getthedrift86

I just drove an '01 S8 and walked away very disappointed. This was the first time I had driven a D2 Audi. I knew going in that at nearly 135k, this car was no spring chicken. However, the Carfax was clean and showed what I thought was a decent maintenance history. The car told a different story.

Upon walking up to the car, I began to notice several blemishes on the paint. Not really any big deal as it is bound to happen with any car at some point. The worst problem from the outside was an apparent bump up in the rear that had left a large paint mark and broken one of the rear tail lights.

From the outside, the interior looked decent, but once I got the keys and got in, I began to notice several things. There was significant wearing on the door handles which was very unsightly. There was also rather a lot of wear on the steering wheel and the compartments in the center console either misaligned or broken. The sun shade cover did not feel sturdy at all. The action of the rear window shade was suspect. Even the corrugated piece of plastic that sits inside of the shifter was bunched up. Overall, I got an incredible sense of cheapness. This was far from what I expected from a car that was approx. 75k new.

I continued my walk around inspection. I started the car up and check under the hood. Everything looked good there. I pressed the button in the door jam to open the trunk, but I didn't hear any sound. Hmm. Went around to the back and sure enough, the trunk was open. For the life of me, I could not get the trunk to close. I was so frustrated, I considered walking away in disgust. However, I figured I came this far, I might as well drive the car.

I had already started the car once and noticed a slight hick-up. I went to start the car again for the test drive and got nothing but clicking. It even reset the info on the dash. Apparently, in the span of 10 minutes, the car had gone dead. I had to get the dealer to jump the car.

As I started to drive off, I noticed the check engine light was on (it is not very distinguished and slightly hard to see, which is why I guess I had missed it earlier). Splendid. I also had the picture in the middle telling me the trunk was open the whole time.

I don't know if the S8 has a "limp-home" mode due to the check engine light that is present in some other high end cars, but I was not impressed at all with the pickup of this car. I feel that the acceleration was not much superior to that of my current ride, a stock '92 Nissan 240sx, which I consider to be sluggish.

At highway speeds, I noticed a road noise that seemed to be coming from the front of the car. I suppose that it could have been tire noise, but I fear that it may have been differential noise. Again, compared to my current ride, I didn't find the ride or noise to be much superior (and I consider my car to be not very comfortable and rather loud). I will admit that the chassis does feel exquisite and the handling is remarkable for a car of this size. I didn't even bother to check with the dealer about any possible check engine codes, however pushing a button on the instrument panel labeled "check" showed a picture that looked like a thermometer and then a picture of an oil can. After the test drive, I just gave them the keys and walked away.

The Audi D2 S8 is one of my all time favorite vehicles. I was very excited to drive this vehicle and my disappointment with this vehicle is practically unmatched by any other automobile letdown. I was told they would be willing to make a great deal on this car for me given that it had been on the lot for over 2 months. I would guess so! With so many problems and the costs it would take to fix everything, this car has got to be nearly worthless. It is sad to see such a rare car in such a state of disrepair.

I was expecting a true highway bomber. Something that oozed style and grace. An ultimate combination of power and comfort. I got none of this. This is my second bad experience with Audi. My fiance's parents have an '03 A6 that has the same interior wear issues and has had a significant electrical and transmission problems. I seriously doubt that I will be able to compare to another as I had to drive more that 80 miles to test drive this one and next nearest S8 to me is more than 500 miles away and has greater that 200k on the clock. Please tell me that this experience is highly unusual. Otherwise, it is doubtful that I will give Audi another chance and there will be a vacancy in my dream garage.

silverd2

Some of your cosmetic observations are just nit-picking and normal wear for ANY car of ANY original price...some indicate a car not well treated.

CEL can be from literally hundreds of causes...from engine to transmission...you'd need to know which code(s) caused that..no other way of knowing.

Engine dying, bad acceleration indicate a car with problems...NOT typical of an S8 that's been taken care of...BUT be realistic, for a car with mileage that high, if nothing was addressed through it's life, it'll have problems.

D2 S8's are sort of rare...people keep them, for some reason. Look on autotrader.com for the biggest selection. If you're waiting for one to come to you...don't hold your breath. And I'd shoot for something with less than 135K miles...the are around.

Or if you don't have the appreciation for the uniqueness of Audi D2's or the superior drive of high end German cars in general and just want "dependability"...get a Lexus...I hear they are dependable...boring rolling couches, but dependable

silverd2

P.S. Front end noise is NOT normal with these cars...bad tires possibly.
D2's (Audi's in general) are NOT prone to differential problems...relatively bullet-proof.
Keep lookin and be willing to travel, if you really want an S8...many have taken cheap flights to go look at good prospects...even with A8's, which are quite special themselves...highly tuned cars, while S8's are hyper-tuned versions (at the cost of gas mileage and firmer ride).

getthedrift86

Thanks for the input. I agree that some things are nit picking. I will admit that I am very particular about cars. Granted, there are wear items on cars. However, I am mostly pointing to the 'cheap' feeling of many things that I just did not expect to be the case. I am also very disappointed with the wear of the finish on the door handles, as this seems to be a very difficult item to replace. I do blame Audi here, as I feel that this is not a durable enough material given that I have seen another Audi owned from new have the same problem.

Simply out of curiosity, would any one be willing to speculate on a reasonable price for the car in the condition as I have described above (I understand that this may be highly contingent on the cause of the engine light)? Given the rarity of the car, can these items be (easily) sourced and replaced?

This was indeed more of an issue of the car 'coming to me' as you put it. I have been searching for a car for several months but not an s8 in particular. I just happened to see this car and was very hopeful that it would be something that I would want to buy.

Sarcasm on the internet is hard to detect but I will admit that if not taken in jest, your Lexus comment is highly offensive. I have often defended the dependability German brands (including the aforementioned future in-law's car) especially when compared to xyz Japanese brand. However, at the end of the day, a car's purpose is to transport one or more individuals from point A to point B. If a car cannot dependably do this, then it is nearly worthless. It is very hard for a car to inspire a driver, provide feedback, incite emotion, etc. when it is sitting parked. That said, Lexus makes nice cars, just not for me.

tozoM8

Around $6-7K, but it is not the car for you.

silverd2

If you're allergic to sarcasm, DON'T read posts that start with "silverd2". It's the price some pay (and some actually see the humor intended, if they don't carry a chip on their shoulder) to receive educated opinions from one who already knows more about D2's than you'll ever know. It's also called humor, sour-puss...followed by a

Are you asking Audi to retroactively go back and replace all the inner door handle parts because it bothers YOU??...yes it's a common "problem" and I've rarely heard ANYONE bitch about it. I don't look at it while I'm driving and find that I can't feel it while driving either

You sound like someone just whining about driving ONE bad example of an S8 and are expecting a chorus of followers to join in and talk about what pieces of crap they all are. Isn't it obvious?! ...LOOK at those door handles!!

Again, go buy a Lexus...all the women I know who drive them love them. <<<< THAT was not a joke...it was a genuine recommendation.
Some people are just not cut out for rare, unique cars, that are more about what they are as whole, rather than random pieces of interior trim.
You would never be happy with an Audi....don't waste your time shopping.

getthedrift86

Alright, thanks for the input.

Erwin

Very unusual experience. I traded my A8 when it had 160,000 miles, but it rode like a new one.

It sounds like you will never be happy with an Audi. Appreciating a car like an A8 D2 is a very personal issue. Eventually you should only trust your own opinion.

mattsimis

Aside from gearbox woes and mega worn rear diff mount, my ultra-cheap 175k mile 1998 no service history S8 looks like a glowing example by comparison. And that was the car SilverD2 suggested I should have got crushed!

silverd2

Well, in fairness, I wrote "set it ablaze" ....more visual impact for the money

To quote myself:

"First, because I am what I am (you pick the word), an editorial comment: I've followed your posts since you bought the car and truly I hope you got a REALLY good deal on it. From your descriptions, it was (is?) such a basket case, many others (myself included) may have just set it ablaze, collected the insurance money and been done with it. The previous owner should be hunted down, prosecuted, do a little jail time or at the very least, be banned for life from automobile ownership...the Taliban treats Christian missionaries better than what was done to that car before you acquired it."