dcajun Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 New to Audi and have been researching A8s. I drive a ton of highway miles (~40K/yr) and was concerned about overall longevity and service costs. I'm used to driving Lexus or Infiniti, but after driving the Audis I'm hooked! I'm used to buying a car with 30K-50K miles and driving it until about 200K+. Is this feasible with the A8? Are there benefits to going with either the 4.0 or 3.0 TDI?? I've heard great things about both. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Trying to make the jump over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Hey!!! Good choice of wagon sir! I am on my 4th A8. My 2nd A8, was a 54 reg, 3.0TDi (older tech engine - no DPF), bought in 2012 with 176K. After changing the gearbox fluid (first thing I do with a higher mileage car) I sold it on after 3 yrs (or no issues) at 276K miles. As I do about 30+K a year too. Lovely smooth, quite quick and very comfy. Just regular servicing at about 20K miles. My first A8, a 1997 4.2 V8 petrol got upto 200K without issue before moving it on. My current A8 is a 2012, 3.0Tdi. Picked it up in December 2016, 95K miles. I toyed between this engine and the 4.2 TDi, but the 4.2TDi I drove didn't do it for me. Not sure if it was the car or the multitude of settings, but I opted for the 3.0 instead. Plenty of things to play and change. Plenty of go, utterly quiet cruising - and so far, no issues! I would say though, find one with the Comfort seats. In the Autotrader ads, the comfort Seats are the ones that DO NOT look like bench covers. They look like proper sporty seats. More adjustability with the side cushions able to pump up/move too! Get the Bose sound too, but it is VERY easy to go spec blind and miss something! (I missed the Bose after looking at so many in Autotrader) Personally, I did not want silver, so ended up with grey. Black is OK, but seems very common. You get a choice of 18/19/20/21" wheels. I have 19"s. A good compromise. The 4.2 I drove was on 18", with fat profiles, so I think that added to the wafty floaty feeling along with the suspension on Comfort mode. I drive with the suspension in Dynamic. Much better - tighter. Post up some of the cars you are thinking of and I'll try to give you some pointers. Good luck and take your time! Although in saying that, I missed out on a cheaper 4.2 TDi with 19"s and rear seat heating and BOSE blah blah blah - oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcajun Posted January 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Thank you for the great response! I'm assuming that you believe the TDI is better for longevity and lower service costs than the 4.0 petrol? I appreciate the info on the seats, Bose, and wheels. I never would have known to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Hi, I work in vehicle finance. On 23rd December I financed a 4.0Tfsi A8 LWB for a client. I received this in an email from him on Tuesday: Quote I will probably be on the phone to you sooner rather than later as the A8 is fantastic, but the fuel cost is worse than any car I have ever owned with the exception of my Range Rover Sport Supercharged. Even the 911 turbo was better!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 I really feel for him, Booster, what with all those toys... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 He has had some lovely bits over the years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 And hopefully you've helped him fund them all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 But of course! He is one of my best frequent flyers! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Are we talking about a D4 Audi A8 4.0 petrol - but not the S8? Wow, that model / engine makes the W12 look common! Biggest risk with that model is ever being able to sell it at the end! How much of a bargain are the early D4 S8s? Down to 33 34 35k. Most hot Audis are Jekyll and Hyde, but this one even more so! I was lucky enough to briefly drive that model S8 at speed 3 or so years ago - Christ it was a weird experience indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 14, 2017 Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 On 13/01/2017 at 4:07 PM, Booster said: Hi, I work in vehicle finance. On 23rd December I financed a 4.0Tfsi A8 LWB for a client. I received this in an email from him on Tuesday: It has cylinder deactivation and all sorts. I suppose it depends upon how and where it's driven. Perhaps you should go for the 4.2 TDi then. Still has 350 BHP!!!! So won't be a slouch. The 3.0 TDi is pretty fast. I get 40 mpg (calculated) from my 3.0 TDi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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