I purchased a 1998 Audi A8 in mid August of 2001. My son and I drove to Boston, MA from Canton, Ohio on Monday. About a 650 mile drive. We went to the dealer the following morning to see the car. The car was as the dealer had described it. It had 68,000 miles on it and was in very good condition. It has a few scratches but since I am using it as an everyday car to get back and forth to work I wasn't looking for a perfect car. I got what I felt was a good deal considering it was the color that I wanted and had most of the options that I was looking for. The car comes with an incredible list of options.
It has the seventeen inch wheels and has the cold weather package. It doesn't have the hot weather package but I really didn't want that option. If you get the hot weather package you lose the glass sunroof that allows you to get extra light into the car. Since in Ohio it is cloudy most of the time I really wanted to have the extra light that the glass sunroof allows into the car. I do wish that it had the xenon light option but I may be able to upgrade to the xenon lights at a later date.
The car is very different than the '91 200 that I used to drive. I bought the car because I didn't want to give up the power that my '91 200 has but, since I drive thru heavy traffic and road construction on a daily basis, I didn't want to constantly be using the clutch to move four feet at a time. It was starting to get old and the construction is scheduled to last almost ten years. I still have a Porsche 944 Turbo with a five speed when I want to have fun going thru the gears. The A8 does have the Tiptronic transmission but it is not the same as using a standard transmission.
This car is much more rigid that the '91 200 or the V8. The A8 is extremely smooth riding but isn't too soft and doesn't have too much body roll. I think it could be firmer but it isn't bad for it's size. The car is much more refined than any other car that I have had or even driven in before. There are a lot of good cars available today but I think this one is a really good compromise between style, power, handling and luxury. I am very happy with it so far.
The tires that are mounted on the Borbet wheels are too small in diameter. They are from my '91 200. I will eventually change them to a larger diameter tire when these tires wear out. The car came with
My A8 with the 17" stock polished wheels:
My A8 with the 17" Borbet wheels:
The interior of the A8:
The 300 HP 4.2 Liter 32 Valve Engine Bay:
Audi's Sales/Technical Information
From the vantage points of technology, performance and aesthetics, this car stands at the head of a most impressive class. Putting miles between itself and others with ease. Distancing itself from others with uncommon grace.
With its four-valve per cylinder V8, five-speed Tiptronic® transmission that allows you to decide how to shift, the A8 is all at once a link to every classic touring sedan of the 20th century and a reassuring bridge to the future
