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Audi A8
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The rings, which were formed under a 4 company deal as Audi traded hands quite frequently(even spent some time with Daimler-Benz), has a significant meaning.
August Horch, the founder of the company in 1899, had to eventually over time find new partners in the fledgling brand. Over time, DKW and Wanderer signed on to help Horch out until 1930 when he was ousted from the company that he handedly started. Then time pressed foward through the turbulent WWII era, which by then founder Horch was forced to withdraw using his family name on his own venture. So he tuned to the latin meaning of his name, viola: Audi. The very people that chopped him, he ended up helping. The 3 companies formed Auto Union. And that is where the interlocking rings come from, the bonding of each company until which they were forced to sell to VW. But the company didn't retract the companies unique moniker.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
On June 29th 1932, four carmakers based in the German state of Saxony merged. Audiwerke, DKW, Horch and Wanderer all joined to become Auto Union AG. This new company would have its head offices in Chemnitz, Germany as of 1936 and would be able to serve the entire spectrum of market segments. The symbol for this company was four interlocking rings – one to represent each company
...stolen with reverence from: http://www.scripophily.net/auunakare19.html
We varied our routine this trip, and pulled off in a really nice rest stop thirty miles south of Jacksonville...Got our Cuban bread with fixings (really crumbly crust) and hard boiled eggs and pretended it was fifty years ago...The picnic table was way off the highway, so it was fun....Still a long day... Gas was two dollars seventy cents Tony
Many thanks for your info about the origins of the Audi marque. I knew that I could count on you! I'm glad that there is still good enthusiasm abt the Audi on this msg board: since I follow the chatter on the HELM board as well, all the chatter there at present seems to be about Lexus vs BMW or M-B, and Audi seems to get lost in the shuffle. I was beginning to think that I may have made a mistake!
But, I don't believe so. I am trying to be patient until my A8L arrives, sometime in Dec.
shrinkrap
BTW: Hydro-planning can happen with or without the cruise set as witnessed by me on a 100mph sweeper coming from the LI Sound one Sunday, but Quattro won't let it break loose, along with the anti-skid/roll over midigation.
Tony and everyone else, the S8 will port on Sept 30 and will spend two days at the dealer for prep. The S600 arrives Oct 15 already to go.
BK
I can understand your dilemma exactly. Let me put your mind to rest. I am someone who drove a BMW 540i for awhile, and am currently at the end of a lease on a MB S430, which I love. My reason for turning it in is to get AWD, and, for me, it was a decision betw the Audi A8L and the S550 4MATIC. That was a hard decision, and although there ARE features of the MB which I prefer, my decision was made up in favor of the Audi.
I think that if you can decide on the car you want, you should move forward, regardless. Doing your homework, test drives, etc, is the hard part. Once that is behind you, you should think outside of the box. I am doing my negotiations for the Audi w/ a wonderful woman who is a buyer's representative, whom I used to acquire the MB. She will get the best pricing and financing arrangements via her contacts with dealers all over the country. If it is convenient to get the car from a dealer near you, she'll do so; if she can get a better price elsewhere, she'll do that and get it shipped to you. My Audi is priced at $1000 over invoice - and that is for a factory order car -, which is pretty good (and much better than the average person could do).
Bottom line: don't worry about the source of the car, the local dealership, etc. Think more globally. As for the particulars: I'm not sure whether I can give here the name of the car-buying co. that I'm using, although it IS public information, and I got the name from the CR Car Buying Guide 5 yrs ago when getting the MB. (Maybe the board monitor can inform me whether or not I can release that info...) When choice of a vehicle is hard enough, there doesn't have to be any other impediment standing in your way.
I hope that that is helpful and reassuring! Best of luck.
shrinkrap
Thank you BK
All in all, I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
I'd be interested to know how long the order of your car took. I am estimating that I have another 3 months to wait (it's a sold order). I lose my S430 in 3 days (lease-end), and that will leave me w/ the SL500...I am praying for NO snow for the next 3 months!
shrinkrap
If you're anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line, fat chance. Just remember to keep that ESP on at all times in that rear wheel slip happy SL when it snows, maybe even when it rains.
BTW, the order for the S8 is taking about 5 months. I plaved the order mid April and it is arriving as promised the first days(not week) of October.
The power from the newly direct-injected Audi 4.2L is more than enough. With 350hp on tap, the car moves to 60 in less than 5.8secs, plenty fast for our stop and go world.
The main reason were going for the S8 is to fill the void left buy the CLS 55 when we sold it the first of this year. The S600 will more than suit my needs and fill the void left by my beloved W12. I must really love my daughter....
Went to a classic car show and was impressed with the rich colors that were used long ago...One thing of note was even the black cars that had yellow wheels were outstanding...In fact many of the old classics had yellow painted spoke wheels and all loooked great...Tony
On your Nav screen, that's a pretty interesting thing. Are the noises consistant? I rarely used the Nav in the W12 as I don't venture to many places I'm not familiar with.
On another note, I will have the S8 tomorrow. This will be a day of absolute enjoyment.
With my interest whetted, I checked out various forums on Edmunds. Everone of you seem to love these 80K ubersedans. But a quick look prices of used A8's tells me that all is not right in the Audi world. It looks to me that a used A8 with a new MSRP of at least 10-15K more than a Jaguar XJ has roughly the same resale value as the (unfairly) dreaded Jaguar. What gives with this? Maybe the only A8 to buy is an '04 in the mid-40's? Blkhemi is a savvy guy. I'd love to hear some justification for this apparently lousy resale. Just look at Cars.com for further info.
(As a side note, a local Bentley dealer says that even the Flying Spur isn't comparable to the A8L W. He says that the Bentley while AWD does not have quattro and he prefers the A8 for this and other reasons.)
Then there is the Audi name, admittedly by me, not quite as catchy in the US as in the rest of the world(please omit the Europe and Far/East doesn't count rhetoric, people).
Then of course the A8. It's just not as desired as frequent as the vaunted LS or S-Class.
But conversely, the S and RS model Audi's far outpace a comparable M and AMG ride(in terms of resale value, and in many aspects, performance) because of the absolute unattainablility and scarcity. Even Audi admits to keeping the model low in production to boost the value of the rides.
Such a shame that, in this country, a car company that's so careful in it's designs as Audi can't quite make the big car catch on. Most of the problem is relished on the A8 as the A6 4.2 currently resales for more than a GS430, M45, and RL, cars that are all it's Japanese competition. And it's on par with the class leader E500(the E550 data is N/A as it is a new model). Folks, this car is not the best selling luxury car in the world for nothing. And the A4 is one of the standouts in the class, particularly since it offers more variants than any other car in it's class. And with the latest round of inquiries about the interest of the car, Audi has no choice but to make sure they get this one right, also the A3.
As to the Bentley, that car doesn't have quattro. And at almost 6k pounds and a $180k base price(try finding one at this price), one would think that they'd drop the hammer and install the real deal and not an Volvo-based Haldex system.
The car also doesn't offer more in terms of useable features over a comparible W12 other than the even more supple interior and it's vaunted claim of a "195mph top speed". I think my W12's 155mph was illegal enough in this country.
I certainly prefer the styling of the A8 over the high-roof long body FS.
And the Bentley almost became my car to have, until I connected with the S600. WOW!! MBZ did not leave ANYTHING untouched in this car. Trust me, I had a week to look over the owner's S600 of our MB dealer. The Bentley just did not warrant enough features and useablility over the $50k less, faster, sleeker, sexier 2007 Mercedes-Benz S600. Folks, for the 4-door super-lux sedans, the S600 and W12's are the best in the league by country mile.
As a side point, can you give us the run down on why Quatto is superior to the Haldex system?
About quattro, this is the best going AWD system on any passenger car on the road today(excluding SUV's super-capable 4WD). For one, the system can detect, evaluate, and adjust wheelslip to any one wheel(not having to wait axle-spin, which splits the difference between accident, and no accident), TRANSPARENTLY! No other AWD system does this. Secondly, the hardware thats baked into the systems are basically bulletproof. And that's why you don't hear of any Audi's with AWD problems, from the smallest(TT Quattro), to the outright largest W12..
What do you notice as different between the W12 vs S8....I would imagine a bit more tossable,,,Tony
While the W12 is the absolute standard in ride/handling balance, the S8 is the reigning king of sport/comfort. Even on New York's urbine streets, the car still doesn't let ruts and bumps filter through the cabin, just like a regular A8, despite the ultra low 35 series summer rubber. I chose the Ghost Grey(6 layers of paint with 2 clearcoat- $2k paint option well worth it) with the matching interior with the all-suede ceiling and seat inserts and leather dash and door panels.
The interior of this car is a study of magical assembly and craftsmanship, as with all A8's. I ordered the Euro market-only flat-bottomed steering wheel to free up even more legroom. \
And the burble that exits quad exhaust upon start-up is elecrifying(think Ferrari snap, crackle , and pop, but more subdued like a Porsche flat-6) is worth the $115k check itself.
I hate to give up my Range Rover Sport Supercharged. I may have gotten used to sitting up high. :confuse:
As to your paint chip issue, yes the Germans paint come in wonderful colors, but it comes with a cost of being very vulnerable to everyday things in the atmosphere that lesser quality paint takes in stride.
For the chip problem, the last time I experienced it was with my '01 S500. That car would flake if a fly hit it hard enough. But with the previous S65 and 760iL, those cars stood up very well to the harsh environment, due certainly to the extra cost of the paints that I chose for these cars.
On to the W12, it was the same thing. Audi has a special option paint called Absolut Blaque, in which I purchased as it is ccated 6 TIMES with 3 clearcoat. They say the paint is so good, you won't have to ever wax it. I haven't, and it still gleams as the day I bought it.
3M makes a clear adhesive that applies to the nose of the car that is very transparent and will not harm the finish of the paint and is removable. I've put this great product on the nose of my '06 Accord and Jeep SRT as those are primary run-about vehicles and with this NY winter approaching, salt trucks rumbling, snow drifts abound, it's a no-brainer for me.
Also, whenever I do drive the Audi or Vette in the winter time, no matter what, if the sky looks gray, I always put the nose bra on, which I purchased through the Audi dealer as the aftermarket ones are either non-existant or ill-fitting, The bra from Audi was about 200 bucks, but well worth it.
Hopefully, you'll be able to enjoy that S8 rush that I've been grinning about for the last 6 days. The wife is non-too-happy as the S600 is not here yet, but it is on schedule.
Tony P, looks like I'll be heading down I-95 anyway, as my brother is ever-persistant on me joining him on his first ride on the new yacht in the Keys. I'll honk at you when I drive by in the S8 in NC.
I hope you have chance to drive one, but here in LA it would be next to impossible unless an owner of one lets you as all have been presold at this time.
Good luck
I have the 3M shield on a BMW that I own, it has worked OK but I still have received some chips above the shield on the hood. As you stated I just think that chipping paint is one of the trade offs for these cars although I will special order the paint that you mentioned when I get my S8 next year.
Did you get the full leather? I would love to know if it is worth it. It is only a $2500 option on a Porsche but I believe it is $4500 on an Audi.
And yes the W12's are not with peer, but I enjoyed the A8 so much that sometimes I feel that the W12 is a little overkill. And for pound-for-pound, no car in it's class offers as many standard features and better value over Audi, particularly quattro and a host of safety equipment.
But now with the S8, it's entirely different ball game. This car is the sleeper in the super-sedan arena. I snuck up on an unsuspecting 911 today, and to his surprise, he got taken over by a 4600 pound 4 door Audi, he saw the word"V10" and the letter "S", and decided to stand back.
It's always good to hear that Audi has gotten over the '04 woes with the A8, as witnessed by you having 11k trouble-free miles. Tony P has a minor issue with his nav, and I think Eric and Reality are enjoying their's without stress, so all is well...
All of those who have posted msg's lately have spoken in glowing terms about the Audi A8L and its close relatives. This makes me feel comfortable, since this will be my 1st Audi product. Would it be too much to ask whether those of you who have words of wisdom to share would be willing to complete the satisfaction questionnaire in Edmunds.com, so that others might read what you experts have to say about your cars? I believe there are 2 such surveys there already.
One last idea. I was smiling when reading what a recent posting had to say about the seats. I opted to order the full leather upgrade and Alcantara headliner, and I did so in the grey/platinum combo. I can't wait to see that! Since then, I have acquired a wonderful windowpane cashmere throw for the back seat, in grey/platinum. I am now trying to convince my tailor to create the Colleczione Audi of suits and sports clothes in various fabrics of the same hues. Oh, those men and their toys!
shrinkrap
The fitted rubber mat product from Audi seems a bit utilitarian and still does not cover the rear hump or sides up front.
If anyone hasn't received the letter yet, you may want to call your dealer.
My friend, that can be said about any car in this class.
But since squeezed 120k miles out of it before it went kaput, that's a testament in it's self.
4k seems about right for a transmission shop. Is this a new tranny? I say this as Audi wants about $7k to fix. Also have them check the quattro transfer case FIRST, as sometimes on the older A8's, the transfer case can fail and it may seem that it's the transmission instead.
How's the quality of the car? Are all of the electrical systems working properly? I ask this as you may be pouring money into a dead horse, many you may end up spending more than just on the tranny if after 120k miles there are other problems.
If there are other probs, sell it immediately and get a pre-owned '05 with the CPO 100k mile warranty.
And since this is a first model year for the new A8, I'd stray away from the '04's, and this is why I waited to buy an '06, altho the '05's have proven to be just as good.
There are pleanty of CPO '05's to go around. I'd definetely look into it if the '98 is getting a little hard to keep up..