While over 2.5 decades old now, this 1999 Audi A8 4WD luxury sedan is a nice compromise for folks who are overwhelmingly tired of the level of electronics and other media screens, WiFi nannies, and other often-glitchy stuff in modern vehicles. It can be found posted here on craigslist in Seattle, Washington, and the seller is asking $9,770. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Curvette for the tip!
The seller’s photos were tiny, so my apologies for the pixelated look of these images. Owning a 27-year-old Audi A8 Quattro came with all of whatever was considered top-of-the-line luxury and technology in 1999, a year that brought us NASA’s Mars Polar Lander launch, W. Jefferson Clinton’s impeachment trial, the debut of SpongeBob SquarePants, and speaking of overwhelming technology glitches, whether preceived or real, the Y2K kerfuffle that ended up being as vanilla as this car’s white paint.
Audi offered the top-notch first-generation A8 from 1994 for the 1995 model year until the end of 2002. We got them here in the U.S. from ’97 through 2002. They only came in a four-door sedan body style (either short or long), but I wondered what a two-door sedan might have looked like… That one is pretty quick and sloppy, but I like the look. Audi actually made a concept coupe in 1997, but it never made it to production.
There’s no manual here, but a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed manual are listed on Wiki, but they were for early cars and primarily for Europe. We don’t get to see inside the trunk compartment, but I’m guessing it looks as perfect as the rest of this car looks. The interior looks great; this car really appears to be a gem, condition-wise. The gray leather seats look almost like new, both front and rear. This car appears to have the “warm weather package” (is that needed in Seattle?!), which includes a solar sunroof, manual rear sun shades, and a power sunshade for the rear window. That package was offered on North American cars, and it powered a fan to keep the interior a bit cooler in hot weather.
The engine is Audi’s 4.2-liter DOHC V8 with 306 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque. Passing through Audi’s legendary AWD Quattro system to all four wheels when needed, the seller says this has been a two-owner Seattle car since new, which was 80,624 miles ago. For less than 1/4 of what I paid for my current business road trip car, which has been a nightmare of recalls and technology glitches, this A8 would sure be a welcome change, albeit at less than half the MPG.
One of the advanced features of the A8 was its aluminum chassis — which Audi called the ASF, or Aluminum Space Frame — cutting a fair amount of weight out of the car but otherwise hidden under those handsome panels.
Like the Audi V8 before it, the A8 was a pretty special car. It would cruise quietly at 140 mph, with passengers guessing it was traveling half that fast. A smooth-riding high-quality product, as one would expect at the rather lofty price tag. Was entertaining on winding roads, too, with lots of traction (of course) and excellent brakes.
I saw and drove a V8 with the five-speed manual, but don’t believe any A8s were so equipped in U.S. trim. The automatic was a “Tiptronic” so offered “manual” gear selection, but that torquey V8 didn’t really need the driver’s help beyond applying a heavy right foot.
These are vastly underrated. I doubt they’ll ever be capital-C Collector Cars, but they should be.
Luxury Qship for all seasons.
Just hope you’re on good terms with a mechanic that knows old Audi’s. Or you’re a good DIY’er.
Nice to look at BUT like any Audi you need to have fairly deep pockets to drive this car between premium gas and maintenance costs.
When I see these older Audis, especially the larger and luxurious ones for sale, first thing I think of is “money pit”. When things start breaking (and they will ), hoo boy! Open that wallet. As nice looking as this is, one has to wonder why this car is up for sale. “Get rid of it while the gettin’ is good?” Personally I wouldn’t give more than half the asking price. That’s just me. If you absolutely gotta have an older A8, who am I to judge?
I picked one up at a Gun Auction in Plant City, Fl for a bid of $1,000.00. Both bumpers were badly cracked (black duct tape didn’t look terrible). Otherwise it looked, ran and drove very well. ICE COLD A/C! Drove it quite a bit for about 5 yrs. Don’t remember changing the oil…. The transmission gave out, was quoted $12,000.00 ! Um No, Donated it.