Discussion
Hi all
I'm new to the Audi forum having owned a TVR for the last 2 1/2 years which I sold recently due to change of job. I was on my way home last night, very fed up of only having a company van to drive, so I decided to buy a car. I've had an S3 before from new, and have often considered an S8, and today, I finally bought one. It's a '98 S, Racing Green with beige leather, all usual extras including sat-nav (not TV though unfortunately - too early)10 disc Bose, full Audi service history, 10 month's warranty, tax, MoT, 68,000 miles and in very good condition all round with a load of receipts. I paid £10k for it which I thought was good value - any comments?
I know about the timing belt, and I'm already saving up for the 80k service, all the electrics are working, seats, memory, heat, folding mirrors, air con, s/roof etc. I also spent some time on the test drive checking the brakes which are 10 months old and aren't warped, and checking for clunks in the drivetrain which still feels very tight with no slack or clunks on lift off or application of power. What else should I be watching out for with this car?
I'm new to the Audi forum having owned a TVR for the last 2 1/2 years which I sold recently due to change of job. I was on my way home last night, very fed up of only having a company van to drive, so I decided to buy a car. I've had an S3 before from new, and have often considered an S8, and today, I finally bought one. It's a '98 S, Racing Green with beige leather, all usual extras including sat-nav (not TV though unfortunately - too early)10 disc Bose, full Audi service history, 10 month's warranty, tax, MoT, 68,000 miles and in very good condition all round with a load of receipts. I paid £10k for it which I thought was good value - any comments?
I know about the timing belt, and I'm already saving up for the 80k service, all the electrics are working, seats, memory, heat, folding mirrors, air con, s/roof etc. I also spent some time on the test drive checking the brakes which are 10 months old and aren't warped, and checking for clunks in the drivetrain which still feels very tight with no slack or clunks on lift off or application of power. What else should I be watching out for with this car?
Goin home from work decide you wanna buy a car. Ok. Let's look. Ah! Audi S8... £10K ...no prob. Test drive & rekky records...buy.
Well, either you're takin the pi$$ No1 or, if not, seems like you know exactly like you know what you need to do. And savin up for an 80k service shouldnt be a problem, should it?
PS What colour's the boat house in Hereford?
Well, either you're takin the pi$$ No1 or, if not, seems like you know exactly like you know what you need to do. And savin up for an 80k service shouldnt be a problem, should it?
PS What colour's the boat house in Hereford?
shadowfax said:
Goin home from work decide you wanna buy a car. Ok. Let's look. Ah! Audi S8... £10K ...no prob. Test drive & rekky records...buy.
Well, either you're takin the pi$$ No1 or, if not, seems like you know exactly like you know what you need to do. And savin up for an 80k service shouldnt be a problem, should it?
PS What colour's the boat house in Hereford?
Why the funny attitude? He's bought an S8 for £10 grand, not a Mclaren F1... hardly a flight of fancy is it.
Yertis, it's just my surprise, being an impecunious and sentimental ol scouser, that a chap can lay £10k out on a whim, overnight, on a car , and then ask, here, what it may need service wise, and say he has to save up for it.
Not every one on this site, when it comes down to it, is rollin in dosh.
And either S8 used values have dropped at least 50% in 3 weeks or, as I said, the man is havin a laugh
OK Maybe "50%" drop is an exaggeration, but for a 68thou miler, it's exceptional; and for a wdege like that to be laid without a thought to a service, well, it's ...somethin I would do, but I have been told for years that no one else is as daft as me, so there.
Look on autotrader - you'll see what I mean. But I guess you all know already.
>> Edited by shadowfax on Saturday 6th November 00:52
Not every one on this site, when it comes down to it, is rollin in dosh.
And either S8 used values have dropped at least 50% in 3 weeks or, as I said, the man is havin a laugh
OK Maybe "50%" drop is an exaggeration, but for a 68thou miler, it's exceptional; and for a wdege like that to be laid without a thought to a service, well, it's ...somethin I would do, but I have been told for years that no one else is as daft as me, so there.
Look on autotrader - you'll see what I mean. But I guess you all know already.
>> Edited by shadowfax on Saturday 6th November 00:52
shadowfax said:
PS What colour's the boat house in Hereford?
Ambush, what do you know about ambush? I just ambushed you with a cup of coffee!
Cheers for the comments mate. I know it might seem a little spur of the moment, but it's not as bad as all that. As I said, I've considered an S8 several times in the past and I was aware in advance of the timing belt issue. The asking price was £11,500 we agreed £1,500 off to cover the cost of the service to sort the cam belt.
When I started my new job, it was impractical to keep the TVR, the plan being to buy a 530d estate or similar to use both for leisure and work (I need to lug tools around now, and often go to site). Buying a diesel meant that the company would give me a fuel card and cover the cost of insurance and servicing. So, in the interim, I took one of the spare Kangoo vans to have as a run-around while I sorted myself out. However, once I started running the van, I decided I didn't want to buy a car to do work's work, if you know what I mean. So I'm then in the situation where I have a totally free van for work, the old knackered Land Rover for fun off-roading, but no car. I coped with this for about 4 months until this week when I've done about 1,000 miles in my little van, and I thought on the way home on Wednesday night that I needed a comfortable car for the times we go away to the Lakes, to see friends in London etc. We are going up to Aberdeen for New Year and the only vehicle I have on the drive that can carry four adults plus luggage is the Land Rover, and 400 miles in that is not something I would look forward too. So I looked on Auto Trader when I got home and noticed the S8, which had gone on sale that day. Thought that it's too good an opportunity to miss and bought it.
I'm only planning on doing about 8-10,000 miles a year in it and it will be garaged when it's not being used so I'd like to think that I can keep it in good nick.
To be honest, the post was for 2 reasons. 1) to see if there are anything else I should keep my eye open for other than the cam-belt and potential gearbox issues, and 2) to brag about the fact that I've just spent £10k on a £60k vehicle
. As it comes with 10 months Audi warranty and it does have every stamp in the book, I'm not too bothered about most things as the warranty should cover it.
If anyone can recommend good Audi dealers in the Midlands though, I would welcome comments. The guy I'm buying it off has always had it done a Listers in Stratford and says they're good. It's about 40 miles from me but I'll travel that far if the service is right.
Nice one No.1, try Andy Bowskill North Midlands founder of Audi owners club, he lives in Midlands 07788 588449, andy.bowskill@audiclub.co.uk He should point you in the right direction.
All the very best with the motor - we had A8 4.2 last year a few months and those long journeys were a dream. The missus got 32mpg to Aberdeen and back, within the speedo % error legal motorway speeds. Best car in the world, all round I reckon.
Yertis, where do you get these offers?!
I just cant afford to be deviated from the Vera rejuvenation - if it comes off, it's power from cubes without the complications.
All the very best with the motor - we had A8 4.2 last year a few months and those long journeys were a dream. The missus got 32mpg to Aberdeen and back, within the speedo % error legal motorway speeds. Best car in the world, all round I reckon.
Yertis, where do you get these offers?!
I just cant afford to be deviated from the Vera rejuvenation - if it comes off, it's power from cubes without the complications.
The main thing to look out for is not to use a main dealer use an indie! You will get a better service and its much cheaper? I heard of someone on this site being charged £1600 for a bush on one front suspension arm, they were told by the main dealer they all had to be changed, all eight at £200 each, as you couldnt just change one
One of my bushes on the arm has just gone and £103 later a new ones fitted by a local independant dealer.
Mike
One of my bushes on the arm has just gone and £103 later a new ones fitted by a local independant dealer. Mike
Finally, after a load of messing about and a 30th birthday party, I picked the car up last night, and my, what a car! I've driven 4.2 Q Sports before, but never an S8 (except on the test drive and let's face it, 10 minutes with the owner beside you doesn't really allow you to explore the car does it?) and I can't believe the differnce between them. I read someones review of the S8 and they commented on it not being able to corner. Well, I disagree, the turn in and grip is incredible - although the steering is a little too light for me, but I can live with that.
Overall impression so far is outstanding, with no regrets on the quick decision.
Overall impression so far is outstanding, with no regrets on the quick decision.
No 1 said:
although the steering is a little too light for me,
I'm none too familiar with the intricacies of S8 Servotronic wiring, but on some other S-Cars of similar vintage you can disconnect the Servotronic by pulling a relay, which makes the steering less over-assissted feelinng. Most S drivers however seem to adjust to the light steering and get used to using finger and thumb instead of clenched fist
Hey Clapham993,
Are you still looking at selling your S8?
I am on the lookout at the moment and for the experience I took out an S8 the other day that a main dealer had in (I hate to think how much the mark up is on it!). Very impressed with the quality and performance and love the technological feel of the car(not so sure about the brakes though). I had an E39 M5 last year and would say the build quality in the Audi is superior and certainly better than an XJR, which I also had on my possible shopping list but am now biaised towards the S8.
Any tips on the tiptronic benefits by the way - the one I tried had it but I somehow feel that it will end up being an occasional usage once the novelty wears off.
Thanks
Cheers
Are you still looking at selling your S8?
I am on the lookout at the moment and for the experience I took out an S8 the other day that a main dealer had in (I hate to think how much the mark up is on it!). Very impressed with the quality and performance and love the technological feel of the car(not so sure about the brakes though). I had an E39 M5 last year and would say the build quality in the Audi is superior and certainly better than an XJR, which I also had on my possible shopping list but am now biaised towards the S8.
Any tips on the tiptronic benefits by the way - the one I tried had it but I somehow feel that it will end up being an occasional usage once the novelty wears off.
Thanks
Cheers
Hi No 1!
Glad to see I'm not the only one to leave TVR-land and discover the Bahn-stormer. I had a Chim for 3 years, a reliable one too! Like you, had to get rid of it because of work - I commute a round trip of 160miles to work, and didn't fancy my chances over the winter ( living in the countryside! ) of actually making it in!
I got a 2001 Y, a bit higher mileage (56 when I got it, 74 now!!!) but it's been great - only thing to say is find a cheap place to get your tyres, as Audi were wanting £1000+ for tyres I managed to get locally for £100 each!! Remember that now most warranties don't require main dealer servicing - check out the small print - MASSIVE savings on labour charges, and won't really affect the value of our cars (well not once mine has entered the 100k's!!)
Glad to see I'm not the only one to leave TVR-land and discover the Bahn-stormer. I had a Chim for 3 years, a reliable one too! Like you, had to get rid of it because of work - I commute a round trip of 160miles to work, and didn't fancy my chances over the winter ( living in the countryside! ) of actually making it in!
I got a 2001 Y, a bit higher mileage (56 when I got it, 74 now!!!) but it's been great - only thing to say is find a cheap place to get your tyres, as Audi were wanting £1000+ for tyres I managed to get locally for £100 each!! Remember that now most warranties don't require main dealer servicing - check out the small print - MASSIVE savings on labour charges, and won't really affect the value of our cars (well not once mine has entered the 100k's!!)
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