![]() |
Life before 8s - What's your story?
9 Attachment(s)
I was digging through some old car folders and came across these photos of one of the last cars I owned before I became an octophile.
Attachment 10997Attachment 10998Attachment 10999Attachment 11000Attachment 11001Attachment 11002Attachment 11003Attachment 11004Attachment 11005 As my forum sig' shows, my route to the four rings was littered with some quirky cars (and one or two downright awful ones too). So what about everyone else? Was it a natural progression through smaller Audi models, or did you arrive at 8s from a different angle like I did? This is my story, and why I bought my first '8 ... While the last non-8 I owned was actually a Xantia 'Activa', that was a vehicle I acquired, rather than chose (amazing car to drive though), and ownership was cut short (a heavy right-foot, combined with an over-powerful remap, dramatically killed the engine one fateful day). It was the XM above, and the one I owned before it, that led me to buying my first 8, for a number of reasons ... What I liked about the XMs was that they were quirky and rare, relatively luxurious but, most of all, they had exceptional ride and handling. While the grip from the front wheel drive setup was average at best, the 'Hydractive 1/2' suspension system did a good job of keeping you out of trouble and getting you out of trouble whenever the tyres let go of the road. Despite a new price tag of around half that of a new A8, they had leather-clad electric seats and the mirrors, sunroof, etc were all electricically adjustable too. They even had an electrically adjustable centre armrest (pretty pointless really, but I do miss that little quirky extravagance). What the XM didn't have though, was good build quality. Interestingly, the hydropneumatic suspension system that puts most people off buying larger Citroens, was very reliable. It was generally the small, but annoying things that broke: Electric window cables would frequently snap, causing the glass to fall inside the door, interior trim would break or come off in your hands, and dashboard LCD displays would fail or become unreadable due to faulty segments. When the time came to replace the XM, I was looking for something that could make up for a lack of Hydractive handling/ride with sheer grip and road-holding, which meant that it had to be an AWD vehicle. I also wanted something at least as big, luxurious and quick as the XM and preferably something with good build quality (therefore probably German or Japanese) and something that was also reasonably rare. An AWD '8 was really the only car that ticked all the boxes. :) |
Interesting, I too came to the S8 from another direction, British cars.
The think the first Audi I ever drove was my first S8, but I had decided on "technical grounds" that I really wanted one soon after launch. I even bought my numberplate well over a year before I got the car - that's planning! My first car was a mini, while still at school. The first (and ONLY) new car I ever bought was a Triumph Dolomite 1850HL, with overdrive, back in 1976. Most cars I have had (for over 30 years) were company cars, often our 2nd car was my (or a colleagues) end-of-lease vehicle. I won't (can't) list them all but there were an awful lot of Rover 800's in there. For many years (decades) we would have had two of them on the drive. Both my wife and I found them very easy to drive and park - you always knew where the corners were and we could both easily get into spaces that smaller cars would pass by. My final company car was a Rover 75 Tourer, 2.0 diesel auto but remapped so it was fairly (very!) "brisk". That was a pig to park though. I bought my first S8 while still driving that, but with one eye on "retirement". |
Quote:
So, from a Mini right through to an '8 ... that's quite the extremes! :) |
My first car was a 1965 mini, bought when I first went to university in 1972. It died far from home and was towed back by a friend and my dad in 2 legs. It needed a new engine and I was a poor student, so my mum bought a Haynes manual for me and I set to work.
I hitched home most weekends and began the very slow process of removing and stripping the engine. When I started, I couldn't have even pointed to a spark plug, let alone change one! Some months later it all worked again - much to my surprise. That's when I got the 'mods' bug and, by the time it rusted away to the great scrap yard in the sky, it was on it's fourth engine with loads of mods that I never mentioned to my insurance company! Then, being a professional student by then (on my third degree), I decided I needed a small van to help with the frequent flat moves. It had to be cheap and rust free. My dad found me a 1957 A35 van in lovely nick, still with the trafficators! Someone left an owners club flier on my windscreen (I keep telling A8 Parts that they should do that!) and I went to their Annual Meet (much bigger than the A8 Meet!) and won the Commercial Class trophy. Then I bought an A35 saloon for spares, but it was too good for that, so I did a bit of work and gave it to my girlfriend. Next was a 1952 Austin Somerset, which won second place in a national Austin rally, and a 1954 model for my girlfriend. Then a Triumph Spitfire; then an Austin Allegro (oh the shame! :o )when the spitty died; and then company cars (mostly Fords). I bought my A6 Avant from the leasing company when I changed job and then traded that in with a guy who was Rangers goalkeeping coach, for my first A8; a 2.8 in Crystal Blue. Took that to the A8 Meet in Lutterworth a few years ago and fell in love with my current S8 that then belonged to James. Then I bought an S8 (now owned by David), and then James' S8 came up for sale! David kindly helped with the cash flow by buying my previous S8 and, three and half years on, I still love it! |
2 Attachment(s)
A bit of a "mixed bag" for me but mainly German cars in more recent times. I started off with a Hillman Avenger estate in metallic brown (which hid the rust well) which I had fitted with Cobra Superslot alloys :o
I also owned a Mk2 Cortina, a 1600E, at the same time which I tried to get back on the road but depsite much effort and expenditure I had to give up on it :-( I then had a few Fords of the Capri and Cortina variety, understandable considering I worked at a Ford main dealer at the time and had access to cheap and often free parts and servicing Next was a 1976 Toyota Celica ST, a great car with a unique style about it, complete with 260Z wheels and a straight through exhaust with a RS1600i back box, it sounded lovely Then I had a ten year love affair with a Golf GTi Mk2, spent loads on it with various exhausts, an amazing sound system, BBS alloys and an interior change, I never got tired of that car. After that it was a BMW 325i, another one that I changed a bit and continually worked on, I had that one for about six years. Then my first Audi, a 1994 S4, a 2,2 litre turbo charged 5 cylinder 6 speed quattro, which I had for a couple of years. That was traded in for my D2, a 1999 4.2 PF model in silver, which I had for over nine years until March 2014, which is when I bought my S8 from IT |
Great thread.
I've had many many cars, more recently a Renault Clio four cyl. 2 litre 172 for 6 years, BMW 323i straight 6 and then I decided to own an A2. I'd always wanted an A2, with its aluminium space frame and I loved the little 3 cyl. 1.4 TDi. The interior rattled and squeaked, and when finances allowed, about 18 months after I bought it and with a heavy heart I said goodbye to 60+ MPG and bought another car I'd always wanted to own, the 8 I have now. The 8 is fabulous. No squeaks, no rattles and it eats the miles in huge chunks without breaking a sweat. It's everything I hoped it would be, and it's my first AWD car. Refinement, interior space, (I'm 6'4") build quality, AWD, aluminium space frame all in one car. Yet still, I can't really judge the size of this thing too well, and 30-35 MPG does make me think twice before jumping in the thing (where the A2 didn't). I wish Audi had made an A4/A6 sized AWD aluminium car, if that makes sense (I know it doesn't for many reasons) cos it would probably be a car I'd buy and keep for ever. A mid sized AWD, aluminium with a DSG 'box and torquey TDi would suit me down to the ground. |
To many to list, but started with a Singer Chamois (Hillman Imp). Many head gaskets later moved to minis 1 & 2. Thence Capri ll, Cortinas, Granadas, Audi 100 & 200, Vaux Royale/Senators, Renault 25's, 730 & 750's Beemers. Plus many others.
Finaly, in the pub, a lot of beer and me crying about how much I hated my Lexus LS400, led to one of those conversations about what would get you the most bang for few bucks. I went for XJR and some more enlightened gentlemen said S8. Next day checked them out and here I am today. Two 8's in and still being amazed, delighted and sometimes frightened |
Quote:
|
Escort, Orion, Granada....:o
C4 100 2.8 Quattro ++++++ C4 UR S6 ++++++ E39 M5 +++++++++ D2 3.7 FL ++++++ D3 4.2 PF +++ D2 S8 FL +++++++++ |
D2 FTW. :d
(I too was thinking of a Jag, glad I got the S8) |
Quote:
One thing the Imp had in common with AWD Audis (and possibly the only thing they had in common) was good traction in snow and ice. I can remember snowy days cruising by stranding vehicles in our Imp, thanks to its rear-engined RWD layout, at a time when most vehicles were front-engined RWD. Quote:
|
My car history is way too long to list, but the XMs in the OP's post lead me to mention that I was a major Citroen CX fanatic back in the day - I owned 5 of 'em in succession - the last being a GTi. Lovely old things they were - incredibly comfortable and quite entertaining to drive as well.
Highlights from the rest include an early Aston DBS (back when they could be had for fairly sensible money - running it was another matter, however :ROFL: ), a BMW M635csi, a couple of Datsun/Nissan Z sportscars (280zx targa and a 300 twin turbo), several Saabs (another long-term obsession of mine - first being a 96v4, the last a 9-5) and a Lexus GS. The Saab 9-5 and the GS were what filled the gap between my first A8 and my current one. The CXs and the Lexus were the only things that came close to being as comfortable as an 8. |
Had a couple of mingers.. mostly medium-term hires waiting on company cars when starting a new job..
Mk1 Astra 1.3 LS (in pine green metallic with hideous interior, which I mostly swapped for a GTE one, before someone ran into the side of it). Austin Montego 2.0 More rust than paint :) Then on to company cars.. Mk1 Mondeo 1,8TDI (possibly the worst engine I've ever driven) Cavalier SRi 130 MK 3 Astra 1.8 Estate Rover 620Ti Renault Laguna 2.0 Exec Passat 1.8T Sport Passat 1.8T Sport (yes.. another one.. we liked them so much, we bought the missus one too) Astra H Sri 200 Then on to '8s.. D2 PF 4.2 Sport (which became SWMBO's car for a bit) D3 PF 4.2 D3 FL 4.2TDi And then it all went a bit wrong and I bought an A7 :) |
I've had so many cars, oddly also including a G Reg XM (pre facelift one). I went with the 2.0SEi, and it was a great car to look at. However I sold it after 8 months, it let me down twice in big ways. 1st time, total failure of the hydraulics caused by one of the pipes supplying the brake lines. Drove the remaining 10 miles to work, and by the time I got there the suspension was on the decks and the brakes almost non existent, car recovered by the AA back home for repair. 2nd time the heater matrix decided to fail and fill the cabin with steam at 70mph on the M25, could not see anything out the windscreen, this time the AA bypassed the heater matrix to get me going again. The day it went in P/ex. the LHM fluid was once again leaking out from under the car. I suspect an issue with one of the green accumulators and the relief valve causing to much pressure.
Car history Number, year of car, make/model. 1. 1974 Austin Mini 1000 2. 1985 Austin Metro City 1.0 3. 1986 Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.2 4. 1988 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 Celebrity 88 Special Edition 5. 1978 BMW 320i Auto 6. 1988 Rover 216 Vanden Plas SEi 7. 1985 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia Auto 8. 1987 Jaguar XJ6 2.9 Auto LHD 9. 1990 Citroen XM 2.0 SEi Auto 10. 1989 Ford Escort XR3i Cabriolet 11. 1988 BMW 520i SE 12. 1992 BMW 320i SE 13. 1997 Mercedes C180 Classic 14. 2001 Skoda Octavia vRS (Track car), 1994 Ford Mondeo Ghia (Commuter) 15. 2000 Porsche Boxster S (Fun car), 1997 Ford Mondeo Ghia X Auto (Commuter) 16. 2005 Skoda Octavia MK2 2.0 TDi Estate 17. 2008 Skoda Superb MK2 2.0 TDi. 18. 2001 Audi A8 3.7 19. 2004 Audi A8 3.7 So that's 21 cars since passing my driving test. |
Quote:
Mine was an L Reg, dark green paint and black leather interior. Lovely car and in great condition when I sold it (to a friend of a friend). Unfortunately he lived in not-so-desirable part of Manchester and the car was torched outside his house just a few weeks later. The pre-facelift XMs did have a few extra reliability issues, especially the earlier ones. By the time the facelift models were released, most of the reliability issues were fixed, but they'd already gained a poor reputation so sales plummeted. Personally, I preferred the interior or the pre-facelift XMs, it was more suited to the exterior styling I think. It was less modern, but somehow more futuristic. |
First car, 17 years old, freshly through the driving test: Mark 1 Escort. Ropey. Held it for a year to get the NCB then had a mk I Scirocco. Loved that. It felt like a race car in comparison.
Then went to University, started work in London and neither needed nor could afford a car for a while. Eventually lined up a Mk II Golf GTi 16v. Oak green, leather and after market ac. Now that was fun. Then late 20s, bit of cash, so went for a BMW 325i coupe on finance. First new car I bought. Swapped it at three years for a E46 328i saloon to accommodate newly arrived 66 major. Last new car I will ever buy. Found out fairly quickly that Mrs 66 doesn't do light packing and a 3 series was completely inadequate. Took a big bath selling that. Cast around and a mate suggested trying an A8 (he'd just been landed with a company 7 series but had been very tempted by an 8). Managed to find a dealer principal's car at 5m old coming up for sale. The smartest thing that salesman ever did was say "of course you ca. Have a test drive Sir. Keep it for the weekend". Two days (one, in truth) and I was hooked. Made me realise there are cheap toy cars and there is the real thing. Kept it for 14 years, with the kids literally growing up in it. Very sad family day when terminal gearbox failure arrived. Now have a FFRR for Mrs 66 (which she isn't fantastically keen on, but which I like a lot and which makes an excellent family bus) and the D3 S8 for me (which she likes a lot but unfortunately doesn't get to use much BECAUSE SHE LOST HER ****ING KEY!!!) |
Quote:
We set off for this year's meet with a completely full boot. Bear in mind we were only staying TWO NIGHTS and my stuff consisted of one small bag and a laptop. It's a complete mystery what was in all the other bags! Quote:
|
Quite amusing the number of Citroen XM's cropping up here, considering that the XM was the car so mercilessly chased down by the S8 in Ronin.
Seems people were watching and learning :) |
Quote:
Funny thing is, it wasn't until after I bought my first '8 that I watched Ronin for the first time. So for me it was purely coincidental that both the main rival cars in the film consisted of one that I had owned for years and one that I now owned. You may have noticed my present avatar image is actually a screenshot from Ronin of the two cars battling it out. :) I always thought the XM was an odd choice for the movie, since they were never particularly powerful cars, but an interesting choice nevertheless. XMs did have their strengths though, such as impeccable road holding, even over very rough terrain, so there are a number of times during the chase scenes that XM has the slight advantage but I think overall the S8 is the far superior vehicle. |
My list
1973 Mini 1.0
1987 Renault 5 Rio 1988 Renault 5 GTX 1.4 1988 Ford Orion 1.6i Ghia (cheaper insurance than XR3i, plus bigger boot for my 'sounds') 1993 Honda Prelude 2.0i-4WS-16 (one of the best cars I've owned, let down by roof leaking water in copious amounts due to blocked drainage channels - benefits of hindsight and the tinterweb) 1996 Citroen Saxo 1.4 (SWMBO was learning to drive a manual) 1994 Honda Legend saloon - great car, very comfy and quite rare. 1999 Audi A8 4.2 my car before I left the UK for Uruguay 2000 Audi A8L my current one. Interesting note - my crazy parents decided to buy a Bedford CA ambulance (ALR 656B reg.) in the 70s and then took us all on a cross-Europe trip to Billund, Denmark to go and see the original Legoland. Looking back now, that was a bit mental. 1500cc engine and a three speed gearbox. I do remember us being stuck in a lorry park in Antwerp whilst my resourceful father went looking for someone to fix the starter motor, a problem that couldn't be fixed with the usual 'whack the starter motor with a hammer to release the stuck solenoid' fix ;-) |
Car History, Hmm
1) Audi 100 C1 f/l 1976 2) Citroen CX Athena 1980 3) Triumph Acclaim L 1983 4) Triumph Acclaim HLS 1982 5) Nissan Sunny ZX Twin Cam 1988 6) Honda Concerto 1.6 1990 7) Audi 100 Quattro 2.3 1990 (Still owned) 8) Audi 100 1.8 1983 (still owned, 120000 miles from new) 9) Audi A8 3.7 2000 (Obviously still owned!!) Best regards, Steve |
Well, at least you started and ended well Steve! :eek:
|
Just a LINKY to a thread started a few years ago with a few members previous.
|
1) Brand new VW Polo 1.0 E (it was a great first car, but I soon wanted more)
2) Skoda Octavia vRS (again, brand new. 1.8T, ended up chipping it. Enjoyable, if basic) 3) Nissan Micra 1.0 (decided to save myself some money, but it turned out to be a false economy, and made me miserable) 4) Ford Mondeo ST220 (one of the best cars I ever owned. Great to drive, looked fabulous, really good feeling of quality, then one day I hit a patch of diesel coming out of work, and it got written off) 5) Skoda Octavia vRS (second generation, with the 2.0T. Bought it with 130,000 miles on the clock. Nice car, but nowhere near as much fun as the Mk I I had). 6) Ford S-Max 2.5T (This was a brilliant, brilliant car. Enough poke to dust most warm hatches, and enough room to take a family of five camping for a week. I think this is probably the best MPV on the market) 7) Audi S8 (awwwww yeah!) |
Quote:
Actually, while this thread has become a similar chronology of car ownership, what I was originally asking was essentially "how did everyone become an '8 owner?". The subtle difference being the reasoning behind arriving at '8 ownership rather than the sequence of cars owned. For example, like I said in my first post: Quote:
|
Quote:
My 8 came about because it was cheep, i wanted to try one for ages, no one else wanted it so it became mine. No other reason really. Plan was to just run it into the ground get 12 months out of it and throw it away. But it proved to be a stubborn ******* and would not die, no matter how hard i tried. Then some dodgy fella left a note on it while it was parked in Portsmouth dock yard with his phone number and telling me to have a look at this forum. |
Ronin...
|
I had a mythical budget of under £10k back in 2010 to buy a car for when I stepped off the treadmill and became a full time stay at home Dad (initially planned for 2 years but became 2 3/4 years!) after commuting by train for many years and selling my previous car through lack of use.
Originally went looking at B6 S4s and the like, but the ones I liked were over-priced, or under-serviced. Got close to buying an E39 530i (even down to arranging flights to Scotland!) before finally spotting my S8 for sale through a dealer in Bournemouth shortly before Christmas 2010. The wish list for desirable spec was decent engine, plenty of space for family protection, reasonable running costs..... Man-maths and a conversation with the previous owner convinced me the £7k he'd paid for it, plus more than that again in re-commissioning costs after a period of virtually no use meant I could run it on a relative shoe-string apart from pouring petrol in as required! It almost proved to be the case - apart from a gearbox sensor fault nothing cropped up after buying it that wasn't expected. Needing a pair of new rear tyres meant going back to work on a 4 day week to cover the cost :ROFL: Can't bring myself to part with it now I can afford to run it - even though the miles I do are fairly limited :D |
Quote:
Trophy still polished mate?? Best regards, Steve |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Who was the dodgy fella? :D Quote:
I hadn't actually seen Ronin until a few years into owning '8s, despite owning 2 of the co-star cars (Citroen XMs). Action movies aren't really my thing, but when I heard about Ronin and the S8, I decided to watch it. So for me it was the other way around; I didn't buy the car because I watched Ronin, rather I watched Ronin because I bought the car. Now I want a Ronin case. |
Quote:
I'd also like a case - but only one where paint doesn't come off ;) Errr…and I'd also quite like a Natascha McElhone too..:eek: |
lol, Deirdre, right?
Strange choice of name for the part of a tough hard-woman I thought. Whoever chose 'Deirdre' obviously hadn't watched Coronation Street (not that I ever have, mind you. Hate soaps with a passion!). |
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
|
Quote:
Drives a Murple car I believe |
Quote:
|
My first A8 in 2006 was a silver 4.2 '99 FL. A test drive in a 3.7 (no disrepect to the 3.7 owners on here) confirmed that I'd made the right choice. I've always wanted an A8 and am somewhat blind when it comes to the costs. I know other people in my social circle that seem to buy cars for economy, usability blah blah zzzz but for me, it had to be an A8. I just love the design of the car and was hooked the first time I saw one. I never dreamt that I'd be driving one years later.
I bought my current car in 2011 after my return from Uruguay. After having owned the SWB last time, I went for the LWB as I think the lines just look and flow better, and the proportions are just right. It tested my wallet last year with a 3K box rebuild but I can't see myself buying another car for a long time. The old girl is currently having Boge fitted all round as the ride was getting a bit agricultural (bouncy castle) in order for me to take my father up to the Lake District for a 'bucket list' adventure; his words, not mine I hasten to add. One final thing worth mentioning - I was reversing out of the drive recently, and a man walking along the road gesticulated to me. I pulled over and he couldn't stop staring and looking on in admiration saying that this was his dream car. That was me about 10 years ago. I told him to start saving money for the petrol :) |
Quote:
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 12:02 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.