A8Dreamer

Good Afternoon, I am a long time lurker and Lexus aficionado but looking to take a leap into the Audi pool. I love the interiors and aggressive styling of the A8 but am a newbie I when it comes to Audi and everyone, who never owned one, tells me "don't do it the maintenance is crazy, their unreliable, etc" but all I see is glowing reviews on this forum (unlike BMW forums where it seems they are in purgatory sad sad souls). With all that said please point me in the right direction, I have gotten down to 3 options. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Best Bang For The Buck


Love At 1st Sight -The interior and S8 wheels melts my heart.


If Push Comes To Shove

Nermb

<br />they are great cars you will be very happy with them. If you want more power, go for the 4.0T. However, they are somewhat less reliable than the 4.2 And 3.0T as well as, in my opinion, harder to work on if you do the work yourself or more labor if you take it to a shop as they'll take longer to do a job. For example the pcv valve is under the turbo intake goses which takes quite a bit of work to get to. That alone will set you back 1000$+ if you take it to a shop or especially dealer. In the last year and a half of ownership of my 2013 a8l, I put about 2k into it, which included changing my control arms myself, which of course you don't have to do until they go bad I guess. A lot of the work I did on it was not needed but I did it as a maintenance thing. The first a8 on your list looks painted on the passenger side, or maybe its just lighting but the front and rear doors look a different shade. One thing for sure, I don't think you'll be dissapointed with the car and chances are you will not have any issues with it besides of course just regular maintenance which goes with ang car. Some of course more expensive than others.

Stevereddy

I am not a fan of a complex car with more than 50-60k miles on it AND out of warranty. You do have to pay more to get a newer car, but if you get a CPO it will be certified and the CPO warranty is very very good. A lot of times in the luxury car market there is the first owner who puts in 20-30k and then trades in, second owner goes to 50-60k and repair costs rear their ugly heads.mwhyndo you think the price for BMW, Mercedes and Audimare so low after the warranty has expired? Ask anyone who has replaced the AC compressor on any of these cars.....2,000.00 and up is normal.
I myself love to drive a cutting edge nice car........I am always the second owner, never buy new. I do my research and never trade a car in either. Cash deals.........for example my 2014 A8 4.0t, new to me this May, purchased with 9800 miles on odometer for 48K. Beats the hell out of a new one for 90k plus. Car is phenomenal coming out of a 2013 Mercedes E550 sedan. It was a strong runner but the Audi out handles it by a wide margin and the Audi seats are superior. I always think a little more upfront to buy a car with factory warranty is the best way to go. If you have to stretch yourself financially to buy one of these high end cars you will end up regretting it. Good luck with your search!

A8Dreamer

Thanks for the quick reply and the info about the engines; coming from Lexus I really only had to choose between the V8 or the hybrid. I never thought about repair cost being diff between the V8 and V6 on the A8... Also good eye on that door, I can not NOT see it anymore, If I picked that one I am going to send an inspector out to check it before I flew out, I will keep that in mind.

A8Dreamer

I understand that's why I appreciate any informed opinions I can get such as yours. I will be coming from a 2011 LS460; after owning a '99 GS400 and '07 GS350 and they all were pretty much bullet proof. Out of the 3 the biggest issue was the water pump going up on the '99. So I never had a problem with buying cars out of warranty because they were always so reliable and in 20/20 hindsight a warranty would have been a waste. I do appreciate your input and will expand my search to newer model years and make sure I purchase an extended warranty thru my credit union (heard so many horror stories about 3rd party warranty companies being backed by the CU makes me feel a little better). Thanks again for your help.

Stevereddy

I would also say never ever buy an accident damaged car. Your second choice has had two reports filed, it's cheap for a reason! They are hard to get rid of when you go to trade etc. if you want to stay in a car that is ultra reliable and is out of warranty buy a Lexus or a Avalon. My car even though it is practically new has had the down pipes replaced under warranty....a 2k repair. I appreciate the precision driving dynamics of a German car more so than a Lexus/Buick. If your budget is 25k it will go a lot further in an A6 or A4..........keep us posted as to what you buy.....also, if you buy through Carmax I hear they have their own warranty which is good.

Panerai197

I changed from a 7 series, best car ever the A8 only a few minor problems from new that were fixed very quickly, red line on MMI screen (replaced) slight noise from fan blower (fixed) possible overfill on air-con service, next week they are looking at the headrest it's only moving a little.

No rattles No squeaks No noise (Double glazing) Acoustic pack ? wind or driving through rain you feel very safe and secure, drives superb in comfort, very quick in dynamic mode well under 5.9 > 60MPH for a barge no slouch leaves others standing, great in all weathers, like the ride height adjustment for rough ground, tows like a dream (2 ton caravan) sips fuel literary, great in all weather, matrix headlights just brilliant, servicing costs very minimal, customer service really good.

I am a bit apprehensive about trading it in in 9 months (3 years old) I would be temped to keep it and go on the Audi service plan for 3+ years old cars, or just buy a new A8 but not sure if I like the new interior, I may go for the A6 avant , but then again.

LexusLSguy

Don't expect Lexus reliability. No other luxury vehicles are as reliable but Audi is the most reliable of the Germans. The A8 was my only choice over buying 14 LS460. I would recommend a cpo or a warranty through a credit union. The A8's are pretty reliable but they are difficult cars to work on. Maintenance will be a bit more then the 460 but not a lot. Labor is where most of the cost comes into play with repairing these vehicles.

Psy Wagon

this is an aspect that is hard to explain to people. yes many vehicles, SUVs, etc. can feel "safe" but Audi, particularly the A8, has really nailed this. Double-pain glass certainly helps.

Panerai197

Sometimes when parked I drop the window just to hear how noisy it actually is outside the car.