Newbie - V8 or V6?

[parkheadlad]

Hello. I am new to the forum as a perspective buyer of an A8. Looking for some expert advice on this subject. I have around £2000-2500 to spend and I have been looking at adverts selling 2.8. 3.7 and 4.2 A8s. Tried a 4.2 the other day and what a great ride. But its the MPH that is giving me cold feet. I saw advertised today a smart 2.8 model which I may view - is this model still heavy on the petrol or is it a good compromise?
I have spent hours looking at ads and my head is spinning - what should I look out for/avoid. Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards.

[zollaf]

welcome to the forum. so the 4.2's mph is giving you cold feet ? surely the 4.2 would give the best mph as its got the most power, or do you mean mpg ?
if you do mean mpg then you are looking at the wrong car and should get a diesel. i have just told someone else the same, the a8 is a rich mans car with a rich mans wallet required to run one. sure its a cheap way into an executive motor just as long as you know what one can cost to keep going.

[parkheadlad]

Thanks for the very quick reply. Sorry, I did mean MPG.

[hughjass]

Hi and welcome.

I'm very new myself.

I have a A6 v6 2.7t petrol and does 20mpg for town driving.

Today showed 15 mpg when I gave it some beans. Omg. Lol

I was looking at a A6 v8 4.2. But that was a tad thirstier.

I know not A8 but just to give you an idea.

Go for turbo diesel for economy matey peeps. ;-)

[parkheadlad]

The turbo disels are still out of my price range at the moment. I looked on one the threads commenting on MPG for diesels and I am surprised at how low the MPG is ie low 30s. I have been told by a few people that you can get between 25-28 MPG for a petrol 4.2 on a long run........does not seem to be that much difference between the two fuels.
Cheapest Turbo Diesel at the moment is about £4000 - a bit out of my range.

[Quattromatt]

I have had both the 4.2 and 3.0TDI. The diesel is definitely the cheaper to run, as long as you only consider the fuel. Realistically the diesel will give 35-38 on a good run and around 27-30 for average mixed driving. Petrol is more like 17-20 mixed and 25 on a good run. Given the extra cost of diesel and higher maintenance costs the petrol kind of makes more sense for me. Plus it's a V8, and that's nice.

As for 2.8, 3.7, 4.2, the official MPG figures (assuming all quattro) are 24, 22, 21.

To me, the 3.7 makes so sense at all. And between the 4.2 and 2.8, 3mpg is diddly squat. Well worth it!

[parkheadlad]

Thanks Quattromatt - that was very usuful Info. I am looking at a 4.2 2001 with only 59000 on the clock @£2500 and a 3.9 2001 with 136000 @£1690 - both in very good conditionand both Quattros..........any thoughts?

[Quattromatt]

I'd say that whilst the £800 saving looks appealing, it only takes a couple of faults to wipe this out. That's a big difference in the mileage and whilst the cars can certainly take this in their stride, they do need to be looked after so verify this with service history and check for cam belt changes (80,000 miles or 10 years max).

My money would definitely be on the 4.2, as long as all was well. Don't be afraid to walk away if it isn't!

Spec was important to me too. I waited months to find my D3. Everybody thinks their car is 'fully loaded' when they sell it. They very rarely are. Mine isn't either but it's about as close as I've seen.

[EG-4.0TDI]

Around 2001 you're looking at D2s - I think the D3s were the first to get diesels (in the UK at least - D2s could definitely be had as diesels on the continent). Such knowledge as I have is mainly D3 related but...

If you're looking at D2s you might want to learn a bit about the gearboxes as they seem to have something of a reputation for giving grief unless properly maintained. ie learn what you need to look for to make sure it's not giving trouble. From recollection you need to check: clean take up from standstill (no jerks or clunks), smooth changes going up the box (light load and heavy load), smooth down changes and no jerks going from 3rd to 2nd coming into roundabouts, and no flare when it changes up.

Anything A8 shaped (irrespective of year or type) can throw properly large repair/maintenance bills. Not that yours WILL, but you do need to be prepared that it MIGHT. A grand here and there is not unusual - as Zollaf rightly observed they are expensive to maintain. But it will make you smile...

So to your original question: V8 - if you're going to get financially spanked, you might as well do it properly!

[parkheadlad]

Can I start by saying what a great forum - I thought my previous visited forum (P38 Range Rover where you DO need lots of help believe me) was full of helpful people but I am more than impressed with this forum....thanks all!
I am now leaning towards the 4.2 .........it has had the important cambelt change (I'm learning fast!) with FSH, recent service , upgraded stainless steel exhaust and brakes and more importantly the bloke sounds genuine.

My thinking is if the car does become too costly for me I shouldn't lose too much money on the car due to its low mileage.....is the heart ruling the head!