Hi all I'm a long time lurker of this forum , I originally bought a 2003 A4 with a 3.0 and 6 speed manual which I really fell in love with .
I picked it up back in 2013-2014 I think, it was in the winter and I thought it was epic (My previous car was 1994 2.5L Jeep Wrangler so only up from there ) but I loved the Quattro and being naturally aspirated I didn't worry have a turbo to concern myself with . The car actually still runs great . I put about 50k on it pushing it well into the 200s without a single major issue . I had to do the timing belt which was an adventure and I took photos and documented some of it and actually meant to put a write up on here but school put that on hold and I lost track of what I did and how unfortunately and decided I'd rather not guess or leave something out than put up nothing at all. But other than that the car had been very good to me however I figured it was time to move on and sell it to someone that just wants a manual Audi/German car and is in highschool or just starting college as I was when I bought it ....
and the check engine light just came on .... CAT warm up below efficiency .... Luckily I've done emissions on it this year so another 2 years it's good for which should be not much more than it has left being a many owner manual car I'm certain it's seen its share of spirited driving and alas rust is starting to take the front left quarter panel.
But anyways so I began a search for another Audi, I looked at S4s A4s A6s I went to used dealerships with a planned spending buget of 8-12,5 k and test drove some just to see what I wanted (I really figured I should buy privately unless I found some absurd deal but I actually found some I considered buying and the stealerships ) I initially thought the S4 would be the right way to go but timing chain issue gave me pause but also they seemed to be priced well but high for what I wanted and there would always be the question in my mind of how did the person who owned this before me drive this car... So I thought why not a newer A4 and I looked but I didn't really find what I was looking for and I was hoping for something a little quicker at least than what I had and if it was an A4 I wanted a manual again and I couldn't really find anything that made me wanna say yes .I figured then I'll look for an A6 4.2 avant with a manual . This is a unicorn car in my mind but the car I had wasn't exactly the most common set up either and I was patient figuring one will turn up. I searched and searched and could not find one that was a good price or the ad selling the car had things written like "supeeer fa$t blows the doors off ricers" which I decided I would try to avoid.
Eventually I decided why not check out an A8 for Haha's at a dealership I was at and thought it was surprisingly well mannered and quick . It wasn't as easy to drive as my A4 but until it was pushed far beyond just normal spirited driving it felt like it was on rails and I decided if I could find a good one I would make the move and scoop it up despite zero chance of a manual one since they never existed.
And then I found it...
I was going for a ride on my motorcycle when I stubbled upon a very nice looking house on state highway with a Black A8 D3 with a for sale sign . It had 65k on it and the number was $12000 . I figured I might as well take a look and see what year it is and how low he'll go. I walk up and basically he kind of dismisses that I'm interested and thinks I just want to joy ride but answers my questions and tells me it's a 2005 I tell him he can drive I'll bring cash when I get a chance and if nothing seems out of the ordinary on our drive. So we hop in and he takes me for a quick drive and the car is smoother than any A8 I tested before and was in mint condition ascetically. I told him well how long have you had it would you go down at all ? He told me maybe but seemed very affirmative so I said I'll be back showed up a couple days later with a bank check for 10k and cash incase he didn't budge and he reluctantly let me drive . Immediately I could tell something was strange the car had no V8 noise even when I gave it a little extra push on the throttle and shifted well below 2000 rpm but pulled incredibly I asked him what is up the car did you swap the engine it goes like a bat out of hell ?! He said well I'd expect it to it has the W12 in it but no that's what the car came with....
I was confused because the outside gave no indication and he said he had removed the lettering and what not because he wanted a clean car and actually offered to show me the lettering . So we went back to his house and I poped the hood and sure enough there sat a 12 cyl behmoth of an engine and sure enough he had all the lettering in bag hidden in the garage . He also pointed out W12 written right on the inside of the bottom of the door which I had missed somehow . I told him I had to think about it . I had read up about the W12 but more for fun not looking into any issues it might have I wondered if they spontaneously blew up or had a similar issue to the S4s or perhaps the transmission couldn't take the power and would be prone to shredding itself . I searched but I found nothing in fact it seemed the reverse was true the W12 was an absolute rock of an engine so I went back and did a little negotiating based primarily on the fact the car was clearly in need of fresh rubber and expected gas mileage was not going to be stellar . And so I bought a car that cost originally well over 130,000 in today's cash for less than 10% of that. Now I just have to get it registered and insured which I'm sure will be fun now that sales tax is on the "value" not the purchase price.
It's all worth it , I've driven the car only a handful of miles and its incredible . There is nothing smoother I've been in . It pulls fantastically hard and despite being massive handles like its on rails bolted to the ground the car is an absolute pleasure to just be in . I just hope this dream doesn't turn into a nightmare so hopefully I won't be posting too much in the help section of the forum.
And while the car as it sits is pretty much perfect mechanically from what I can scan with my OBD and feel with hands feet and ass I'm going to need to buy a serious scanner and literature on this beast . So any hellos from another W12 owner or recommendations on where to go from here would be much apreciated ! Apparently there is ~1000 of these in the US total for the D3 series so finding someone who knows and works on theirs themselves might be a challenge ...
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks