Audi S8 - Are they any good?

[shoddydog]

I'm thinking of getting at S8, one of the early cars for up to about £7000

Are they good cars to own or are they a bit of a liability?

Apart from the cambelt change and the gearbox problems are there any other major issues?

[Dr G]

Everything is expensive on these - do make sure that absolutely everything electric works as it should, cold aircon, satnav that doesn't send you to Timbuktu instead of Tesco etc... A well taken care of car with proper service history is generally a pretty sturdy thing.

[lambogenie]

agree. should probably take a look on the A8 S8 forum on tyresmoke, thats the most active S8 owners community on the net and they are experts on the beasts. I've owned 2, as pointed out they might cost 7K but servicing wise they are still 60K quid cars to own, tyres are huge and expensive at anywhere from 200-300 a corner. service bills average a grand a go, weakspot on old cars probably electrics, there is quite a lot of gremlins on bits and pieces you need to know about. if you buy a lemon its worthless, big bills arrive at 50K miles then again around 100K. brake discs and pads cost a lot to replace as well.

its not a bad car, but it can cost you to run one, you wont ever do better than 22mpg even if you drive like a nun and if you push it you will get 10mpg and it really should be run on super unleaded, at 20 odd gallons a tank that can prove expensive.

i would try and get a D2 variant post 2000 car if you can, they are easy to spot by the different newer dashboard and front bumper, they are generally better sorted than the D1 variants and from my experience a better drive.

if you keep on top of the maintenance they last forever. just dont ding any panels. bodywork repairs cost the earth, i put a dint in the back door once and it cost 1000 quid to repair it.

[shoddydog]

Hey, thanks for the advice lambogenie. I think I'll look out for a well kept D2 model as these seem to be the best bet. I'm not too bothered about economy as I don't do very many miles and I would prefer 20mpg in total comfort than 60mpg in a toy box.

I was considering doing any work on the car myself as I'm a mechanical engineer, with experience as a race mechanic, and after a couple of bad experiences using other garages (the worst cost me an extra 2k to put right) I prefer to do jobs myself as I know they have been done properly. Would this reduce the value of a car by much, even if I had all of the receipts for the work?

[Dr G]

I'd say keep the basic servicing with a specialist to keep the book stamped but do any additionals yourself.