Within a couple of hours this past weekend, I drove past a manufacturer-plated, not-yet-for-sale 2012 S8 several times. With some extreme antennas and wires attached and two guys sitting inside examining a laptop, it must have been testing some manner of new equipment. Pushing the envelope of what big sedans can be is nothing new for the S8, and it made me think back to the original, Ronin-famed D2 S8 with it’s aluminum space frame and good-for-the-time 335hp 4.2-liter V8. The progression of S8s have been fantastic, but not to the extent where the original has lost much of its cache. Sure, it doesn’t have a V10 or twin-turbo V8 and is a couple hundred horsepower shy of those engines, but it still looks great and must still be a hoot to drive. So, while you could spend over $100k on the 2012 D4 (when it comes), or $50-70k for a used D3, you could get today’s D2 S8 in classic silver for under $9k.
Seller’s Description:
Vision Custom Cars is pleased to offer you this 2001 Audi S8. You can own this car for a mere fraction of its original price.
I drove this car about 50 miles and noticed no problems with brake fade, no odd noises, and no blown speakers and no odd shakes or electrical issues of any kind. We serviced the car, detailed it, and took pics. All accessories worked well and the car on the whole seemed to run out exceptionally well. You could definitely tell it was well cared for. When I returned and checked it out in the shop I found no additional issues. The brakes seemed to have plenty of life left and the matching set of Michelin tires look to have plenty of life left on them as well.
The Good:
extra clean car – no rust – awesome color combo – leather seats with a ton of adjustments – great bose stereo – all aluminum lightweight chassis/body – just serviced and needs nothing – beautiful Audi – priced low! – xenon lights – rear & side sun shades – park sensors – tinted windows – all the toys! – Navigation
The Bad:
the rear sunshade sticks, other than that there really is nothing to note on the car, there is far less wear than normal for the miles. This car was VERY well cared for.
… This car qualifies for up to a 4 Year Warranty!
Provided the seller is being honest, having a rear sunshade the sticks be the only problem is incredible. 170k miles is a lot, but the bottom of the market for these can’t be much lower. A 4-year warranty would make it that much sweeter (but probably make the final price a bit more sour). Buy it for a winter cruiser and sell it for the same next year. Or drive it until until the wheels fall off. Either way, it’s a good price for a luxurious, quick, and well taken care-of sedan that looks like 10 times the asking price.
-NR
Sold one of these this past spring with 40k on it. One owner car with all the service records for 14k and change.
Seems like a lotta car for not a lotta dough. Is this a case of, “there’s nothing more expensive than a cheap Audi”…?
“Buy it for a winter cruiser and sell it for the same next year.”
That’s all well and good in theory but some things are probably wrong with the car, and I wouldn’t be able to resist fixing them. A couple thousand dollars in parts later and I’d just end up keeping the car.
As I have said a number of times on these old german sedans. I love the cars and the barrier of entry is cheap but the cost to own is silly.