Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
As I’ve talked about many times, the Audi/Volkswagen crowd is one of the most unique in the automotive enthusiast world. The home of polarizing taste, there are both VAG enthusiasts who do a great job modifying their cars and those who ruin them in the pursuit of the being unique. Today we seemingly have one of each; a questionably modified 2001 S4 and a slick looking 2003 S8. Which would be the ride you’d choose? Let’s start with the S4:
On the surface, the themes were very similar; two movies staring action superstars playing above-the-law criminals with an amazing ability to extricate themselves from seemingly impossible conditions against improbable odds driving large, fast executive cars. Despite this, the movies Ronin and The Transporter couldn’t be more different. I watched the former on the edge of my seat, captivated by the mystery, floored by the incredibly filmed stunt scenes, the attention to reality and detail, and the staggeringly awesome lineup of cars. The latter I struggled to get through at all; I managed to make it about half way through before giving up. To this day, I still haven’t seen the ending of the first movie, and nothing more than trailers of the second. Is there a third? I’m sorry, I’m sure it made a gazillion dollars in the box office but frankly when I watched the clip of the Audi A8L W12 corkscrewing through the air to miraculously remove a bomb from the bottom of the car on a perfectly placed scrap-metal magnet hanging in mid-air I lost all interest. I can suspend my belief for a movie like Ronin because there was an air of reality to it; the characters were flawed and mortal. Sure, there were problems with the plot and even some of the stunts – I mean, they don’t show Jean Reno standing in line at the DMV to register the 450SEL 6.9, for example. But in terms of reality, it was on this planet at least, while The Transporter seemed to be set in some alternate Japanese-live-action-anime reality I’m not sure I want to understand. Nevertheless, the central plot to both is about cars and driving (at least a bit), and today you can purchase just about all of the cars featured in these films for around $10,000 – so which would you have? I had to use a bit of creative with some of the versions, so you’ll bear with me I hope – here we go!
I’m torn. I’ve made no excuses that I absolutely have an unnatural love and attraction to the D2 S8, and while part of that was framed by Ronin it can’t all be to blame. I want one of these cars. I’ve owned a 1993 V8 4.2 quattro, and that was both good and bad, but really only heightened my desire for a S8. So what am I torn over? Well, which color I want, of course. I originally fell in love with silver S8s when they launched in the U.S.; it was to me closest to the awesome ASF polished aluminum show car from 1993. But then I saw a Irish Green one with tan leather, and that was awesome. And then I saw a Ming Blue on, like the 2002 S8 I recently wrote up. To top it off, then there’s the really rare Avus Silver Pearl from 2003 only, replete with burgundy leather. Yeah, I want that one, too. But then I’m torn; should I hold out for the color I want or just take the plunge on a much more common silver example?
Last week, I wrote up a lovely Ming Blue 2001 Audi S8, and while it wasn’t the most perfect example out there, it was an honest, well maintained example. It seems that there are a plethora of 2001 models in the United States; more rare are the 2002 and 2003 models of this short-lived sports executive sedan. Today’s example looks like a carbon copy of last week’s example; again in Ming Blue and with the tan Recaro sports interior, this one is one year newer with less miles and the correct 18″ original Avus wheels:
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: