Although I don't need another car, a family friend is selling their 05 Audi A8 and is asking a price that is a little too tempting. The car does have higher miles, but has always been extremely well cared for. It could pass for having half the miles it has. I know these things are loaded with electronics, so that could be an issues. I have read about the air suspension failing on some as well. If anyone has any experience with the A8 please chime in.

 

I've heard mainly about the air suspension and on older models the trasmision. probably not true for the generation yourre talking about, but i figured i would mention them. I always wanted to get one, but the amount of people who always told me to avoid them like a plague vs those who told me to get one always got me worried. Same reason im afraid to get an older s500 or 745i. A lot of cars for not a lot of money, but theres a reason for that

 

With any newer Audi that's out of warranty, especially if it has a lot of miles on it, will require more work than it's worth. I don't care how well maintained it was.

 

It's really hit or miss with the older Audis. Sometimes they'll last you a while, and sometimes you'll have a few $$ repairs. We have an 05 A8L here at the garage. I spoke to the dude a few times, only problem he ever had was the Parking brake sensor acted up 2x. The car has 154k on it.

 

Doing a quick Google search....

But yeah the older Audi's are pretty much hit or miss. I have a buddy with over 100k miles on his Audi (06 I believe?) and he hasn't had major issues with it. But then there are others that swear they are the most unreliable cars ever when they get up closer to 100k miles. So it looks like it's pretty much luck of the draw when buying a used Audi. If its well maintained, you'll probably run into less problems.

 

I can almost garantee you a lot of maintenance bills for this car. A quick look at any 2005 Audi at Consumer Reports is enough to scare anyone away. For several decades, German cars are almost never a good idea to hold onto after the warranty ends.
If you cannot resist the stately and elegant lines of the A8 (it's a beauty), be sure to be good friends with an Audi mechanic who will discount the repairs as a gesture of kindness.

 

+1

I think the A8 is a sweet looking car and I've always liked it... but no matter how good a deal it is I'd steer clear. The only way to go is to own it with original warranty and then get rid of it. That doesn't necessarily gaurantee it won't be in the shop - it only insures you won't have to pay for it

Unfortunately, just because the original owner stuck to the maintenance schedule doesn't mean it'll be exempt from other problems.

 

we have an 05 A8L. my wife drives it everyday. the motorized trunk is becoming weak. somedays it doesnt open without help. everything else is solid. it drinks gasoline like a heavy suv.

i can recommend an indy audi mechanic out of long beach. it seems that a lot of people in this thread don't realize there is such a thing as independent european car mechanics. if you do your homework, the repair price is close to equal as ls460

 

R8 > A8.

 

Old high mileage Audi = Scary repairs. every friend I have ever had who drove an Audi swore they would never return to the brand again.