He says the electrical systems are quite simple compared to modern canbus systems - i.e. get you multimeter out rather than a plug in diagnostic system.

He says there should be nothing critical to rob your wallet.

Hmm. I'm not so sure about that. I've owned one, researched sorts and seen the good and the bad. I'll offer a realistic appraisal of the car.

First of all, the big issue is the gearbox. The earlier 4 speed boxes were stronger, the later 5 speed boxes were weaker. It was a gearbox that appeared in a number of cars at the time, including non-Audi models, and though it occasionally failed elsewhere it was never the issue that it was in the A8. I suppose this is because other manufacturers like BMW recommended servicing it, whereas Audi stated it was a seal for life unit. Consequently, when buying a 5 speed model, make sure it has had a gearbox service. There are enough around to be picky.

Issues with the gearbox tend to start with odd noises. You may hear a 'tick' noise come from the box when changing gear, particularly into 4th gear. These can develop into whines and crunches before total failure. Some gearboxes will go into limp mode, you'll see this when you look at the dashboard gear indicator and notice that all the gear icons are surrounded by a red square. Again, this is indicative of bork, so leave it well alone. When the gearbox goes, it will either not work at all and the car will be immobile or it will act strangely, pulling away at 20mph and banging up and down gears. £1500 is the very cheapest you will get this sorted for, in terms of getting a reconditioned box. That was the cost from my local specialist. Most places charge more. Audi wanted £5000 from my friend when his 4.2's box started to fail. You could take the chance of buying a second hand gearbox from a scrapped car and get that fitted. You can buy the box for about £500. Take your chance!

Secondly, someone mentioned the heating system. I am apt to think they mean the HVAC system rather than radiator and engine cooling! The HVAC system is a relatively complex thing (compared to my 106 Rallye, anyway!). It's prone to leaks, and can leak into the passenger footwell, sign of a duff heater matrix. More tricky to sort is a busted air pump, £250 or so. Easy enough to DIY, I would have thought. HVAC flap motors look more complex again and are prone to fail, meaning you can't direct the air where you want it to go. My A8 had a duff blower motor, some days it would work fine, on others it would only work when the steering was at full lock to the right! It was never terminal though, as it just meant I couldn't blow hot air at my face when I was driving. I used to direct the air at the windscreen and it would blow hot air and demist it. I never got round to fixing it before I sold the car.

Thirdly, the electronics issue. They are no doubt less complex than the modern A8, but still a complex system with, IIRC, a number of ECU's scattered around. The most pressing being in the electronics tray which can flood. I doubt Audi will be replacing anything gratis these days, so a day spend taking it apart, drilling out the bottom and refitting it could be well worth your time. That said, I never had any issues with water pooling in mine. A lot of the electronic issues are caused by plug-in relays, accessible through the passenger footwell. If you suspect you have a problem, start there with a multimeter. I had an issue with the Servotronic steering on mine (basically a variable assist on the PAS to give more help at parking speed and less interference when pressing on). The steering was like a lead weight when the Servotronic went. I ordered a new relay for £20, fitted it and it worked again. Of course, by then, the old relay had started working again too so I had two working parts.

There are many, many electronic things to go wrong in the car. The majority of which never bothered me, though the electronics are undoubtedly the weakest thing in the car and the most likely to cause day to day issues. Any minor glitch though, could usually be solved by switching the car off and on again!

And finally, a few miscellaneous hazards. Water leaks are not uncommon, and some PH'ers recount spending big wads of cash trying to chase them down. It shouldn't be so much of an issue these days, with all the soggy cars probably having been scrapped! They're heavy on suspension parts too, and tyres aren't cheap, particularly on 18" wheels and above (18" is what I recommend). The aluminium bodywork is expensive to replace and repair. If you get a ding, it might be cheaper just to buy a panel from a scrapped car!

On the plus side though, they are fantastic cars to drive. Big without being too big (unlike modern luxury cars), fast (if you get the 4.2, the 2.8 is pretty sluggish), and brilliantly comfortable. They are also quite anonymous, you never get people wanting to race or anything like that. Here are a few photos of my 1999 4.2 Quattro: