Hello community; please help me trade in my S500...
 

Greetings everyone,

Today I went to see a 2001Audio A8 L quattro for sale with 74000 miles and a price tag of ~$11,000. I want to trade in my 2001Mercedes S500 with 106k on odo. The car felt fine on the road, maybe alignment was off a bit, the rep refused to lift the car for me so I could check the tie rods and control arms. What concerned me abit is noticeable shifts when I go between P Drive and Reverse. I felt the gearbox shifting. (not too good, mounts?) I am aware of tranny issues with these cars. Comes as a surprise to me. The exterior panel by drivers door was scratched up a bit, inside door plastic also. No pop up navy just on inst cluster. The car felt noticeable smaller than my MB and the seats weren't as comfy. I did not go past 70 mph so don't know about handing on true highway speeds. The S has superb handling at 120 mph just as it does at 20mph. I'm worried that I will miss unique and convenient features like cold air heat climate control, exterior window lock fature, air ride height adjustment, residual heat setting, pneumatic doors....

In addition, the 4.2 L engine on this car sounded a bit strange to me. I've recorded and posted it on you tube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfcnucQyFUc



Attachment 40163

Is this even a good price? No service records.


Big thanx! I really appreciate it,

Best regards,
Alex

Well, let's see. Selling a 1996 S600, driving a 2006 S65 a few times a month, and recently purchasing a 2000 A8 of my own, I think I can offer you some good insight.

Regarding the transmission, you would probably want to test it properly warmed up before giving your final decision on it.

What do you mean by "he refused to lift it"? Clearly, he must be hiding something...

The handling on these cars is stupendously good. Sharp turns that you could previously make only at perhaps 25 mph without feeling uncomfortable can be made at 40 mph+ in the A8 (mine is the swb version).

My car's engine sounds similar at idle. Out of curiosity, at what temperature was the engine when this video was recorded?

Regarding all of the features, it has everything you listed minus the soft-close doors and the adjustable suspension system. The suspension tuning is very good, but a tad soft for my tastes. Coming from an S-class and noting that the A8 L felt small makes me think that you won't mind this point.

The price is a tad high, and you're approaching the point where timing chain/water pump/tensioner/roller service is needed. That's about $2,500 in parts and labor. I'd walk away if they can't verify that this service has been completed. I paid $6.8k for a 2000 model w/ 127k miles on it that had this maintenance done at 97k, just for reference.

Yeah he's hiding that the transmission is leaking and probably a myriad of other things. If you are having any problems with the reverse gear the tranny is on its way out. I would find a different car.

Thanx alot gentlemen. The condition of the car indeed does not match the price knowing that there are no service documents since 2003! The guy offered to take it to the shop for inspection of car on detail, but with evident tranny shifts like that I wouldn't bother. I have soemthing nice to compare it to, the shifts in my car, especially at standstill are barEly noticeable. I will be lookings around. Service records is what Im looking for when it comes to these cars.

I appreciate the help. Maximos you're the man. Thank you Auditech.