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Argh! Decisions, decisions re: A8
I'm torn and hoping that others on here might have some thoughts and/or
suggestions. Looking to replace my 1988 5000s quattro with, most likely, an A8 (1997 to 2000). I have a few options -- each with positives and negatives. Price is an issue, but much of that is in the hands of my lender. Any car I'd buy would be inspected by independent Audi-friendly shop. Here are a few of the ones I'm looking at: 1. 1997 A8 with 135,000 miles. Ivory (pearl?) & tan. Also owned by an enthusiast who did most of his own work on it. Timing belt was done by dealer back around 80K. Lots of other small stuff, including a half axle and CV boots done within the past 20K. Interior OK (driver's seat pretty worn), but plenty of little annoyances (driver seat heat iffy, rear power shade doesn't work, a few other conveniences don't work). Has ceramic brake pads and V-rated rubber with plenty of tread. Seller says he's flexible on price. 2. 1997 A8 with 99,000 miles. Dark blue & tan. Nicely maintained by an Audi enthusiast. Most work done by owner. Tranny rebuilt not long ago, but still hasn't had timing belt or water pump worked on. Drives nice, but brakes are a little spongy for my tastes. 3. 1998 A8 with 88,000 miles. Black & tan. At a non-Audi dealership. Supposedly a lease return. Beautiful exterior and interior. Brakes done by the non-Audi dealer. Alignment may be an issue, but they promised to fix & make sure car is fully safe and legal. No records available for if/when timing belt, etc. may have been done. ANY thoughts would be appreciated. There are a few other cars I'm considering (incl. a nice 2000 A8 that is a 3hr. drive away), but these are the top contenders at the moment. I would appreciate any public or private comments, suggestions or questions I should ask them or myself. FYI... I'm open to getting an A6 if it is zippy and nice enough, but an A4 is too small. Thanks in advance for your assistance. *** If replying to e-mail, please EDIT reply ADDRESS before sending *** |
Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
(updated from original post)
I'm torn and hoping that others on here might have some thoughts and/or suggestions. Looking to replace my 1988 5000s quattro with, most likely, an A8 (1997 to 2000). I have a few options -- each with positives and negatives. Price is an issue, but much of that is in the hands of my lender. Any car I'd buy would be inspected by independent Audi-friendly shop. Here are a few of the ones I'm looking at: 1. 1997 A8 with 135,000 miles. Ivory (pearl?) & tan. Owned by an enthusiast who did most of his own work on it. Timing belt was done by dealer back around 80K. Lots of other small stuff, including a half axle and CV boots done within the past 20K. Interior OK (driver's seat pretty worn), but plenty of little annoyances (driver seat heat iffy, rear power shade doesn't work, a few other conveniences don't work). Has ceramic brake pads and V-rated rubber with plenty of tread. Seller says he's flexible on price. 2. 1997 A8 with 99,000 miles. Dark blue & tan. Nicely maintained by an Audi enthusiast. Most work done by owner. Tranny rebuilt not long ago, but still hasn't had timing belt or water pump worked on. Drives nice, but brakes are a little spongy for my tastes. 3. 1998 A8 with 88,000 miles. Black & tan. At a non-Audi dealership. Supposedly a lease return. Beautiful exterior and interior. Brakes done by the non-Audi dealer & two front tires are new (back look like about 50%). Alignment may be an issue, but they promised to fix & make sure car is fully safe and legal. No records available for if/when timing belt, etc. may have been done. Only car of the three with Tiptronic. ANY thoughts would be appreciated. There are a few other cars I'm considering (incl. a nice 2000 A8 that is a 3hr. drive away), but these are the top contenders at the moment. I would appreciate any public or private comments, suggestions or questions I should ask them or myself. FYI... I'm open to getting an A6 if it is zippy and nice enough, but an A4 is too small. Thanks in advance for your assistance. *** If replying to e-mail, please EDIT reply ADDRESS before sending *** |
Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
(updated from original post)
I'm torn and hoping that others on here might have some thoughts and/or suggestions. Looking to replace my 1988 5000s quattro with, most likely, an A8 (1997 to 2000). I have a few options -- each with positives and negatives. Price is an issue, but much of that is in the hands of my lender. Any car I'd buy would be inspected by independent Audi-friendly shop. Here are a few of the ones I'm looking at: 1. 1997 A8 with 135,000 miles. Ivory (pearl?) & tan. Owned by an enthusiast who did most of his own work on it. Timing belt was done by dealer back around 80K. Lots of other small stuff, including a half axle and CV boots done within the past 20K. Interior OK (driver's seat pretty worn), but plenty of little annoyances (driver seat heat iffy, rear power shade doesn't work, a few other conveniences don't work). Has ceramic brake pads and V-rated rubber with plenty of tread. Seller says he's flexible on price. 2. 1997 A8 with 99,000 miles. Dark blue & tan. Nicely maintained by an Audi enthusiast. Most work done by owner. Tranny rebuilt not long ago, but still hasn't had timing belt or water pump worked on. Drives nice, but brakes are a little spongy for my tastes. 3. 1998 A8 with 88,000 miles. Black & tan. At a non-Audi dealership. Supposedly a lease return. Beautiful exterior and interior. Brakes done by the non-Audi dealer & two front tires are new (back look like about 50%). Alignment may be an issue, but they promised to fix & make sure car is fully safe and legal. No records available for if/when timing belt, etc. may have been done. Only car of the three with Tiptronic. ANY thoughts would be appreciated. There are a few other cars I'm considering (incl. a nice 2000 A8 that is a 3hr. drive away), but these are the top contenders at the moment. I would appreciate any public or private comments, suggestions or questions I should ask them or myself. FYI... I'm open to getting an A6 if it is zippy and nice enough, but an A4 is too small. Thanks in advance for your assistance. *** If replying to e-mail, please EDIT reply ADDRESS before sending *** |
Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
(updated from original post)
I'm torn and hoping that others on here might have some thoughts and/or suggestions. Looking to replace my 1988 5000s quattro with, most likely, an A8 (1997 to 2000). I have a few options -- each with positives and negatives. Price is an issue, but much of that is in the hands of my lender. Any car I'd buy would be inspected by independent Audi-friendly shop. Here are a few of the ones I'm looking at: 1. 1997 A8 with 135,000 miles. Ivory (pearl?) & tan. Owned by an enthusiast who did most of his own work on it. Timing belt was done by dealer back around 80K. Lots of other small stuff, including a half axle and CV boots done within the past 20K. Interior OK (driver's seat pretty worn), but plenty of little annoyances (driver seat heat iffy, rear power shade doesn't work, a few other conveniences don't work). Has ceramic brake pads and V-rated rubber with plenty of tread. Seller says he's flexible on price. 2. 1997 A8 with 99,000 miles. Dark blue & tan. Nicely maintained by an Audi enthusiast. Most work done by owner. Tranny rebuilt not long ago, but still hasn't had timing belt or water pump worked on. Drives nice, but brakes are a little spongy for my tastes. 3. 1998 A8 with 88,000 miles. Black & tan. At a non-Audi dealership. Supposedly a lease return. Beautiful exterior and interior. Brakes done by the non-Audi dealer & two front tires are new (back look like about 50%). Alignment may be an issue, but they promised to fix & make sure car is fully safe and legal. No records available for if/when timing belt, etc. may have been done. Only car of the three with Tiptronic. ANY thoughts would be appreciated. There are a few other cars I'm considering (incl. a nice 2000 A8 that is a 3hr. drive away), but these are the top contenders at the moment. I would appreciate any public or private comments, suggestions or questions I should ask them or myself. FYI... I'm open to getting an A6 if it is zippy and nice enough, but an A4 is too small. Thanks in advance for your assistance. *** If replying to e-mail, please EDIT reply ADDRESS before sending *** |
Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
(updated from original post)
I'm torn and hoping that others on here might have some thoughts and/or suggestions. Looking to replace my 1988 5000s quattro with, most likely, an A8 (1997 to 2000). I have a few options -- each with positives and negatives. Price is an issue, but much of that is in the hands of my lender. Any car I'd buy would be inspected by independent Audi-friendly shop. Here are a few of the ones I'm looking at: 1. 1997 A8 with 135,000 miles. Ivory (pearl?) & tan. Owned by an enthusiast who did most of his own work on it. Timing belt was done by dealer back around 80K. Lots of other small stuff, including a half axle and CV boots done within the past 20K. Interior OK (driver's seat pretty worn), but plenty of little annoyances (driver seat heat iffy, rear power shade doesn't work, a few other conveniences don't work). Has ceramic brake pads and V-rated rubber with plenty of tread. Seller says he's flexible on price. 2. 1997 A8 with 99,000 miles. Dark blue & tan. Nicely maintained by an Audi enthusiast. Most work done by owner. Tranny rebuilt not long ago, but still hasn't had timing belt or water pump worked on. Drives nice, but brakes are a little spongy for my tastes. 3. 1998 A8 with 88,000 miles. Black & tan. At a non-Audi dealership. Supposedly a lease return. Beautiful exterior and interior. Brakes done by the non-Audi dealer & two front tires are new (back look like about 50%). Alignment may be an issue, but they promised to fix & make sure car is fully safe and legal. No records available for if/when timing belt, etc. may have been done. Only car of the three with Tiptronic. ANY thoughts would be appreciated. There are a few other cars I'm considering (incl. a nice 2000 A8 that is a 3hr. drive away), but these are the top contenders at the moment. I would appreciate any public or private comments, suggestions or questions I should ask them or myself. FYI... I'm open to getting an A6 if it is zippy and nice enough, but an A4 is too small. Thanks in advance for your assistance. *** If replying to e-mail, please EDIT reply ADDRESS before sending *** |
Re: Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
amz,
I'd go with #2, with the provision that the timing belt/pump/etc. (+front crank seal while you're in there?) gets replaced prior to your purchase - otherwise take it out of the price. #1 seems nice - and it's the only one of the three that doesn't need an immediate t-belt servicing (take "No records" to mean "Not done" on #3). I'd run away from #3 - replacing only 2 tires on a quattro is a death sentence for the diffs (owning a 5kq you should know that) and them telling you that they'll fix things like the alignment is worth the paper it's written on. Cheers! Steve Sears 1987 Audi 5kTQ 1980 Audi 5k 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply) |
Re: Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
amz,
I'd go with #2, with the provision that the timing belt/pump/etc. (+front crank seal while you're in there?) gets replaced prior to your purchase - otherwise take it out of the price. #1 seems nice - and it's the only one of the three that doesn't need an immediate t-belt servicing (take "No records" to mean "Not done" on #3). I'd run away from #3 - replacing only 2 tires on a quattro is a death sentence for the diffs (owning a 5kq you should know that) and them telling you that they'll fix things like the alignment is worth the paper it's written on. Cheers! Steve Sears 1987 Audi 5kTQ 1980 Audi 5k 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply) |
Re: Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
amz,
I'd go with #2, with the provision that the timing belt/pump/etc. (+front crank seal while you're in there?) gets replaced prior to your purchase - otherwise take it out of the price. #1 seems nice - and it's the only one of the three that doesn't need an immediate t-belt servicing (take "No records" to mean "Not done" on #3). I'd run away from #3 - replacing only 2 tires on a quattro is a death sentence for the diffs (owning a 5kq you should know that) and them telling you that they'll fix things like the alignment is worth the paper it's written on. Cheers! Steve Sears 1987 Audi 5kTQ 1980 Audi 5k 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply) |
Re: Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
amz,
I'd go with #2, with the provision that the timing belt/pump/etc. (+front crank seal while you're in there?) gets replaced prior to your purchase - otherwise take it out of the price. #1 seems nice - and it's the only one of the three that doesn't need an immediate t-belt servicing (take "No records" to mean "Not done" on #3). I'd run away from #3 - replacing only 2 tires on a quattro is a death sentence for the diffs (owning a 5kq you should know that) and them telling you that they'll fix things like the alignment is worth the paper it's written on. Cheers! Steve Sears 1987 Audi 5kTQ 1980 Audi 5k 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply) |
Re: Thoughts & suggestions wanted re: Audi A8
Steve, I've never heard about the 4-tires thing on a quattro..... I
know that you're supposed to have tires with the same tread depth (or within about a 3% variance) on the same axle, but have never heard that you must replace all 4 at the same time! I'm asking because I recently tore a chunk out of one rear tire, so I purchased one new tire and put the (unused) spare on the same axle as the new tire.... Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA |
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