Dave G

Isn't the "Aristo" the Lexus GS in North America, not the LS ??

Dan McBoost

Yes I misspoke. I do enjoy the GS ( Aristo ) much more as the sportier car.

JimR

Rear diff is already a known weak spot.

barryl

Hey,

Since I'm the guy who mentioned replacing the A8 with a Subaru, I would like to know what luxury features the Audi has that the Subaru doesn't have?

Is it AWD w/LSD rear diff? - subaru has it
Is it 8 way power seats with memory, heat, lumbar, headrest, etc? Subaru has it, and the features work too!
How about cruise control - subaru has it, it doesn't work on my (and many other's) A8
Trip computer - Subaru yes. Audi yes, but it can't reliably calculate fuel range. Drive Audi, computer displays 100 mile range. Turn Audi off. Start car 1 hour later - you now have 50 miles rance. Where did the 50 miles go?
What about dual zone climate control - yes for Subaru, and it probably won't dump a gallon of water on the floor when the drains clog

What does the Audi have that the Subaru doesn't?
The Audi has all aluminum construction, which is nice, but it still weighs close to 4000 lbs.

Barry

1Fun S8

2nd

obLu

Ouch, no I haven't looked yet.

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

I bought my 98-A8 last July, it's still good, solid, powerful and reliable. Yes, I think you have to do some of the stuffs yourself like replacing the control arms, head rests and oil changes. The less you take to the dealer, the longer it will last for all cars, I think.
I bought it for $11.5 with 104k miles, to me, if it runs for 3 years without major problems and I get $5k for it, I'm still good. But god forbid, it runs for 5 years, I can donate the car after I'm done with it.... LOL...
My A6, I paid 10k for it, it's been 2 years and I haven't spent anything for it beside oil and gas.
My wife will not drive anything but Audis now, she's totally spoiled.
I'm totally nervous reading all these problems from both A6 & A8 forums, but may be in sunny CA, they do last longer.
Come to think of it, I've owned Audis since the 5000s, 80s, 90s, they'd all been reliable except one trannie went out due to life time fluid design.

Knock on wood... to all my Audis,

Timing belt will be replaced on the A6 this summer.

Cheers,

JimR

Just a "grass is always greener" counterpoint comment.

A8bil

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said this when defining "obscenity" It applies equally here. There is an attention to detail at every level of a luxury car that reflects its quality. From the feel of the leather or seating material, to the way the glove box opens. The luxury car is engineered to look and feel expensive. There are things you don't notice as well--like noise. Double insulated glass and a cockpit which is insulated to give you just the right amount of growl from the V8, without intrusive road noise. In luxury cars costing $60,000+, car companies can and must pay attention to these types of details. In the ubiquitous high end economy car/near-luxury car segment, they get some of these elements right, but the attention to detail is not there, nor could it be because it would add an unjustifiable increase to the car cost and in many cases it could have a negative effect on important features of the car, i.e. extra weight of more insulation/features will negatively impact fuel economy, braking and acceleration.

I'm not bagging on the near luxury segment or those whose values tell them that they will be just as satisfied with a near luxury car as with a top end luxury car. I'm just saying the two simply don't compare, at any level, even if they share some similarities on paper. A Chevy Trailblazer is nice, but it's not a Range Rover or a Landcruiser--not even close.

To me, it sounds like you've weighed the benefits of the top-end luxury segment and decided that the benefits don't justify the cost, financial or otherwise. That's okay and certainly is a defendable position, not that you need to justify it to anyone here.

For me, it's fun and nice to drive a car that has the luxury, refinement and nearly the space of a limosine, that can take me to Tahoe in the Winter without chains, and can be tossed in the twisties with some of the best sports cars out there. Dealing with a burnt tranny would suck, but like I said, it is a fallacy to believe there is a car made that is immune to failure, and I've already factored that price into ownership.

Good luck with your cars, Audis or not.

Cheers.

barryl

Well put, thanks!