AA cars, are they "all that"? That is are they in fact stringent about the mechanical inspections as evidenced by (lack of) problems down the road, and cosmetically are they of semi-showroom quality?