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  #1  
Old 29th April 2021, 11:57 PM
tintin tintin is offline
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Default What led you to your '8?

In my case it was - in the first instance - not an Audi at all, but a Lexus LS, when a work colleague picked me up at O'Hare Airport in late '90s in his immaculate LS400. I couldn't believe the quality, quietness and comfort of it, which piqued my interest in "luxobarges" (although I hate that term!).

Three or four years later, that interest morphed from Lexus to Audi (predictably...) when I saw Ronin in 2002, and another six years later - after looking at loads and loads of D2s - I ended up with Herman, and have never regretted that choice.

However, I still have a soft spot for the big Lexus though, and this new Jay Emm review:

https://youtu.be/tLxpYEVe8uA

of the 600Lh brought back all of the charms of this lovely limo - as well as him giving a little nod to the S8 over the Merc and BMW
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Autos Autos everywhere...
(1) 2015 Tesla Model S: (was 85D, now 90D ). Silent and deadly, and very fast... But not as fast as Ian's M3P-
(2) 2002 D2 S8 Final Edition: Bulletproof and faultless: Brilliant Black with Extended (Red!) Leather. Three-times winner of Best D2 1st prize
(3) 1997 Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo: Scots (! ) Green. Fragile, but beautiful.
(4) 2010 Fiat Panda 100HP. White Pandamonium (Final Edition!!). Pure old-fashioned 6-speed go-karting.
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  #2  
Old 30th April 2021, 07:36 AM
Ronin Ronin is offline
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Cool

Look at my nick

Also the fact that it pretty much doesn't rust compared to any other car of its age.
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  #3  
Old 30th April 2021, 07:56 AM
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RICKY D RICKY D is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tintin View Post
In my case it was - in the first instance - not an Audi at all, but a Lexus LS, when a work colleague picked me up at O'Hare Airport in late '90s in his immaculate LS400. I couldn't believe the quality, quietness and comfort of it, which piqued my interest in "luxobarges" (although I hate that term!).

Three or four years later, that interest morphed from Lexus to Audi (predictably...) when I saw Ronin in 2002, and another six years later - after looking at loads and loads of D2s - I ended up with Herman, and have never regretted that choice.

However, I still have a soft spot for the big Lexus though, and this new Jay Emm review:

https://youtu.be/tLxpYEVe8uA

of the 600Lh brought back all of the charms of this lovely limo - as well as him giving a little nod to the S8 over the Merc and BMW
You’re not alone in the appreciation for the Lexus LS series. I also have a huge soft spot for them. Great cars and I would still like to get one of the earlier models if I had the space (story of my life).

Regarding what led me to my 8, it was a visit to the Earl’s Court motor show when I was still a kid with my uncle in the early/mid 90’s ( can’t remember the exact year) and I saw the “chrome” A8 on a stand and I said one day I will own one of these cars. About 20 years later I bought my first A8 2.8 and I’ve had an 8 in some capacity for the past 7 years since.
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1988 E30 Coupe - Royalblau Metallic

2003 S4 Avant - Light Silver Mettalic

2016 S5 Coupe Black Edition - Ibis White

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Old 30th April 2021, 08:04 AM
MikkiJayne MikkiJayne is offline
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Originally Posted by tintin View Post
which piqued my interest in "luxobarges" (although I hate that term!).
I prefer rocket couch

Mine was entirely accidental. I was shopping for an A6 Avant back in 2001 to carry servers to customer sites, and walked in to the Audi dealership next to the office carrying a tape measure. As soon as the sales manager saw me measuring the boot he appeared to teleport out of his office to right by my side and asked what I was looking for.

"Something that can eat up the miles and has a big boot, for about £15K" was my spec. I knew that wouldn't buy a used A6 from a dealer at the time, but it would buy one privately.

"Aha", he said, "meet me outside in a moment" and disappeared in to the back.

A few minutes later he arrived out the front with a 1999 A8 3.7 quattro, in silver with black leather, and I was smitten They had just taken it in px against a new one, the previous owner having put 90K on it in 2 years. With that mileage they wouldn't put it on the forecourt and so were going to send it for auction where, I imagine, such a thing would have brought a lot less than my budget. Mysteriously though, given I had mentioned my budget, he could let me have it for exactly 15K, which was nice. I didn't even haggle and bought it on the spot

I absolutely adored that car and put another 120K on it until the gearbox died, 6 months before A8parts started up (about 2005 I think?). No one appeared to be rebuilding them back then and a new one was out of the question so I px'd it for something mundane. I had a succession of A4s and A6s, but I pined for the 8 every day for the next ten years until I was able to buy my Dolphin Grey S8.

Now I have seven of them
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Old 30th April 2021, 09:48 AM
HPsauce HPsauce is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikkiJayne View Post
I prefer rocket couch
"Jet-propelled sofa." here
That's exactly what my friends called my first S8 back in 2002 when they were as rare as rocking-horse poo and very little was anything like as fast.
I didn't see another single one for some years.

As to why, technical intrigue I guess. I read about the A8 when it first came out and was fascinated by the technology; aluminium, V8, 4WD etc.
I've generally had largish cars and with 3 kids needed them. As noted in another thread that included a succession of Rover 800s, usually two at a time.
The A8 was a definitive step up from Rover and slightly (less than you might think) bigger though noticeably faster and more robust.
Then when the S8 appeared I just decided I had to to get one and started looking; it took several years to find the right one at the right price, and it was a stunner!

Meanwhile, at least 2 years before I got the car I acquired the private plate S8 with my initials. That showed intent and commitment.
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2003 D2 FL S8. Irish Green Pearl/Beige. Solar sunroof, auto-dim mirrors, electric rear seat functions, ski hatch retrofit; extended leather. Aftermarket DVB-T, reversing camera and full XCarlink (Bluetooth etc.).
2016 Volvo V40 T5 Cross Country (4WD) with ALL the toys including adaptive cruise etc. etc. Osmium Grey with Blonde/Charcoal leather interior. Polestar performance "optimisation". (A much rarer model than a D2 S8 by the way!) Oh, and a brand new engine at just under 30,000 miles on the factory one!
Finally: gone, but not forgotten.....
1998 D2 PF S8. AgateGrey/Platinum. Every option (I think) except electric rear seats, tiptronic steering wheel, ski hatch, towbar & dimming door mirrors.
e.g. Cruise control, NavPlus/TV, Bose, GSM, Xenons, Solar roof, Parking sensors, Alcantara/leather everywhere of course. (internal dimming mirror added later)
1998 (very early) Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec; ABS/TCS, Heated screen/mirrors, Aircon, Auto-dim mirror, Leather, Trip computer, Cruise control, OEM Ford SatNav with CD changer.
And before that a lot of Rover 800s, a few oddities, a lovely Triumph Dolomite 1850HL with Overdrive and way back in my schooldays an Austin Seven aka Mini 850!

Last edited by HPsauce; 30th April 2021 at 01:24 PM.
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  #6  
Old 30th April 2021, 01:37 PM
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Great thread idea

So, my History runs back to 2004 when I picked up a 2001 A8 4.2 Quattro Sport. Silver. Black leather. Glass sunroof, towbar, blinds, xenon plus. It had 99,000 miles on the clock at 3.5 years old, but I found to my delight an Audi extended warranty leaflet in the glovebox when I was looking at it at the backstreet used car garage and snapped it up for 13.5K at the time. My mum thought I was mad buying such a high mileage car, but I loved it. Had a number of things fixed under warranty and enjoyed every minute of it. Hands down the best A8 I've ever had.

It was a great car, even had a company fuel card for it, but fears over the gearbox back in those days eventually led me to part company.

The driver behind buying it however - was that Dave (a8parts) - had previously bought a 1997 4.2 Quattro sport, Green. Ecru leather. Solar Sunroof, servotronic, heated rear seats, blinds etc. It was a very good spec. I remember test driving an S8 with him first - and whilst it was undoubtedly the better car, it was outside of budget. The A8 was LPG converted and did a staggering amount of miles. It had the gearbox refurbed by a local specialist but was never the same. It was part exchanged for an M3. A few years ago I located it and bought it him back for his 40th birthday. It was in a sad state, had lost at least 100K miles off the clock (!) but road worthy and lasted long enough for a memorial drive home. It met its end a couple of years ago when we both agreed it was beyond any sort of economical reinstatement.

That green A8 was bought to replace a brand new (at the time) Impreza that had been bought to replace an RB5 Prodrive Impreza that used to be mine, that was stolen and never recovered. The new impreza was generic and wasn't as special as the RB5, and having had an A4 previously, I think that's where the A8 shopping came about.
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For parts enquiries and Forum User Administration please contact customer services directly, not me - enquiry@a8parts.co.uk, www.a8parts.co.uk, or call 01642 783537

The Daily Town Car - 2023 Tesla Model Y Performance. Black with Black. Giant ipad screen, huge sunroof, 4 wheel drive, Tow bar, lots of ooomph and made in China, so actually built properly unlike the Californian ones.

The Family Wagon - 2018 Tesla Model X. Black, 7 Seats, Towbar, Homelink, Enhanced Auto pilot with Summon and self park, Heated front seats, CCS Charger upgrade, MCU2 Upgrade, Falconwing Doors, Self opening / closing doors, Netflix, Spotify, toys, Air suspension, alcantara roof + lots of other stuff......

The 17 year old Driver Wagon 2015 Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo. Alloys, Power steering, Aircon, Leccy windows, Sat Nav, bluetooth, central locking, cup holders, 59 whole bhp. Million times better than my first car. Well jealous.....

The First 20 Audis:

2001 D2 4.2 QS Silver, 1997 D2 S8 Silver, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2002 D2 S8 Dolphin Grey,
2003 C5 RS6 Blue, 1998 D2 S8 Black, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue, 2003 D3 4.2 Ming Blue,
2005 B7 S4 Blue, 2006 D3 3.0 Tdi Black, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2003 D3 4.2 LPG Crystal Blue,
2000 D2 S8 Silver, 2007 3.0 Tdi Q7 Black, 2009 B8 S4 Black, 1998 D2 S8 Agate Grey,
2006 D3 4.2 Tdi Blue, 2006 D3 S8, 2007 Q7 3.0 Tdi, 2006 C6 S6,

The Second 20 Audis:

2011 A7 Sline, 2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2002 A2 1.4 Tdi Silver, 2006 A8 4.2 Tdi Blue,
2007 4.2 Tdi Q7, 2006 S4 Cab Silver, 2010 RS6 Saloon Black , 2007 TT Roadster,
2010 A8 D4 4.2 Silver, 2006 C6 A6 2.7 Tdi Quattro, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue (again), 2008 Q7 4.2 Black,
2009 C6 RS6 Saloon Daytona Grey, 2001 Fully Loaded A2 Tdi, 2006 Avant S6 Black, 2007 VW Caravelle Exec Black (almost an Audi)
2009 TT Roadster Daytona, 2015 Q7 4.2 tdi lava grey, 2002 GmbH D2 demonstrator, 2006 D3 A8 LWB 4.2 Tdi Black

Most Recent Audis:

2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2007 4.2 FSi Q7 ABT Blue, 2016 S5 Coupe Launch model, 2004 S4 B6 Cabriolet, 2016 Q7 Sline White, 2006 Q7 4.2 FSi Black, 2012 Q7 Sline+ 4.2Tdi White, 2008 Blue Audi S8

Everything Else

1989 Subaru Justy, 1986 Vauxhall Cartlton 2.0 GL, 1985 Vauxhall Carlton 2.2 CDi, 1987 Ford Sierra XR4x4, 1983 Vauxhall Senator, 1985 Vauxhall Senator 3.0i, 1997 Polo Saloon, 1997 Peugeot 306 1.9 TDi, Ford Sierra Sapphire 2000E, 1990 Subaru Justy, 2000 Subaru Impreza, 2000 Subaru Impreza RB5, 1993 Range Rover LSE, 2005 VW Bora, 2003 Skoda Superb, 2003 VW Passat V6 4 Motion, 1996 Peugeot 106, 2000 Range Rover 4.0, 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance
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  #7  
Old 30th April 2021, 02:12 PM
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steamship steamship is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikkiJayne View Post
Mine was entirely accidental.
Mine was more mechanical. Having come back from NZ the year before, I bought an '01 A4 2.5tdi Quattro Sport to get me around, and also take my mother wherever she wanted to go. Eight months later the high pressure fuel pump died, so started looking for another car of a similar size and age. Could find all sorts but insurance on them was just as high, if not higher than the A4. Then by chance I saw an ad on Gumtree for the A8. Price was around what I wanted to pay, insurance cost was matched and so I took the three mile walk to see it. A lovely day for a walk and still managed to get drenched from a downpour after just a mile. Literally sat in a bus shelter for 15-20 minutes waiting for it to stop. Got to the seller, had a walk around it and bought it without even taking it for a drive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikkiJayne View Post
...and walked in to the Audi dealership next to the office carrying a tape measure. As soon as the sales manager saw me measuring the boot he appeared to teleport out of his office to right by my side and asked what I was looking for.
Cue the obligatory link to the Robert de Niro clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d_22U8OW2I

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikkiJayne View Post
Now I have seven of them
You need one more to complete the set!
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2001 A8 D2 FL 3.7 Q - LPG Conversion, Engine: AKC, Gearbox:FBB, Colour:LY5X Aqua Blue pearl effect, Interior:WJ light beige/dark beige valcona leather with burr walnut inserts

My DIY jobs - Replaced alarm horn, Replaced Coolant Temp sensor, Updated RNS-D firmware, Installed Reversing Camera and Digital TV, Dashcam Installation, Retrofitted Rear Blinds, Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror, Chrome Boot Struts

Sold! 2008 S8 D3 5.2 V10 - Engine: BSM, Gearbox:KLW, Colour:LY7F Suzuka Grey Pearl Effect, Interior:Black/Black with Silver/Black valcona leather with carbon atlas inserts, Bang & Olufsen, Heated windscreen, Soft-close doors, TV, DAB, AMI, Quad Zone, Auto Boot, Auto dim Mirrors, Keyless entry, PDC with rearview camera, AFS II Headlights

My DIY jobs - Fan Jet Windscreen Washers, Retrofitted Electric Side Blinds
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  #8  
Old 30th April 2021, 02:50 PM
Ronin Ronin is offline
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A lot of you say how you got the car at 2-3 years old with around 100k on the clock, most examples on eBay today have 100-250k on the clock and the cars are 20 years old, hmmm.
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  #9  
Old 30th April 2021, 03:02 PM
tintin tintin is offline
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A lot of you say how you got the car at 2-3 years old with around 100k on the clock, most examples on eBay today have 100-250k on the clock and the cars are 20 years old, hmmm.
Mine was 5 years old, but with only 23k on the clock it felt brand new - and I bought from a certain IT chap on here . It was soooo good I paid for it twice
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Autos Autos everywhere...
(1) 2015 Tesla Model S: (was 85D, now 90D ). Silent and deadly, and very fast... But not as fast as Ian's M3P-
(2) 2002 D2 S8 Final Edition: Bulletproof and faultless: Brilliant Black with Extended (Red!) Leather. Three-times winner of Best D2 1st prize
(3) 1997 Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo: Scots (! ) Green. Fragile, but beautiful.
(4) 2010 Fiat Panda 100HP. White Pandamonium (Final Edition!!). Pure old-fashioned 6-speed go-karting.
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Old 30th April 2021, 04:33 PM
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Adrian E Adrian E is offline
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I bought my old one when i was planning to take a career break to look after my then-baby son (he's 11 this weekend!). I'd been idly wondering what to get - we'd only had the 1 car for quite a while as most of my travel at the time was by train due to commuting to central London.

It was almost inevitably going to be something VAG (we had an a 2004 A6 Avant at the time, and had sold a Leon Cupra R, Passat 1.8T estate etc) and I was pretty convinced I wanted either an S4 or S6. Unfortunately most of the former had dodgy history and/or longlife servicing (if at all) and the latter were in very short supply due to the RS6 (which I couldn't afford and didn't want the theft risk of).

Eventually my idle work time was spent browsing for anything sub-£10k with a dirty big V8! The S8 popped up - at a posh dealer - with sensible price tag, low miles and lots of recent bills for recommissioning and a brand new set of Michelin boots on the 20s. Went down to Poole to test drive it and LOVED it! It was sat in a showroom with Bentleys and Astons and didn't look a bit out of place, despite being far older than anything else in there.

I figured I'd run it for 2-3 years and move it on - ended up keeping it far longer, but in the end I just needed something slightly more practical in the boot department, and I was finding it spending more and more time sat in the garage unused as it was easier to just grab the keys to the one I didn't have to use a decorator's extension to put into neutral before manually dragging it out of my single garage.......

I do regret selling it, as I know I'll never have the option of another one just like it, but for me it was a great experience that I'll always have fond memories of. If I did still have it, I'd have had problems from day 1 after moving house as my garage is too short for the D2
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===SOLD===2002 Audi S8 D2 Final Edition (yes, really) in Avus Silver with purple extended leather===SOLD===

2011 S5 Sportback in Phantom Black with black Super Sports leather, 9x20s, tech pack high, adaptive xenon plus, intelligent key, memory seats pack, sunroof, B&O, Audi Drive Select & quattro Sports Diff, DAB, parking system plus

2015 VW Golf GTI Performance Pack in Carbon Grey with black Vienna leather, tech pack (Discovery Pro nav & Dynaudio), DCC, factory towbar and retrofit RVC
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