Zumkopf

The title pretty much says it all. I'm about to "donate" my '98 A8 D2 to my son, and would like to step up to an S8 without spending too much money. That leaves me in S8 D2 and D3 territory. The stats look reasonably close; I think the D3 is slightly faster 0 - 60 (5.1 seconds, officially) than the D2 (5.4 seconds). I also see lots of scary stuff about the V10 having carbon buildup problems, and an air suspension that may be prone to leaks. But it probably has a more durable transmission than the D2. For those with experience, is the driving experience markedly different? What about the ownership/repair experience? I do almost all my own work on my A8, so I think the D2 S8 would be similar in complexity, but what about the D3?

I asked this on the D2 board, but got no responses. Thanks for any insight you may be able to offer.
Z
1998 A8 D2 144k

FONDRIEST12

Welcome, I had a 2003 S8 for the last six years. It went from 100k- 165K and the transmission finally died. I even did preventative transmission filter/oil change a couple of years ago. I was very happy with the car and it never broke down. I did the rotors, pads twice, timing belt, plugs, ignition coils, front shocks. The S8 D3’s probably have the air suspension so that could be an issue if you have to replace or repair. The parts in my car were easy to get but in the last six months there were a lot of small things that popped up and the transmission was the final straw. If you can get a D2 with low miles I would do it, but the transmissions are weaker overall I think.

esseight

I'm a huge fan of the D2 S8. Had the Ronin car (green/ecru) many years ago, and more recently one that had been manual-swapped, which was just a ton of fun to drive. For a couple of reasons I had to let it go, and decided at that point to move up to a D3, primarily to scratch my V10 itch and also because I lucked into a good one.

Some quick thoughts on each:

D2 S8:
A very analog, almost old-school, driving experience.
A little smaller and lighter than the D3 so it felt more tossable, but part of that feeling may have been due to rowing my own gears.
Pretty straightforward to wrench on it, at least most of the mechanicals. Issues are well documented.
A much older car, so more things to address due to age/wear. I did have a few unexpected problems which at times were a real nuisance, and made me somewhat wary of really long road trips.
Transmission problems are well known - find a manual swapped car or just plan to have it done!
Parts can/will be a little tougher to source moving forward as Audi decreases support for its older models.
Clean, classy styling that just can't be beat, IMO. It got a lot of positive attention and comments during my ownership.

D3 S8:
Only 6 years newer than my D2, but feels light years more refined.
A much smoother and quieter ride, though I do feel like I lose some connected-ness to the road.
Systems are mode modern - you get the MMI, pop-up info-tainment screen, better nav (although it still sucks), one-touch locking/unlocking, pushbutton start/stop, etc. I also have the B&O which is amazing, at least to me though I'm no audiophile.
I am very hesitant to work on anything under the hood...that's a monster engine jammed in there and it's pretty intimidating.
Carbon cleaning is not if but when. Figure every 40-50K depending on your driving style. At 70K mine has been done once but I'm planning on another cleaning within the next 10K.
Air suspension also has its issues over time. If there is a problem address it right away so as not to make things worse; rebuilt kits are available at reasonable costs and there is a lot of discussion and help out there.
It appears I did find a good one as I have not had to do anything other than LOF fortunately (touch wood!). I would not hesitate to drive this car anywhere, anytime, in any conditions.
Exterior styling is a little meh to me and it blends in rather than stands out, though the interior is fantastic.
Did I mention the V10?

Both are great cars in their own way, so I would recommend you try to experience each before making a decision. I don't think they are that close in price, but ultimately it comes down to buying condition as is the case for most Audis. A lot will depend on how much more you're willing to put into each, or to what extent you plan to make updates. Be proactive - deferred maintenance is a killer and will ruin the experience.

Good luck with your search!