He is messing with you, most experienced audi owners know that the timing belts commonly break on these cars around the 90K mark. Don't wait longer than 80K to change the belt! THATS WHY I MADE THE STICKY!!!
A timing belt/water pump change is gonna cost you around 2 grand, so factor that into the purchase.

Well, I'm thinking the seller isn't going to be terribly flexible in his price...I think I'll watch it for the next few weeks to see what happens!

Also, I found someone else's buyer's guide online...at least it's a starting point to ask more questions (any A8 I consider buying will go to a mechanic for pre-buy inspection).

Lastly, curious to know what the consensus is about the original A8 discussed in this thread and another that popped up on craigslist...is there one or the other that looks inherintly better?

Damn, you have a lot of good looking A8's out there in Denver, i wish they looked that clean out here! The silver one would be a better buy if he has done the timing belt/water pump like we went over earlier. If he hasn't done that either, then offer him $9,000 even for it.

Water pump and timing belt repaced at 75k for the silver A8...perhaps it's time to schedule a test drive!

Any other questions I should be asking before heading his way?

Questions....not really. Just make sure the transmission doesn't jerk or hesitate when shifting into reverse. If that all checks out it looks like you are getting a good A8.

Timing belt and water pump replaced at 75k....Now i just have to find some time to see the car!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes...

yea, ditto for the most part. silver a8 is the better option it seems... and yea, for that reversing problem... it should be smooth when you switch gears, but be careful not to hit the gas at all until fully into gear because it will still jerk if the rpms are up at all.

oooo...this silver one got it's price chopped by a grand...now I'm certainly going to schedule a time to see it!

Hooo! That's one nice car...I'm in love...The last hurdle to pass is getting it inspected! Amazingly, I sold my Jeep Cherokee in less than a day on craigslist, so I now have some cash to offer him!

If all works out come Monday, I'll post a few pics of my new car!

Ha ha ha! It's mine...all mine! Made an offer on the silver car and he accepted it! There are a few items that need to be addressed, but nothing serious. I'll post pics soon!