Depreciated Barge: 2012 Audi A8L
Let’s pretend for a minute that you (yes, you) aren’t a bot reading DailyTurismo searching for a way to insert some spam links, and let’s instead pretend you a fresh college graduate living in Houston. You’ve finally gotten a decent promotion and now you need car that is an upgrade from your Mom’s ancient hand-me-down Saturn you’ve been driving for the past 5 years, so you head to your local Toyohondaistubishi dealer with $20k in your pocket. What can you get? Uggg. Some nasty looking econoboxes with CVT transmission and all the soul of a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen made for TV movie and all the character for a Walmart t-shirt. Disillusioned, you head out onto Auto Mall Blvd with your head low, but then you spy a big black beauty at in the back of a BMW dealer lot…could that long wheelbase luxury sedan really cost less than a medium spec Accord? Find this 2012 Audi A8L offered for $21,591 in Houston, TX via cars.com. Tip from Jeff.
From the seller;
Basics
Fuel Type: Gasoline
Exterior Color: Silver
Interior Color: Black
Stock: CN027610
Drivetrain: AWD
Transmission: Automatic
Engine: Gas V8 4.2L/254
VIN: WAURVAFDXCN027610
Mileage: 63,993
Sun/Moonroof
Leather Seats
Navigation System
Keyless Start
Bluetooth Connection
All Wheel Drive
See another car were you can socially distance with 4 people in comfort? tips@dailyturismo.com
The ad says silver over black, but the photos say black over tan. If it could also be the older S8 that had a stick, that would be great, mmmm-k?
So, he just plunked his 20 large down, what’s the over under till a bill comes due that he cannot afford? It’s got 63K now. I would say 20,000 miles at the most and he will have his first 4,000 bill due.
Exactly.
Or… you could spend a mere 25-30% of that asking price and get yourself the same year VW Passat that looks very similar but arguably better and likely impress the same amount of people. You’ll avoid this ticking timebomb and have plenty of $ left over to do some performance and wheel/tire upgrades. I know it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but… is it really?
Did they still make the Phaeton for North America in 2012? That’d be more like it…oh…same maintenance cost issues, but you don’t get a loaner car from VW dealer (versus the Audi dealer where they treat you like you’ve paid 20% more for the same thing).
Phaeton is an apples to apples comparison. “Which way would you rather die, by being shot or stabbed?” Doesn’t really make a difference. Same ending.
The Passat saves you money and headaches. You could de-badge (or rebadge) it and fool most people into believing it’s an Audi.
If you’re basing your automotive purchases on whether a dealer treats you to a loaner car, you need to get your head examined or start a new blog about yachts… or both. 😉
When you take your Audi to the dealer for service, do you also give them a blank check and instructions to charge you “whatever seems fair”?
They treat you like you paid 20% more… when you actually paid 100% more. Still feeling special?
(Just busting your balls, buddy.)
Was thinking the same thing. “Dealer service” means the dealer is getting serviced.
I’ve bought exactly 2 new cars ever. A bottom-of-the-line Ford Ranger in 1987 that never needed anything I couldn’t fix myself, and a 2010 Toyota Sienna. The van came with “free” service during the warranty, which was a hassle to schedule but otherwise fine. When the tires were bald by 15,000 miles and the dealer wanted $1200, I laughed in their face and never went back.
These days I don’t fix much of anything myself. My local mechanic sells a few cars and always gives me a loaner. A VW Polo or Fiat Punto, mind, and I barely fit, but it’s still much appreciated. But that’s here in the old world.
Mega — you are 100% correct. I do need a yacht blog!!
I went with the Dieselgate Passat option – managed to nab one with only 62,000 miles. Unfortunately it was a lot more than 30% of the price, but probably only 30% of the power to weight ratio. Still, it’s pretty comfy and I’m hoping it will have a lot lower running cost.
Well, you COULD drop $20K on this hideous bundle of deferred maintenance, but you went to college and so lease a new 3-series instead. Or, if really smart, get a Mazda 3 or Civic. They say kids don’t care much about cars anymore, I don’t know if that’s true or not.
These things are the automotive equivalent of the Sirens in Homer’s Odyssey. They call to you with their classically beautiful interiors, their rewarding handling dynamics that belie their size, and their revered Teutonic style. You surrender, and all seems well at first. But soon, your maintenance and repair bills empty your accounts, you miss a few mortgage payments, your wife and kids disappear one day, and the next thing you know, you are living in the car, in an empty lot not far from your mechanics shop, where you pushed it when you no longer could afford his services, wondering how all this happened to you. Don’t do it.
I like a siren with rewarding handling dynamics.
Oh. Expensive maintenance AND handling? Mr Fancy pants over here must be a Porsche fan.
Full disclosure — I am a Porsche fan and have been trying to talk myself into a 996 for a while now.
The used car departments of higher-end OEM dealers like this will generally offer fairly reputable third-party warranty options as part of the sales process and roll it into the purchase price for you; this car is the correct use case for checking that box, handing over an extra $2,500, and enjoying the peace of mind.
Good point. I did just that with a used Q7 from a dealer a couple of years back. It promptly had a string of expensive problems, including air suspension and electrical stuff. Aside from spending a lot of time in their tiny loaner cars, we came out way ahead on that transaction. Still and all, I don’t think I would do it again and will reach for simpler, less expensive cars going forward. Once the Q7’s warranty ran out, it felt completely different, very exposed.