im hunting for a w12 now

[daviesbike]

im looking for an a8 w12 now have found a few but i would like some opinions of owners please that can tell me of any pit falls and what its like over all to live with refine ments ect.. im looking for one with the rear entertainment pack and the fridge like this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A8L-6...#ht_3628wt_932

many thanks

[Nollywood]

Nice choice of D3.

However, I would be inclined to look at The D3 S8 V10. It's a sportier drive, the suspension is firmer, and though the 0 - 60 mph for both is officially 5,1 secs, the S8 feels quicker. I've driven both, and would choose the S8 anyday.

Power output is the same for both, at 450 hp, the W12 has 40 Nm more torque though. As for thirst? Not sure, but the W12 may be juicier.

[daviesbike]

see now every one i spoke to about the s8 say that when the w12 comes along side them its game over the w12 holds the torque range much longer and after 60mph the w12 will keep pulling for example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMtV4yg29s

but also the w12 can come with more toys and its cheaper over all, is there not a S mode on the w12 with the dynamic air suspention ?

[Reffro]

Yeah the D3 W12 is quicker in a straight line, but the D2 S8 is much more fun to drive.

Especially when its round the outside of the said D3 on the Nordschleife in the rain......

As for D3 S8 vs W12, Darren and Nick didn't think there was much if anything in it, when they tried a side by side in Germany.

[IT]

On paper, the W12 is the one to have as a luxury weekend barge. Most are long wheel base, without sports suspension or sports seats and are built for wafting along. I would have had one in an instant, until recently.

If you want sporty, the S8 is the better choice by far.

For running costs though, the 4.2 is probably the one to have, simply because you can not only get second hand parts for it, but you can actually fit them easily.

The W12 seems such a tight squeeze, if anything goes wrong under the bonnet, its an engine out job, which I'm astounded to say was a job a local Audi garage wouldnt quote for, as its so rare and specilist requiring specialist jigs, that they didnt own. Cats are the big failing, at nearly £1K a piece, and with 4 of them, 5/6 years old seems to be the time they're all going. At £5K + for the engine out to replace them, theres no wonder you're seeing W12 prices falling. Im sure people with friendly MOT stations have fudged it through the test, but do you want to buy into that hassle with your hard earned dough?

Considering the one I went to look at was about as tasty as you could hope for, and I still walked away at £7500, you can see my complete reluctance to get involved with the things.

Shame really...

If you are looking at one, take vagcom with you and check the engine ECU's - both of them - for errors. Problems with the cats will be logged in there. After a while the engine management light comes on. Take the car for a good test drive, then run vagcom to make sure it hasnt been freshly reset just before you arrived - The one I test drove had, and the guy was really reluctant to let me Vagcom it. He knew the game was up as soon as I mentioned plugging in......

Ideally, you want a W12 that has recently had all 4 cats replaced by Audi with supporting paperwork, which will be virtually impossible to find cheap, otherwise budget the cost of a D2 gearbox times at least 2 for repairs.

W12 gearbox isnt without issues either, but thats the least of its problems

On the plus side, its chain driven, so no cambelt to change, thank chuff for that. Just 12 spark plugs and a shed load of oil then....

[tonupkid]

Reffro's right. As far as I could detect the only difference between Darrens W12 and My V10 S8, came down to our respective driving skills - commitment - or lunacy in Darrens case

Hand on my heart I'd say the W12 had the edge in a straight line, but by a margin so slim that it would be good to try again.
The big difference is not in the handling, I think Darrens W12 has the sports suspension anyway, and I believe its an SWB too. The big difference is the sound.

The W12 is super quiet. You can hear it working (bearing in mind that Darren knows how to push it, and was), but the noise is coming from a different county to the one in which you're driving. Very deceptive, so quiet you don't realise just how the speed piles on.... until you arrive at one of those corners, in a downpour

The S8 on the other hand. I Still can't believe the way it sounded out there on the ring. I've had it for almost 12 months, but this was like a different car.
Snarling, howling and barking mad. No whooshing, no way. It's pure aggression and so totally addictive.

You have to decide what spec you want motor and hold out for that. There's S8's out there more loaded than the W12's, and I think that the basis S came with more stuff, but that may be down to them coming on the scene a few years (2006) after the W12's.
And that brings me to the main decision target. Price. S8's are still quite hard to find at sub £20k, whereas there's loads of W12's at really tempting money.

By the way. Refro's right when he says that the D2 S8 is more fun to drive. It is -

[Singh]

Ian, get a warranty like me from Swindon Audi and enjoy your W12 stress free. It's near enough £2k and needs to be paid in full (not installments) they paid out £15k for an RS6 in one year without quibble and you can take it to an indie as its not underwritten by Audi so if your getting the work done at 50 rather then £100+ per hour then that's fine by them. Its for three years and comes with roadside too. I just need to get mine down there for an inspection.

[briang9]

Would cats be covered by that warranty Amar?

[darrenjoe90]

During the time i had my s8 i always loved it and had no intensions of buying another car. That was until Ian posted the details of a W12 that he had seen for sale on ebay. Even at the first glance of this car i wanted it. I new i could not afford it and at that time there was nothing wrong with my s8, so it would have been absolutly mental for me to get it. Sometimes i dont do the most sensible things in life.
So stupid me went and bought it
I got a train to glasgow and met with the owner. As we walked towards the W12 i just loved the look of it and knew i would be driving it away
I drove it back from just north of glasgow to my home town of Bradford, a journey of just over 200miles.
All the way back i wondered what the hell have i done. The W12 was so quite and so smooth that i had to turn off the music just so i could try and listen for something
Each time i got some clear road in front of me then i put my foot down and listened carefully. Nothing happened apart from the rev counter constantly moving up and the speedo rapidly moving up ! No drama, no frills, no noise and the one thing i missed the most " NO SOUL"


So yes if you want a fast, smooth luxury car that will take you miles upon miles in comfort then the W12 may be the car for you.
If you want a car for pleasure, fun or excitement then maybe you may just need to look at something different

And although when i see photos of my old S8 i would still love to have her back i would still have done the same again. The w12 may not be the most exciting car out there but in its own way its still a fantastic car and by far the best car i have ever owned

[Singh]

Yeah I believe so bud.