Pointers, buying an S5 4.2 V8

[mcjamie]

Looks to me to be great value used prices for 08-10 plates (for my budget), be my first audi though, prior to bmw's & porsche so wondered if anyone had any pointers when am viewing or common issues to look out for, if any?

[Scuffers]

mcjamie said:

Looks to me to be great value used prices for 08-10 plates (for my budget), be my first audi though, prior to bmw's & porsche so wondered if anyone had any pointers when am viewing or common issues to look out for, if any?

had an 11 plate one for 3 years...

Great car, if it's the sort of car you want.

Had the manual version (drove an Auto and hated it, it's no DSG), downside to the manual is it's pretty heavy, fine for most of the time, bit of a pain in crawling traffic, but given the choice again, I would still go with the manual.

They are easy enough to live with everyday, fuel bill is really pretty OK (Overall average over 3 years was 26-27Mpg).

bad things:

Pirelli tyres on the 19" rim's were terrible, you don't realise just how bad they are till you change them, transformed the feel, handling and ride.

The MMI is a generation behind the same age A4's as is the interior.

rear seats are very much child or people with no leggs compatible (as are all 2 door A5's).

Only bad thing that happened was the gearbox started grinding at ~28K miles, (changed under warrentee.)


Good things:

Noise!, sounds great, not XF-R levels of noise, much more subtle.
Seats/comfort/driving position.
Handling (with decent tyres on it) and grip (almost impossible to un-stick it).

overall, they are very easy to live with, no annoying habits/traits.

[Dr G]

Have a good old read; topic pops up in here every couple of months

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=126...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=111...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=132...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=127...

That's just the first few yanked from search. Have a look in the B8 S4 owners thread also as a lot of the info is the same.

[fatboy b]

Make sure you have test drive over some bumpy roads. The A/S5 was the first model of Audi where quality of the interior took a major nose-dive, and squeaks & rattles seem to be common, as are peeling paint/plasctic from MMI buttons. Drivetrains are good, but I just couldn't live with the interior.

[sleepersix]

I have had a 2008 A5 3.0 TDI Quattro sport for 3 years and 49k miles, and now a 2010 S5 V8 manual for 1.5 years and nearly 20k miles. Both interiors, especially S5 with newer MMI are lovely and well made. I haven't had any squeaks rattles or anything, and the interiors have withstood our two young boys in the back.

Lovely car, very pleased with mine, would definitely recommend

[hondansx]

I tried one but actually ended up going for the 3.0tdi with a remap.

I love the look of the RS5 but compared to modern rivals it doesn't actually feel particularly quick to me so couldn't justify it, despite missing out on those lovely wide arches!

As we all know, Audi don't make very good driver's cars. It is very comptetent and fast but not engaging at all. This cemented the decision to get the diesel.

With a replacement A5 due next year, you'll also have to feel comfortable driving the 'old' car. Inside they really show; very dated.

Oh, and also worth mentioning my A5 got stolen a few weeks back. If you do get one, make sure you get the OBD port re-located as they take under a minute to steal!

[pbg2770]

fatboy b said:

Make sure you have test drive over some bumpy roads. The A/S5 was the first model of Audi where quality of the interior took a major nose-dive, and squeaks & rattles seem to be common, as are peeling paint/plasctic from MMI buttons. Drivetrains are good, but I just couldn't live with the interior.

This is true unfortunately. I had an S5 and an A5. The interior build quality is soooo bad that I'm actually embarrassed for Audi.Gave up in the end.