Aceler8

So, my wife has pretty much taken ownership of our 2006 A8L. And i'm tired of driving my beater 2000 Benz around town. Found a few S8 around the area which are privately owned. Both look to be in really nice condition. I've done about all of the DIY work on the 2006 model over the last 100k+ miles driven so i'm not afraid to tackle Audis in general.

I work from home mostly, but drive a few hours 2 days per week.

Should i go with a 2008-10 A8 or L or go for the gusto and move toward an 07-08 S8?

RickyJay52

Is this a trick question? OK, sorry for that comment. I had a 2004 A8L which was a splendid car for 14 years and about 150,000 miles (I sold it simply because the kids have grown and I just wasn’t driving it) and then came across a 2009 S8 in amazing condition which has quickly become if not my favorite car I’ve ever owned...damn close. It’s just on another level. And while I do not do any DIY work—and perhaps that is an important consideration—and the cost might be greater than “just” any A8 or A8L...IMO it’s worth it!

S8 all the way.

Good luck.

ScottCNelson

I would typically advise anyone to run not walk away from either of these cars into the arms of the Lexi, but you only drive a couple of days a week. I have pretty much decided to semi-retire my S8 when and if it ever gets out of the shop from its most recent debacle at the 2019 AUDI Club Carolinas annual Treffen weekend. I plan to hop on-board our Lexus as a daily driver and drive the S8 once a week or so and then to the more enjoyable club drives here in the Southeast. This seems like a fine way to both enjoy the S8 and keep my sanity and not have to come out of retirement. So, I see your situation through this lens. I'd say go for the most Fahrvergnügen and get a clean S8 and park it most of the time. There is one caveat you should consider as a DIYer - the words "engine out repair" because there are several on this car which are not of the extremely rare variety - some O2 sensors, starter motor and steering pump/rack.

PaulW

You already have a D3, want not look at a D4? They are basically just as fast as the D3 S8, have those fabulous LED headlights (I like the pre facelift the best), and it will be a newer car. And they get great fuel mileage.

I am one big repair away from getting rid of my S8, it's worth so little, but it's in such nice shape, that I don't want to put $2K or $3K into parts for a repair. I just don't know if it will be worth it.

I haven't looked at D4 prices lately, but I bet you could get a really nice car super cheap.

Aceler8

thanks for the replies everyone...as for the D4, i just don't know them well and worry about the technology advancements when trying to troubleshoot issues.

here is the S8 i'm considering. He's a few hours away and we have texted a few times. It has one issue and its the adaptive front headlight warning. The owner has owned it 4 years and bought a large SUV and doesn't need this S8.

I really wish it had the B&O system.

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto...000625506.html

Ste4lth

.

ScottCNelson

D4 turbos are blowing up far to frequently to the tune of $10K. That said, buy this one at $38K and 38K miles then chip it to 646 HP on pump gas and love your life until she blows:

https://www.frontierford.com/used/Au...earchDepth=3:3

https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_u...40tfsi_s8.html

I'd be divorced in seconds if I even thought of seriously doing this.

ScottCNelson

I fixed mine just by tightening up the tines in the connector. However, if it's the motor, the only fix is to replace the entire headlight assembly. If its the control module, I found you can get a new Hella module much cheaper than the AUDI branded one:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a8-...story-2930255/

RickyJay52

Looks pretty tempting to me!

2001 S8

I was in the same boat, but I was moving from a D2 S8. I kicked around the idea of going to a D3 S8 but decided if I was going to make a move to a newer model, I was going to go with a D4 with the 4.2, preferably 2012.

I found a 2012 with 18,XXX miles that was loaded. It's just as fast or faster than a D3 S8, and it all the modern niceties with an almost bulletproof engine and transmitting. I never considered the D4 with the 4.0 turbo because of the "when-not-if" turbo failures.

D4 all the way. Just my two-cents.

Good luck with what ever you decide.