For the price of a lease car deposit - Audi S8 d2

[fastgerman]

The psychology of buying cars is changing with more and more of us opting for the attractive leasing deals. I too have given this a try with a 2016 Mercedes C250d. However, calculate a deposit of near £3k + just under £300 a month for 2 years and you have spent almost £10k on a car, which you are just going to hand back with nothing to show for it.

There are then further charges for contracts, early termination (if you can’t quite get the timing on the next lease), refurbishment costs to alloy wheels and body work dents etc. On the plus side you have a brand new car and don’t have to deal with the public when it’s time to sell.

Next, there is a number which we are willing to pay a stranger in exchange for a car without any come back or warranty. It seems to be around the £15k – £20k mark before we want the safety of buying through a dealer. Therefore you purchase something like a Porsche 911 approved used at £40k, keep it for 3 years and think it’s worth £30k, which it is from the dealer but not by you.

Which brings me to the other end of the market with the easy buy and sell. It’s the £5k – £10k like a Golf GTI or my newly acquired Audi S8. This is a truly wonderful thing and it should be costing around £80k in 2001 with a full Audi service history and 81k mikes. From 1999, the S8 was updated and the most note worthy improvement was that big 4.2l V8 being given an extra valve per cylinder and 360HP taking the 0-60 time down to 5.5 seconds. The 5 speed tiptronic gearbox includes shifting buttons on the steering wheel and sport mode, more than adequate for what you’ll be getting up to in the 5 metre long aluminium limousine. Onto the weight of the thing, given the scale and torsen Quattro system, the figure is only 1750kg due to the aluminium space frame chassis. Safety features are also high and being the first car awarded with 5 star driver and passenger ratings along with front, rear and side airbags, the only non-current missing item is iso-fix.

Let’s not forget this is a Movie Car, an A List of a movie at that. Attempting to be sold by Robert De Niro and drifted through Paris by ex-F1 racing driver Jean-Pierre Jarier. This is the NOS equipped Audi S8 d2 in the film Ronin, arguably the greatest car chase in film history.

“Larry, Can you tell Vincent what it is you need”? Larry: “Something very fast. Audi S8. Something that can shove a little bit. I’m also gonna need a nitrous system.”

Performance – 0-60 in 5.5 and limited to 155, however understand some have made it to 170mph.

MPG – somewhere around 20 if you’re not fleeing the scene with precious metals.

Competition – this car now falls in the future classic / young timer category. I was considering a Mercedes 500E, however these are now over £20k for a good one. Others include BMW 7 series, Mercedes E55 among others.

Servicing – Audi charge £255 for an interim service and £699 for a major. Cambelt on this one was replaced at 64k miles. Month 1 of ownership was met with a bill for £1700 including - disks, pads, 4 tyres, service, brake fluid, parking sensors and system check. At least the Audi videos are amusing showing the broken parts.

What next - There is some hesitation at lower rpm. Nothing came up on the system check so could be filter/plugs/leads related. A rubber squeaking sound from the front passenger side to be explored. To service the gearbox or not service the gearbox, that is the question. A full Audi service history present and they say not to.














EDIT:

Readers Car of The Week Oct 2018 - https://www.pistonheads.com/news/general/audi-s8-d...


WF51EOY, 2001 Audi S8 D2

Edited by fastgerman on Friday 26th April 15:44

[FlatToTheMat]

Very nice car OP, they've aged exceptionally well haven't they.

You say for the price of the deposit? you paid 3k for this??

[Nors]

Love these! That looks in great condition!

Cam Belt changed you say? These are Chain driven as far as I know.

[fastgerman]

Thanks Guys

Yes cambelt change, the car is now on 81k with a full Audi history.

On buying, the car had been standing with a number of minor issues, that said it was an mot failure due to a variety of issues all rectified at Audi Guildford for the price the car cost. So it’s now a £6k car to me. Hopefully appreciating, however ;-).

[bungz]

Amazing understated things.

Would have to have balls the size of space hoppers to own one though, I wish you well with it.

[89forever]

Nors said:

Love these! That looks in great condition!

Cam Belt changed you say? These are Chain driven as far as I know.

later Audi V8's are chains, the V8 in the B6 S4 onwards etc... a V8 of this vintage is a cambelt



lots of fond memories of my S8 from back in the day

congrats on a stellar purchase

[Podie]

Such a cool car

[C7 JFW]

Cool car, good story, strong start. Completely agree with your point about paying for something only to return it, which to me, is absurd.

[Michaelbailey]

Great to see this car again. Good to see you are treating it right I'm sure it will do the same for you. Terribly cliché but they just don't make them like they used to!

[Mandat]

fastgerman said:

The psychology of buying cars is changing with more and more of us opting for the attractive leasing deals. I too have given this a try with a 2016 Mercedes C250d. However, calculate a deposit of near £3k + just under £300 a month for 2 years and you have spent almost £10k on a car, which you are just going to hand back with nothing to show for it.

Sorry to pick you up on a specific point, but the bit quoted in bold always makes an appearance in discussions about leasing, hence prompting my question:

If you really believe that you have "nothing to show for it" at the end of a lease, why would anyone bother signing up for a lease (and £10,000 commitment) in the first place?

[PurpleTurtle]

Mandat said:

Sorry to pick you up on a specific point, but the bit quoted in bold always makes an appearance in discussions about leasing, hence prompting my question:

If you really believe that you have "nothing to show for it" at the end of a lease, why would anyone bother signing up for a lease (and £10,000 commitment) in the first place?

Agreed - I've never leased a car and likely never will, because I enjoy home spannering on older metal - but I know people who are about as far from Petrolheadism as it is possible to be. They just want a car that works, all the time, with no unexpected bills - which is what most new cars do. What they've generally got at the end of the lease is their free time. I get that, totally, but it's not for me.

Sweet ride OP, always liked the understated Q-car-ness of these.

Edited by PurpleTurtle on Thursday 27th September 14:01

[philipbrown123]

Congrats on a great purchase. I paid £4500 3 years ago for a 2003 A8 4.2 quattro and then replaced it last year with a 2007 Lexus LS460 for £6000.

These top of the range exec limo's are great value for money 2nd hand.

[Funk]

Mandat said:

fastgerman said:

The psychology of buying cars is changing with more and more of us opting for the attractive leasing deals. I too have given this a try with a 2016 Mercedes C250d. However, calculate a deposit of near £3k + just under £300 a month for 2 years and you have spent almost £10k on a car, which you are just going to hand back with nothing to show for it.

Sorry to pick you up on a specific point, but the bit quoted in bold always makes an appearance in discussions about leasing, hence prompting my question:

If you really believe that you have "nothing to show for it" at the end of a lease, why would anyone bother signing up for a lease (and £10,000 commitment) in the first place?

It's been done to death on PH already. Bottom line, in my view, is that if you are buying a new car then leasing is a hassle-free option which often costs you less than you would lose in depreciation on an outright purchase, along with none of the aggro of a private sale at what would normally be a tough price-point (ie. needing someone who wants a 2-3 year old car, has £20-30k cash and doesn't mind buying privately rather than from a dealer).

If you were going to buy a 17 year old V8 Audi for the price of the initial payment then you'll get a car that looks its age, lacks modern features and conveniences and will absolutely require significant maintenance to keep it rolling.

I had a 14 year old 330Ci which I bought from trade for £5,150. Low miles, mint bodywork, folder with receipts etc - I did my homework. It then proceeded to cost me £2.5k in repairs and running costs in the year or so I had it. It sold for £3,500 privately so the total net cost for the year was £4,150. Decided that if I was going to rinse £4k a year on a car I'd rather be in something much, much nicer and, with this being PH, I've leased a Golf R for 2 years.

It's costing me £4,968/yr (including averaging out the initial rental). For the extra £68/month I have a brand new 300bhp hot-hatch, no maintenance costs (I've gone fully-maintained), I don't have to think about taxing or MOTing it either. I can connect my phone via Bluetooth and stream Spotify. It's more comfortable and the DSG is in another league to the BMW's slushbox. Everything works. It's averaging 28mpg (the BMW managed 19mpg and I never drove that as briskly as I do the Golf) and even though I'm putting 99RON fuel in the Golf (compared with standard in the BMW), it'll still cost me £300 a year less in fuel. I don't miss coming out in the morning to play the 'guess the puddle of fluid today' game which the BMW subjected me to regularly.

Maybe the BMW had finished rinsing my wallet and it wouldn't have cost me any more in year two, or perhaps it might've lunched its gearbox or engine - that's the gamble you take with an older car. Either way I was out at least £4k that year on the 330Ci, along with all the uncertainty and frustration of a car where you're constantly worrying what might go wrong next.

For the extra £800 a year I'd take the Golf every single time.

Edited by Funk on Thursday 27th September 15:05

[Michaelbailey]

Its a quandary that will only suit the individual and even then its not all about money. Some people want to own the car without the hassle of the garage charging extra for scrapes or extra mileage. Some people genuinely prefer the older tech (not an unreasonable thing to prefer, far more engaging). Some cars cost more to maintain than they do to buy, does this make it a "bad" purchase or not worth it? Again it all depends. I know someone who bought an Audi RS6 C5 and spent 15k in one year on it. the cars worth 12/13 on a good day. I think the statement of cost of a down payment should be taken with a pinch of salt as of course costs will go beyond that but theres a real spark you get in owning your lump of metal not a financing co or dealer!

But lets all appreciate this magnificent beast of a car that costs less (even after recommissioning costs) than the cheapest new car of today... (Dacia Sandero IIRC)

[Resolutionary]

D2 friends! Shameless photo of my old girl:

|https://thumbsnap.com/hzummwq6[/url]

I know I'm biased but I truly believe these to be some of the most handsome saloons ever built. I wish I could run an S8 of the same vintage - yours has the painted lower trims which makes a massive difference over the black plastic lowers.

You mention 'a rubber squeaking sound from the front passenger side to be explored - I have the exact same issue, but drivers side. It's the only real issue I've had with my V6 engined one to date, apart from the usual maintenance stuff and an exhaust replacement. If you find out what is causing it I'd love to know!

Also I agree with your sentiments about the convenience / complications / economics of used vs. new, but I am a sucker for retro styling and truthfully don't find any of the current or recent crop to be all that desirable, so I will probably persist with pre-2005 Audis until I am government mandated not to.

Enjoy the silver beast, and keep us updated with how you get on!

[fastgerman]

A fine motor car :-)

https://youtu.be/wS8zlFwgBmY

Like him or not, the video above mentions this is the first car that Audi made to compete with Mercedes and BMW and win!

I wasn’t aware of the plastic sills on some d2 models - assume they are just removable trim?

I did consider a supercharged e55 and a similar year RS6 but thought i’d try the S8 given the current price.

Completely agree with the joy of tinkering!

[Cambs_Stuart]

Lovely car and exactly the logic I apply to all my car purchases.

[Resolutionary]

fastgerman said:

A fine motor car :-)

https://youtu.be/wS8zlFwgBmY

Like him or not, the video above mentions this is the first car that Audi made to compete with Mercedes and BMW and win!

I wasn’t aware of the plastic sills on some d2 models - assume they are just removable trim?

I did consider a supercharged e55 and a similar year RS6 but thought i’d try the S8 given the current price.

Completely agree with the joy of tinkering!

The plastic lowers are a mystery to me too - I've seen pre and facelift cars with them, and some with body coloured items so I don't know if its a factory thing or an owner afterthought. Definitely looks smarter with them matching though.

The relatively low-stressed 4.2 you have will undoubtedly be less of a worry / timebomb than the E55 and RS6 - I have considered both in the past too but unless you have deep pockets or are willing to accept the bork you are likely to be hit with bills sooner than later.

My D2 squeaking is getting worse but I will be unable to inspect until at least Wednesday so if you find out what is causing yours in the meantime please let us know!

[cornershop]

The gearbox is the ticking bomb on these - my old one (Y312TFG) had an evidenced rebuild and was markedly quicker to shift than a couple of non-rebuilt examples I test drove.

Getting a gearbox fluid change is a tough one, which i’m sure you’ve researched. Apparently, you can (could) get the fluid change for a reasonable cost at the ZF factory in Germany.

Lovely cars to drive though, and refined enough to ‘press on’ without drawing any attention, both inside and outside of the car

[fastgerman]

Not too quiet ;-)

https://youtu.be/I1CAf_w60CQ