General Comments:
There are a lot of comments regarding these cars being expensive to maintain, and prone to failure. This was not my experience at all. However, unlike many current owners of these cars, I had the means and desire to properly maintain my car.
That meant I understand that an oil change which requires 10.5 quarts of Mobil 1 synthetic and an oil filter unlike any other car is going to cost me $120 to have done at the local independent expert's shop. It also meant that I took the car in ahead of it's scheduled routine maintenance, primarily because most of the original owners did not put many miles on them and many parts made out of rubber and plastic would simply age and begin to rot. Unlike so many people who are used to driving appliances, I understood that a precision built, high performance machine requires that all the little hoses and belts be in great shape or else the problems get expensive fast.
But if you are sure that you can afford to pay $100/hr shop time, and slightly more expensive parts, then this is an outstanding car to own.
I owned a 1986 RX-7 between 1990 and 1995, and the V8Q felt just as sporty and was actually much more fun to drive. It corners with insane stability, and nothing--i mean NOTHING--will cause it to lose its composure. Wet, snowy, icy roads are nothing to it at all. In the Seattle area, we have a lot of freeway on ramps that are shaped like an "s" with very tight corners, some that go steeply up hills, etc. In my V8Q, I could mash the pedal to the floor, point the car in the direction I wanted to go, and hang on because velocities would continue to rise at a constant rate regardless of road conditions or lateral acceleration.
THIS IS A WICKEDLY FUN CAR TO DRIVE!
I only wish I could find another worthy low mile V8Q to park in my garage, as I miss mine dearly. The most unfortunate thing about this car is the soft resale market. Because the car is so rare, there are very few buyers looking for them, and as a result, sellers are often left to take whatever they can get. That means many of these cars were purchased by people buying cars well beyond their actual means, and the cars suffered because the owners could not afford routine maintenance. Hence, many current owners griping about expensive repairs (which may likely be the result of abuse/neglect).
If you find a car, simply be sure to have a VERY GOOD Audi mechanic (not some schmuck who can turn wrenches--you want somebody who knows the quirks, trouble areas, and most common problems) conduct a thorough Pre-Purchase Inspection. If the car comes back clean, buy it, put your pedal to the floor and never look back.
There is absolutely nothing out there for the money that comes anywhere close to the fun you will have with this car. I've driven new cars that cost 35-40,000 that are deeply unsatisfying after having owned one of these.
