Your help for the new guy would be greatly appreciated
12-19-2016, 09:09 AM
#1
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Your help for the new guy would be greatly appreciated
Hello,
1st time poster but I have been lurking (and searching topics) for a few months now.
Background: I have been a long time BMW guy but the reliability of the recent 750 is causing me to look somewhere else. The A8 seems to fit the bill.
I am looking at a 2014 or 2015 CPO, <25K miles, cold weather & premium are mandatory, Driver Assist is nice but other options add no value to me. Also the 4.0 or supercharged 6 really makes no difference as well.
From my research on this site, there really seems not to be any items on these cars where "you really have to stay away from ............." Am I reading this correctly?
Prices seem to be all over the place
'15 with 25K mi, loaded at $65K
4 - '14s with between 15 and 25K miles, varying level of options, all between $47 and $50K
These are all the advertised prices so I am sure there are varying degrees of slack in the prices. Your help and opinions here would be greatly appreciated.
One additional thing if I could continue to impose; is there a list of the items inspected for (including specs) and what is covered for the CPO? BWM has this but does not really publish it readily. Would anyone have a copy by chance?
Also on the CPO, is anyone aware of the level of prior accident damage that is allowed for a car to be CPOed?
Thanks in advance for your replies and expertise.
1st time poster but I have been lurking (and searching topics) for a few months now.
Background: I have been a long time BMW guy but the reliability of the recent 750 is causing me to look somewhere else. The A8 seems to fit the bill.
I am looking at a 2014 or 2015 CPO, <25K miles, cold weather & premium are mandatory, Driver Assist is nice but other options add no value to me. Also the 4.0 or supercharged 6 really makes no difference as well.
From my research on this site, there really seems not to be any items on these cars where "you really have to stay away from ............." Am I reading this correctly?
Prices seem to be all over the place
'15 with 25K mi, loaded at $65K
4 - '14s with between 15 and 25K miles, varying level of options, all between $47 and $50K
These are all the advertised prices so I am sure there are varying degrees of slack in the prices. Your help and opinions here would be greatly appreciated.
One additional thing if I could continue to impose; is there a list of the items inspected for (including specs) and what is covered for the CPO? BWM has this but does not really publish it readily. Would anyone have a copy by chance?
Also on the CPO, is anyone aware of the level of prior accident damage that is allowed for a car to be CPOed?
Thanks in advance for your replies and expertise.
12-19-2016, 12:35 PM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
Welcome.
Before too deep a dive, you might want to be on top of one item, and then go from there. That is, the mid life facelift was in 2015, so your decision and choices are right at that fork in the road. You will likely pay more (beyond just a simple one year step) for facelift, or correspondingly less for just before. Cars rolling off leases also increase supply, which probably right now are a lot of 2014's on 3 year lease, and maybe lesser #'s off shorter leases.
Go to this specific page on the Audi site for info about the 2015's and then in turn the media kit for it: https://www.audiusa.com/newsroom/pre...8w12-media-kit Also attached here if the link breaks. Then you can se exactly what the facelift amounts to and whether you really want it, or would like to try to get better priced ones pre-facelift and a little older.
CPO checklist is here: https://www.audiusa.com/content/dam/...-Checklist.pdf If you buy CPO, definitely look over the checklist as completed before signing anything and perhaps even negotiating. The single most expensive items they usually have to clean up are tires and brakes. A fair number of folks have seen or wondered about issues skating on the brake work and specs, especially the 4.0T's. Thus be sure they were inspected, measurements filled out, etc.
Only option I would personally avoid is the solar sunroof. Not found often anyway, and Audi hasn't even offered it in some years. From my experience and long term post tracking, it will likely turn the HVAC blower motor into a maintenance/fix item in the 5-10 year time frame. It runs the motor in any sunlight, and apparently the motor longevity really isn't up to it; has gone on for several generations now. Usually first question for a guy with a bad HVAC blower on a D3 is does he have the solar roof, and indeed it usually is the case. Also blocks the "moonroof" nature of the standard set up where you can pull shade back and see out. Again, obscure option but perhaps the only one I know of that will most likely eventually introduce an issue to a core system where there usually is not one otherwise.
Before too deep a dive, you might want to be on top of one item, and then go from there. That is, the mid life facelift was in 2015, so your decision and choices are right at that fork in the road. You will likely pay more (beyond just a simple one year step) for facelift, or correspondingly less for just before. Cars rolling off leases also increase supply, which probably right now are a lot of 2014's on 3 year lease, and maybe lesser #'s off shorter leases.
Go to this specific page on the Audi site for info about the 2015's and then in turn the media kit for it: https://www.audiusa.com/newsroom/pre...8w12-media-kit Also attached here if the link breaks. Then you can se exactly what the facelift amounts to and whether you really want it, or would like to try to get better priced ones pre-facelift and a little older.
CPO checklist is here: https://www.audiusa.com/content/dam/...-Checklist.pdf If you buy CPO, definitely look over the checklist as completed before signing anything and perhaps even negotiating. The single most expensive items they usually have to clean up are tires and brakes. A fair number of folks have seen or wondered about issues skating on the brake work and specs, especially the 4.0T's. Thus be sure they were inspected, measurements filled out, etc.
Only option I would personally avoid is the solar sunroof. Not found often anyway, and Audi hasn't even offered it in some years. From my experience and long term post tracking, it will likely turn the HVAC blower motor into a maintenance/fix item in the 5-10 year time frame. It runs the motor in any sunlight, and apparently the motor longevity really isn't up to it; has gone on for several generations now. Usually first question for a guy with a bad HVAC blower on a D3 is does he have the solar roof, and indeed it usually is the case. Also blocks the "moonroof" nature of the standard set up where you can pull shade back and see out. Again, obscure option but perhaps the only one I know of that will most likely eventually introduce an issue to a core system where there usually is not one otherwise.
Last edited by MP4.2+6.0; 12-19-2016 at 12:44 PM.
12-19-2016, 01:53 PM
#3
I am not exactly sure what it means for the car to pass the CARFAX vehicle history report... and what accidents and repairs will "pass".
It is also interesting that if the vehicle is or was ever modified in ANY way (to the chassis, body, electrical, engine performance modifications, chip; ANY wheel and tire modifications) - it can't be a CPO.
12-19-2016, 02:03 PM
#4
AudiWorld Super User
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Northern VA / DC Area
Posts: 5,299
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Welcome.
Before too deep a dive, you might want to be on top of one item, and then go from there. That is, the mid life facelift was in 2015, so your decision and choices are right at that fork in the road. You will likely pay more (beyond just a simple one year step) for facelift, or correspondingly less for just before. Cars rolling off leases also increase supply, which probably right now are a lot of 2014's on 3 year lease, and maybe lesser #'s off shorter leases.
Go to this specific page on the Audi site for info about the 2015's and then in turn the media kit for it: https://www.audiusa.com/newsroom/pre...8w12-media-kit Also attached here if the link breaks. Then you can se exactly what the facelift amounts to and whether you really want it, or would like to try to get better priced ones pre-facelift and a little older.
Before too deep a dive, you might want to be on top of one item, and then go from there. That is, the mid life facelift was in 2015, so your decision and choices are right at that fork in the road. You will likely pay more (beyond just a simple one year step) for facelift, or correspondingly less for just before. Cars rolling off leases also increase supply, which probably right now are a lot of 2014's on 3 year lease, and maybe lesser #'s off shorter leases.
Go to this specific page on the Audi site for info about the 2015's and then in turn the media kit for it: https://www.audiusa.com/newsroom/pre...8w12-media-kit Also attached here if the link breaks. Then you can se exactly what the facelift amounts to and whether you really want it, or would like to try to get better priced ones pre-facelift and a little older.
What's a DEAD GIVEAWAY to pre/post facelift version of a 2015 to the casual observer? I'd also be interested in hearing from people who have a post-facelift car if they think the additional features/changes are worth an additional 20-30k over a 2014 vintage car.
Best,
Last edited by Ritz; 12-19-2016 at 02:10 PM.
Trending Topics
12-19-2016, 04:25 PM
#9
AudiWorld Super User
12-20-2016, 04:55 AM
#10
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello Everyone,
Thanks so much for the quick replies and great information. Impressive.
The media kits are a great tool. I have not seen them before and are a wealth of information. Those along with the comparison pictures provide a wonderful view of what the facelift was comprised of. Thanks for the info and it makes up my mind to save the $ with the 2014 version. Not that the facelift is not an improvement, but being the frugal person I am, it is not worth the extra thousands of $ to me.
MP4.2 + 6.0 - Thanks for your insight on the CPO check list and solar roof. As with the BMW list, much of the detail is in the CPO manual as to what is allowed and what is not. Is there a copy of the CPO manual floating around the internet somewhere? This would be a great source of information.
Your comments on the brakes and tires being the major refurb cost for the dealer is consistent with BMW and these are easy to measure. What is really allowed to make a CPO eligible for the program would be eye opening. The BMW dealers (I am really showing my background now) they must follow the eligibility rules to the letter or they risk loosing their ability to certify CPOs. This being a major money maker for the dealership, they are very cautious about pushing the limits because BMW will come down hard on them if they are caught. I would assume that Audi is similarly as tough.
Again, comparing to BMW (sorry guys it is all I know), they use SIBs (Service Information Bulletins) to communicate known issues with the models to their service organization. The SIBs make it out to the forums and I was wondering if there was anything similar floating around on the A8 3.0?
From that comment you can accurately conclude that I am favoring the smaller engine. Considering your signature MP4.2 + 6.0, this may go against your grain but I was impressed with the power it put out for daily driving. It was no V8, but I do have a track car when I really want to put my right foot down.
On the pricing side, is there any reference with regard to market levels? I looked at most of the publically available sites to compare listing prices but these seem to vary greatly as would be expected. One showed a $100K+ listing price for a 2015!!!
Again, thanks for everyone's help. I appreciate your knowledge and helping me learn.
Thanks so much for the quick replies and great information. Impressive.
The media kits are a great tool. I have not seen them before and are a wealth of information. Those along with the comparison pictures provide a wonderful view of what the facelift was comprised of. Thanks for the info and it makes up my mind to save the $ with the 2014 version. Not that the facelift is not an improvement, but being the frugal person I am, it is not worth the extra thousands of $ to me.
MP4.2 + 6.0 - Thanks for your insight on the CPO check list and solar roof. As with the BMW list, much of the detail is in the CPO manual as to what is allowed and what is not. Is there a copy of the CPO manual floating around the internet somewhere? This would be a great source of information.
Your comments on the brakes and tires being the major refurb cost for the dealer is consistent with BMW and these are easy to measure. What is really allowed to make a CPO eligible for the program would be eye opening. The BMW dealers (I am really showing my background now) they must follow the eligibility rules to the letter or they risk loosing their ability to certify CPOs. This being a major money maker for the dealership, they are very cautious about pushing the limits because BMW will come down hard on them if they are caught. I would assume that Audi is similarly as tough.
Again, comparing to BMW (sorry guys it is all I know), they use SIBs (Service Information Bulletins) to communicate known issues with the models to their service organization. The SIBs make it out to the forums and I was wondering if there was anything similar floating around on the A8 3.0?
From that comment you can accurately conclude that I am favoring the smaller engine. Considering your signature MP4.2 + 6.0, this may go against your grain but I was impressed with the power it put out for daily driving. It was no V8, but I do have a track car when I really want to put my right foot down.
On the pricing side, is there any reference with regard to market levels? I looked at most of the publically available sites to compare listing prices but these seem to vary greatly as would be expected. One showed a $100K+ listing price for a 2015!!!
Again, thanks for everyone's help. I appreciate your knowledge and helping me learn.
