revelator1969

Hi chaps, im looking to buy an A8 tdi within my £10k budget. I currently have a 400bhp Jag xkr and so i would prefer the 4.2 tdi which seems to have plenty of power. My Jag has had a minor bump and is being written off by the insurance and so i decided to change the type of vehicle i have.

WHen looking at second hand cars in the uk should the sport and se models be the same price or is there a noticeable price difference. I intend to buy an 08 face-lift model as the improvements sound worthwhile. I will try the comfort seats and the sport seats to see what i prefer.

This chap has a very good 4.2 TDI sport, he said he would accept £10k for it, is has a high spec with lots of options like the B&O system, a lot of the extras im not that fussed about but it does look like a cracking car and spec, it is whether or not it is worth £10k or not. I have not been to see it yet as im trying to figure out if this is a good deal for a private sale.

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...--2008/7884928

here is a SE near me that is £8500 and from a small car dealer. What is your guys thoughts?

Used Audi A8 Saloon 4.2 Tdi Se Saloon Dpf Quattro 4dr in Birmingham, West Midlands | Karwan Cars

chokboywonda

I would personally go and test drive both and take VCDS with me. You may get lucky with the 2nd one and they may not have listed some of the options that the first one for 10k has listed. I would say 10k is a little steep for the one on pistonheads but if it is really pukka and not much to do then it's really what are you willing to pay. Plus you will need to check and see what have the cars had done previously? Suspension should be ready to rear it;s ugly head soon together with a few other common problems.

dvs_dave

The PH one is a nice looking car, but it’s essentially only the color and wheels that are different. Neither are L models which for me makes them less desirable. At the end of the day, it seems 20% overpriced for a 10 year old 100k+ mile A8.

If a dealer is able to sell a very similar car (basically just different wheels and no B&O, but still Bose, although it does appear to have the blind spot monitoring which the PH one doesn’t) with less miles and with a warranty for 2 grand less that bears witness to that.

revelator1969

I went to see 2 cars today which were at dealers in Birmingham UK, the first one was a 3.0 tdi sport pre facelift, i just wanted to see if i like the sports seats, im not wanting the 3.0 tdi. The car was out for repair of the electric seat so i was told and i never got to see it. I went to see the grey SE in the link i posted, it was in ok condition but the car was covered in dust and needed a wash, it would not start either, i loved the interior it was the black leather with comfort seats. I took the car for a test drive and it was flawless, i only noticed slight hesitation between slightly touching the gas pedal and the car picking up, this was while moving, i dont know if that is normal for these cars but its the same zf gearbox in my current XKR. The car was lovely to drive, very smooth, very quiet and lots of power, i just would not buy this particular one, the dealer also said he did not actually have the service history ha ha, the advert says the car has just had a service however all the service parts were still in the boot.

Im not sure if any seller would let me plug in my laptop for vcds and do a scan, someone done that with me when i sold my merc a year ago, i was not keen on the idea but i had to agree in order to sell the car.

Is suspension problems inevitable with these cars and is buying a lower mileage one better, there is not many below 100k miles. Finding a 4.2 tdi facelift model is very difficult without a crazy mileage.,

Hi for me i dont want the L model, the car is big enough as it is, there will only be me and the misses in the front anyway, i know there is only 5 inches of a difference but i worry this might make it harder to turn on tight corners and parking too. I do like the black Sport in the link but i agree the price still seems high if he accepts £10k, the problem is there is not enough facelift 4.2 models to compare it too with similar spec too. The car at the dealers today was not up to my standard so i just left it after a test drive.

Is an SE and a sport likely to be similar in price. If i see i LWB that is good i might consider it but the standard saloon if big enough for me.

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

I would prefer buying cars from private owners. It’s better to buy from an honest seller that knows his/ her car.
Whatever you decide, take your time, it’s easy to buy a junk car but very hard to sell after you got it.
My suggestion in buying A8 D3
Cheers,
Louis

chokboywonda

Regarding the little time lag when you accelerate. It should not be too bad in sport mode and in normal mode check that the kick down switch is on under the accelerator pedal. Also I do believe the car programs itself to your driving style over a period of time. So if the car has not been driven aggressively for a period of time it will adapt to it and respond differently compared to if it has been opened up regularly..
If you want to know if suspension is an inevitable fix read the sticky on the forum I believe it mentions this and also search suspension on this forum and I think you will find it is one of the most popular posting subjects.
I have the 4.2 and it's mapped and it still makes me smile regularly..

revelator1969

I agree with you Louis regarding buying from a private seller. The problem with these 4.2 tdi face-lift cars is they are very rare, there is plenty of 3.0 tdi's about but i am really after a 4.2 tdi. Thank you very much for the link to your website, this looks very informative, ill grab a cup of tea and read through this. If i need to ask anything i will be sure to let you know.


Thanks for the info regarding the lag. The car i test drove was not for me so i will see if the next one has this feature too or not. I will research on the suspension as i really want to avoid any expensive repair bills in the near future. Your car must be a best if its remapped too, who knows i may be tempted by this myself in the future.

I am going to see this car on Monday as i work Fri to Sun. The guy has advertised it on eBay for his boss. Normally i avoid cars not advertised by their owner but this guy seems genuine enough. I talked to him on the phone and he likes the way im talking and because i sound like a genuine buyer, he seems really genuine too, the car sounds amazing and it looks amazing in the pics too. Its a 2009 4.2 tdi sport with 73k miles and a few nice extras, he said his boss wont accept less than £10k to which i agreed i would pay if everything is good with the car. What do you guys think?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-A8-4...53.m1438.l2649

revelator1969

Guys do you have any info on the service intervals for the 4.2 tdi. Searching does not find anything for this particular engine. Does the 4.2 tdi have a timing belt that needs changing, im hoping it has a timing chain.

chokboywonda

No belt it has a chain.
Not sure of the interval without looking in my manual but i change my oil every 8 - 10 months regardless of the miles use redex in my fuel.
I bought mine at 56 000 miles it is now on 106,000 and since I bought it I have had to do the MMI screen gears, new battery, new compressor and rear air strut 2 new rear lights as the LEDs circuit board corroded. Last month I had to have a rear caliper due to a code that would not go away and the warniing light would always return when I cleared it.
On my to do list is my left headlight as the adaptive cornering motor has gone but I haven't done it yet because it is not essential. My driver door soft close and door handle switch needs doing but once again this is not essential and although it's nice when the luxuries all work I can live with it.This is why i say you need to know what it has had done previously as you will be very lucky if you do not have to spend something after 80-90,000miles. In the same period of time my Audi A4 TDI has 1 replacement tail light bulb. LOL!
I just read that back and it sounds terrible but I'm not trying to put you off just my experience and after all that I still love the car.

revelator1969

Thanks for your reply. Its good to hear it has a chain that is one less think to worry about. I have been told the car has been serviced as per the schedule so i hope this is the case.

Yes that is quite a bit of work you have had to do on your car but you have had it for 50,000 miles so its not so bad if the repairs are spread out a bit. It is a concern when you read about the suspension repairs because yours is not really what i would class as high miles. Do most of these cars have suspension issues after 50,000 miles like yours? Is there preventative measures than can me made is i buy a car that is ok as far as the suspension goes? I did search regarding the suspension but i just find a lot of people asking about there own issues so i dont really know if its most likely to happen to me and at what mileage. I read Louis website + watched his video regarding checking the suspension so i know how to check the operation at the 4 settings and then measure the height of each wheel arch.

The repair costs are one thing but i do want to own a car like the A8 and experience the luxury ride. I cant believe how much the road tax is at a whopping £520 and my car insurance is £400 more than my current 2004 Jaguar XKR (supercharged 400bhp 4.2 V8). Its gave me a shock but i still think i should go for it;