Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Recently I’ve written up a few tasty European market S6 quattros, but what’s available on this side of the pond? Well, even though the used market is a little different here than it is in Europe, there are still several great options in you’re into the C4 chassis and its legendary 2.2 20V turbocharged motor. Today I’ve got three examples of one of the more rare colors to see on the C4 – silver, and two with grey leather. Which will be the one you’d like? Let’s start with the oldest:
In a recent post, I posed the “do you need the S8” once again when reviewing a clean and properly priced A8. I suggested that for about half the price of a decent S8, you could enjoy most of the experience in a clean A8. Of course, then someone has to go and advertise a pretty clean S8, in the perfect color combination, for just a bit more than an average A8. This 2001 Ming Blue S8 has a lot going for it; the color is great, the interior has those super sport seats, and the major services have just been done. But the best part – hands down – has to be the price:
I have a rather simple dream garage. It consists of three cars. My current MINI Cooper S, a 1989 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Coupe and this car, an Audi RS2 Avant. Each car serves a different purpose, the MINI being the practical, cheap runabout, the Porsche serving my sports car needs, and the Audi being a bit of a jack of all trades. Sure, there’s a bunch of other cars I’d love to own, but these three are at the core of everything I hold sacred in the automotive world. But amongst those three, the Audi is just something much more. All three cars are fast enough in their own right, but the Audi throws space and all-weather capability into the equation. Sadly, we have another few years to go before these original RS cars are legal in the US, but I can still admire them from afar, like this example for sale in
A few weeks ago, we saw a nearly perfect low mile 1997 S6 quattro. I say nearly perfect, because it was in England and right hand drive. Well, today, we’ve got another one thanks to some searching by our reader John. This one appears to be in similar shape from what can be seen, and is another of the great rare color combinations we didn’t get much of in the U.S.. Finished in Cyclamen Pearl with S6+ wheels and that great two-tone Recaro interior, this right driver 1997 sure looks awesome to me:
I’ll make no excuses for my love of the Audi D2. Sure, it helps that I owned a D11 V8 Quattro, but the reality is that the D2 was, at least in my opinion, a better looking car than its competition from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It was clear when the original “Aluminum Space Frame” (ASF) concept launched in 1993 that Audi had jumped the game up. No longer would they rely on a restyled mid-size car for their top of the range executive sedan; the A8 represented an entirely new direction for the company, with revised design language that would last two generations as well as substantially altered technology. That technology made the A8 much lighter than it looked; through use of aluminum, the curb weight of the large A8 was about the same – despite increased levels of luxury, legroom and soundproofing – as the outgoing V8 quattro. Sure, at around 4,000 lbs, it’s no featherlight; but it wore its weight well and elegantly, making it seem like a much sportier and livelier car than the numbers alone would suggest. Then there was the presence that the A8 just oozes; much like the beloved BMW E38, the D2 manages to look long, low and aggressive while still seeming elegant and refined. It’s a combination few large sedans are able to pull off, and from a looks perspective, it’s hard to argue that either of the successive generations of large Audi have surpassed the good looks of the D2.
From a buyers perspective, these cars are also the bargain of the “Big Three” German executives. Generally it’s hard to find a late 1990s A8 in very good condition, but when you do it’s a bit of a treat because they’re generally on offer for about the same money that gets you into a decent A4. If you’re looking for refinement, there’s simply no contest between the two; the A8 wins hands down any day. Coupled with all wheel drive and the quite capable 310 horsepower 40V V8, they’re no slouch on back roads or highways, either. Today, we’re excited to feature this lovely, great condition Canadian-spec 1998 A8 4.2 Quattro from Enthusiast Auto Sales: