esseight

Wish I could spring for an //S or //RS but for now the Q will have to do.

Looking at a 2021 with 10k miles. Car is pretty well equipped: prem plus, exec, S line style, S line plus, towing. Not Audi CPO - it was traded in at a Mercedes dealer - so I am having my Audi store do a PPI on it before I commit.

I’m somewhat concerned about the previous owner moving on after only a year, and the issues noted on this board make me wonder if they just got fed up with it.

Anyway, going to ask the tech to check for software updates, central locking tsb, screen functionality, throttle lag, harsh shifting, etc. Anything else in particular I should have them look at? Obviously I’ll be checking for these issues myself, but I’m not going to get a lot of seat time before finalizing the deal.

Thanks in advance.

methodtim

I traded in my Q7 after two years. It just didn’t have enough power. That might be the case here.

huntpsu1

Q8 throttle lag was largely fixed on 2020s and beyond, though some have found that a throttle enhancer (PedalBox) improves response even more.
my 2019 has been issue free, including all electronics. (Knock on wood)
if CPO you should be fine

esseight

Not CPO hence my concern, but having the PPI done will help with my decision. Good to know that some of the throttle response issues have been worked out on the later years. Thanks for mentioning PedalBox, I will look into that if necessary.

MarkIndy

I actually looked all over the US for a CPO before pulling the trigger on mine. I didn't even give the non-CPO Q8's consideration. The values were not very significant when it came to CPO vs non-CPO so I did not see any upside in going with a non-CPO. Good luck in your search.

esseight

Yeah, been looking across the country also. I do have some options, just weighing the logistics of transporting a CPO car vs buying non-CPO that’s relatively local. There are some intangibles to this that I won’t get into. If the PPI comes back squeaky clean I’ll probably consider it, otherwise may just search a little longer.

Another thing - a few of the cars I’ve been looking at are early 2021 production (VIN < 005000). Given this is the third year of production that shouldn’t be an issue correct? Haven’t read about any issues specific to early VINs.

sjisa70216

Honestly, anyone that has a Q8, myself included, would love to have an SQ8 or an RSQ8. When I bought my 2020 Q8 in August of 2020, it was all about the numbers for me. Now? I can afford an RSQ8. However, good luck finding one with the spec's I want. I only have about 6k miles on my Q8 and I love it! But, I'd trade it in for an RSQ8. So, maybe that's the deal on the Q8 you're considering.

Rubberbumper

You've probably read most of the forum notes so are aware of various complaints. We've had our Q8 2 years and 27K miles. My short take: It's a very comfortable road car, decent handling for an SUV. But you will have noticed all the wonky electronics issues, so make sure you can live with some frustrations as issues come and go. I still dislike the throttle tip in, even after the software fix. The Q8 just doesn't like to get up and go gracefully. I also dislike the regenerative brakes. They don't allow the driver to bring the car to a smooth stop. I dislike that almost all functions use touch screen controls. That's just my personal taste, but be prepared to have to put your finger in just the right spot and with just the right pressure to do simple things like change the fan speed.

I recently purchased a 2018 MB E400 wagon. After driving that exclusively for a month, a recent trip in the Q8 confirmed that I would not buy one again. The MB has physical buttons for oft used functions, terrific pedal tip in/acceleration response, is equally as comfortable and gets over 30 mpg on the highway. FWIW.

esseight

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate hearing your take. I agree on all points, although after finally getting a chance to drive the car I’ve been looking at I have to say throttle response was much better than I anticipated. That being said, slowing/stopping smoothly was much worse than expected, not sure if it was rough shifting, regen braking, or both. As far as touch screens, we’re already well down the path with that tech so I’m learning to embrace it when necessary. Hoping that the Audi has some decent voice command capability to mitigate some of this.

methodtim

The rough stopping is purely how Audi implements their engine auto off. It’s idiotic. I’ve owned both Q7 and RS Q8 and both lurch to a stop when the engine shuts off. Mild hybrid makes is just a smidge better but not really. Shut off the engine auto stop and your lurching stop should go away. I should take my own advice, but I’m just super lazy.