Well, I wasn't expecting that...
 

Today I finally collected a lovely Dolphin Grey 2002 S8 which I'd had stored since the beginning of the month due to imminent house move.

It's lovely; just one previous owner from new who sold it for another new Audi at a local dealership. Service history, cam belt change and obviously a cherished example - exactly what I was after.

Anyway, despite talking about it with my wife, showing her photos etc, she got home tonight and burst into tears. To get to the point, she hates it; the boot and rear lights (my favourite bit as it happens), the aluminium door mirrors, the sat nav aerial on the boot lid and most of all, she hates the front of it. She reluctantly said the 20" alloys are nice.

Compared to my 2002 A4 Quattro - which she loves - the nineties styling of the S8 doesn't sit well with her. She wasn't massively keen on a previous 1999 Audi Cabrio either but I've never seen her cry over a car before.

Anyway, before I bought it I said if she really didn't like it I'd sell it. We definitely need a bigger car than an A4 so I'll be looking at an A6 or newer A8 to replace it; whatever is available around the £5000 - £5500 bracket.

If anyone is remotely interested, message me for more info while I get a proper advert worked up. I can't quite believe I'm trying to sell a car I haven't owned for more than 9 hours :(

This is totally genuine, if a little odd, I grant you that. Any inspection is welcome and the car has a brand new MOT plus I've just stuck a years tax on it. Complete with all the manuals, 3 keys, old tax discs etc….

That's a shame. Don't wives have a value in certain enlightened parts of the world? :D

That's a pity, good job this isn't Pistonheads, I hate to think what sort of comments you would get on there:tuttut:

In any case good divorce lawyers would probably cost you more than you will get for the car:(

Unusual, but believable. Just. ;)

If you want to stir some interest, it needs photos, or at least spec / mileage etc to give folks a clue what you've actually got.

Beware though that most folk on here already have their perfect motor, and for most the upgrade path is into D3-land......

On a serious note, an A6 will be a much lower class car, with lower spec, less comfortable seats and less appealing wheels.

It'll be tough to find a particularly desirable D3 at that sort of money, and it'll be almost certainly split grill design which I personally find is less attractive than the overall classic appeal of the D2.

Years ago I took my wife-to-be out in an Impreza I was picking up from Birmingham. She burst into tears in the passenger seat claiming it was too fast and I'll end up killing myself.

Bought it anyway, she got quickly used to it and had one herself a couple of years later on...... +++

Is there any chance she may warm to it given a few days ?

Right, there's been a bit of progress since my original post.

I mentioned that I'd started to make moves to sell it and she started to say things like 'Well, if you like it then keep it' and 'I haven't been in it yet and it does look nice inside' so i think a) she over-reacted and b) maybe I did too in feeling I had to sell it straight away. Perhaps there was a little bit of buyers remorse in there as well.

I did have doubts about posting it on here as it's preaching to the converted!

I agree, I love the styling of the D2 but it turns out that's exactly what she hates. Despite it being first registered a couple of months after my 2002 A4 - technically making it a newer car - it's 90's styling cues are clear to see so I can see her point in that it does look like an old car. But I like old cars...

I did see a D3 for that sort of figure - is this a forum member's car by any chance?

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...xperiment=true

I don't know anything about A6's other than the 3.0TDI is supposed to be very good?

Ian - I hope she warms to it in the same way your wife did with the Impreza. I'll tell her that story tomorrow.

I'll post some pics and spec up in the New Members area. Sorry to waste everyone's time here.

Mine refused to drive the d2 when I got it, after the first time I ended up as the designated drunk at a party she drove it home and was in it constantly after that. Give her some time in it.

Getting acclimatised to the D2
 

Same story for me as Psyche, but it took about 18 months in my case - in fact it wasn't until a road trip to Germany that she started to appreciate the D2 qualities, so I'd suggest a long drive in it with her (without forcing the issue, which it sounds like you're wisely not trying to do…)

Those tales are reassuring - glad I'm not the first to experience it.

I've got rid of the wife and kept the D2 S8!

Lucky me, my wife won't drive my S8 because she's too worried about getting it dinged, but she's happy for me to keep it (she seems to prefer being an '8 widow that a golf widow) and hasn't left me (yet!).

But it's a difficult thing to understand how anyone could not like the look of the D2 when I find it so beautiful. Instead of 90s styling, I see timeless, classic lines that still look good nearly 20 years on. And in dolphin grey as well (drool!) :love: