So, almost 2,000 miles on a quick update on the £530 1996 Audi A8 4.2 Quattro I bought towards the back end of last year. Somewhat surprisingly, to me at least, it's been an entirely uneventful 5 months. 500 of the miles were getting it from Edinburgh to W Sussex, so it hasn't been used that much since we got it back...
But, nothing's gone wrong. It's averaged just over 20mpg, but then the journey home was just under 27 mpg so I reckon that means running around locally has achieved 18 mpg or so. Oh well...
Lovely V8 burble, but the double glazing mutes the sound a bit from the inside. Creamily smooth, and supremely relaxing to drive. Heated seats and climate control still fully functioning, which has been nice. 300 odd bhp shifts what, in modern terms, is an average weight car pretty well, though when pushed its a bit of a barge. 17" 55 profile tyres mean it's comfortable, but a bit wallowy at the extremes. Still, it's a cruiser not a sports car. Very comfortable though, and the electric memory seats are still fully functioning.
Nothing has gone wrong since I've had it, but at the same time I've only fixed things that were either illegal (faulty windscreen washers), consumables (tyres) or 'essential' (U/S thermostat). It's used no oil or water, and the gearbox 'clunk' I was slightly concerned about is unchanged and, I think, nothing to worry about...yet :-)
Costs to date, excluding fuel which I'm ignoring, are only 12 months road tax (pre emissions measuring so just £260 IIRC), a replacement thermostat and washer pump (£160 fitted), and 2 tyres. So roughly as much as the purchase price.
But then if I bin it tomorrow and get nothing that's just £200 a month. What dos that get you? A Hyundai Getz from Avis I expect!!
It's booked in for an MOT next week so, all being well. I can ebay it with 12 months MOT, 10 months tax and a pretty comprehensive service history. Fingers crossed the MOT is fine!
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£530? Incredible really. I paid over twice that for my bike… How many miles is it showing? I love stories like this but I'm just not brave enough to do it myself. Maybe I will one day just for the fun of it. I fancy a Lexus.
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The original thread from when I bought it is here: www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=15480
It's now got just over 112k miles on the clock; my initial thoughts (based on the pictures and before physically seeing the car) were that it'd probably been clocked somewhere along the way. But the service history tends to support the mileage, as does the way it feels, if that makes sense?
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A summary of the service history
11/96 @ 5,422 miles. Hadwins VW
11/97 @ 11,926 miles. Hadwins VW
12/98 @ 17,016 miles. Hadwins Audi
12/99 @ 21,787 miles. Hadwins Audi
12/01 @ 29,081 miles. Hadwins Audi (seems to have missed a year here?)
12/03 @ 35,470 miles. Hadwins Audi (another 2 year interval...)
12/04 @ 38,832 miles. non franchised garage
12/05 @ 52,381 miles. non franchised garage - replacement pads and discs
04/06 @ 60,050 miles. non franchised garage. plus a lot of suspension work!
03/07 @ 71,048 miles. non franchised garage
12/07 @ 73,456 miles. non franchised garage. plus new timing belt
09/08 @ 81,576 miles. Aberdeen Audi. plus new sunroof motor (@ £800 odd!)
09/08 @ 81,719 miles. non franchised garage - no service but more suspension stuff and replacement brakes. Presumably Audi a bit pricey...
02/09 @ 85,838 miles. non franchised garage - no service but diff seals and fluid replaced
12/09 @ 91,360 miles. non franchised garage service only
02/10 @ 93,768 miles. Aberdeen Audi - no service but yet more suspension work
05/10 @ 95,784 miles. non franchised garage. service plus exhaust
11/10 @ 97,787 miles. Aberdeen Audi - no service but A/C replaced and even more suspension work
01/11 @ 99,582 miles. non franchised garage - including wheel bearing replacement
08/13 @ 107,199 miles. non franchised dealer - including pads/discs all round
As I posted at the time, while not complete, it seems like a reasonably comprehensive service record and, more importantly, seems to suggest that the mileage is genuine? Oh, and that its quite heavy on its suspension!!
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Looks to me like someone has swallowed all the big costs before they got to you!
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:-)
I found that out more by luck than good judgement I have to say Z... Bought sight unseen without a clue as to the service history...
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Soooo, if you sell it, what might you get next?
Or, how about chopping the Merc in against an E63.....
My pal who got a C63 at Christmas is smitten with it. So far anyway. He won't say what mpg he's getting mind you !
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>>>But then if I bin it tomorrow and get nothing that's just £200 a month. What dos that get you? A Hyundai Getz from Avis I expect!!
Similar fun/success to my £700 Alfa which is 15mths into what is now more than an experiment. Had I sold it on at 12mths it would have cost just £68mth (excluding fuel/insurance). As it is today I did some non essential work at the 13mth point which means if sold now it would have been £73mth. If it collapses in a heap this summer and gets sold for spares the cost will still only be £84mth.
Incredible really considering it covers mileage that allows me to claim £180mth back against tax.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sat 15 Mar 14 at 00:09
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So glad this worked out. I was only discussing it with a mate the other day, and wondering how it was going.
The idea of paying the price of a cheap holiday for a presentable example of something that cost more when it was new than the well proportioned 2 bedroom flat I bought around the same time, really appeals to me.
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>> So glad this worked out. I was only discussing it with a mate the other
>> day, and wondering how it was going.
>>
>> The idea of paying the price of a cheap holiday for a presentable example of
>> something that cost more when it was new than the well proportioned 2 bedroom flat
>> I bought around the same time, really appeals to me.
>>
Thanks DP. I have to say that the cheap cost of it, along with the fact that I don't actually rely on it, means that it was a gamble I was happy to take. Ironically nothing's gone wrong - of course if it'd been my only car then it was bound to have been 5 months of non stop cost and inconvenience!!
I know what you mean in terms of appeal though - you made the right choice! I bought a house in Reading in 1997 (so around a year after the Audi was registered). I paid just over £60k then but it's now probably worth over three times that. Conversely £60k of premium German metal is now worth £500... If ever there was a wake up call to those who finance expensive metal then this is it! 20 years of PCPing a large Audi would leave you owning precisely nothing at the end. Or you could have taken out a mortgage on an asset that'd be worth not far off quarter of a million (deliberately spelt out in words for effect!!)
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>> Soooo, if you sell it, what might you get next?
>>
>> Or, how about chopping the Merc in against an E63.....
>>
>> My pal who got a C63 at Christmas is smitten with it. So far anyway.
>> He won't say what mpg he's getting mind you !
>>
Ah well, I have a longer term strategy forming about the next £500ish purchase, though I might raise the budget to £500 plus whatever the Audi realises...
What I'd like is a modernish, largish, petrol auto estate. The S211 Merc came in an E500 variant, with a V8 engine, though it's out of budget. But something like that...
That'll mean the current Merc is redundant from a practicality perspective, and, if I find the right car, a comfort perspective. Which means it's replacement can be more driver focused. We already have a convertible (coincidentally another £500 ish Audi) so it doesn't need to be a roadster. That opens up a number of possibilities, of which something from Stuttgart currently appeals...
:-)
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What a fantastic purchase. A nice big all torque V8 is what I'd like next. Still having too much fun with the forced induction at the moment though.
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A little off-topic, but I was talking to a mate earlier whose brother in law works for Audi in England.
Apparently the volume bonus from Audi requires certain numbers of sales for each model, so they have sold new A8s at 60% discount in the final quarter to get the 7-figure bonus.
A quick look at WBAC.com showed they would buy a 1k mile 63-plate 3.0TDi Quattro Sport Exec (list 65 grand) for a whopping......
£27,000
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-figure bonus.
>>
>> A quick look at WBAC.com showed they would buy a 1k mile 63-plate 3.0TDi Quattro
>> Sport Exec (list 65 grand) for a whopping......
>>
>> £27,000
Super. Now show me one to BUY at that price.
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If they had a V8 petrol at a similar price I'd be down there like a shot!!
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Trouble with those is you'd have to dress as Jason Statham all the time. I fairly much permanently live in bashed up jeans, a t-shirt and Timberland boots. Can't drive an A8 like that can you?
;-)
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It's possible that you're letting the side down driving a Mercedes dressed like that ;-)
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>> letting the side down driving a Mercedes dressed like that ;-)
Yes, instead of standing up in the back wearing an SS uniform, like Anelka celebrating a goal...
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Aye maybe so, but I think it's ok with a diesel estate. I always feel saloons require a tie somehow.
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I like my Mercedes saloon drivers to wear a tie, certainly. Estates are a different matter - worldly, practical machines, no need for keeping up appearances.
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>> Aye maybe so, but I think it's ok with a diesel estate. I always feel
>> saloons require a tie somehow.
Indeed, after all every driver of a merc e or s saloon is a taxi driver doing an airport run.
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>> after all every driver of a merc e or s saloon is a taxi driver doing an airport run.
Heh heh... the only good excuse for wearing a tie setting aside weddings and funerals.
Mind you I'm not at all sure about Humph's high-heeled BBD-style cowboy boots. Those are for hustlers and gigolos. Gentlemen wear scuffed white loafers.
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Do keep up AC. Not cowboy boots at all. Timberland 6 inch boots are in fact the antithesis.
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I'm guessing you chaps haven't got Satnavs, but have Gaydar instead?
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What sort of footwear is appropriate to wear while driving a Suzuki Atishoo ( or whatever it's called ) then?
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>>What sort of footwear is appropriate to wear while driving a Suzuki Qashqai
www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/_Cx09IbmQ-e0FiCw2R7ZJQ
Last edited by: Lygonos on Wed 19 Mar 14 at 18:20
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Right enough ! You are going to need a sense of humour with that car...
;-)
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>> Timberland 6 inch boots are in fact the antithesis.
Less camp, more camping you mean? Ah.
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>> Do keep up AC. Not cowboy boots at all. Timberland 6 inch boots are in
>> fact the antithesis.
>>
Though Timberland does have a pretty big following among us gays ...just saying...:-)
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I'm cool with that. I like Replay and Energie jeans too and some would say they have "implications" but I really couldn't give a hoot, I like them. You wouldn't last 35 years in the fashion industry if you had any real hang ups about people or their lifestyle !
;-)
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>> You wouldn't last 35 years in the fashion industry....
tinyurl.com/runfer-lookin-da-bizness
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Brilliant ! ( you utter.....) ;-)
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I know it's you - I can see the driving gloves :-)
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There are times, just very occasionally, when it would actually, no in fact be entirely appropriate, to temporarily turn off the swear filter...
You total .... !!!!!
;-)
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When I got a Passat in 2000 a colleague joked I needed driving gloves for such a car. Yawn. A few years later in a marketing campaign, VW actually sent me a pair of driving gloves :-)
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Driving gloves at least hint at style (albeit misguided) and excitement, not qualities I've detected in any Passat I've been in. Concrete boots might be more appropriate.
I saw a very different looking Passat in the US the other week. Is there a new one on the way here, or have the US and European models diverged, like the Accord?
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The joke my colleague was trying to make was it was an old man's car.
Yes the US Passat and rest of the world Passat are now different cars. The American one is built to a lower specification/price and is bigger. Loosely based on the same chassis which is stretched.
There is meant to be a new Passat in Europe/rest of the world next year hence the run out special models (Executive and Executive Style) with lots of options included.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Thu 20 Mar 14 at 10:48
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www.myturbodiesel.com/images/b7/tdi/euro-passat-differences.jpg
I think the C pillar works better on the US Passat*.
* US Passat also apparently sold in China and Korea. Even made in China.
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Looks to me like the North American one is a Skoda Superb in VW skin.
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>> I'm cool with that. I like Replay and Energie jeans too and some would say
>> they have "implications" but I really couldn't give a hoot, I like them. You wouldn't
>> last 35 years in the fashion industry if you had any real hang ups about
>> people or their lifestyle !
>>
>> ;-)
>>
Oh I knew you'd know, but I didn't want the likes of Z turning up somewhere in Timberlands and being surprised by the wrong sort of attention...
;-)
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>> Oh I knew you'd know, but I didn't want the likes of Z turning up
>> somewhere in Timberlands and being surprised by the wrong sort of attention...
If I want that kind of attention, I'll turn up in my Jimmy Choo's.
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>> Oh I knew you'd know, but I didn't want the likes of Z turning up somewhere in
>> Timberlands and being surprised by the wrong sort of attention...
Bless you for one of the best mental images I have had in a long time.
Trouble is, gay man or straight woman, Zero's just not that fanciable.
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>> >> Oh I knew you'd know, but I didn't want the likes of Z turning
>> up somewhere in
>> >> Timberlands and being surprised by the wrong sort of attention...
>>
>> Bless you for one of the best mental images I have had in a long
>> time.
>>
>> Trouble is, gay man or straight woman, Zero's just not that fanciable.
Its all in the tongue.
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Somewhat worryingly, a car that *could* perhaps replace the A8 has just been listed on eBay:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-BENZ-E500-5-0-V8-ELEGANCE-7-SEATER-LOTS-OF-HISTORY-NOT-AMG-M5-S6-RS6-/271431357590?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f3291d496
But it's cubanite silver (beige - I had company E270CDi in that colour once!) and in elegance not avantgarde trim...
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And yes, I know there's a bit of budget creep involved... ;-)
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Check the mpg in the photo of the odometer...
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>> Check the mpg in the photo of the odometer...
>>
Mmm. 7.1 mpg is perhaps a *bit* low :-). But it's been running for 3 minutes, so presumably idling. Once you put your foot down it'll improve. Ah, that doesn't sound right, um, well...
Where's the thread about petrol prices falling again ;-)
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Odd though isn't it how beige can be about the worst and yet sometimes the best colour depending on the car. I think it suits the big Merc. A bit like burgundy in that respect, that suits Jags and Alfas but looks rubbish on Fords.
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"PLEASE CALL BEFORE LEAVING TO VIST US.,"
Am sure this is just out of good customer service and nothing to do with having to heat it up, pump up the slow punctures............
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Yes it's gone from having a bit of fun with £500 quid to OMG this is a serious hole in my piggy bank if it breaks. REd flag alarm!
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>> Yes it's gone from having a bit of fun with £500 quid to OMG this
>> is a serious hole in my piggy bank if it breaks. REd flag alarm!
>>
Yes indeed, but there just aren't many V8 petrol estates around :-(
And I really liked the S211 I had as a company car in 2004 - albeit an E270CDi not an E500! I know that the early ones (which this is...) also have a reputation for SBC brake problems and radiator issues ( if Valeo I think), but I'd still quite like one...
Edited to add this one might well have some form of air suspension, which will probably go wrong too :-)
Last edited by: PeterS on Sat 22 Mar 14 at 09:32
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I thought I'd found something slightly cheaper:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111287123266
But then I saw the interior pictures....
:-)
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Very similar to my old X1.....it looked a lot worse than in real life....!!
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Nice car that. But.... still think it's got to be less than a grand to be worth the gamble! On the basis that it's very easy to have a bill for at least that these days and on something like that, even more so. Worst case is then that you lose a grand, end of and scrap the thing or move it on e bay for parts. When you spend say 3 or 4 K it becomes quite a bit riskier. But it all depends on how much you're prepared to lose if it all goes badly wrong! Having said that I would love a 540i for a year or so, and this thread on the £500 quid A8 is fascinating!
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Engaging man-maths again, losing at least £3~£4k is a certainty the moment you buy a new car. At least with one of these, there's only a possibility of losing the cash! But I know what you meant - cars in that price range enter a no mans land. You'd feel obliged to spend some money keeping them going, but its not worth keeping them in tip top condition. More a case of managed retreat... And hope there are no edge of the cliff moments!!
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When I worked it out, which was about 3 or 4 years ago, an S Class lost £1000 per month for three years when bought from new.
Just how bad does a £3,000 car have to be to stop it being a great buy?
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>> When I worked it out, which was about 3 or 4 years ago, an S
>> Class lost £1000 per month for three years when bought from new.
>>
>> Just how bad does a £3,000 car have to be to stop it being a
>> great buy?
>>
That also is true, but I'm not planning on dropping the thick end of £80k on the new equivalent.
But even at £40k the annual depreciation on a new car is well in excesss of £3k, so I do agree that in reality the risk (in £) is not that great. And for just over £500 I bought sight unseen. I might actually take a look at the car if spending six times that ;-)
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The other thing to add is that I've been lucky with the A8, and I know it. When I bought it was cheap but it had only had 3 keepers, with the first two having kept it for the first 16 years. I gambled on it having been looked after if they'd kept it that long, and it was. The third keeper hadn't had it long, but I believed his reason for selling, and he'd also spent money on it. Now, he could have been shifting it on because of a large bill looming... But at the time it had 6 months MOT and 4 months tax, so it was a £500 gamble. At £4k with more owners the risk multiplies I think :-)
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Well, the feedback from the MOT was not too disastrous...
Front brake hoses perished - need replacing
Back box has a pinhole in it - maybe that's why it sounds good ;-) - needs replacing
Left with them to sort out the above and re-test.
Advisories for slight oil leak from rear dif and pinhole in CV gaiter
Could have been worse!!
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I'd get that pin hole on the gaiter looked at before it turns in to another huge bill.
Or once its got a ticket, - flogit
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>> I'd get that pin hole on the gaiter looked at before it turns in to
>> another huge bill.
>>
>>
>> Or once its got a ticket, - flogit
>>
Plan is currently the second option...
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How much did they quote you for the work, Peter?
Can't imagine the flexy hoses being too dear, but I also can't imagine a rear silencer on something a bit "unusual" being cheap.
Good result though!
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£120 all in - the hoses were replaced but silencer just bodged for the MOT ;-). Silencer is a main dealer only part at £450. Gulp. Though available from an A8 breaker for about £100 delivered. Confirms my decision to move it on I think...
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You want to spend £4k on a different old banger because you need to spend £100 (plus £50 fitting) on a silencer....?!
I'd get some nice exhaust paste, an old tin can with a cut down one side and a couple of jubilee clips on the silencer and drive on for a few months.
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I would suggest looking for a bespoke S/Steel exhaust maker - often cheaper than pattern parts.
Typically a Subaru Forester exhaust (cat+centre pipe+resonator+back box) will cost about £500 made and fitted.
Check A8 forums for advice re this.
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>> You want to spend £4k on a different old banger because you need to spend
>> £100 (plus £50 fitting) on a silencer....?!
>>
No no no, that a not how man maths work!!! I don't want my 'proper'car to be a boring diesel estate just because it's practical! I want my main car to be fun, and to have a cheapish practical, wafty car available for those times when comfort or space are important. Of course the logical thing to do is spend £4k on a oldish V8 petrol estate, freeing up £20kish (with some liberal stretching...) for something else's re fun :-)
Last edited by: PeterS on Tue 25 Mar 14 at 18:36
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>> You want to spend £4k on a different old banger because you need to spend
>> £100 (plus £50 fitting) on a silencer....?!
>>
>> I'd get some nice exhaust paste, an old tin can with a cut down one
>> side and a couple of jubilee clips on the silencer and drive on for a
>> few months.
This is an interesting and entertaining experiment, so you can cut this sensible or penny pinching sheet out.
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Ok so we're really looking for two cars aren't we?
All up budget ?
Anyway, I'll pitch in with an old but serviceable E class estate with any engine just so long as it's in reasonable health and a newer Boxster. The latter negates the need for the Audi cabriolet, the former the need for the current Merc. But you'll still want a 4x4 so you'd need to keep the A8.
Or, bin the old E class idea, flog the A8 and get an old but good petrol Range Rover which replaces the Merc estate and the A8 but means you still need the A4 cab.
Or scrub all the above, consolidate the fleet, buy an E63 estate with a sunroof and you're sorted.
Complicated this isn't it?
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Damn, just realised, the E63 isn't 4x4. You'll have to have an RS6 Avant instead. ( with a sunroof )
There.
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The A8 is a really classy motor, apparently in generally good fettle, capable of many more miles if treated right. Obviously things like exhaust parts are going to seem a bit dear, but what a pity to spoil the ship for a hap'orth of tar. Cobbling may serve for a while, but Lygonos's solution is good especially if your bespoke fabricators can do the thing in stages as necessary... but they won't be keen. You will have to know them personally.
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Or instead of the Range Rover, get a late Forester S-Tubro 2.5 with the all-weather pack that includes a ful-lenght moonroof.
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...full-length moonroof
So the passengers don't have to take turns on the way home from the rugby?
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Having briefly driven a full fat RR a couple of weeks ago for the first time, albeit a V8 diesel belong to my boss, I won't be having one of them. Despite the fact the Merc is, I think, longer and not *much* narrower I found the RR very bulky and with an appalling turning circle. It also felt nothing like the £70odd k it cost 4 years ago. Mind you the new one delivered last week does look very nice :-)
An E63 would be nice, but expensive. My thinking was somewhere between £10k and £20k on something fun, a few £k on a large comfy v8 petrol estate and keep the Audi convertible. Though the Boxster idea negates the need for a convertible... And they're available for much less than £10k. So I could keep the Merc and the A8, sell the convertible, add £3k to whatever I get and buy an old Boxster:
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201403172570229
;-)
Last edited by: PeterS on Wed 26 Mar 14 at 22:52
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That Boxster is less than 20 miles from me....
220bhp too. Might be ropey mind.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Wed 26 Mar 14 at 22:58
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>>This is an interesting and entertaining experiment, so you can cut this sensible or penny pinching sheet out.
Works very well indeed. Somebody I know *very* well once showed me...
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>> >>This is an interesting and entertaining experiment, so you can cut this sensible or penny
>> pinching sheet out.
>>
>> Works very well indeed. Somebody I know *very* well once showed me...
Too much detail - I really don't think we need to know the sordid details of your torrid affair with the greasy kwik fit fitter.
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>>
>> Too much detail - I really don't think we need to know the sordid details
>> of your torrid affair with the greasy kwik fit fitter.
>>
I'd heard that kwik fit fitters were, um, a bit quick... Not a virtue I'd be looking for necessarily ;-)
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>>
>> This is an interesting and entertaining experiment, so you can cut this sensible or penny
>> pinching sheet out.
>>
The problem with experiments is how to know when you've gone far enough... Quitting while I'm ahead is the sensible thing to do...
But since I bought the thing in the first place it's fairly clear that sensible is not always my natural inclination!!
:-)
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Just to close this thread out, I sold the Audi today! I'm sure I could have got more, but it's gone to a couple of young guys who, along with a group of their mates, are taking 5 £500 cars to the Nurburgring on a charity run. A fitting use for what was Audi's flagship I think, and one I was happy to subsidise :-)
I have absolutely no doubt it'll make it there, and subject to how aggressively they track it, back again completely unflustered... I've been promised pictures of the escapade, which takes place at the beginning of July, which I'll share, and when I've got the details of the charity I'll post them too!
Ben and Tim - good luck!!
Last edited by: PeterS on Sun 27 Apr 14 at 19:07
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It sounds like you had an enjoyable and fairly cheap time with this car then. Best of luck to those taking it to the Nurburgring.
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Yes, I realise that my experiment could have turned out a lot more expensive!! As it is, excluding fuel but including road tax and insurance, it's cost me around £100 a month. Not much in the great scheme of things really, and it's ticked a V8 off the motoring 'must own' list.
Now, what's next...
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C490342#
It's nothing special in the engine department, or I suspect to drive based on the saloon version I had as a company car many moons ago. But I think it's a lovely looking thing, in one of my favourite Audi colours...
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Looks very nice and at that price with 12 months ticket, it's hardly a big gamble, us it? But the ad is rather quiet on details like mileage, owners, etc....
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>> Now, what's next...
>>
>> www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C490342#
>>
After the V8.....meh!
Gotta be another V8 or maybe some Japanese Turbo or a Supercharged Jag
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www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201402272117624/
always fancied one of these at the time....
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 28 Apr 14 at 13:56
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Audi A8 - 2,000 miles in a £530 Audi - Woodster
