VenTTed

First off, I am a TT owner from the TT Forum and very active on the board for over 3 years. I am pretty familiar with Audi service and quality as it relates to my TT Coupe, but need some help with the A/S8.

A VP of my company walked into my office today and stated that he want's to buy either an A8 or an S8. He will be moving from a E Class MB and now wants something a bit different and sporty. Money is not an issue.

He asked me specifically about service and build quality. What do you guys/gals think? Would you recommend a car of this caliber to your boss? Would you recommend that he steer clear of the brand entirely if he is interested in excellent service?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated. He'd like for me to help him and coming to this forum seemed like a very good idea... you know this stuff. Your thoughts please and any links to articles, etc would be great too!

Thanks in advance,
Glen

taga8

The only car that I would trade my A8 for would be a 911 carrera 4S and even then I would have to think about it. The built quality is amazing. I think the A8 is the only hand built mass produced car under 100K. If I had that kind of money I would get a new S8 with a big brake upgrade, sell my house and drive all day every day.

Jim II

for any reason. I've had the car for just over two months and driven over 5000 miles. My car has high miles and is not the best example out there but it is by far my favorite car I've owned or driven for that matter. I've driven alot of nice cars. It is going to take alot to get me out of this car. Most likely it will just have to be a more recent model year.

A8-911-Odyssey

Drive one, you'll see. Fast, smooth, quick, fun, classy etc...

ryoung

I have experience with only two dealers -- Fred Baker in Cleveland and Three Rivers in Pittsburgh. Both have provided excellent service.

In two years, I've had zero mechanical problems with my S8 and only a few nuisance <A HREF="https://forums.audiworld.com/a8/msgs/8167.phtml">Electrical Gremlins</a>.

For a useful link -- <A HREF="http://www.audipages.com">audipages</a>

ttuling

I can't think of a better large car, but...

The top third of the front seatbacks curves forward too low into taller persons' backs. And those who concentrate their weight on the back of the seat bottom sink too far into the butt pocket (a technical term) and experience fulcrum-like underthigh pressure from the transverse anti-submarining bar. After two weeks with the car, the seat had me looking for ways to get rid of the car, but $300 and a day at a car upholstery shop made it tolerable. Most people get along with the unaltered seat, and I enjoy S8 seats.

The handling is made imprecise, I presume, by the designed-in tendency for the front wheels to steer slightly in the direction of body roll. (Disbelievers, see the toe-in versus suspension displacement curve in the service manual.) So after the body roll has set in when cornering, the car's going somewhere slightly different. What were they thinking? Or maybe the cause is some self-steering rear axle effect. Whatever the cause, the car adds its own little inputs to the driver's steering commands, and cornering with subcentimeter accuracy is difficult.

skiwi

i have traded an rs2 and a 20v ur-quattro for an s8. most on this list wouldn't know either of my old cars.

nevertheless, i love the s8. handling is surprisingly nimble for a big car, better turn-in than the rs2, and excellent build quality. better ride/handling than all hi-po audi's i've owned (s2, rs2, ur-quattro). in fact, almost as good ride quality as in my wife's a3. none of the above can compare to the 20v ur-quattro for handling though...

i love the car. driving an auto is interesting experience, and i'm a fan (most of the time).

can't comment on dealers in the usa. here in nz, there are some excellent ones. i have been with the same dealer over 10 years, and bought 6 cars.

hth,
dave
'01 s8

VenTTed

Thanks everyone... I appreciate your input!

barryl

Hello,

I disagree with both of your dislikes. I am not tall (5' 7") so perhaps the
seat is not good for tall people. However, a LARGE friend of mine (6' 4",
300 lbs) spent 3-4 hours in the passenger seat and he found it very
comfortable.

Regarding the handling, maybe there is something wrong with your
suspension. I find the handling, even on the lousy OEM Goodyear tires
to be excellent - accurate, precise, and very neutral. Personally, I like
the stock A8 ride, which I feel is a good blend of comfort and stiffness.
For my needs, I would not want the stiffer ride of an S8.

Now, my list of like and dislikes:

Likes - anything to do with the performance of the vehicle. It's fast,
comfortable, efficient (25 mpg on the highway), quiet, safe (AWD, etc.)
roomy. I also like that it is rare, sudtle, and unknown.

Dislikes - mostly little annoyances more than anything else - steering
wheel heaters that don't work, seat adjustments (headrest) that don't
work, cruise control that doesn't work, and way way way too many assorted
oil leaks. Why can't German's make oil seals that last?

I have very little MB experience, so I can't compare the A8 to that,
but compared to the BMW 5 series (my brother has one), the A8 is
far far far surperior.

Barry

ttuling

The seat's an issue for tall-but-not-large occupants.