RE: SOTW: Audi A8
Discussion
Johnboy Mac said:
No not at all tongue 'n cheek. Had two of them. Garlick's, some worn suspension & wh.bearings all longterm service items so no big deal unless those parts only wear out on LS's.
Exactly, every car will eventually need bushes! The LS could have made servicable for a few hundred with some aftermarktet bits and a backstreet garage. Splashing out on a full suspension rebuild with genuine parts was a bit OTT on an old car IMO. This Audi doesn't appear a long term prospect however. Its only a matter of time before something big and eye wateringly expensive goes pop. Run til it breaks and weigh in for the expensive alloy.
Edited by SuperHangOn on Friday 16th September 13:18
No with someone else's bargepole, purely on the gearbox. It's either:
About to go bang, and he's selling before it does.
Has gone bang, but doesn't mention it.
OR
Not yet gone bang, but will do shortly.
When garages turn the work away saying "Not worth it...might as well scrap it" you know they're bad.
About to go bang, and he's selling before it does.
Has gone bang, but doesn't mention it.
OR
Not yet gone bang, but will do shortly.
When garages turn the work away saying "Not worth it...might as well scrap it" you know they're bad.
ninos said:
Dracoro said:
I think the point is that it's not that kinda car.
It's meant to be quiet, powerful, restrained, understated etc.
There are more "appropriate" cars to start chavving up.
I wouldn't say fitting an induction kit is chaving it up!!It's meant to be quiet, powerful, restrained, understated etc.
There are more "appropriate" cars to start chavving up.
If I had advised fitting chrome or massive wheels, tinting the windows and fitting a stainless steel exhaust system then I would agree. At the end of the day its a matter of personal opinion & taste.
Once you start modding something like this, it's a slippery slope
Fitting an induction kit (why!) is not, in itself, chavving it up but it's on the start of the road to chavdom. What next, "Thinking about a Rolls Royce and fitting an induction kit" 
The other '97 4.2 A8 on Pistonheads http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3172153.htm is up for £2.7k and has 190k on the clock..... I assume this SOTW is a massive pile of smouldering £50 notes.
Dracoro said:
Hence my smiley.
Once you start modding something like this, it's a slippery slope Fitting an induction kit (why!) is not, in itself, chavving it up but it's on the start of the road to chavdom. What next, "Thinking about a Rolls Royce and fitting an induction kit"
I know mate and I do get what you're saying but I have fitted induction kits to most of my cars and never go beyond that modification as i prefer the OEM look. Once you start modding something like this, it's a slippery slope
Fitting an induction kit (why!) is not, in itself, chavving it up but it's on the start of the road to chavdom. What next, "Thinking about a Rolls Royce and fitting an induction kit" My current car has one but its standard apart from that. In fact when I first bought it the previous owner had a full stainless system, gold wheels (oh the horror), tinted rear lights which were all removed and replaced with standard equipment.
Currently got a D2 4.2, lovely vehicle, extremely comfortable, seats are like a cosseting sofa, well equipped, with proper buttons not the MMI pain in the posterior. It has more than acceptable grunt, is whisper silent but sounds good once the revs climb and contrary to received opinion, will do nigh on 30 MPG average on a long run at 8.5 leptons, it will however only do 16 around town. Thus far, one service and an recon alternator.
Considering what they cost, if something big goes bang like the infamous gearbox, scrap it, recover some money, next barge please.
Considering what they cost, if something big goes bang like the infamous gearbox, scrap it, recover some money, next barge please.
ninos said:
I know mate and I do get what you're saying but I have fitted induction kits to most of my cars and never go beyond that modification as i prefer the OEM look.
My current car has one but its standard apart from that. In fact when I first bought it the previous owner had a full stainless system, gold wheels (oh the horror), tinted rear lights which were all removed and replaced with standard equipment.
Well, I did try and warn you... My current car has one but its standard apart from that. In fact when I first bought it the previous owner had a full stainless system, gold wheels (oh the horror), tinted rear lights which were all removed and replaced with standard equipment.
amoeba said:
If a steel car is ~£145 a ton, what must aluminium be? Assume £300, and its about 2 tons - £600 to weigh it in?
You cant really go wrong if £600 is the worst case scenario. I've been looking at S8s, but finding them cheap is hard because the gearboxes are weak and when they go, owners just scrap them (rather than spend 3-4k on a new or reconditioned gearbox).
Last time I checked aluminium was £1100 per ton but (of course) the weight of the Audi will be made up of lots of other materials including masses of plastic, sound deadening, rubber and steel which have to be separated.You cant really go wrong if £600 is the worst case scenario. I've been looking at S8s, but finding them cheap is hard because the gearboxes are weak and when they go, owners just scrap them (rather than spend 3-4k on a new or reconditioned gearbox).
Phoning round you'd probably get a lot more than your regular £200 for the shell but breaking it yourself and ebaying would yield the greatest return.
It's a shame to think like this as it doesn't look a bad barge but this is certainly a way of reducing/eliminating the risk of ownership.
I wonder if that V8 will bolt onto the FWD transaxle used in Passats etc? It would be great in a middy-locost chassis.
Rusty-C said:
ninos said:
I know mate and I do get what you're saying but I have fitted induction kits to most of my cars and never go beyond that modification as i prefer the OEM look.
My current car has one but its standard apart from that. In fact when I first bought it the previous owner had a full stainless system, gold wheels (oh the horror), tinted rear lights which were all removed and replaced with standard equipment.
Well, I did try and warn you... My current car has one but its standard apart from that. In fact when I first bought it the previous owner had a full stainless system, gold wheels (oh the horror), tinted rear lights which were all removed and replaced with standard equipment.
Actually I'm not sure what I'd rather have an aftermarket air filter on least - an A8 or an S80. Not a choice I'll ever make in the real world, I think
...A8's tend to have lots of niggly problems and also some major ones and I've always found them more fragile than the obvious competition.
At £2500-£5000 this may be an issue. However, at £995 all you can do is judge what it working at time of purchase. No one is going to fix the gearbox or replace the cambelt on a car like this. When it no longer goes forwards, stops or steers dump it. You might get 100 miles, you might get 5000.
At £2500-£5000 this may be an issue. However, at £995 all you can do is judge what it working at time of purchase. No one is going to fix the gearbox or replace the cambelt on a car like this. When it no longer goes forwards, stops or steers dump it. You might get 100 miles, you might get 5000.
confused_buyer said:
A8's tend to have lots of niggly problems and also some major ones and I've always found them more fragile than the obvious competition.
At £2500-£5000 this may be an issue. However, at £995 all you can do is judge what it working at time of purchase. No one is going to fix the gearbox or replace the cambelt on a car like this. When it no longer goes forwards, stops or steers dump it. You might get 100 miles, you might get 5000.
Or, maybe even more!At £2500-£5000 this may be an issue. However, at £995 all you can do is judge what it working at time of purchase. No one is going to fix the gearbox or replace the cambelt on a car like this. When it no longer goes forwards, stops or steers dump it. You might get 100 miles, you might get 5000.
Cracking shed, plenty of A8's around for that kind of money. As an alternative, i would suggest this E38 7 series, still possibly the best looking 7 that BMW ever made....
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3227560.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3227560.htm
Another alternative, this V8 Lexus at just £900! they don't go wrong very often, & i'd bet you could drive it for a year & still get your money back on it, that or put the V8 in an MX5
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3179818.htm
This one's even better, but just over the shed budget http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3172097.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3179818.htm
This one's even better, but just over the shed budget http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3172097.htm
thewheelman said:
Cracking shed, plenty of A8's around for that kind of money. As an alternative, i would suggest this E38 7 series, still possibly the best looking 7 that BMW ever made....
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3227560.htm
Not with those wheels!http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3227560.htm
Genuine 18" M Parallels. Or Schnitzers. Or Aplinas.
confused_buyer said:
At £2500-£5000 this may be an issue. However, at £995 all you can do is judge what it working at time of purchase. No one is going to fix the gearbox or replace the cambelt on a car like this. When it no longer goes forwards, stops or steers dump it. You might get 100 miles, you might get 5000.
Depends if you can be arsed/have the time to break a car and look for another every so often. As a long term proposition the Lexus above looks a much better bet, or the X300 SOTW.
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