S5 4.2 2007 - 11 buying
Discussion
Can anybody share experience of buying/running a 2007-2011 S5 V8?
I'm commuting about 5 miles a day and my e92 diesel BMW is not ideal for such a short journey so looking at scratching the V8 itch hopefully a manual in blue.
I have read that clutches on the manual don't last very long and that the valves can coke up on shorty journeys so that my be a problem for me but maybe willing to risk that.
I had a 2018 S4 with the V6 for a couple of years and enjoyed that but the opportunity to have a V8 before they get taxed off the road is something I want to try.
Budget is up to £10k so limits the market.
Any information gratefully received
I'm commuting about 5 miles a day and my e92 diesel BMW is not ideal for such a short journey so looking at scratching the V8 itch hopefully a manual in blue.
I have read that clutches on the manual don't last very long and that the valves can coke up on shorty journeys so that my be a problem for me but maybe willing to risk that.
I had a 2018 S4 with the V6 for a couple of years and enjoyed that but the opportunity to have a V8 before they get taxed off the road is something I want to try.
Budget is up to £10k so limits the market.
Any information gratefully received
I've a 2008 V8 on 68k miles that I've owned for 2 and a bit years, it's used as our main /family car. We do about 4/5k a year in it. Tax is indeed £570 odd quid a year. long term MPG for us is 17.2, couple of hundred miles to a tank. A decent run for an hour will see it do 23/24mpg.
The V8 is quiet from the inside, it hums along but it's not too much of an event. Overall the build quality feels pretty good, I havent had many issues, some suspension components, an ABS sensor and a headlight leveling sensor. One of the headlights is 'delaminating' which is annoying/unsightly. Edit: when I first got it there was a secondary air pump issue which was replaced under warranty from the garage I bought from, part of the system that helps the cat converter when the car first starts.
I like the simple butch lines of it , think it looks less fussy than the more modern iterations.
It's nice enough although I generally feel it's better to look at than drive . The gear change isn't that satisfying. The steerings a bit light for my taste. The exhaust note a little too muted. It's a better cruiser than 'driver' if that makes sense.
Reasonable value though. Other people ask me about it quite a lot, surprisingly I thought it looked more or less like any other old audi.
The V8 is quiet from the inside, it hums along but it's not too much of an event. Overall the build quality feels pretty good, I havent had many issues, some suspension components, an ABS sensor and a headlight leveling sensor. One of the headlights is 'delaminating' which is annoying/unsightly. Edit: when I first got it there was a secondary air pump issue which was replaced under warranty from the garage I bought from, part of the system that helps the cat converter when the car first starts.
I like the simple butch lines of it , think it looks less fussy than the more modern iterations.
It's nice enough although I generally feel it's better to look at than drive . The gear change isn't that satisfying. The steerings a bit light for my taste. The exhaust note a little too muted. It's a better cruiser than 'driver' if that makes sense.
Reasonable value though. Other people ask me about it quite a lot, surprisingly I thought it looked more or less like any other old audi.
A few years ago I convinced myself that I needed a V8 S5. I'd had the much older (admittedly remapped) 2.7 BiTurbo S4 for a number of years and had also driven the V8 S4 Avant (which felt slow by comparison).
Finally found a nice V8 S5 at an Audi dealer and took it for a test drive.
I had pretty much decided to buy it before the test drive - but I changed my mind. Lovely thing, nicely made, looked good etc but the driving experience was completely dull. No sense of drama at all, no real punch of torque that I assume you will also have had from your S4 V6.
Don't get me wrong - it will shift, but mainly in a very polite way.
All in all, when you factor in the tax and the running costs, this particular V8 experience was not that rewarding IMO.
I'd go with the V6 myself - and tune it!
Finally found a nice V8 S5 at an Audi dealer and took it for a test drive.
I had pretty much decided to buy it before the test drive - but I changed my mind. Lovely thing, nicely made, looked good etc but the driving experience was completely dull. No sense of drama at all, no real punch of torque that I assume you will also have had from your S4 V6.
Don't get me wrong - it will shift, but mainly in a very polite way.
All in all, when you factor in the tax and the running costs, this particular V8 experience was not that rewarding IMO.
I'd go with the V6 myself - and tune it!
I have an S5 V6 3.0 with a Stage 1 98 Ron APR remap. With zero hardware changes it went from 329bhp to 450bhp, tested before and after on a rolling road. I've also had an S4 4.2 V8 and although that did make a lovely noise, the 3.0 is much punchier and goes like stink. It can also do low 30s mpg if driven sensibly.
Overall I'd say the V6 is the better engine.
Overall I'd say the V6 is the better engine.
TorqueDirty said:
A few years ago I convinced myself that I needed a V8 S5. I'd had the much older (admittedly remapped) 2.7 BiTurbo S4 for a number of years and had also driven the V8 S4 Avant (which felt slow by comparison).
Finally found a nice V8 S5 at an Audi dealer and took it for a test drive.
I had pretty much decided to buy it before the test drive - but I changed my mind. Lovely thing, nicely made, looked good etc but the driving experience was completely dull. No sense of drama at all, no real punch of torque that I assume you will also have had from your S4 V6.
Don't get me wrong - it will shift, but mainly in a very polite way.
All in all, when you factor in the tax and the running costs, this particular V8 experience was not that rewarding IMO.
I'd go with the V6 myself - and tune it!
Remapped S4 2.7 V6tt makes a lot of cars feel slow!Finally found a nice V8 S5 at an Audi dealer and took it for a test drive.
I had pretty much decided to buy it before the test drive - but I changed my mind. Lovely thing, nicely made, looked good etc but the driving experience was completely dull. No sense of drama at all, no real punch of torque that I assume you will also have had from your S4 V6.
Don't get me wrong - it will shift, but mainly in a very polite way.
All in all, when you factor in the tax and the running costs, this particular V8 experience was not that rewarding IMO.
I'd go with the V6 myself - and tune it!
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