RS6 or S8?

[BossRoss]

Torn between two lovers...

There's a Goodwood Green RS6 at my local Porsche dealer. ~35k miles. Local car. Good shape. Has APD? chip and RNS-E. Timing belt was just done, but not water pump. All recalls appear to be done. I would be the 2nd owner.

The other one is a Daytona or Quartz Grey 2007 S8. Looks Premium I think. B&O, Park Assist, etc. ~56k miles. Nearly flawless, and the drive is astounding. I was surprised how "not big" it felt. Looks like the first dealer kept it for a while, and/or re-titled in new state, but I would be the 4th owner.

Both are asking ~$36k, and the RS would get a Fidelity warranty. Don't know about the S8 yet. I'm not much on DIY, and I've followed the stories here enough to worry a bit about the RS. Problem is there is almost no data on the S8. Universally very happy consumers, I guess. I'm sure they'll both go a long way (I just did ~120k on my 02 A6 4.2 Sport tranny finally quit, and I gave it to Carmax for $2000... that was a sad moment). I digress. The S8 scheduled maintenance seems to have none of the heavy lifting like the RS. I'm looking for any intel/feedback/advice on this decision? It will be my daily driver. Thanks.

[Aronis]

RS6.

The S8 is nice but the 07 is nothing compared to the '13

RS6 will be a much more enjoyable drivers car.

Mike

[905084]

I was surprised how "not big" it felt./

Really? We drove an A8L and it felt like driving a supertanker...even compared to my Vic. Have you driven the RS? or even a C5 A6? Try them both. And remember, the back seats of the A8 don't go down (at least the one we drove) making it much less "useful". The S8 will probably be much cheaper for maintenance $$

Good luck, and remember when you can't chose between lovers, take both.

[BossRoss]

The A8L is a long wheel base. S8 is shorter. Driven the RS and the S8. The RS is wicked quick and the S8 is just plain fast, but in a subtle kind of way. Off the line either will snap your neck. I like the sound of the V10. Wish I could have both, and let Darwin take over.

[Elevens]

If you want Torque and power, the RS6 is the way to go. Better Reliability the S8. $36000 even with the Warranty is to much for the RS though. Also a Timing Belt change without doing the Water Pump is ridiculous. Mine is an every driver, and going to and from work ( 50 miles round trip) is the best part of my day. The sound and looks are very Intimidating to most onlookers (meaning with the Catless Milteks, the 275/30/19 Michelins at each corner and the Lowered stance the car just looks and sounds Brutal). So I obviously would go with the RS , but every one's priority's are different and this is just the way I look at it. Good luck with whatever you decide.......

[905084]

121 inch wb for the A8L vs. 115.9 for the S8. I've been told the extra 5.1 inches makes all the difference ;) 108.6 for the RS BTW.

Did the S8 have the stupid flip up screen that controls everything from the ride height to the radio?

[Chung]

I think I would recommend going with the S8 to others but would pick the RS6 myself. I love the RS6 though and that love can blind from the little "quirks" of the car. At the same price the S8 is really good value and the RS6 is overpriced in my opinion.

The S8 only weighs 250lbs more and is only 6 inches longer and has 4 years worth of newer technology.

[905084]

If you could have the RS for 12k less, which would you choose?

[BossRoss]

Did I mention the Goodwood Green and White interior takes a little getting used to? Tough to call. A black or daytona gray with black interior RS with <35k for $24k would be hard to pass up. Probably cheap enough to sock away a little maintenance money. RE: newer tech... I'm okay with a touch of analog so to speak in the RS, but the S8 had all the bells and whistles and the little pop up screen. I think this MMI in the A/S8 is a source of some problems for people.

[905084]

Mugello blue with silver x2.....analog isn't all bad. I'll take a 737-8 with actual cables connected to the control surfaces vs. an Airbus any day. Then again, I like to work on the trailing edge of technology.

To each his own, they are really completely different cars, choose what suits you!

[Stephencl]

The S8 will cost just as much to repair, if not more once out of warranty...try a major service on that v10...I faced a similar dilemma 8 months ago after my beloved first RS6 died in hurricane Irene last year. Either a 2010 s6 with 24k miles, or a 55k miles RS6.

In the end, the choice was easy...in three years, the rs6 will likely still be worth 20k me thinks, the s6 not so much...

Stephen

[4everRS]

Goodwood green is really not my taste. I understand it's rare, but IMO that's a good thing.

There's no reason why you can't find a good RS6 example under 75k miles for about $25k. The APR chip is nice, but there are some good tunes out there for well under 1k.

Keep looking.

[ben916]

Pass on the Goodwood Green but not the RS6.

Do you see a problem that you mentioned?
4th owner in 4-5 years for the S8?!?!?
1 owner for the 9 year old RS6?

Also $36k for THAT car is too much...
There are other examples out there for less that have all the current mods for low $30's

Good Luck!!!!

[4.2Crew]

I contemplated a 2007+ S8 as well before deciding on the RS6... Dealer allowed me to take a used S8 for a couple hours to test drive. Drove it for an hour---not bad. Parked it in the garage. Asked wifey to come out and take a look and maybe a spin. First thing she said: "I like it!... Looks like something my dad would would drive." Doh! I began searching for the perfect RS6 in earnest!

I do find the S8 to have head-turning sophisticated and elegant lines---albeit, subdued.

The S8 is quite capable for what it is, but I just never really connected with the car----like I did with the first test drive of an RS6.

[Chung]

I will say our cars did age very well. The other day I had my car in the shop and offered to give a ride home to a coworker who happen to be there as well. He thought it was a 2009 and was shocked when I told him it had 138k miles and was 9 years old.

[Aronis]

It's great to have such 'difficult choices'

I suspect that you'll be able to find an S8 in that model year for sale more easily than an 03 RS6. The S8 is quite nice, especially if fully loaded with the B&O, etc. I sat in one but did not drive it (still had payments on my RS and was concerned over the lower power numbers).

I wanted the larger car and am glad I waited for the 4.0 Turbo. The A8L back seat is very noticeably bigger than the S8 normal wheel base. Yes it's bigger than the RS6, but the handling is actually quite good given the size AND the all season radials.

I drove my RS6 yesterday for the first time in a more than two weeks (after charging the 9 year old battery LOL). It still brings a BIG smile to my face and still looks great despite the 131,200 miles on the odometer. The stereo still sounds great! Everything still works great.

You will not be unhappy with the RS6 choice.

I agree the maintenance on either will be similarly costly.

Now if you were choosing between the '13 A8 with 4.0 T and the '03 RS6 - that would be interesting..

Mike

[QuattroRS]

The Goodwood car better be perfect for 36k. 30k would be more like it.

I am also in the market for a S8 to go along with the RS so I feel your pain.

For a daily driver depending on how many miles each year I guess the S8 may be a good choice. The Daytona is one of the best colors for that body style and will never grow old.


Torn between two lovers...

There's a Goodwood Green RS6 at my local Porsche dealer. ~35k miles. Local car. Good shape. Has APD? chip and RNS-E. Timing belt was just done, but not water pump. All recalls appear to be done. I would be the 2nd owner.

The other one is a Daytona or Quartz Grey 2007 S8. Looks Premium I think. B&O, Park Assist, etc. ~56k miles. Nearly flawless, and the drive is astounding. I was surprised how "not big" it felt. Looks like the first dealer kept it for a while, and/or re-titled in new state, but I would be the 4th owner.

Both are asking ~$36k, and the RS would get a Fidelity warranty. Don't know about the S8 yet. I'm not much on DIY, and I've followed the stories here enough to worry a bit about the RS. Problem is there is almost no data on the S8. Universally very happy consumers, I guess. I'm sure they'll both go a long way (I just did ~120k on my 02 A6 4.2 Sport tranny finally quit, and I gave it to Carmax for $2000... that was a sad moment). I digress. The S8 scheduled maintenance seems to have none of the heavy lifting like the RS. I'm looking for any intel/feedback/advice on this decision? It will be my daily driver. Thanks.

[Aronis]

Daily Drive...pee shaw......the RS6 is a PERFECT daily drive...year round, worst snow storms, any traffic, any road, any condition......

:)
I have never needed to drive any other car for any weather issue.

Mike

[kismetcapitan]

the whole POINT of me buying the RS6 over a focused sports car like a Corvette or Viper was to have an all-weather daily driver that can haul the groceries, stuff from Home Depot...and haul ass!! :D

[BossRoss]

I too think the RS is over priced, and the S8 is cheap I suspect because of a fender bender in it's first year. I had an '02 A6, and was thinking a little bigger would be better. The S8 should age as well as the RS. I can't get past the green, and I think the dealer is over-estimating the RS value. And, I don't want to be the 4th owner of something with a complicated history... however minor. I'll keep looking. Thanks for the input.

[lswing]

RS6 is my dd...when running:) TSX has been good to me this month...minus the awesome power!

[Stephencl]

There is a spectacular RS6 MTM car here on the board for sale in the Pittsburg area. Low miles, in the low thirties. All the goodies, a warranty and MTM chip and trans chip...do a search you will find. If I had the extra dough, it would be mine.

[Aronis]

Home Depot....

SUV...


Mike



13181
the whole POINT of me buying the RS6 over a focused sports car like a Corvette or Viper was to have an all-weather daily driver that can haul the groceries, stuff from Home Depot...and haul ass!! :D

[ben916]

Home Depot....

SUV...


Mike



13181

perfect!!!

[aalinia6]

I was torn betwwen the exact same thing myself just a few weeks ago.

I went with an 09 RS6 5.0 V10, its alot more money but its a truly amazing car, and it can be tuned to be faster than a 911 TURBO.

You just can't beat that.

Its comfortable for the whole family, then when you are on your own on the country roads it take off like it has a jet engine, sounds like one to.

For me it was simple after driving both, RS6 New or old all the way, new if you can afford it.

Good luck either way.

Kind regards
Ash

[bmwade]

I thought about this question. I went RS6 because its more rare. And has more POWERRR. And I saved a couple grand over an S8..and I don't regret the decision a bit!

[bmwade]

I went with an 09 RS6 5.0 V10, its alot more money but its a truly amazing car, and it can be tuned to be faster than a 911 TURBO.

Would have made this decision if it was an option....

[G2]

If packing the car full of family members wasn't a priority would go with the RS6. That price is a bit high (negotiate it down), but what else can one buy with amazingly low miles and a full warranty (and everything else great about Audi)? It's still less than 1/2 of MSRP and about a 1/3rd of actual purchase prices. If Audi was British, the GWGreen would be a proper color. Acquired taste there.....

Drive both and see which speaks to you?.....Isn't that what really matters?

I have a lot of seat time in the older S8 ('02); did not own it, but did all the service since '08. The driving dynamics are amazing for a large car (lighter than the RS6, I think), and it's no slouch, even with now 135K miles. Very tight and solid, maybe even more so than the presently owned RS6. Even nicer quality leather; silly power head rests, etc. Our long term customer wanted to sell it to me (very fair price, too), and almost bought it, but after a few days of driving it around alone, felt it was excessively large. The highway MPG is about the same as an RS6. Didn't care for the short gearing (except when WOT) and the resultant high RPM highway cruise (needs another gear). They decided to keep it, which worked out well (got the RS6)

I've noticed that the newer cars have obvious signs of cost cutting, even for Audi, especially from about '06. My B6 S4 even showed a notch down in material qualities from the B5's, but the overall package was in another league (as was the cost in '05).

Personally do not miss the interior technology (and can still "upgrade" needed). Used the latest stuff in both Audi and BMW and it's nice, but not to the detriment of core values. However, a close friend who recently got a new-used S5 has a nice overall blend of material quality and technology-- could intuitively use the stereo w/o first reading the manual. The car was a bit light feeling in terms of User interface (overly light shifting, brakes, OK steering feel), but nice for daily driving. Perfect suspension setup, really impressed with handling vs ride quality.

Had entertained a newer S6 but just didn't want to deal with long term gremlins and potential failures. And still highish depreciation.

The RS6 seems to win in the exclusivity dept., frequently people are walking to the back of the car to see what model it is, or asking about it. Even had a Realtor snap pics to send to her kid (who apparently knows what an RS6 is). Not that one needs to own a RS6 for the sake of vanity....

Ah, so many different aspects to consider.