C-Mart

:dumb: right back at you. I'll dd a manual car if it's sporty, but I could care less if its a <300hp anything. I look forward to selling this in 2 years for what I bought it for. I could have bought an E60 M5, but would rather invest my money while I'm young so I can buy real cars later in life.

Well I ended up changing my mind on the A8. I missed out on a great example, and couldn't find anything to stack up against it. I ended up getting a 2008 528i. I kept getting tempted by 535/550s, but kept reminding myself I wanted something better on gas and that the E30 was for going fast. Nothing special. Going to fix some electrical gremlins, do some appearance stuff and enjoy 30mpg. Ohh, and the experience of buying a used middle of the road BMW is not one I will be repeating. So many sketch people that lie about vehicle history records and condition. If I did it over I would pay a few thousand more and go to a dealership.

I am guessing they are 'new to him'.

I didn't mind the V legroom. I sold the V because of the rear end design flaw that was only solved by a $4000 fix. The B6 and B7 have the same motor. The B8 got the new motor and is more than I want to spend. I like the option of the stick in the B7 S4, but I love the interior and space in the A8. I did see a E90 4 door M3 the other day that turned my head, but I have heard horror stories about that V8.

SOLD

That is no doubt a clean car, but I have seen the facelift care (06-07) go for around that price with the same miles. At that point I would rather spend the extra cash to have the newer looking car, a few extra options, and for resale. I missed out on a 1 owner 05 with 95k miles for 8500 local to me because I as out of town. Still kicking myself for that one, but trying to be patient. Because of this thread I have opened my search to B7 S4s as well and am starting to look at some of the mid/late 2000s 7 series, but for some reason I have the perception they are higher maintenance than the A8

Any difference in the B7?

Also, I so badly want a V10 S6, but that is one of the few cars that the repair bill scares the hell out of me.

Shmaa - B7 A4s are in my budget. I just don't know if I like the interior enough compared to the A8. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-Audi-S4-Sedan-4-Door-4-2L-V8-6MT-Sprint-Blue-Low-Mile-One-Owner-CA-Car-/191545033523?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2c98f94333&item=191545033523&nma=true&si=do%252Fd%252BzwhooJ73uxPXYuzKXdxf%252Bo%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 They can be hand for cheap and with probably half of the miles I would be comparing the A8 to. Mr Gump - I believe it is the presence I like as well. If I went the B7 S4 route could I really expect 20 MPG? 335 would be fun. They seem a little small to me. And knowing myself I would start by JB4ing and it would all go downhill from there.

They are listed at 17/24. Most people average 20 in them.

I have always liked M45s as well, but really need AWD. As far as something older I drive clients around weekly at least so I need it to be newer. Don't need it to be crazy rare, just not something so common I see 4 of on the way to work every morning.

Also worth noting the RR and Cayenne intrigued me because that could replace my dd and truck if I bought a trailer to go along with it. That would likely raise how much I am willing to spend.

Yes, I have done research on the A8/A8Ls that I mentioned. Spoke with an friend who is an Audi mechanic and he gave me the thumbs up that they are good cars. I couldn't think of anything other than that so I wanted to see if anyone had other ideas I could vet/stack up against the A8. Also, about the older A8s going for 2500 you are 100% correct. The interiors and body lines on those are garbage. The ones I mentioned actually are winning the test of time in my opinion.

I am not looking for fast and fun. I am looking for something you don't see everyday. I refuse to drive an accord, jetta, altima, etc. The British things actually intrigues me. I've always loved RR sports, but I doubt they get 20 MPG. It would be funny having two totally different cars with the same motor though (that and my E30). I guess this is why I keep coming back to the A8. I just don't think you can beat it for $9000.

Ebay, Craigslist, forums. Ended up selling from Craigslist. I had a lot of national interest from Ebay, mostly from the south where its already warm. It is still pretty cold in Wisconsin so that limited the number of people looking for a fun car.

My BMW will be faster than my CTS-V, which is part of the reason I am selling it. Also worth noting I am not looking to get killed when I sell it in 2-3 years and put 30-50k on it. That is why I was leaning towards that old german stuff. 90% of the depreciation is out of the way.

I can do almost anything mechanical so I am not scared of that. I have not looked at British because even though I can do electrical, I do not like to.

My CTS-V should be sold tomorrow. I didn't hate it, but I was not as impressed as most are with the car. It was quicker than most, but not fast and honestly the wheel hop did me in. I want to pick up something in the 10-15k range. Must haves 4 doors, AWD, <80k miles and get 20+ MPG. I am currently looking at 04/05 & 06/07 A8s. The 04/05 can be found for $9000 which is a ridiculous value in my opinion. The 06/07 have the facelift front ends and are in the 16,000 range. I don't think its worth $7000 to have a different bumper so I am leaning towards the 04/05. My question is what else is out there that has dropped like crazy in price? I like the A8 because that 4.2 is in everything. I know Cayannes have dropped like crazy and I should probably look into those as well. I can swing 25 if I need to, but it will be hard to justify since A8s are so cheap.

This is why I no longer own a motorcycle.

I picked this up last summer. Has high miles (215k), but it has been incredibly reliable and fits your bill pretty well. You can definitely find a lower mileage 5.4 for under 6k. Worth noting, it didn't look quite like this when I bought it, but I have less than $200 into it to get it as is.

There is a lot of CTS-V love on this forum so I figured I would post it. Located in Milwaukee, WI. http://www.ebay.com/itm/191542012675?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

CS + 8.8 is the only way to go to get rid of the problem for sure. Other than that it depends on driving style, power, and luck. I have heard of people installing H&R springs and it gets rid of the problem. I have heard of people doing full BMR kit + full bushings and its still there. I am in the same boat as you and not wanting to drop $4,000 to get rid of a problem that shouldn't be there to start with. My car will actually be up for sale within a month. Partly because of constantly worrying about my diff and with my E30 project almost finished no point in having two similarly powered cars. I do have the BMR kit if you are interested that I never installed. And the H&R + MM kit.

There is great aftermarket support for LS swapped anything anymore. I would say the M62 swap is harder because of the wiring and lack of information out there compared to the LS. LS is a better swap, but I am very happy with the route I chose at this point.

Manifold is sold. I still have the ported LS2 throttle body and the ls6 fuel rail/injectors/pressure gauge setup.

Progress. Like any project though a lot of one step forward two steps back.