Thinking about trading my 2011 S4 DSG Stage 1 for 2007 S8. Am i crazy?

[danmm7]

I may get flamed for this but it's worth bouncing this idea at some fellow S4 owners.

My 2011 S4 is well maintained with 73k miles. DSG, sport diff, Premium Plus. Not fully loaded. EPL Stage 1.

*** What i like about it...
- No current issues with the car. After owning 3 Audis, this one feels really well built and relatively simple to work on.
- I can do ALL my maintenance work alone on the S4. I have a good set of tools and some decent skills to tackle medium complexity jobs.
- I like how quick and responsive it is and how well it handles for a stock suspension car. I never race the car (0-60 or 1/4 mile), but i like that it has so much usable power at any rpm. I do not care about 0-60 times, but i do care about real world, usable power.
- I can go from Stage 1 to Stage 2 and get even more power. Not with the S8.
- Great user group support - love the S4 forum communities at AZ and other places. Lots of great people who like to help.
- Great aftermarket part/upgrades choice - tuners, wheels, add-ons, etc, etc
- Other than the DSG issues, very few other problems reported with this car. Seems to be very reliable, even with high miles.
- Gas mileage is not great, but for a 350+ hp car, getting 19-21mpg all the time is not bad.

*** What i do NOT like ...
- the road noise inside, especially on the highway is too much for my taste. I did replace the tires with brand new, quieter, All Season, Conti DWS, and even though they are quieter, the car still has a good amount of road noise. The car lacks sufficient sound insulation.
- The ride. It's OK, perfectly normal for a small sports sedan, but i personally prefer a bit smoother, over bad roads. i do not like to feel every road imperfection.
- Interior space. I am 6'3. The driver seat is fine, but having passengers behind me is a challenge in the S4. We have 3 little kids, so having all 3 of them in booster seats in the S4 is not possible. We always use our minivan for any sort of trips with the kids.
- Luxury - or lack of such. I know that my car is not loaded and that the prestige model must be better. I like better seats, better colors, better materials, more customization options, memory seats/mirrors, better stereo, better navi, QUIETER cabin, smoother ride. My S4 does NOT feel or ride like a luxury car. It is NOT a luxury car, and it does not pretend to be.
- DSG failure fears. My transmission is perfectly fine at the moment @73k miles. But i also hear a ton of scary stories about failed older DSGs from early year (2010-11) S4 owners. I do not want to be the next victim of this poorly built DGS and spend 4-5-6k on fixing it. :(
- Gas mileage - it is not bad, but even if i pamper it and drive super gentle, mixed driving MPG is always around 19mpg. Not great for a daily driver, that offers so little practicality (interior room).

*** So, why the older S8?
The car i am looking is a 2007 model and has under 50k (46k) miles. Very low miles and in excellent condition. Fully loaded. It's priced well under $30k, so it will cost me as much my 2011 S4 is worth now.

A lot more luxury.
A lot more room.
I can actually fit my whole family inside, good trunk, still have some good power (V10), quattro and all the Audi features i like in the S4.
No DSG to worry about, but i am not sure about the transmission on the S8?!
The gas mileage is also a big question mark. Some people report averages around 18-19mpg in mixed driving (same as my S4) and 20+ on the HWY.

I am worried about the carbon build up on the V10, but i am also currently researching if this can be a DIY project, when it needs to be done. At 46k miles, i will have some way to go, before it becomes an issue. Even if i pay a good indy shop to do it, it should not be more than $2k procedure.


What are your thoughts? Am i crazy to consider such swap?
Any feedback on the S8? The V10? Or anything major i should be aware of?


Thanks!

[rulaxin12]

Sounds like a great upgrade from your s4. I always liked that body style s8. It will have great space and comfort for the whole family, while still having a special car. They are also very rare so that's a nice bonus. To me the 2011 is already dated looking and from a styling perspective, the s8 is in a similar boat, but at least you'll be able to enjoy the v10 power!

[LINDW4LL]

Personally, I would pass. The V10 S8 isn't particularly quick; it has bad carbon buildup (as you touched on), which can lead to things like clogged injectors, and maintenance in general [when needed] can get expensive. In my mind, the only good things about it are the exhaust note and rarity.

While the S8 isn't necessarily a bad car, I think there are better options now that can deliver the same performance without any of the potential maintenance hassle, poor fuel economy, and with far better interiors and tech. If you can swing a bit higher budget, I'd unquestionably rather spend a bit more for a D4 A8. A 4.0T model preferably, but even the V6T model is just a touch slower than the older S8- if you tune the 3.0T, it's quicker, gets better MPG, and you don't have to deal with any of the maintenance issues of the S8.

[Bruno_s4]

If you have three little kids that need booster seats then there is no car in the world that can hold them across the back row.
You are stuck with a minivan (like me) or an SUV with a 3'rd row.

Regarding the rest of your decision, it it was up to me no way would I go from an 11 S4 to an 07 S8.
For many many reasons.

Instead, go Stage 2 on your S4. You won't want to trade it in for a V10 afterwards!

[SwankP3RF3ct10n]

Originally I was looking at getting a V10 S8 also. Then I read about the expensive nightmare to fix that is the air ride suspension in them. So then I looked at a V10 S6 since it had traditional shocks and springs. But after doing more research into the newer S4's B8+, I settled on my B8. It has more power potential than that V10 has and was also newer. I haven't really looked back since... sure, it's no V10, so bragging rights aren't as nice, but tuned, it's no contest. I'm enjoying my B8 until I'm ready to move onto a new 4.0TT S6. But that's just me and what drove my decision. Oh, and Chris Harris also had a little bit to do with opening my eyes to the new S4 models.