Opinions on 2001 Audi S8 vs. BMW 740il

[Plugers]

Looking at used cars and these look to be in my price range. I'm leaning toward the Audi for the AWD and aluminum body as things tend to rust near me.

Any thoughts?

 

[Fenixgoon]

super high end cars like those tend to be maintenance intensive. not saying they can't last, but a lot of times it seems like there's some funky problem (often electronics) with them. these cars depreciate incredibly quickly for a reason.

that being said, A8/S8 ftw, no question.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

You better know how to turn a wrench if you plan on owning one of those

 

[Doppel]

Hope you like fixing cars or making money (to spend on fixing cars).

 

[cyclistca]

Take you money and buy something more reliable. If you are set on getting a German car then look at getting a model lower down the food chain that is new or CPO.

 

[Plugers]

You better know how to turn a wrench if you plan on owning one of those

Well I do about 95% of my own repairs and I know the Bentley manuals are great for VWs, so I'd assume the Audi ones are good also.

I'll have to do some more reading on audiworld.com

 

[Arkaign]

Terrible idea, and the Audis of that era were significantly worse than the new ones. If you want a used Luxury boat, get a Lexus. I'll guarantee you 100000% that a 2001 LS430 will be monumentally more reliable than a 2001 Audi 8 or BMW 7 series. And to boot, they're good cars. You could always mod for more power if you really wanted, and replace suspension parts and wheels/tires for a more aggressive ride. But honestly, they're just plain better when you get to that part of a German lux-boat's lifespan.

BMW 7-series and Audi 8 series are for people who buy or lease a new car every 6 to 12 months and then throw them away like toilet paper. At best, they make sense as temporary CPO vehicles, but after about 4-5 years, they're done in any practical sense of the word.

Anyway, specs :

2001 BMW 740i, 4255lbs, 282hp/324tq
2001 Audi S8, 4068lbs, 360hp/316tq
2001 LS430, 3955lbs, 320hp/290tq

The S8 will be a hair faster if in perfect working order (doubtful), but anything is faster than parked waiting for major repairs or a new transmission, which is fairly likely.

 

[Arkaign]

Fwiw, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT88A7pRxCM

Stupid video overall, but does show the numbers rising as the tuning proceeds. 422hp/424tq to the wheels is solid. It's somewhere in the neighborhood of the E60 M5, but with (a lot) more torque.

 

[halik]

Well I do about 95% of my own repairs and I know the Bentley manuals are great for VWs, so I'd assume the Audi ones are good also.

I'll have to do some more reading on audiworld.com

Get a copy of VAGCOM and you can do all the maintenance yourself. The D2 A8s weren't really that complicated to begin with. No air ride, no crazy computer stuff inside etc.

The weak points were the transmission (need to change fluid more than ever) and the ABS block, IIRC.

I'd go for the 750IL personally, v12 full size sedan for the win.

 

[Doppel]

v12 full size sedan for the win.

omg repairs

 

[halik]

omg repairs

Actually if you look at ebaymotors, there are more 750ils with over 100K than under. Empirically it seems more reliable than the other choices.

 

[DVad3r]

Terrible idea, and the Audis of that era were significantly worse than the new ones. If you want a used Luxury boat, get a Lexus. I'll guarantee you 100000% that a 2001 LS430 will be monumentally more reliable than a 2001 Audi 8 or BMW 7 series. And to boot, they're good cars. You could always mod for more power if you really wanted, and replace suspension parts and wheels/tires for a more aggressive ride. But honestly, they're just plain better when you get to that part of a German lux-boat's lifespan.

BMW 7-series and Audi 8 series are for people who buy or lease a new car every 6 to 12 months and then throw them away like toilet paper. At best, they make sense as temporary CPO vehicles, but after about 4-5 years, they're done in any practical sense of the word.

Anyway, specs :

2001 BMW 740i, 4255lbs, 282hp/324tq
2001 Audi S8, 4068lbs, 360hp/316tq
2001 LS430, 3955lbs, 320hp/290tq

The S8 will be a hair faster if in perfect working order (doubtful), but anything is faster than parked waiting for major repairs or a new transmission, which is fairly likely.

This is the truth, getting a used Lexus LS 430, even a solid LS 400!, will be a better choice

 

[DVad3r]

I find this site to be pretty useful when researching cars.

http://www.carsurvey.org/

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Actually if you look at ebaymotors, there are more 750ils with over 100K than under. Empirically it seems more reliable than the other choices.

Depending on the year, BMWs V12s have been great. BMW is known for their straight 6 engines, and V12s have more in common with straight 6s design wise.

What is scarier, historically, is their V8s.

 

[thomsbrain]

The mental rule of thumb I use with these kind of ideas is that if you can afford a $30,000 used Japanese car, you can afford a $15,000 used German luxury car. You'll need the other $15,000 to pay for maintaining it. Double the asking price and that's what you really need to be able to pay for.

 

[Arkaign]

The mental rule of thumb I use with these kind of ideas is that if you can afford a $30,000 used Japanese car, you can afford a $15,000 used German luxury car. You'll need the other $15,000 to pay for maintaining it. Double the asking price and that's what you really need to be able to pay for.

Truth, and the parts are $$$$$$$, and the stuff is almost invariably a lot more difficult to access in the big-motor German cars. Something like changing an alternator or starter which may be a quick cheap fix on a Lexus, GM, Ford, or Honda might take twice the time with parts 2-3x more expensive on a BMW V12. It goes on down the list, relays, gaskets, coil packs, and bigger tasks like valve jobs, engine and tranny rebuilds get insanely expensive in a flash.

I'm a bit of a BMW fanboy, but the big sedans with the less common drivetrains are really really hard to recommend at 10+ years old, as you say, you end up being able to afford to buy the thing, but not to own it. If something catastrophic happens like a transmission failure, you are literally out many thousands of dollars.

 

[angry hampster]

Terrible idea, and the Audis of that era were significantly worse than the new ones. If you want a used Luxury boat, get a Lexus. I'll guarantee you 100000% that a 2001 LS430 will be monumentally more reliable than a 2001 Audi 8 or BMW 7 series. And to boot, they're good cars. You could always mod for more power if you really wanted, and replace suspension parts and wheels/tires for a more aggressive ride. But honestly, they're just plain better when you get to that part of a German lux-boat's lifespan.

BMW 7-series and Audi 8 series are for people who buy or lease a new car every 6 to 12 months and then throw them away like toilet paper. At best, they make sense as temporary CPO vehicles, but after about 4-5 years, they're done in any practical sense of the word.

Anyway, specs :

2001 BMW 740i, 4255lbs, 282hp/324tq
2001 Audi S8, 4068lbs, 360hp/316tq
2001 LS430, 3955lbs, 320hp/290tq

The S8 will be a hair faster if in perfect working order (doubtful), but anything is faster than parked waiting for major repairs or a new transmission, which is fairly likely.

Agreed with this whole-heartedly. The LS430 is a really sweet buy right now.

Alternatively, check out the Infiniti Q45.