thrash

I know this is an odd/tacky request.

I'd like to talk to an S8 owner a bit about their ownership experience and get a chance to get a ride in the car. Maybe some boring 494 cruising, a few on-ramps, and ideally a short jaunt on some twistier roads.

Someone with track experience preferred, but I'll take what I can get

I'd also like to check out the back seat and trunk arrangements. Rear seat room is a big reason I'm interested in the D2 platform.

I should be in the area from Wednesday night to sunday morning, if anyone is interested.

TwinCitiesS8

What's the motivation? Looking for one? I might be available late Saturday afternoon, dont know yet

thrash

I'm all over the map on what I want to do about my car situation, and to be honest, I have no definite time frame for buying.

The gist of the problem is this: my wife is driving my kid around in a car without side curtain airbags (2000 VW Passat wagon), except on days when I leave her with the A4.

She'd love to have the A4 be her "normal" car. Problem is, I dislike driving her car on a daily basis -- FWD sucks. My 325is track car and my 1st generation M5 are both summer-only cars, and neither of them is something I'd like to rely on anyhow.

Part of me figures that I ought to sell her VW and my M5 and get something to either be her newer car or my newer car. Since I've got a baby I care a lot more about rear seat size and cargo capacity. Since we're going on more road trips, I care about comfort on long trips and a spacious interior.

I live 6 miles from work and apart from driving to and from work, I take a bunch of trips down to Minneapolis for family reasons. I'd like something that would be at least as nice as my 07 A4 for family trips. It doesn't need to be a pocket rocket because I can always hop in the caged 325is if I want that experience, but if it's not fun to drive I may as well get an F150 or something

I posted here a while back soliciting comparisons between D3 A8, D2 S8, C5 S6, and the allroad. All are interesting choices to me and have different strengths in each area.

Another idea I've started to kick around is a D2 A8L, ideally with some 034 bi-turbo stuff and whatever 01E gearbox I can fit in there

So, having spent no time at all with the D2 platform, and understanding that the D2 S8 is going to be the hot ticket out of the box, I'd like to see one in person and get a feel for its size and its dynamics.

Always Overcharged

few quirks.Loads of luxury and power.
I am struggling to decide what to replace it with as so few cars come even close and with this community you will never regret the purchase .
Dive on in

brunnhizzle

034 makes a turbo for the D2?

thrash

IIRC, all the exhaust manifolds fit each other.

There are a few bi-turbo V8 projects on motorgeek. Not sure anyone has done it on a 40v 4.2 though..

pkrasusky

Watch yer back heh heh.

Srsly, I think that's not at all a tacky request but quite gentlemanly and smart. Too funny.

If you strike out merely feign interest in a local one for sale sometime and see what they're all about.

Like I wrote to you previous, these frickin things are an amazing all around experience, ownership, uberness, awesomeness. Just are, that's all. Sosososososo much car for the $, esp. now. Speakking of car for the $, I have a friend thinking of scooping a D3 //S8 possibly in coming weeks, prices are freefalling along with the rest of society, the world, etc.

HTH, good luck - and - report back. Methinks you'll find the light...

Dansker

those ~ 6 inches make a difference....

JMohn

I sent you an email this morning. I should add that I have no track experience (not the kind that would be helpful anyway)

chenishead

After driving an S8 recently it is the equivalent of a big sports car IMO. Ride is definitely stiff, you'll feel bumps, so I dunno how you'd feel about that on the highway. On the other end of the spectrum there is the A8L which is a bonafide highway cruiser and luxury car. MPG is better with the A, dash reads around 28-30 mpg at 70~ish. S8 owners get 22mpg IIRC on the highway. Backseat is huge on the A8L, I fit back there and I am 6'4". I Trunk is the same size on all d2's; I'd guess it to be a five body trunk I also drove a D3, it is complete garbage unless you manage to find one that is fully loaded, I drove one with about half the options, hopped into my D2 and fell in love with it all over again. I also drove the C5 A6, driving a D2 and hopping into that is definitely different.

Also if you are seriously looking at a S8, BruceM has a beautiful black one with no mechanical problems.

And heres one more thing to consider, 97-99 have hunt and thump with the trans. 00-01 tend to have f-seal failure and clutch basket problems. So far only two (IIRC) 02/03 have had trans issues and one of the guys was towing 5K lbs. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.