USED Audi A8 Saloon (03 - 10)

My car

A great car spoilt by niggling faults and appalling dealer service.

This is my second A8 and 4th Audi so I guess I am a bit of a fan of the brand. I love the A8's comfort and looks and as I do 30000 mile a year in it this is a big bonus.

Engine is responsive and reasonably economical (avg 27mpg on a 60% motorway mix) Handling is great on std 18" and the air suspension on this new D3 model makes a big difference over the previous model.

On the downside this is the most unreliable Audi I have ever owned! Bought as an '05 ex demo with 6k it has since been in the garage 6 times for repairs including airbags x 2, boot hinge & motors x 2, wheel bearings all round, sat nav, engine misfire, trim rattles....

What makes it worse is the dealer service, every time there is a fault it is a 2-3 week delay to book it in, they then need to order parts (2-3 weeks) and then I have to re-book when the parts arrive wich takes - guess what 2-3 weeks - Given I use this car daily for work this is a real pain.

My summary, I love the car but cannot live with the number of faults and dealer service - it is simply off the road for too long. If you aren't doing high mileage of want a less ostentatious limo than an S class or "ugly" 7 series an A8 has to be considered, but vet the local dealer first - you will be seeing a lot of him!!

My car

I traded in my Audi A8 3.0 TDI during December. I moved back to the new V8 diesel Range Rover Vogue after being impressed with a test drive with the new engine and getting out of the company car scheme.

Once you have driven Range Rovers, it is hard to go back, but I did try it and I have only two points to make on the A8. As Clarkson pointed out in a review, and I still failed to heed... lose the big wheels, it kills the ride comfort.

Also, depreciation is a massive killer to the model. My dealer offered me £27,500 after 15 months of ownership and 22,000 miles (and one service)... It lost 50% of its value!

My car

I have had this car for two weeks now and it's the best car I have ever driven. I get 36mpg on a run and 32mpg around town. It flies when only revving at 3500rpm and it is very quiet in the cabin.

It's the best car out there.

My car

Further to my previous review (040906) Audi offered a 4th warranted year as compensation for the then unresolved vibration problem. This was later corrected after intensive work done by Basingstoke Audi who were polite and very helpful throughout. The car has since covered a further 15000 miles uneventfully. Tried the S.8 for a week but despite being an exhilarating drive I will get another A.8 diesel to replace my current model.