These are great cars (I own 2 myself) but require careful buying and maintenance. If you are a DIY'r the A8's are a good buy considering all of the pluses - AWD, aluminum, great fit and finish, loaded even in base form, extremely comfortable, very fast.

... not like buying or owning an Accord though. The A8's have some very predictable issues that will need attention. 2000 and up are better years than 97-99 which are plagued with transmission issues (although that have been some on the 2000+). Pay special attention to the transmission when test driving.

Front control arms and tie rod ends will need to be done at around 90k if original. $2,000 at the dealer, about $600 in parts if you can do it yourself.

Timing belt/water pump should be done between 80-100k. Brakes are ok and easy to change. Rear calipers are prone to seizing up. If the emergency brake sticks that's probably why.

If the instrument cluster has faded or missing pixels on the clock or odo, this is a $1,000 plus repair. Some do this when cold, others when warm. Don't let the seller convince you it's "repairable", it's not.

Strongly recommend visiting audipages.com for more buyers and maintenance information and the A8 forum on audiworld.com as well.

This is my first foreign car. The interior is roomy with plenty of leg room. All the electronics in the car are well integrated. 2005 model comes with a Glove box CD changer which doesn't play MP3. If you swap it with new CD changer then you may need a MMI software upgrade.
I installed Dension Gateway 500 ipod interface, which works well. This is based on MOST (fibrooptic system). I am goint to also retrofit a bckup camera system.

An Audi W12 just makes you feel good all over. I have always liked cars and have always owned nice ones. I never, in my wildest, though I'd own a car like this.

I've owned a number of Audi cars over the years, and the A8 is without a doubt the best. Ride very good, the 4.2 is strong, and the handling is beyond compare. I do believe this car is one of the best in snow and weather. One thing I do not like, is the cost of just a regular tune up, and upkeep. This car is expensive to work on, and you can't lift the hood without serious cash out of hand. Yet, the quality is good, so if you are lucky to have a good one, you might not experience repairs .... like me.

I have owned several Audis. I had the 5000 model, two A8s from 98-01, two V8 Quattros.
This is by far the best and covers several of the foibles of earlier models.
While the previous iteration A8 to 02 was quite good in many ways, it felt a bit soulless.
The 05 has amazing qualities all around that make this a true winner. Handling is best, especially with the larger rims and low profile tires. It is pure fun paddle shifting at highway speeds and the car feels like it was carved out of a block of steel. Very solid and dependable. Brakes are great. Tire noise a bit annoying but worth it in handling.
Interior beats most if not all in its class. Gadgetry is fun and most functions can be mastered without going through a manual.
Steering feels like a Porsche! Tight, not over powered.
The car looks chic inside and out. Makes you feel special.
All around a great package at a super deal used.
Buy one now.
John Henry
www.dreamhomedesignusa.com

Overall and excellent buy for the money. As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for". Although a bit on the expensive side this luxury sedan offers everything. Superior comfort and control. Suprisingly high fuel mileage (22-28mpg)and a feeling of knowing you are firmly attached to the road. I would buy another like this no doubt.

handles the road like a dream, moves like a sports car, and all the quality and amenities of a Mercedes S class. audi makes a beautiful car. i'm happy with this 2000 but i'll upgrade to the 2008 in year or so.

On my second big black Audi A8 now.

Great for thumping along freeways, and pretty good on twisty roads for such a big heavy car. The usual Audi understeer with the large engine hanging way out over the front, but still with great ability to go where you point it. Definitely up there with BMW 7 series and better than Benz, American or Japanese limos of the same era.

The best four wheel drive system that money can buy is excellent in snow with proper snow tyres. If you ski or board I recommend this car.

Interior and exterior is understated, classy and functional, without the pretentiousness of the other two big German luxury barge manufcturers, or the plastic chrome acreage of American offerings. Good if you prefer subtlety.

Things that go wrong are few, but anything that does is going to be ludicrously expensive given what these cars are now worth. Aluminium panels are light and don't rust, but give body shop guys an extra headache on top of the one they already have from the fumes they've been sniffing for years.

The biggest problems stem from the transmission. Some German genius at Porsche thought their transmission was so good that the fluid would never need changing or checking, so there is no dipstick or method of topping up the reservoir without getting the car on a hoist.

At the first sign of the trans clunking or going into it's limp mode, the pan needs to be pulled off and the filter and fluid changed. If this is not fixed quickly an expensively dead transmission results. Possible causes of the problem are a blocked filter or the output shaft seal leaking at the back.

Other than that these things are a tank. Massively strong suspension and a space frame chassis with one of the best engines made. They just seem to keep going. Made to do 100mph on the autobahn without any fuss at all. I've never driven a car that feels so planted on the road.

Tires I recommend are Dunlop wintersport M3s for great all round wet, dry or frozen roads, and in summer, Continental sport contact 2s on 19" rims.

BMW 745,MERCEDES S500,55,63 ETC NOT TO MENTION ALL THE AMERICAN CAR LINE AND OF COURSE (LEXUS) HAVE NOTHING TO COMPARE TO THIS CAR. IT IS THE ONLY GERMAN CAR BUILD IN GERMANY,WITH GERMAN PARTS BY GERMANS ( HELLOWW )!!!! DO I NEED SAY MORE? IF AUDI A8 HAD A STAR ON THE HOOD IT WOULD BE WORTH $160.000 PLUS. ALSO ... DID YOU KNOW THAT BENTLEY GT,FOUR DOORS ETC ARE JUST AUDI'S WITH BENTLEY BADGES AND LOTS OF MORE LEATHER AND WOOD., DO YOU THINK THAT B E N T L E Y WOULD OF CHOSEN A CRAPPY MANUFACTURE TO MAKE THEYR NEW VEHYCLE LINE WICH BY THE WAY SAEL FOR AN AVERAGE OF $140000 ?? GUYS DONT BE AFFRAID OF THE BAD REPUTATION THAT AUDI HAD IN THE 80'S OR EVEN 90'S, I CAN TELL YOU SOME REALLY SCARRY STORIES ABOUT BMW AND BENZ ,FACT IS ALL CARS BRAKE DOWN AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER BUT IS ALL ENTIRELY UP TO YOU TO BUY THE REAL DEAL AT A GOOD DEAL.

Love the A8 for its power and acceleration with 330 hp, quattro is very intelligent and stable. Ultra smooth ride. Unfortunately, the Onstar system will soon need to be upgraded to digital.