Puzz1

Would you trade a low mileage 2015 A8 3.0 with 37000 miles for a 2015 S8 with 52,000 miles? How would you justify?

andrewmr

Yes.

Performance.

Looks.

theanimala

Would you trade in a younger wife for a new wife that’s a bit older, but looks better and performs better in bed?

if so, buy the S8.

TinyElviss

Interesting proposition. Have you driven the S8?
I find my "regular" 4.0 has all the power I need. If I had another 75-100hp, speeding tickets would be accumulating at an alarming rate.
The S8 is, as previously described, stupid fast. It brakes stupid fast, too!

One last consideration... when my wife is in the car we have to tone it down...

audisession

Yes

spdemon91

Assuming everything else is equal, absolutely. Only 15,000 mile difference which is nothing. Worth it to be the Big Dog! Also, there is some additional exclusivity that comes with the S8. In my area I have only ever seen 2 other S8s in the wild.

virtualrc

What is the price difference? Is there a complete service history? Any obvious issues like the 1k/3k going on? By miles and/or model year on both cars it seems you'd be on your own for maintenance unless there is a transferrable extended warranty in play.

For justification there is no way to make a practical case for the trade up. You'll likely spend more on gas, maintenance, and possibly tuning since there seems to be a bit stronger aftermarket for the S8 variant of the D4. My justification would simply be that it's what I wanted.

912guy

Absolutely, why? the 3.0 has timing issues, carbon build up issues.. leaks eventually, has less performance, and overall build quality in my opinion is just better with the 4.0...

Towma8r

I would say yes if that is what you are looking for..... as mentioned in a post above by @TinyElviss The A8L has plenty of power..... Its Luxury as you know but still manages a low 12's pass in the 1/4 mile..... That's no slouch

But my car is a 2017, later production and the following has happened. It has 37k miles and wife driven for the most part...Lol (except the 1/4 mile track days for me) And it is maintained as the manufacture desires, at the dealer....

Front Air Strut Replaced
One of the rear Fuel Pumps Replaced
Wastegate Vacuum Actuator Bank 1 Turbo

2turbos4rings

I think there’s no argument that the 3.0 is the more reliable engine by some margin..

15,000 miles isn’t much in the life of a car though and at this age that’s not much difference really.

I personally find it easy to justify. What are the options on both of the cars? The S8 comes with a lot more standard and a lot of stuff you can’t get on the 3.0.

The 3.0 can be made to be quick and the S8 can be made to be fast, but they deliver the power in very different ways. So if driving dynamics are important to you then think about how you want your power to be delivered.

As a final note I would never discourage someone from buying a faster car. Speed is all relative and to some the S8 is too much power and too fast, etc. But to others they might have a tuned 911 Turbo or M5, for example, as a stablemate and seeing very low 2s to 60 and 200mph that makes the S8 feel like it’s standing still.