xila Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I'd like to know how you get on with the Bristol Audi car as I tried to buy it two/three months ago and they were hard work but I got a better spec car elsewhere so fine in the end. As for leaving a low bid with your phone number, I tried that and one dealer (an independent) hung up on me before I got to the phone number stage! Ten weeks on they still have the car of course....There is no photo on the March 08 Sport and it doesn't list xenons or BOSE which are standard on the facelift so its probably not. Finally, I was surprised that they facelifted the A8 as it was only two years before the new model (autumn this year) and then when they did it they didn't fit the uprated 240PS/500Nm 3.0 diesel. I'm not concerned as I'm running a remap though. Merlot, Are you thinking of changing as well? There are also a couple of very nice A8s from non-Audi dealers. Check Autotrader for a Feb08 Sport with only 3K miles and a big spec. Was originally on at £29995 but price changed to £28995 and then £31995. Seems it was bought from Audi. No answer from Bristol today - any other dealer I called were busy telling me how great their business is ..... might have to wait another few weeks for a deal !! Xila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xila Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Hi,I've owned a couple of D3's and driven many more. The main thing I want to add to what's been said already, is that the late 2007 facelift was more substantial than it first appears, in particular: - the suspension was recalibrated and genuinely improved. I test drove a facelift Sport on 20s and it was as smooth as my pre-facelift Sport on 18s, and even managed less thump over cat's eyes/road joints. Pre-facelift cars on 19s or 20s have an unacceptably harsh and noisy ride, IMHO, for a £50k car; - a quicker rack was fitted, which makes the steering more enjoyable on twisty B-roads, think this may be the same as the S8 rack; - the whole body is better soundproofed: road noise drops noticeably (yes I know it wasn't too bad before). Overall I'd say the late 2007 facelift finally turned the A8 into the "sporting" luxury car it should have been in the first place. It's finally as refined as the Phaeton, but of course it's still much lighter and more agile, as well as being better specced. On SE vs Sport, I'd probably go for Sport, but if you go for SE make sure you get Comfort seats rather than standard, or at least try both to see if you can get comfy in the standard ones. The key differences are: (i) extendable leg support in the seat base and (ii) separate angle adjustment for the upper and lower half of the backrest. Finally, if you can resist the call of the bling wheels, you won't regret it. Grip in the dry is as good as you could ever want on any set of wheels, and in the wet the narrower the tyre the better from an aquaplaning point of view. If the car you choose comes with 20s, offer the dealer to swap down to 18s on another car if he has them, plus a bit of cash for you. You'll be able to park less than 4 feet away from kerbs, you'll get a super smooth and quiet ride, you'll use less fuel, the steering will feel lighter and more progressive, with zero tramlining, and you'll be able to afford to replace the tyres when they wear out ! Hope this helps. Thanks Nebw - that really does help. Very valuable input.....only problem is your advice is going to cost me more money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Merlot,Are you thinking of changing as well? There are also a couple of very nice A8s from non-Audi dealers. Check Autotrader for a Feb08 Sport with only 3K miles and a big spec. Was originally on at £29995 but price changed to £28995 and then £31995. Seems it was bought from Audi. No answer from Bristol today - any other dealer I called were busy telling me how great their business is ..... might have to wait another few weeks for a deal !! Xila No, I'm happy with what I bought. That car is with Oscar Goldman. I spoke with him - seemed very straight and gets a great supply of cars from Audi UK, usually with higher mileage but that one is not. Personally, I would have to see that colour before I committed. He has a cheaper facelift SE. When I tried to buy that car from Bristol they told me how they were shooting the lights out - I offered them £30k for it in October but they wouldn't play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Thats the one. Would not have been a bad price before things went pear shaped considering that is £80k plus of car and the rarirty but, thats the same age but far inferior spec to mine and I only paid £29k a year and a half ago. Plus he gave me back what I paid for my d2 a8 which I had run for 2 years ! Its got very low miles but mine had only done around 36k when I got it. Its on 46k now and still have over a year and half on the 5 year full service and maintenance package. Not mentioned on that one either. Service package is worth at least £2k a year I would say year 3 - 5. In Glasses that car books at £23k trade so asking £35k retail is a bit cheeky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Looked up the price drop from December to January in Glasses for my A8 and it was only £500. After the big falls of late that's not too bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alera Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Prices have gone up on everything post christmas. It would seem. RR sports, m6. m5, a8s. Expecting a bounce or things to improve in the market / economy. Its not going to happen. Some stuff had got too cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xila Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Well, Now you've gone and done it. After giving me all the help and advice I've plunged for a A8 Sport - early 08 and amazingly close to my budget. I won't pick it up for a week - but the anticipation is hurting me. Thanks to all for the wonderful input. Cheers guys Xila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebw Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Excellent - got a link to an online advert ? Always keen to see the end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alera Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Lets see some pics ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Well done...Oscar Bravo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 ? Auto Trader UK - AUDI A8 3000 cc TDI Quattro Sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xila Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 ?Auto Trader UK - AUDI A8 3000 cc TDI Quattro Sport You got it in one !! You are watching too much Morse and Poirot. Or am I that predicatble already? Tell you what it's like after I get it.......... Here's hoping it meets expectations - even though they are very high !! Xila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alera Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 For the money you are talking its a cheap cheap thing. Huge amount of car for the money. For me its so much better than an s class / 7 series its embarassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebw Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 You won't regret stretching to the 2008 model. Have you had chance to test it yet ? Looks like it's on 20's at the moment though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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