Audi S5 V8 Buying Advice

[HollowmanVIII]

So basically the original S5 has always been a car I’ve wanted to pick up at some point. They seem to of bottomed out at reasonable prices now around the 2008/2009 mark.

Anyone owned one or have knowledge of anything to look out for on them?

I currently own an E92 330i which I absolutely love, however I’ve always felt the S5 has a much better presence and is a lot more rare on the road than the E92 coupe. I’d be going from 272bhp inline 6 to a 349bhp with a V8, so the sound would be noticely nicer however I’m not sure given the quattro and extra weight of the S5 there will be a massive performance difference?

I’m aware of running costs, tax etc, but the temptation of a NA V8 in what still looks like a modern looking Audi coupe is a big tempation. Potentially a future classic who knows.

I know people will say the B&O sound system is a must. Do all the MMI’s have nav built in? Push button start would be nice but not essential.

Ideally I want a black or gunmetal grey with black interior, but so many seem to have the red interior.

Are there any major things to look out, especially upwards of 70/80k mileage.

Cheers

[MrwReckless]

The obvious thing to look for is carbon buildup, all direct injection engines suffered to some extent and Audi's V8 seems to suffer particularly from it. Going from a I6 to this will probably feel very different as I have done the reverse recently, albeit 3.0tdi to E46 M3.

B&O is nice, I don't have a black belt in the MMI system but from my understanding is that all MMI's have nav, although there are the 2g and 3g as well as 3g high options. The 3g high option can be recognised by the center control wheel has a little black joystick that is moveable. It's very inconspicuous and difficult to spot if you don't know about it IMO.

I wouldn't mind a red interior as it's quite nice in the S5, particularly with a dark coloured car. That being said, the S5 will probably never go onto special status whilst the RS5 exists. Purely for the engine of the latter I guess as well as it's NA and quattro arch bulges.

Good luck with your search

[va1o]

I ran one for a few months a couple of years ago. It was an 08-plate Auto with 110k miles, picked it up from BCA on the cheap. I got it as a bit of a quarter life crisis car as I had some spare cash and had wanted one since they came out!

The car seemed pretty solid even with it's high mileage. It's best to look at it as more a grand tourer than a sports car, as it really seemed more at home as a comfortable long distance cruiser. I tried taking it up the Santa Pod drag strip for a laugh anyway and it seemed quick enough

Spec can be a bit funny on these. Mine had a few options - Nav, Keyless entry, Heated seats and parking sensors. The previous owner had then retrofitted Bluetooth and Cruise control. I think without all that it would've felt a bit on the basic side!

Reliability wise it seemed alright. The engine and gearbox combination is known to be strong as long as it's been serviced right. I'm not sure the carbon build up is applicable to these as I thought that only applied to the RS. Only issues I had were minor electrical ones with a headlight ballast failing, keyless entry playing up, bluetooth occasionally not working and a faulty bulb sensor on the rear lights. I think most of these could be attributed to water ingress over the years.

I got rid of it as it was a second car for me and the running costs seemed a bit high. Not bad for a V8 but still expensive! I ended up just replacing them both (my other car been a Mk7 Golf GTD) with a BMW M135i which was a faster and more useable daily driver. Didn't quite have the same sense of occasion as the S5 though!

[alex.tvr]

Sold my 2008 last year after 3 years. When I was buying it I noticed a misfire when ‘making progress’ dealer wasn’t aware and it took a while for him to sort it before I picked it up- might have been carbon build up? Spark plugs and coils were changed to not effect.
Had a few issues, dead battery stranded me at a petrol pump (no warning they just seem to die when old), steering angle fault which confused local VW dealer and Audi NZ - only way they could fix was disconnect steering column and put back so steering wheel and front wheels were all as normal again - when fault occurred steering wheel moved 1/8 of turn so was off when driving straight!! Gearbox (auto) had a bit of a ‘clunk’ going from 3-4, when foot buried in carpet Gearbox oil change never solved and Audi charge for gearbox oil like they think it’s Unicorn juice.
Other than those, loved it. Was well optioned, B&O (best in car audio I’ve had), adaptive cruise (I used a lot). Spec seems to vary a lot, so maybe have a look around a few (or any A5).

HTH

Alex

[HollowmanVIII]

Cheers for the replies guys, nice to get a first hand insight. There’s an auto in black for sale near me at £9450 but has 94k on the clock which I know for a 10 year old car isn’t too bad but it still plays on my mind. Certainly may go and take a look though. Seems well specced and has the RS4 style wheels on.

[AudiSport]

I purchased one six months ago from a work colegue who owned the car from new. It’s a Phantom Black, 2007 (57), Manual with lots of options inc B&O, Heated Seats, Bluetooth etc etc. It has 115k miles and full Audi Service history from new with every bill and invoice to support all the work. It was serviced by Audi last month and had four new tyres fitted. It also had a new clutch fitted 6-months ago, which is a known weak point on this car.

However, it just isn’t practical with two kids, school runs and my job. I’m going to get it fully valeted and advertise it soon, maybe even this weekend if I can get round to it. Let me know if your interested.

[Ozone]

I.m looking at buying a 2011 model S5 V8 as a last hurrah before they are taxed off the road.
Has anybody got any other advice when looking at these, particularly mechanical things to listen or look out for?