New D3 A8..... thanks for all your advice

[RedLeicester]

Cheers for all the help and advice chaps, picked up our new motorway hack today from London Village before running it back up to Middle England.

Anyway, she's a 2004 4.2 V8 which means I achieve my long-held dream of 3x V8s on the drive to annoy the mung-beaners. Specced up to the gunnels, so I'll try and remember everything, but I'm sure I've forgotten (or not noticed) some of it!

Black with Black Leather
19" multi-spoked shiny rim fingies.
MMI Sat-nav / TV / Phone / CD changer
Front and rear electric heated / ventilated / massaging seats
Front and rear dual-zone climate control
Heated steering wheel
Adaptive cruise control
Xenon headlights
Solar Sunroof
Laminated glass

Original sales invoice was £78k, so someone went to town with the options list!

So many thanks for all your help and advice. Cheers all.

[Dilligaf10]

Enjoy.

I have a similar spec car but with the 3.0 TDi motor. Had it for just over 2 months now and still trying to work out all the toys. Adaptive lighting is excellent on the Cotswold roads and heated seats are brilliant on cold mornings.

[RedLeicester]

Ae seems a nice car indeed. Was returning 27mpg with the adaptive cruise on on the M40, so one can imagine the average pace. Very impressive for a big barge with a big V8.

[AKA8]

They are such great cars, and they have aged far better than the 7 series or S Class. I think that they will still look good when the model is replaced (in 2009 I think).

I have been quite happy with fuel ecomony on mine, after a recent blast to Frankfurt and back, cruising between 90 and 140 (hitting 168mph on the speedo in Germany in fifth gear) I got 23.5mpg average for the whole trip, which is incredible given the pace. Incidentally, that was on 98 RON fuel which the car seems to like.

The only thing is I have a sidewall bulge but am not using the car so am still considering 2 x original spec Michelins at 270 gbp each, or 5 new Dunlops (I want the spare wheel to be identical) for a grand total of 850 gbp. Any suggestions?

By the way, does anyone have experience of running an S8? I am pondering one of those next, given my low mileage and the increasing regulation on thirstier cars.