I Need Advice before i buy

[chrisb]

I am trying to buy a D3 A8 3.0TDI Sport either a 2007 or facelift 2008 and have been looking for the last couple of months and a couple have slipped away from me because i procastinated for too long. My mechanic and his friend have said that i am mad as so many things go wrong and the fuel consumtion is terrible and everything is so expensive to replace on them if something goes wrong. I am looking some genuine advice and opinions from people who it seems have owned one or several over a number of years. I really dont want to go and buy an A6 as i much prefer the look of the A8.
Comments please. Chris