IndyA8

I now have 117K miles on the A8 and was thinking I would like something with ability to haul dogs, detailing supplies, house stuff, etc. Drove by a local used car dealer who specializes in high end stuff and they had an Infiniti FX35 there. My 10 year old son went with me. First words out of his mouth were, "It must be Japanese because they always look weird." I kind of like the offbeat looks, so we decided to check it out.

My first impression was that the interior was cheaply made. Certainly a downgrade from the A8, or an A4 for that matter. Got a plate and took off. First off, powerful V8, but a very noisy ride. It puts out more sound than power, in my opinion. Would drive me craze when I spend 8 to 10 hours in my car driving to Detroit or Columbus, OH and back to Indy. Felt tight though. Too tight, as in, Wow I would have thought there would be more room in here.

Then there was the ride. Sure its an SUV, but wow, I feel like I'm going to toss cookies. Made me car sick, even worse than those nights in college when I mixed wine, booze and beer. Small constant motions. I've driven my father in laws BMW X5 4.4, and it was much better to drive than this. My son's advice was right on, "Geez Dad, I like your car better!"

The A8 is a steal of a deal. Even though I've spent alot of money keeping it going, as in new tranny at 52K miles, I still love driving it.

I still would like to be able to haul stuff, including dogs, but unless I find something that drives as well, I guess I'm driving my 8.

I do hear the Toureg is nice. Anyone with any experience with it?

Thanks,

Sam

JimR

The one that had it, sold it to shed debt, ended up in a 300ZX twin turbo. Liked the vehicle. The one that still has one, likes it very much.

It's never going to handle as well as an A8, especially an A8 with an aftermarket suspension.

GDJT Allroad^2

the wifey wanted more room.

dimitristx

Get a Magnum SRT8, loaded for $44k. Vast cargo area, and supercar performance. MPG is one catch.

IndyA8

What do you think of the allroad?

Sam

QuickA8

Like WOAH. Rare but a great find. plus it looks similar to the A8 inside so youll feel right at home. (bad MPG cause youll always be pushing that skinny pedal. but if you leave it alone ....)

esseight

I own a V8 Touareg, and absolutely love it! For the money, nothing comes close (we looked at the X5, the Cayenne and the MDX before buying). On-road it handles itself extremely well, solid and tight (especially with the air suspension), off-road (if you choose to off-road) it rivals the best of them. I personally love the looks of it, fit and finish is exceptional, and the interior is world-class. I have an '04 (first year of production), and while I've had no problems there are a number of '04 owners who've had major issues. If you're looking at used Touaregs, try to go for an '05 or '06, or at least choose an '04 with a VIN higher than 45000 (VW retooled it's assembly line at this point). Let me know if you have any questions I can answer (or check the Touareg forum over at VWVortex), but I highly recommend it!

GDJT Allroad^2

Drop me an e-mail if you want to hear more.