Most popular Audi A8 for sale

These are great cars (I own 2 myself) but require careful buying and maintenance. If you are a DIY'r the A8's are a good buy considering all of the pluses - AWD, aluminum, great fit and finish, loaded even in base form, extremely comfortable, very fast.

... not like buying or owning an Accord though. The A8's have some very predictable issues that will need attention. 2000 and up are better years than 97-99 which are plagued with transmission issues (although that have been some on the 2000+). Pay special attention to the transmission when test driving.

Front control arms and tie rod ends will need to be done at around 90k if original. $2,000 at the dealer, about $600 in parts if you can do it yourself.

Timing belt/water pump should be done between 80-100k. Brakes are ok and easy to change. Rear calipers are prone to seizing up. If the emergency brake sticks that's probably why.

If the instrument cluster has faded or missing pixels on the clock or odo, this is a $1,000 plus repair. Some do this when cold, others when warm. Don't let the seller convince you it's "repairable", it's not.

Strongly recommend visiting audipages.com for more buyers and maintenance information and the A8 forum on audiworld.com as well.

On my second big black Audi A8 now.

Great for thumping along freeways, and pretty good on twisty roads for such a big heavy car. The usual Audi understeer with the large engine hanging way out over the front, but still with great ability to go where you point it. Definitely up there with BMW 7 series and better than Benz, American or Japanese limos of the same era.

The best four wheel drive system that money can buy is excellent in snow with proper snow tyres. If you ski or board I recommend this car.

Interior and exterior is understated, classy and functional, without the pretentiousness of the other two big German luxury barge manufcturers, or the plastic chrome acreage of American offerings. Good if you prefer subtlety.

Things that go wrong are few, but anything that does is going to be ludicrously expensive given what these cars are now worth. Aluminium panels are light and don't rust, but give body shop guys an extra headache on top of the one they already have from the fumes they've been sniffing for years.

The biggest problems stem from the transmission. Some German genius at Porsche thought their transmission was so good that the fluid would never need changing or checking, so there is no dipstick or method of topping up the reservoir without getting the car on a hoist.

At the first sign of the trans clunking or going into it's limp mode, the pan needs to be pulled off and the filter and fluid changed. If this is not fixed quickly an expensively dead transmission results. Possible causes of the problem are a blocked filter or the output shaft seal leaking at the back.

Other than that these things are a tank. Massively strong suspension and a space frame chassis with one of the best engines made. They just seem to keep going. Made to do 100mph on the autobahn without any fuss at all. I've never driven a car that feels so planted on the road.

Tires I recommend are Dunlop wintersport M3s for great all round wet, dry or frozen roads, and in summer, Continental sport contact 2s on 19" rims.

Audi's are big, heavy, well built, and safe. The seats are form fit and heated, with so many adjustment that you have to be comfortable. Sound system is definately premium. Quattro, Audi was the first to make a four wheel drive passenger car and still the best. The A8 is simply the best there is.