Zaphod A8

No, not for me unfortunately, for me bro. Quote from the local shop ...

"2005.5 Aud S 4; 344 HP !! ( 302 lbs TORQUE)!! 4.2 V 8 Quattro / 6 speed; Audi Extended WARRANTY ; Dolphin Gray / Ebony leather sport interior; 51,000 miles; Audi Bose AM / FM / CD/ Cassette /SAT; Winter Pk ( ski sack heated seats, headlight washers and mirrors ); Xenon lights; Convenience Pk ( power glass sunroof, locks, windows); 235/40 ZR 18 Bridgestone S 02 on Audi Sport wheels; service history complete and up to date; Audi Factory extended warranty till October 22, 2010 or 100,000 miles; NICE, CLEAN car with no issues. $ 32,900"

I know there are a lot of !!!, but this guy is not a web master, he is an audi guy and focuses on the //s cars ...

Thoughts?

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TOMAS7

<ul><li><a href="http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/PricingReport.aspx?VehicleClass=UsedCar&amp;Manufa cturerId=4&amp;YearId=2005&amp;WebCategoryId=38&am p;VehicleId=86&amp;PriceType=Private+Party&amp;Mod elId=10&amp;Mileage=52000&amp;SelectionHistory=86% 7

mart_o_rama

My previous car was a 2004 S4.

The rear seats are cramped and the boot is small.

The car feels almost heavier than the S8/A8.

All in all my biggest gripe is the manual transmission, you have to ride it hard in order to appreciate it, if you sit in traffic regularly it'll be unpleasant.

Martin

skiracer

IMHO, a much better value. But it doesn't have the manual tranny, so if that's a big selling point then the S8 isn't an option.

KYNZ

shoot, you can get a really nice D2 S8 or D3 A8 for that money... different worlds car wise.

pkrasusky

Pretty fun cars tho, great interiors, great balance.

I found them to be wanting for torque tho, the comment below about feeling heavier than an //S8 is true.

I wouldn't pay more than $25k - or even less - but that's just me.

HTH, good luck.

Beartrap

In our cars, the engine is probably the strongest part of the car. But over there there are a lot of pretty bitter complaints. Problem is noise upon startup. LOUD noise.

In that model the V8 has a timimg chain. Don't know whether that might be part of the reason. But last I checked the people who had the problem hadn't found any solution for it.

pkrasusky

Datapoint: mine sure is *pretty* darn clackety some colder a.m.'s @ startup.

NOLAessate

I've driven a number of S4s (2.7t and V8, 6MT and tip). They were all great driving cars and a whole lot of fun. In a city like New Orleans (decidedly NOT the Audi capital of the world), I see at least one S4 a day. There are 2 or maybe 3 D2 S8s here (counting mine), and the S4 drivers are falling out of their cars looking at mine. HP, torque, and weight factors are very similar between the two cars, and the S8 drives much "smaller" than it looks. Fuel economy is nothing to write home about for either car.

Unless your friend has to have a stick, he'll get a lot more car and much more value and exclusivity with an S8, especially if he plans on putting normal sized people in the back seat. Unless he gets an '03 (and a warranty from Bruce), he can bank the money he'll save on the purchase for future maintenance.

Also, based on my pre-purchase reading and research (and the "new car" price differential between the 2 models), it seems that the original owners of D2 S8s were somewhat different than original owners of S4s. The S8s are likely to have been "abused" less, IMHO. Choosing either car, however, gives your friend a great win/win situation.

cj750rock

unless the drivers are areound 5'.