Gtan

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and I'm caught in the horns of indecision! I have my eye on a silver 98' A8 4.2Q tiptronic, 5 spoke 17" wheels with 43,000 miles. Here are the details:

Pros:
Bodywork and interior is in absolutely mint condition. No dings, scratches etc. 1st owner. It is a company car and driven only by the MD and his chauffeur. The car is serviced regularly by the dealer every 5000 miles (or every 6 months).

Drives wonderfully. The engine is a real gem. Such smooth, linear and responsive power! I've not driven an A8 before and it feels lighter and much more agile than I expected. Seems to shrink fit around the driver. Very addictive!

Strangely, the auto transmission was changed early this year together with the front dampers and ac compressor. Apparently the car suddenly lost power on the road. The dealer partially subsidised the replacement bill for the auto trans after the company complained.

Cons:
Driver headrest is not working which I believe is quite common from reading the various threads here. The rear dampers need to be changed plus all 4 tyres. The steering pulls slightly to the right although the chauffeur said that is due to the worn Goodyear tyres. I also heard a lot of tyre/road noise when I sat in the back but again could be the worn tyres.

I currently work in Hong Kong and I will only use the car as a weekend cruiser. Hong Kong does not have long wide open roads like the US or Europe and roads are relatively narrow and cramped. A8's size might also be a bit of a handful for my wife.

No longer under warranty.

Asking price: US$22K but I could get it down lower.

Any comments/views would be very much appreciated.

Rgds,

Guan

neezer

What even I, as a newbie to the A8, can tell you is...the stock tires are terrible. Even last night, I couldn't believe how quick they squeal in a turn. Give me a break Goodyear, if you wanna make a tire that has a treadwear rating of 360, fine, but it's very irresponsible to compromise so much. Can't wait to get some Pirellis or S03's.

RCBENZ2

Re: Dream car - Shall I bite? YES!