would you buy an s8

[pagey]

hi all just been looking at the audi s8s around 2000 to 2002 year.and about £5000 to £7000

what do you lot think of them . just thinking we only live once and i really like the look of them.

 

[SonicDeathmonkey]

How many gallons to the mile do they do?

 

[Blue_Thunder]

Alloy block engine and aluminium body means it probably wouldn't be much heavier than a B5. You would get a lot of car for the money!

Now an LPG S8 would be the perfect motorway mile muncher.

 

[aragorn]

They're a little bit heavier than a B5 S4, but not too much.

I'd love one, in black, dechromed, lowered slightly and a tasty exhaust.

My biggest issue with them, is they all have a stupid Autobox

 

[rasA4]

great presence on the road, i would if i could as mentioned if its LPG converted would need to be a must TBH

 

[jcb]

Now a nitrous S8 would be the perfect motorway mile muncher.

 

[Paul McCleary]

Anyone who has ever watched Ronin knows the S8 makes sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDcWMF44Cjs

45 seconds in does it for me.....

Paul.

 

[slepy]

It's a shame they didn't offer S8 with manual gearbox in UK.
I did drive manual one in Poland few times and have to say it's a great car.

 

[phoenixv6quattro]

Fantastic cars. If my family gets any bigger I will be seriously considering one.

 

[Matt82]

i definately would. i nearly did a couple new year eves ago. i got drunk and it seemed a really good idea until i remembered it was a semi automatic car. for me, its manual box or dont bother

but year, id kill for an S8

 

[aragorn]

i guess it could be converted to manual...

01E box from an S4 would bolt up, as would the 5 speed quattro boxes.

The tricky bit would be the A8 specific parts such as the pedal box and clutch pedal/master cylinder, gear selector and console trim, they'd all likely have to come from a main dealer.

For that reason, it makes a C5 A6 4.2 Avant a more appealing option. Same flared arches as the RS6, and although it has the same stupid autobox, there are millions of A6s in scrappys you can rob the parts from to junk the autobox and slot in a manual, and it has the same V8 motor.

 

[Geeman]

TBH... the semi-auto 'box is actually very good. I had a '98 2.8 Sport a few years back and I thought the 'box was nice to use.

The A8/S8's are at home on the motorway and cruising around. Although... they are nippy and handle surprisingly well.

Would love to get my hands on an S8 for a few hours though!

 

[aragorn]

Its still an auto.

I was out in an A8 4.2 just a few weeks ago, and nice as it was, nothing gets round the horrible delay-lunge effect you get from the gearbox. You plant the boot, nothing happens, you wait, wait some more, then wham it finally takes off.

With a manual, the engine is mechanically connected to the wheels, theres no slush in the middle, and that completely changes the throttle response, and as a result it changes the confidence in the car. You see a gap and plant the boot to overtake something, you know that your going to get instantaneous response, instead of being sat on the wrong side of the road like a dead duck waiting for the torque converter to wind itself up.

They're suited to lazy cars with lazy drivers. Its not a performance transmission in any way, and that really detracts from an S model imo.

 

[Geeman]

But that's when the 'semi' part of the semi-auto 'box comes in to it's own. You manually change down (as you would do in a manual car!!!) and it's a hundred times more responsive that way... instead of waiting for the kick-down of the fully automatic side of the 'box.

When you're in a manual, you put yourself in the gear you want to be in before you plant your foot to overtake. You can do exactly the same thing with the semi-auto 'box.

It sounds like you didn't take full advantage of the 'box's capabilities...

 

[aragorn]

I wasnt driving

The owner just took me out for a run as its the same engine i'm fitting to my landrover, and the A8 weighs the same as the landrover does, so we thaught it'd be a nice comparison to the performance i should expect.

I guess a lot of the delay was probably the kickdown on the autobox, but i'm still not convinced

I like my third pedal!

The gears also felt far too long, i think it must be a 4speed auto? 2nd revved out to 80mph, which really dents performance. Maybe the later cars got a 5speed auto instead?

 

[Geeman]

I would have thought it was a 5-speed in an S8 - My '98 2.8 A8 was a 5-speed semi... otherwise there would have been no way I would have bought it.

You are right... a manual box would be MUCH better in an S8 though!

 

[slepy]

I have to agree with geeman. I had '97 2.8Q with tiptronic (5speed) and it was fun and like he said, when you go to manual change you have much better response.
On one side with 4.2 340/360bhp I wouldn't bother to play with manual gearbox, on the other side sports car should be always manual...
But is S8 really a sports car? Or just big luxury car with good power?
If you want thrill for the same money, get evo or scoobie.

 

[jcb]

I have a DSG equipped car, allegedly the VAG style F1 gearbox.
Even in semi auto as opposed to full auto the delay is horrific.
Changing down is fine but redline it and try to flick up a gear and ipauses for what seems like an eternity. (so slow that if you **** up and go up when you don;t want to you can actually flick down again and it won't have moved its that slow!!)

I also drove a new style A8 a couple of years ago with the steering mounted semi auto box, meant to be an improvement on the old one........it is not.

I have no idea why it takes an electrical pulse that long to travel 12"!
semi auto is more AUTO and less SEMI

 

[slepy]

Everyone should have a drive in a smart car with semi auto. This gearbox shows new meaning to word "delay"

 

[CraigG]

yes please: