For the Audi, probably around 5.5-6k. The Jag..I really want a 3.0D LWB Portfolio..but still upwards of 30k!

There's some really nice Jag XJRs around 2006 year with all the toys within your Audi budget... just saying... 

That shape jag does nothing for me. I want gadgets and gizmos..something the A8 has lots of.

Having followed this thread it has made me want one more and more but the time has never been right. I fancy a LWB one too..just because its huuuge!

Fair enough!

 

I must admit there is something about the A8 that is a bit more appealing that the Jag.

 

What about a diesel one?

 

Phil

If I was going diesel I'd have to have the 4.2 TDI. But that isn't cheap..the 4.2 petrol is cheap enough to have as a bit of a toy for a couple of days a week whilst allowing me to keep my current Ford for economy.

The 3.7 seems to be a rarer beast than the 4.2. Also the amount of different specs is mind boggling. Found a car I quite liked and ticks all the boxes except it has no BOSE stereo :(

Yes the 4.2 is a lovely engine. It had a nice v8 grumble to it. I imagine it has a huge amount of torque.

 

There's loads of 4.2s doing a quick ebay search.

 

Up to a year ago there was even a guy in York running a 4.2 with an LPG conversion on as a taxi. Nicest sounding taxi I've ever been in!

 

It also seems that the 3.7 and 4.2 are comparable in terms of fuel economy and co2 emissions.

 

Phil

I've just spotted a 2006 6.0 W12 with a lot of toys for 8k. That's a lot of car for not a lot of dollar!

Will find out about my promotion on Monday...then its test drive time me thinks!

The W12 is one heck of an engine, but very heavy on fuel.

Hey Mannyo. How's yours going? I'm still undecided on my way forward. My promotion has been signed off finally so I'm pretty much good to go. I'm sorely tempted by a D3 LWB. I just can't decide between a 4.2 TDI (rare and expensive with high miles, especially in LWB), a 4.2 V8 petrol (easier to find but still rare in LWB) or the W12 (found a few) or the 3.0 TDI.

I really fancy the W12..stupid MPG though but the money I would be saving on finance payments on the Jag I really want (or latest A8) would mean I could divert the money to the petrol.

Really dont know...I enjoy reading up on yours though!

Quick update time.

 

Car still running well, now covered 139K miles.

 

I am waiting for someone to get back to me with regards to replacing the intake manifold as mine has had stuck flaps since I bought it.

 

Also looking to retrofit AMI to the car (Audis MDI) so I can connect a USB powered HDD or memory stick with music on it, burning music CDs for use in the car  is becoming a little tedious.

 

Nothing else planned apart from usual maintenance tasks, next is MOT in July.

 

Oh and a drive around Northern France in late June.

Discovered the other day after rain that at least one sunroof drain is blocked. When I pulled away there was a sloshing sound of water and the back seat got decidedly wet.

So today I set about clearing the rear drains one side at a time. The rear drains are located behind the wheel arch liners, so each wheel had to be removed and various nuts and screws removed to get behind the arch liner. The drains were hard to locate at first because I did not really know what I was looking for and only had an Audi diagram to work from.

After locating and clearing the first one, got the arch liners sorted but the wheel would not go back on. Turns out the disk had rotated slightly on the hub, so the bolt holes no longer lined up with those in the disc. The rear discs do not have the locating screws, so chocked the wheels and released the handbrake, rotated the disc in relation to the hub and refitted the wheel.

Repeat on the other side, then have the same issue with the brake disc and hub.

 

The attached picture shows the sunroof drain, with the air suspension strut to the side.
 

Still got the front drains to do, but these can be done from the roof itself by sending compressed air down the drain tube and blowing the rubbish out the end.

Just been watching a walkaround of one of these on youtube, small thing but I liked the soft close door feature that it has, just seemed a really nice little touch.

Been busy this evening completing a retrofit of the Audi AMI system which is the Audi equivalent of the Skoda MDI system. The difference with the A8 is that its all fibre optics, so you need to install a power splitter and also modify the existing fibre cable to daisy chain the MDI after the CD Changer.

 

Couple of pictures below showing the unit installed, along with how it functions.

 

Also just got insurance renewal through, £197 for the next 12 months including business use.

After just completing the annual holiday, this time in France. The Audi covered 2000 miles over a 2 week period with no problems to report at all.

 

Today she goes in for the annual MOT, so keeping fingers crossed. Can't think of anything that will cause it to fail, so in theory at least all should be good.

After just completing the annual holiday, this time in France. The Audi covered 2000 miles over a 2 week period with no problems to report at all.

 

Today she goes in for the annual MOT, so keeping fingers crossed. Can't think of anything that will cause it to fail, so in theory at least all should be good.

Good luck with the MOT. What a way to travel country to country! 

Well the Audi passed the MOT on the second go, first time it failed because the headlight washers were inoperative. Quick repair was carried out as it was just a pipe had come off, and now we have a full MOT with no advisories.

 

Mileage is now just short of 145K miles, and still going well.

 

Pictures below are from the trip to France, one shows the highest temperature I've yet to see on the dashboard display, whilst driving between Cherborg and St. Lo.

Glad to see it passed the second time round [emoji106]

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk

How's it going? I'm still very much in love with the A8 and wish I had gone for one instead of my Optima. The Optima is great, but kia appear to have forgotten to put an engine in it :(

I just need a kind dealer to give me a sensible figure for it so I can change it for one of these.

Still going well, last weekend I was up in your neck of the woods. In fact even today I was at the Springfield Outlet shopping centre on my way to Boston. Someone decided to have a crash which resulted in the A16 being closed all day.

 

I've done a lot of miles over the last few weeks and they have all been faultless. Dorset to Stevenage and then from there trips to Great Yarmouth, Boston Lincs, Wembley Ikea, Southend on Sea. I was passenger in my sisters car today as I was picking up a car to drive back to Stevenage.

I work in Boston. The A16 (&17) are shocking for crashes. Glad the A8 is going well.

Hi again, I've spotted a 2004 A8 and looking at the mmi panel I can see it has Radio, CD/TV buttons, Phone and a NET button...what is this as I've not seen it on any others I don't think?

The NET button means the car is an early 2004, in late 2004 it changed to Name and functions as the address book for phone and Satnav. Mine has the Name button, so I've looked in the MMI handbook and for the NET button it simply states "Under Development" so not sure if it functions the same as the Name button or not.

 

The NET button seems to have been short lived before becoming "Name"

Thanks. I did Google it but there was no reference haha.

Wish these manufacturers would develop a system and at least keep it the same through a modem year! So many different specs and variations!

Hi again! Is there an active a8 owners forum anywhere? I've been to look at one today and have some questions...don't want to clog up your project thread!

Chris,

Have you had a look on here?

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/index.php