REALLY want an A8, but...
03-29-2024, 11:57 AM
#11
AudiWorld Senior Member
I think any luxury vehicle that is $18k or under may lead to problems. There's that old saying, "the most expensive car you will ever own is a cheap Mercedes!" I firmly believe that an old Audi will serve you much better than a Mercedes, but the point is still the same. The only way to get an A8 for the price point, is to purchase an old one or one with high mileage. In either case, there will be repairs. Some scheduled and certainly some unscheduled.
If you can add another $12k, I know a GREAT S8 Plus that should be going on sale in the next few months (as soon as I find a newer S8 replacement, lol). New tires/brakes/spark plugs/coil packs/all recalls & TSB performed/etc.
If you can add another $12k, I know a GREAT S8 Plus that should be going on sale in the next few months (as soon as I find a newer S8 replacement, lol). New tires/brakes/spark plugs/coil packs/all recalls & TSB performed/etc.
Last edited by DallasDave; 03-30-2024 at 10:50 AM.
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09S5 (04-04-2024)
03-29-2024, 12:14 PM
#12
Don’t expect to buy a flagship model and not have to drop a dime for pricey repairs.
03-29-2024, 02:06 PM
#13
Super-Duper User
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Why are you trying to skimp on the price of a good D4? There are plenty available for ~$20k in great condition.
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If money is that tight, don't even think about one of these.
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Why are you trying to skimp on the price of a good D4? There are plenty available for ~$20k in great condition.
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If money is that tight, don't even think about one of these.
.
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04-01-2024, 04:49 AM
#14
AudiWorld Member
Go for the 4.2, you can get them for a song these days (think around $10k) Buy under budget, look for impeccable maintenance, and pack away a few thousand just in case you need to fix a coolant leak or redo chains. You’ll be pretty happy with the reliability if you don’t mind 2-3k/year in upkeep
Last edited by Golan Remi; 04-01-2024 at 05:00 AM.
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09S5 (04-04-2024)
04-01-2024, 03:24 PM
#15
Flagship addict
They don't, not sure where you got the idea they do from....
04-02-2024, 04:43 PM
#16
AudiWorld Super User
News to me. Facelift has nothing to do with air ride AFAIK, and definitely not a copy AFAIK either. What is similar from D3 to D4 but still with new gen parts is the general arms set up. Even there there are some differences, like the quick to wear front sway bar links that are a different design, the D4 replaceable sway bar main bushings, the slightly larger but still probably wear prone upper suspension control arms, etc. The electric steering set up (instead of older hydraulic) is down underneath instead of high up. Pricy if it fails (has extended warranty in USA), but way easier to get at. Not sure when cutover was, but likely motor related with 4.0T rather than facelift related. (??).
04-03-2024, 12:30 AM
#17
Super-Duper User
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09S5 (04-04-2024)
04-07-2024, 09:22 PM
#18
AudiWorld Member
No no no no no! Do not get an LS460 unless you are prepared to pay more for certain failures that WILL happen unless you know for a fact they have been addressed.
The brake actuator is $2800 for the part and you must buy an extremely specific part number that is not publicly easily found to get the correct revision for the newest TSB that actually works and doesn't fail again in a year or two.
Control arms wear out twice as fast as on the A8s and cost $2200 for parts vs $800
Engine coolant valley plate WILL leak
Radiator WILL crack
Engine mounts are about $400 a side and will be dead if over 80k miles or so
Many of the 1UR engines also eat oil to the tune of 1-2 quarts per 500 miles due to rings carbon locking from people never driving them hard. If left to long it scratches the liners....
Timing chains also will stretch if you follow the factory oil change interval, keep it at 5k or you will develop the "hesitation" issue that is easily googleable. Think you go for the gas and can count to 1.5 seconds before anything happens type hesitation
I own an LS460 and two A8s, the A8s have been much cheaper to own.
The brake actuator is $2800 for the part and you must buy an extremely specific part number that is not publicly easily found to get the correct revision for the newest TSB that actually works and doesn't fail again in a year or two.
Control arms wear out twice as fast as on the A8s and cost $2200 for parts vs $800
Engine coolant valley plate WILL leak
Radiator WILL crack
Engine mounts are about $400 a side and will be dead if over 80k miles or so
Many of the 1UR engines also eat oil to the tune of 1-2 quarts per 500 miles due to rings carbon locking from people never driving them hard. If left to long it scratches the liners....
Timing chains also will stretch if you follow the factory oil change interval, keep it at 5k or you will develop the "hesitation" issue that is easily googleable. Think you go for the gas and can count to 1.5 seconds before anything happens type hesitation
I own an LS460 and two A8s, the A8s have been much cheaper to own.
04-08-2024, 06:37 AM
#19
Flagship addict
The 460 is a great car but it's playing a game that Lexus isn't really good at playing.....this tier of car is really beyond what most Lexus buyers even understand and they get very mad when they have "so many problems" lol!
Can't have a simple car if you want a level of refinement and performance that is in excess of what is considered normal. Many people though don't really utilize what the 460 offers and would be better off with an ES and wouldn't complain about the reliability
Can't have a simple car if you want a level of refinement and performance that is in excess of what is considered normal. Many people though don't really utilize what the 460 offers and would be better off with an ES and wouldn't complain about the reliability
04-11-2024, 10:13 AM
#20
AudiWorld Member
I can only speak on late D3 and D4 with the 6 cylinder engines. 100k+ miles behind the wheel.
If you have a nearby junk yard and are ok with taking parts off and installing yourself you can really run a D3 very cheap. Just last week I went and replaced an air strut for $40. I did the other side last year for about $35. I recommend looking into 2008+
D4 - if you do your maintenance the 3.0T supercharged has cheaper parts and maintenance since it is a really common engine and all issues are addressed on forums. The TDI is very reliable but it has a lot of emissions equipment that needs maintenance and if stuff fails it can get pricey (or for about $2k you can totally remove the whole emission system).
In any case, having ODIS installed on a VM/computer is critical for me since I do 100% of the work.
If you have a nearby junk yard and are ok with taking parts off and installing yourself you can really run a D3 very cheap. Just last week I went and replaced an air strut for $40. I did the other side last year for about $35. I recommend looking into 2008+
D4 - if you do your maintenance the 3.0T supercharged has cheaper parts and maintenance since it is a really common engine and all issues are addressed on forums. The TDI is very reliable but it has a lot of emissions equipment that needs maintenance and if stuff fails it can get pricey (or for about $2k you can totally remove the whole emission system).
In any case, having ODIS installed on a VM/computer is critical for me since I do 100% of the work.
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