Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
2021 can’t close without me taking a look at an Audi S8. The last one I took a look at was just over a year ago, and it was a doozy:
Since then I’ve looked at both LWB and SWB A8s recently, but no S8s. Well, as luck would have it, a 2002 popped up for sale. It’s fairly common Light Silver Metallic outside, but inside we’ve got the optional partial Alcantara seats. It looks to be in good and mostly original condition, so let’s take a peek:
If you say “aging twin-turbocharged V12 engine” to any sane car person, they’ll probably reply along the lines of “You couldn’t give it to me for free.” They probably wouldn’t be too far off, but it all comes down to expectations going into something like that. Is it going to be cheap and easy? Probably not. Is it going to be a total disaster of Maserati Biturbo proportions? Hopefully not. In all seriousness, the Mercedes-AMG M275 engine is about the best you can ask for in terms of what they made and how much reward you get from it, which is 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Much to everyone’s surprise and now delight, these engines have been proven to be anything but a rolling disaster. However, does that mean it is worth rolling the dice on one when the price becomes attractive enough? Let’s take a look with this 2008 with an impressive 80,000 miles on the odometer.
“It’s a great car, but it’s a pain in the a**.”
This is a phrase that summarizes many different makes and models, for which the owners toil countless hours over labors of love only to have a car that (effectively) only they themselves are really interested in. Sure, you might think it’s cool too, and maybe you want to drive it, or take a picture with it. But do you really want to own it?
In the case of the Audi Coupe Quattro, the answer is probably no. At least that’s true for the bulk of them. Listen, I’m a huge Audi fan. And I have owned my fair share of them, too. But easy-to-live-with they are not. We make all sorts of excuses for how wonderful they are, and certainly you can make them very fun. But the reality is that most older examples were forlorn for at least some period of time, most have lived a pretty hard life, and most will leave you cursing the “Audi Gods” with frozen bolts, NLA parts, and a complete lack of functional equipment.
Now that I’ve really sold the Audi experience, let’s take a look at today’s subject:
Back in 2020, I took a look at series of cool customized 2002s:
Today’s car started life as a 2002tii, and had it be restored to pristine in its original configuration, it’d be worth a pretty penny. Instead, it’s gone all Dutch with a repaint in Inka as well as a 5-speed swap, custom interior trimmings, turbo-look flares and spoilers, and to top it all off, it’s got a screaming S14 under the hood. Let’s take a closer look:
I know I’m not exactly throwing out a hot take here, but the 997 generation Porsche 911 Turbo seems to be aging well. It unmistakably looks like a 911 and doesn’t have odd or dated design elements like a certain prior generation. Inside it’s also a perfectly pleasant place to be. Yes, the infotainment system is not great, but as long as you aren’t using it for navigation, it is perfectly serviceable. Performance wise, still really fast with 0-60 runs in the high 3 second range. What isn’t to like? Well, it still is an expensive car both to buy and service, as demonstrated by the 2007 up for sale in North Carolina. I’ve purchased my cars for less than the most recent service bill. Come check it out.
