buying used 2006 A8L - maintenance and moral questions :)
 

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying a used Audi A8l. The price is incredible - i'm looking around and i see you can get one for 30-40k with 30-50k miles (or am I missing something?).

Now the question is how much is this really going to cost me ? Lets assume that i'm prepared to pay 3-5 k a year for unexpected repairs. Will that be enough ? - that would mean that if i save up $50k i can afford his car for 4 years? I understand that insurance is going to be high, tires cos more it doesn't get great gas millage but i really don't drive a lot and the car is a masterpiece.

Also i read that these technologically advanced cars have a ton of issues with electronics. If something happens will that mean loosing the car for a few hours or can it be a few weeks?

Theoretically a 2006 will still be on warranty right? So theoretically i shouldn't be alarmed that i'll get scammed into buying a bad car.

A friend suggests that i should buy an entry level audi bmw or benz but buy a new one. But then again that friend pays a ton of $ for oil change because he is convinced that the dealer is giving him special bmw oil to save his 528xi from harm. Of course it would be an insult for the A8 to even be compared to a C class or what not.

The last question would be about age/social status. Can a 25 year old with a wife and kid buy an A8L or will i just look like a little dick thats trying to pretend to be rich? I don't want the car to show off but people will certainly think that's why i bought it right? Should i get something smaller newer for the same price that fits my age (like an 2008 STI or a4 or whatever :D).

p.s. i'm not asking for permission to spend all the money that i saved up for my family etc. Lets assume that i would be in a good financial situation before buying the car.

Thanks for your input - i would really appreciate any advice.

Warranty is up at 50k, Well since you say you are in a "good financial situation" i would say to afford repairs on a D3 A8 you would need to be in a "great financial situation" Average repair costs for the D3 A8 when it gets over the 50k mark averages 4-5k per year and thats not including the timing belt job at the 80k mark that will put you back another $3,000. Oil changes cost over $100, the airbox has to come out just to get at the oil filter, and it takes 9 qts of oil. I would say in order to afford the car comfortably you would need to make $75,000+ per year buying the car at $30,000.
The A8 is state of the art technology though, so if you can swallow the repair costs it is one of the most comfortable and fast cars in the world. The horsepower on an 06 is 345hp, and the body of the A8 is aluminum which shaves off a few hundred pounds making it faster than the A6 with the same engine.
I would read my sticky on what you can expect to go wrong, if you plan on working on car yourself then you can save a bunch of money.
Personally if you ask me is the car worth the cost.......Yes.
Just don't be surprised if it stays at the dealer more than a few days for electrical issues.

ditto... go with an 03 D2 S8 if you still want a nice car and want to save an A**load of money on repair costs versus the D3... other side of it is that if i could afford the repair costs comfortably, i'd have a D3 S8... but since there's no way i could handle that right now, it'll have to wait.

Or, you can get an extended warranty on it. My 05 came with an Audi extended warranty and so far it is still covered for all maintenance until July, then the extended warranty kicks in for 2 more years. I am not as young as you and sold my Porsche 996 cab because I needed more room. (I have 3 kids) since then I bought my wife a new large SUV (Toyota Sequioa) so now we rarely use the Audi when we travel together. Therefore I am considering trading it up for 07/08 S6. I am having a tough time parting with my A8 as it has the warranty until 07/11, only has 38 k miles and it came loaded with every option except back up camera. It also has the sports pacakge. All in all it is a superb car in every respect. Good luck.