OT: Used Audi S8

[millerjs32]

Thinking I want to buy a newer/used S8.
I have read many reviews, watch videos of test drives etc. Looking for a car that is 4-6 years old, one owner and lower miles.
I really don't see many of these cars on the road which makes me feel good, but that means there will be less to choose from too.
..
I'd like to know from those that own Audis, and specifically the S8 what the positives and negatives are for considering an S8.
This car caught my eye in a Big Way. I would like to find one with all the packages which is a little harder to find.
Any comments welcome, and especially from S8 owners. I know the A8 has many of the same options but the engine, and a few other upgrades is what I really want.

Thanks for your response.

Jeff

 

[heckmans]

Thinking I want to buy a newer/used S8.
I have read many reviews, watch videos of test drives etc. Looking for a car that is 4-6 years old, one owner and lower miles.
I really don't see many of these cars on the road which makes me feel good, but that means there will be less to choose from too.
..
I'd like to know from those that own Audis, and specifically the S8 what the positives and negatives are for considering an S8.
This car caught my eye in a Big Way. I would like to find one with all the packages which is a little harder to find.
Any comments welcome, and especially from S8 owners. I know the A8 has many of the same options but the engine, and a few other upgrades is what I really want.

Thanks for your response.

Jeff

I've owned a number of A4s over the last 20 years. I've never gone to an S because, frankly, I'd probably lose my license. The A series has plenty of performance, but the S is, well, something special.
The Quattro AWD provides great performance and is great in bad weather. I would definitely try to get a lower mileage car. Like most German cars, they are built for performance. At around 80K, they'll start to nickel and dime you.
A draw back historically on Audis is the tech lags. I currently have a 2017. The media package is pretty robust, but there is no touchscreen. Audi has long been infatuated with this wheel (think mouse) system. It takes some adjustment but, if you're buying an Audi, it's very first world problems
I'm not tall. I find the cockpit comfortable and very adjustable.
Overall, I'm a fan. I've had a diesel Passat as well, which is similar to the A6 and I liked that too. My dream is probably the A5 coupe, but I've opted for the practicality of the A4. I find the sound to be very good for music and talk.
I'm sure you know that the A/S8 is a big car...it compares the the 7series BMW.
Good luck and happy to answer any questions about Audi in general if you have them.

 

[DandyDonII]

once you are out of warranty, be prepared to pucker up....

 

[fastlax16]

The A series has plenty of performance, but the RS is, well, something special.

FIFY. Not that S cars aren’t quickish 😜.

To the OP, your age range is slightly askew. They didn’t make the s8 in 2018 or 2019 so you can either go with the current gen and get a 2020+ or go 2017 and older. I’d avoid the prior gen from a technology standpoint.

 

[heckmans]

FIFY. Not that S cars aren’t quickish 😜.

To the OP, your age range is slightly askew. They didn’t make the s8 in 2018 or 2019 so you can either go with the current gen and get a 2020+ or go 2017 and older. I’d avoid the prior gen from a technology standpoint.

Well, if we're being serious, why bother with anything other than an R8?

 

[fastlax16]

Well, if we're being serious, why bother with anything other than an R8?

Because the rs6 avant exists. And the 5 cylinder in the rs3 and ttrs is magic.

I love s cars. I’ve done a ton of work on s4s. My best friend had a dual pulley car on that made jam and my brother in law has a 2016 with 20,000 miles I may take off his hands when he sells it next year. It’ll either be that, an rs3 or a golf r depending on timing.

 

[PSUSignore]

Never owned an Audi but had a VW GTI for a while. Most costly car I've ever owned in terms of repairs. VW/Audi are kind of known for it, and some mechanics won't touch them because they often require special tools and skills so service always costs more, even for a basic oil change there were upcharges over other vehicles. Electrical issues were common, such as constant MAF sensor issues tripping the check engine light. By contrast my current Mazda almost never has had an issue aside from the gas cap sometimes not sealing properly and causing tripping the CEL. Despite that, the VW was still my favorite car I've owned, it just felt better engineered with more attention to detail than the American and Japanese cars I've had. As long as you are prepared for the possibility of more issues and higher ownership costs you'll probably love it.

 

[Obliviax]

FIFY. Not that S cars aren’t quickish 😜.

To the OP, your age range is slightly askew. They didn’t make the s8 in 2018 or 2019 so you can either go with the current gen and get a 2020+ or go 2017 and older. I’d avoid the prior gen from a technology standpoint.

I typically buy used cars but the new tech is hard to pass up. And you won't get a lot of the new tech for cars built five years ago.

 

[Obliviax]

just saw this come across on a "best car deals" alert. It isn't used and it isn't the "A" but is a heck of a deal.

$12,500 off and less than 4% interest on a loan.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/audi/a8/2022/prices?src=nl_autos_deals&utm_term=Autos%20Deals%20Newsletter&h_eid=1c7a7e694fb3eaee113eae20d7a388b920ac33d4593d0ba9266b52839f448508&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Car%20Deals%201%20-%20Editorial%2012.12.2022

 

[northwoods]

Never owned an Audi but had a VW GTI for a while. Most costly car I've ever owned in terms of repairs. VW/Audi are kind of known for it, and some mechanics won't touch them because they often require special tools and skills so service always costs more, even for a basic oil change there were upcharges over other vehicles. Electrical issues were common, such as constant MAF sensor issues tripping the check engine light. By contrast my current Mazda almost never has had an issue aside from the gas cap sometimes not sealing properly and causing tripping the CEL. Despite that, the VW was still my favorite car I've owned, it just felt better engineered with more attention to detail than the American and Japanese cars I've had. As long as you are prepared for the possibility of more issues and higher ownership costs you'll probably love it.

I truly believe that, dollar for dollar, the Mazda CX-5 is the best car out there. And when you take into consideration resale value, low maintenance costs, and overall quality it stands out at half the price of a comparable Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz or Volvo. I'm not saying it is better, but I am saying that, at about half the cost, it is a great value.

 

[Cowbell Man]

once you are out of warranty, be prepared to pucker up....

The handling of German Engineering is amazing.

The post warranty handling of your wallet is impressive. And it’s both volume and frequency.

 

[Frabjous]

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap German car.

 

[fastlax16]

The handling of German Engineering is amazing.

The post warranty handling of your wallet is impressive. And it’s both volume and frequency.

Long term reliability is heavily dependent on maintenance. I’ve had 4 vws and an Audi along with a Honda and an Acura. The car with the most issues was the Acura, which was the only one I didn’t know the maintenance history on. The rest were purchased new.

 

[Agoodnap]

I've owned one Audi in my life and will never own another. Had a 2001 A4 Quattro. My thermostat broke and had to be replaced. Well, this $15 item is behind the water pump, which is driven by the timing belt. Access can only be had by removing the front bumper, grill, etc. A 10 hour job (by the book) to replace something that on most cars is a 30 minute, or less, job. I could go on and on about this car. Heck, the owners manual tells you to take the car to the dealer to replace a taillight, which is quite difficult to do and most will have to actually take it in for taillight.

However, it was a lot of fun to drive when it wasn't sitting on 4 jack stands in my garage.

I would have actually punched the lead engineer at Audi in the face had I met him while I owned this car.

 

[fastlax16]

I've owned one Audi in my life and will never own another. Had a 2001 A4 Quattro. My thermostat broke and had to be replaced. Well, this $15 item is behind the water pump, which is driven by the timing belt. Access can only be had by removing the front bumper, grill, etc. A 10 hour job (by the book) to replace something that on most cars is a 30 minute, or less, job. I could go on and on about this car. Heck, the owners manual tells you to take the car to the dealer to replace a taillight, which is quite difficult to do and most will have to actually take it in for taillight.

However, it was a lot of fun to drive when it wasn't sitting on 4 jack stands in my garage.

I would have actually punched the lead engineer at Audi in the face had I met him while I owned this car.

2001 isn’t all that relevant to cars built two decades later.

 

[Agoodnap]

2001 isn’t all that relevant to cars built two decades later.

The culture of a company is hard to change. Here are a few comments from above.

"once you are out of warranty, be prepared to pucker up...."

"Most costly car I've ever owned in terms of repairs. VW/Audi are kind of known for it, and some mechanics won't touch them because they often require special tools and skills so service always costs more, even for a basic oil change there were upcharges over other vehicles. Electrical issues were common, such as constant MAF sensor issues tripping the check engine light."

"The post warranty handling of your wallet is impressive. And it’s both volume and frequency."

 

[fastlax16]

The culture of a company is hard to change. Here are a few comments from above.

"once you are out of warranty, be prepared to pucker up...."

"Most costly car I've ever owned in terms of repairs. VW/Audi are kind of known for it, and some mechanics won't touch them because they often require special tools and skills so service always costs more, even for a basic oil change there were upcharges over other vehicles. Electrical issues were common, such as constant MAF sensor issues tripping the check engine light."

"The post warranty handling of your wallet is impressive. And it’s both volume and frequency."

Bad news and anecdotal feedback travel fast. Commentary on a Toyota from 1980 would have been just as relevant in 2001. I’ve had 5 VAG products that never had anything outside of routine maintenance (and two of them saw track time). My Acura needed second and third gear replaced and my 2021 ford needs a new transmission. Guess I can comment on how shitty American and Japanese cars are based on experience, but I won’t because it’s anecdotal.

Consumer reports has Audi ranked 6th out of 24 in their most recent brand dependability rating ahead of every American and Korean brand. VW is substantially lower. BMW is 3rd behind Toyota and Lexus since some of the commentary above was just broad based German car bashing.

Consumer Reports ranking for the most reliable cars of 2023 are in. Here are the winners.

Consumer Reports released rankings for the most reliable vehicle types and brands. Hybrids came out on top, while EVs and trucks had low scores.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Agoodnap]

Bad news and anecdotal feedback travel fast. Commentary on a Toyota from 1980 would have been just as relevant in 2001. I’ve had 5 VAG products that never had anything outside of routine maintenance (and two of them saw track time). My Acura needed second and third gear replaced and my 2021 ford needs a new transmission. Guess I can comment on how shitty American and Japanese cars are based on experience, but I won’t because it’s anecdotal.

Consumer reports has Audi ranked 6th out of 24 in their most recent brand dependability rating ahead of every American and Korean brand. VW is substantially lower. BMW is 3rd behind Toyota and Lexus since some of the commentary above was just broad based German car bashing.

Consumer Reports ranking for the most reliable cars of 2023 are in. Here are the winners.

Consumer Reports released rankings for the most reliable vehicle types and brands. Hybrids came out on top, while EVs and trucks had low scores.

www.usatoday.com

You still don't get it. My message was that repairs which should be simple, and are simple in most every other vehicle on earth, require extensive hours to repair. That's not anecdotal it's fact. You have a reading comprehension issue.

 

[fastlax16]

You still don't get it. My message was that repairs which should be simple, and are simple in most every other vehicle on earth, require extensive hours to repair. That's not anecdotal it's fact. You have a reading comprehension issue.

Its irrelevant. Sorry you had issues with a car made over two decades ago. It’d be like commenting on your experience with an iPhone in 2007 if someone was shopping them today, worse actually.

 

[Agoodnap]

Its irrelevant. Sorry you had issues with a car made over two decades ago. It’d be like commenting on your experience with an iPhone in 2007 if someone was shopping them today, worse actually.

Yep, it's irrelevant because you missed my entire point. smh

 

[The Spin Meister]

Its irrelevant. Sorry you had issues with a car made over two decades ago. It’d be like commenting on your experience with an iPhone in 2007 if someone was shopping them today, worse actually.

So what is the procedure to change an Audi thermostat now? Or other rairs that should be minor?

 

[fastlax16]

So what is the procedure to change an Audi thermostat now? Or other rairs that should be minor?

Great question, I’ve actually done it, although it’s been a couple years

It requires removing the supercharger on a 2015 s4 and sucks. took a few hours and a couple beers for 2 guys. This isn’t relevant to an s8 since it’s a totally different powertrain. Timing chains on the b6 s4 are the worst repairs to need from what I’ve heard and require the whole engine to be removed. Also not applicable to the s8 or a Prius. I don’t think any modern Audis even use chains.

The 2.0t in many of their models is pretty easy to work on. I’ve changed my own oil plenty of times no special tools required.

I’ve installed a new turbo (upgrade not replacement due to failure) as well. It’s a day job no special tools. (This was on a golf r but same basic architecture as an s3).

 

[millerjs32]

Great question, I’ve actually done it, although it’s been a couple years

It requires removing the supercharger on a 2015 s4 and sucks. took a few hours and a couple beers for 2 guys. This isn’t relevant to an s8 since it’s a totally different powertrain. Timing chains on the b6 s4 are the worst repairs to need from what I’ve heard and require the whole engine to be removed. Also not applicable to the s8 or a Prius. I don’t think any modern Audis even use chains.

The 2.0t in many of their models is pretty easy to work on. I’ve changed my own oil plenty of times no special tools required.

I’ve installed a new turbo (upgrade not replacement due to failure) as well. It’s a day job no special tools. (This was on a golf r but same basic architecture as an s3).

I much appreciate all the responses and got a kick out of most.
I do understand the "cost to maintain". Just was curious if anyone here had an S8 and would convince me to spend the next 6 months finding the perfect car.

 

[fastlax16]

I much appreciate all the responses and got a kick out of most.
I do understand the "cost to maintain". Just was curious if anyone here had an S8 and would convince me to spend the next 6 months finding the perfect car.

Dm me if you have any questions. Just helped my father with w a purchase recently. He just picked up a new a6 allroad and the other contenders were the a7/s7 and a8/s8. So I was doing a fair amount of research into them a couple of months back. Unless you want a giant sedan I think you might be better served with a _7 or _6. Another great large German sedan to consider is the panamera (also part of the vw group and Porsche has fantastic reliability if you put stock in the reports)

A long as you don’t expect it to be a Toyota and you buy a well maintained example you should be alright, with the caveat that used cars always have the potential to have a checkered past. CPO can help but isn’t foolproof.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

I much appreciate all the responses and got a kick out of most.
I do understand the "cost to maintain". Just was curious if anyone here had an S8 and would convince me to spend the next 6 months finding the perfect car.

Not what you're looking for, but I thought it would take forever to find the right used Q7 this fall, and one fell into my lap within 2 weeks.
I also have an '06 S4 Cabrio, and anecdotally, it hasn't been bad regarding repairs/maintenance.

 

[fastlax16]

Not what you're looking for, but I thought it would take forever to find the right used Q7 this fall, and one fell into my lap within 2 weeks.
I also have an '06 S4 Cabrio, and anecdotally, it hasn't been bad regarding repairs/maintenance.

Careful, we treat German cars like we treat James Franklin. Complaints only please.

 

[CF LION]

S5 coupe owner here. 2014 Supercharged. Absolutely love the car but it is currently in the shop (not Audi dealer but a mechanic that specializes in German cars) getting a $4500 tuneup at 115,000 miles. Second time I”ve done this.

 

[Agoodnap]

My last post in this thread.

Timing chains, assuming regular oil changes, should never need to be replaced.

Timing belts generally need to be replaced somewhat often and since a failure would be catastrophic manufacturers recommend changing them every 60,000 to 110,000 miles depending on your make/model.

So I read just above that all late model Audi's now have a timing belt and this makes absolute sense to me, if your objective is to maximize maintenance costs.

The timing belt on my A4 was a 10 hour job and since your in there you may as well replace the water pump, thermostat, coolant return tube, pulley, etc. $$$$

 

[fastlax16]

My last post in this thread.

Timing chains, assuming regular oil changes, should never need to be replaced.

Timing belts generally need to be replaced somewhat often and since a failure would be catastrophic manufacturers recommend changing them every 60,000 to 110,000 miles depending on your make/model.

So I read just above that all late model Audi's now have a timing belt and this makes absolute sense to me, if your objective is to maximize maintenance costs.

The timing belt on my A4 was a 10 hour job and since your in there you may as well replace the water pump, thermostat, coolant return tube, pulley, etc. $$$$

The issue with the timing chains on the v8 in the b6 isn’t the chain itself it’s the plastic tensioners/guides failing and the fact that it’s located between the back of the engine and the firewall. It’s the only audi motor I’m aware of with that specific design flaw so not particular widespread.

 

[millerjs32]

Dm me if you have any questions. Just helped my father with w a purchase recently. He just picked up a new a6 allroad and the other contenders were the a7/s7 and a8/s8. So I was doing a fair amount of research into them a couple of months back. Unless you want a giant sedan I think you might be better served with a _7 or _6. Another great large German sedan to consider is the panamera (also part of the vw group and Porsche has fantastic reliability if you put stock in the reports)

A long as you don’t expect it to be a Toyota and you buy a well maintained example you should be alright, with the caveat that used cars always have the potential to have a checkered past. CPO can help but isn’t foolproof.

I am not sure how to dm.
I am looking for a bigger sedan since that's what I'm driving now. To be completely honest I want a head turner that can Get IT when I need to. I have heard the Porche is the best built vehicle out there from a friend on east coast. I guess I just have to be patient. German car shop out here thought I should look at Facebook marketplace. Maybe I'll get LUCKY!

 

[PSUSignore]

S5 coupe owner here. 2014 Supercharged. Absolutely love the car but it is currently in the shop (not Audi dealer but a mechanic that specializes in German cars) getting a $4500 tuneup at 115,000 miles. Second time I”ve done this.

How did you get to 115,000 miles twice?