Wanted D2 S8 UK

[tintin]

Originally Posted by Marty

Hello,

I am looking for a low mileage (less than 90k) excellent condition, low owner D2 S8, ideally not silver or with a cream interior.

Im based in Woking Surrey, but willing to travel (within reason)

I test drove the blue one on autotrader for sale by Kingsgarage, but fundamentally its condition wasnt great, the tell for me was 3 different budget tyres (not a sign of an enthusiast owner). Car had been clearly sitting for a long time, and after research has been for sale for over a year.

Litterally, no D2 S8s for sale. Missed the black one that was sold by 4starclassics by 2days.

I own classics so arent in a mega rush but want to get one, as Ive got the V8 bug. I had a 2007 S5 many years ago, sold and missed ever since.

Welcome to the club Marty - both to the forum and to the (select) list of people looking for such a rare example. As already pointed out, if you're looking for an <90k S8 that's been well maintained you may be looking for quite a while. Sarg's one belonged to a good friend and member of the forum, and that's your most likely place to find one.

It might help if you give an idea of your budget (and what "within reason" means in terms of travel) - I presume as you have "other classics" and were considering the 4star one that you're prepared to pay a reasonable price for the right car - if it helps, I spent about 4 years looking for the right one for me and looked at several which were a couple of hundred miles from me. It was well worth the wait though .

Happy hunting

[Marty]

All - thanks for the kind support and guidance, very much appreciated. I knew posting on the forum would provide me with a feel for the car and best approach.

I will take the advice onboard, I agree maintenance is the key. As you all know any car goes through a stage when they are so cheap to buy they get run into the ground or with BMWs end up wrapped around a tree. The black 4star car was essentially a one owner car with great service history, I wasnt phased by the 90k on the clock, I just missed the boat and it sold. I would have bought that without a doubt.

Question: how much maintenance are these cars? Im running a BMW E28 1986 528i and a E36 1995 convertible. I was looking for a retro V8 which wouldn't require massive time with me working on it? Got 3 motorcycles as well, and a young family. Im a mechanical engineer so more than happy tinkering with cars, but im looking for something to take to my local independent garage once a year for a service? is this going to be a) a money pit? b) a part time job?

Answering the questions:
@tintin
- Budget is open, really depends on condition & Spec. Ceiling would be 11-12k, this is another toy
- "within reason" I stated this as in the past ive travelled 3hrs to go look at a lemon advertised as a diamond! Based in woking, if the engagement with the owner feels right id travel upto Leeds/Manchester for one. Aberdeen/Shetland is a stretch!
- Test drove this one (https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12726052), 66k miles, but it wasn't as good as it looks and didnt have alot of service history. Dealer gave me BS story that it was enthusiast owned, no one who cares about cars puts nexan tyres on them.

MikkiJayne - keep me posted on the car, I will look you up on the forum! Im kind of set on a post face lift for the increase in engine output. do you have an post facelift car for sale?

[HPsauce]

Welcome Marty. Others may not agree, but having had S8s for over 20 years I'd say they don't really need much maintenance at all. But when they do an expert like MJ is worth their weight in gold.
(My 20yo current S8 has just had the MJ treatment at 100,000 miles and is and is good as new in most respects, better in some e.g. braking!)

As for the extra power of a facelift, forget it, the direct cable throttle of the PF is so much nicer to drive. And I think the extra power is only at high revs anyway. I really miss my "heavily loaded" PF....
And offhand, the only really significant improvement I can think of with the facelift is the dual HID headlights. Though the brakes are also supposedly improved....

[Marty]

@HPSauce - thanks for the response, I will bear that in mind. Having only driven the Post facelift, I was more than happy with the throttle response of the NA V8, made me smile and I can see the whole family in one cruising down to Cornwall! The updated interior and dash are also a draw, a good double DIN stereo would be great addition.

I still think about the blue one everyday, it was overall ok, but the £15k asking was too much. what are you thoughts? 12k too much? hard to value without seeing I understand.

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12726052

??

[Marty]

Is this one known to the forum? love the colour and interior

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...ear-asc&page=1

[MikkiJayne]

That green one is interesting - a very early FL without Brembos. I've only ever seen one other in that spec. That's actually a bonus because although the Brembos have larger discs, the calipers themselves are an expensive liability and don't actually work very well.

The blue one is about the going rate for one with low mileage (12-15k), but tbh the only thing you get with low mileage is less rusty subframes and springs, and less wear on the driver's thigh bolster. You get the same oil leaks and worn out rubber components as a 200k example simply from age. There's another Santorin Blue example on ebay at the moment for about £7K, with 90k miles which is a much better prospect and probably in very similar condition.

Reliability is a tricky question. If the car has been impeccably maintained then it can be reliable. I'd cross a continent in either of mine without any hesitation, but then I've replaced almost everything and drive them frequently. An example which has been neglected or laid up is going to have issues which will take time to sort out so reliability will be a moving target. D2s need to be used as well. They hate being parked, so one in daily use with less history would be at least on-par with another with lots of maintenance that lives in storage.

Most people do prefer the facelift because it does feel and look a little more modern, which is a shame because the pre-facelift has an different character of its own, but still has the magic that makes a D2 special. Arguably slightly more so since it has better quality materials inside. I can't comment on the engine yet as I've never driven mine properly.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the double-din of the facelift tbh. The RNSd is thoroughly out of date now, and its non-trivial to successfully fit an aftermarket unit in there due to peculiarities of the Bose system. That said, a couple of us have been working on fitting Android-based units in there with a suitable replacement amp, and in my case also speakers, with some good results so far. Check out Ronin's thread on that for more info. Double din is available for the PF although its rare and so relatively costly. Personally in a PF I would just fit a bluetooth adapter to the original head unit and use my phone for navigation. You can do that on the FL also of course.

[strummagnet]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

Welcome Marty. Others may not agree, but having had S8s for over 20 years I'd say they don't really need much maintenance at all. But when they do an expert like MJ is worth their weight in gold.
(My 20yo current S8 has just had the MJ treatment at 100,000 miles and is and is good as new in most respects, better in some e.g. braking!)

I would agree with HP that mileage is immaterial after it has been worked on by MJ. My S8 at 174K Miles (The Barn Find - you will see in the WITW threads) feels like a new car and I have no issue taking it anywhere. But they do need to be used. Maybe a suggestion would get yourself to a few mini meets - Possibly one at MJ's again, Mike (Conan) could arrange an easter hunt? - or something a bit local to you. I think some members are not too far away from Woking??

The PF that MJ is working on is well worth a look at.