Paul Brennsteiner

I'm looking at a 99 A8 Quattro I was hoping somebody could give me some insight here.
pros and cons and anything else you can tell me. Thank you

Oxnardo Ring

What kind of shape is it in? And, miles?

Generally, the rule of thumb is that these items need to be changed, rebuilt, etc, every 100-120K miles.
Timing belt
Water pump
Fuel Pump
Tensioners
Control arms
And, generally, transmission-- or, if you see a great looking car with 140K miles and the seller is "silent" on the gearbox, it's a good thing to ask about. They do fail and it's a rarity to get to 200K without a rebuilt transmission.

On the plus side, bring largely aluminum, I believe these will ultimately be million mile cars for people that maintain them. If you are buying from the Snowbelt, be sure to look at the few steel items on the car... exhaust, front subframe.

I absolutely love these cars. They are quiet, adequate power, very safe and feel "like they were built out of solid chunk of billet aluminum".
Good luck-- let us know if you have specifics.

tom

Paul Brennsteiner

it's in beautiful shape inside and out. I do know that the timing belt was changed but I will have to ask about the rest. It has 140,000 MI. Thanks for all the information. Now I know at least what the follow up on before making my decision

Oxnardo Ring

By the way, I hope others chime in with items I may have missed. Most people do change the water pump while they are at it with the timing belt, so check to see if they did that.

And, look out for the Big Craigslist Fib on these. "Pristine 1999 A8, 112K miles, Mint condition. Transmission slips slightly but mechanic says all it needs is a fluid change..." A fluid change almost NEVER remedies the issue if it's gotten to the point of Hunting and Thumping and Slipping. Budget accordingly.

Good luck!
Tom