Dino1147

So stop me!

First things first: I'm new here so hi and thanks for having me!

I've been driving a 2010 Honda Accord EX-L since new but I'm a bit tired of it so time for a change. I just put 61,500 miles on it since new so I don't drive a ton. Always loved the A8 so I am seriously considering one. I worked auto body for Audi in Europe a few years before the D3 came out so I don't have any experience with that one. The only reason I'm looking at a 2007 is because of the price. I can't spend more than $10K purchase. I'll get close to that selling my Honda, and of course the A8 will be drinking more gas, and a higher octane one at that, and insurance is a tad higher as well although not too bad. I just have to factor those things in.

Since I do know my way around cars, I can fix and maintain most of this stuff, and I have a very good mechanic that I trust. Despite all that good stuff, I don't want the car sitting in the garage more than being on the road, I really would like something that's pretty reliable. So that's why I'm here.

I've been reading up on these as much as I can and I think I know what to look for, but I'm still a bit nervous that my newly acquired toy will blow up after two days or something!

Maybe it's because there's quite a few for sale. Makes me wonder why...

All of these cars have some serious miles on them, so I may have found one that takes some of the fear out of it. It does have 140,000 miles but recently had the timing chain, tensioners and all that stuff replaced. Coils and a few other things as well. The car has one of those aftermarket warranties. Fully paid for and has several more years on it so that kinda takes some of the worry out of it I guess. They did pay for all those repairs.

I wouldn't freak out if a switch or something failed either, it's an older car and it won't prevent me from getting to work so not too worried about the little stuff. But the big ticket stuff is a different story.

So is there any reason I should just forget about a car like this or do you guys think everything will be fine?

I don't have any trouble keeping the 7.2 liter V8 in my Charger running, but those are much simpler machines. Parts are stupid expensive for these old Mopars though so at least I'll be used to that!

richard-tx

I have aan 06 and an 08. The 06 has about 140k miles on it and the 08 has 1/2 that. I have spent $0 on both over the last year excluding oil changes and gas. My 06 is so good that someone would have to cough up some pretty serious money before I would let it go. The 08 is my wifes and she is in love with that car.

We paid top dollar for both cars. Both were garage kept their whole life. I don't think I would part with my 06 for $10k.

karl kane

Dino,
I recently purchased a 2007 4.2 TDI and before i did I looked at quite a few examples. I was careful in the purchase, got it for very good money as it has a few minor cosmetic issues (alloys were horrible, bulbs were blown, roof rail was chipped, tear in driver seat). These minor issues were sorted for a fixed for under £500, the biggest expense being the original alloys being refurbed for £250 and new bulbs which were £110. The rail cost £10 to do. The seat cost £7 to fix with a leather repair kit which I took a punt as it was so cheap and couldnt believe how well it looked afterwards - seamless repair of wwhich I was very proud of lol. The fact that your quite handy is a boon, as it can be quite a hard car to repair when you get into the bigger stuff. Buy the VCDS diagnostic tool, its invaluable.
As long as all the electrical stuff is working and the car has a service history WITH receipts, you cant go wrong. Get a mechanic to check it also on a ramp, in particular the drive train, control arms etc. If the car has been looked after it'll be good for up to 300K miles. Its a joy to drive and very little can keep up with it performance and looks wise. Mine has 161K miles and with 330BHP it goes like stink.
It is important to note that if you come across a enthusiast with receipts for work done by himself (assuming he is competent) go for it. Some of the best kept cars are held by home mechanics. Myself included lol.
Go for it, you sound as if you've found the right one anyway, you wont regret it.
Karl

richard-tx

I don't want to mislead you, when I got the 2006 a couple of years ago, I had the usual stuff go. Battery, front shocks, compressor, headlight bulbs. control arms, etc. But all that stuff came to about $1500 or so. Tires were another $1300 or so. I change the oil every 3000 - 4000 miles. Once I got all that done, it has been trouble free. All of that is just normal maintenance. Find a nioce one from an Audi dealer or a private party, read the Carfax report carefully, and be sure you know what color and options you want. Good luck.

Dino1147

I guess I am trying to have my cake and eat it; find the car that will be trouble free. Nobody can predict that so I agree, get maintenance records. I did run a carfax and it's clean. Further more, the history matches with what the seller told me. 3rd owner makes me a bit jittery. Why is it moving? People just moving to something different or trying to ditch a lemon? I don't believe the latter to be true but I need to look at this car with a bit more intellect and less emotion. It's a very nice car.
I do believe that, when maintained right, these cars can run forever. The electronics might be a different story but those are not the most horrible repairs. The shocks are a bit worrisome; those are simply expensive to buy and to install no matter how you look at it. But it's a one-time deal. Once fixed you're good to go. If I can get a few years out of this car then it will have been worth it, but if it lasts another 5+ years then great!
About this VCDS tool...how does this work? I hook it up to the car and my laptop and it tells me if something needs attention? I think I need this one with the 3 VIN option? https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/vchv2_ent/
I see the value in that if it can tell you what's going one beyond what the eye can see.
Thanks for the replies so far, much appreciated!

Dino1147

I watched the demo on the Ross-Tech site and it looks like auto scan will give me every fault code it can find. I then compare that to the codes available online and I know exactly what's going on with the car? Why don't I have one of those for every car? It's like a quick check-up at the doctor's office, brilliant!

I don't suppose this much cheaper cable does the job? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Shark_V8

I have parked my A8L and drive a little Fiat 500 now. I have spacers, wheel pkg and you can rev that engine *****-out - more driver space inside than the A8 too. Easy to park, reliable since it's a 2012.
I also ride my E-bike quite a bit too for city travel.

The A8 is a weekend car (to fix) and probably has more code in it than the Space Shuttle. I counted 60 computers, so it's a big headache in today's terms if your mission is just to transport yoursellf. Depends how you like to spend your weekends

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

Stay with your Honda, it doesn't seem it's feasible for you to own an A8. If you have a cap on an 07 A8 due to cash... definitely you can't afford it.
Cheers,
Louis

Dino1147

Fair comments, I appreciate that.

I do enjoy tinkering on cars, but I no longer wish to spend all of my free time in the garage. For a car like an A8 to demand that seems lemon-y. :-)

Regarding the cash. The actual car budget was $45K but I think my wife needs a new car way more than I do so I cut that in half. The purchase cap is set because I had to add the cash flow amount to maintain it for the next several years, so my total budget is a little over double of my set purchase price. I want to make sure I have cash for regular maintenance and spare wheels and winter tires. When I do that, I should probably lose the all-season tires and get summer tires. That's a lot of dough. I accept the increased cost to maintain the A8, but I don't want to get hosed and lose thousands on it. My bad for not elaborating on that initially.

There are some issues with the Honda but it's mechanically sound and gets me from A to B without hassle. I will have all the little things fixed properly so I can sell it with good conscious that the buyer will get a good car. With some luck, I'll get close to what I need to buy the A8.

2004A8L

I have an 04 a8l got it with under 90k now im over 135 and i wouldn't sell it for 10k... i spent some $$ fixing a few things here and there.. and then some items that didn't need to be replaced i replaced them 1. I got good deals on the parts or it just made more sense to replace it while i was in that area fixing something else lol..

Sounds like you can't decide,, you have $$ you know your way around fixing things but don't wanna spend too much time I say flip a coin make it easy