marzman Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hey folks, Has anyone got any experience or opinions on the Audi R8? The early 4.2 V8 coupe. Annoyingly they seem to be going up in value at a steady pace. Im sure they used to be about £35k a couple of years ago, but you're lucky if you can find one for £40k now. I'm probably 18 months from having the money for one yet anyway, but i cant stop looking at them online. I want a supercar looking car if that makes sense. The only other cars i can think of in that bracket for similar or preferably less money are an Aston Vantage or Maserati Gran Turismo. Don't fancy a Porsche at all, or a GTR, and haven't got the dollar for a Ferrari. If i keep it for 2-3 years i dont expect any depreciation the way things are going, so it'll be cheap or free motoring during that time. Just need to save the money up front for it which is the hard bit!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikevv Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I wonder what the servicing costs would be like having watched a video on youtube ( DedicationBlog ) and he paid through the nose for a basic brake job... FRONT ONLY discs + labour was around £700! Here's the link, just to give you a quick idea, obviously it's just what he has gone through, might be better or worse! Granted you can buy and fit your own, and I'm not sure if they are hugely different between the V8 and V10 models, but hey. I quite like them, just not quite a safe buy just yet IMO - Good luck with whatever you choose , and as always - PICS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Man Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I drove one on a Supercar Scotland day. It's very sparse on kit, seats etc weren't electric, the guy sharing the car pointed out that it was probably to save weight, I get that, however, the V8 M3 we had just climbed out of could match the speed and agility but had all the bells and whistles. I wasn't that impressed tbh, however, get a test drive for yourself to get your own feelings. A friend of my wife has the V10, just bought it last year, new! I think that's a different kettle of spanners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Spoke to a chap down at one of the big car events at Brighton 2 years ago, he owned a fleet of nice cars including a number of ferraris and 2 lovely mustangs that were on show that day. He said that the most expensive car to maintain in his collection was his R8. Brakes, services etc were far higher for that vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) I am with G, a mate paid premium for one when first released, I have to be honest, didnt feel a lot different to a Rs4, cant say anything was bad about it, how could you its a great car, but for me it was under whelming, that may suit some however. V10 or nothing for me, its what it should have been all along. On the flipside i had a spin out in a mates Am v8 last week, i didnt drive and have no doubt the r8 will be a "better" drive, but i got out thinking, that is a car i would like to own and its so so pretty. This supercar bubble will burst at some point. Edited April 7, 2016 by Jetpilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 The garage owner just round the corner from me bought one about 6 months ago - he's not thinking of keeping it much longer ... they look cool though ........ but the mpg is horrendous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I looked at them before the 911. The R8 was arguably more stylish, interior felt more racecar, and obviously a fantastic manual 'box with a dirty great V8 in it. Downsides were stupid running/repair costs over the Pork, and the total lack of usable storage space for travelling. Ultimately there's very little difference in engineering between the R8 and the Gallardo, which is both a good thing in terms of pace and dynamics but also a bad thing when you think about what a Lambo costs to keep on the road. I'd still love one one day, and a manual V8 on the regular shocks would be an absolute treat of a car to own. I'd be staying miles away from the R-tronik 'box as it's incredibly weak in that application, and the magnetic dampers are brilliant but waaaaay too much to replace. I say go for it, it's probably the most exotic junior supercar you can get at that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) Hi Chris, my uncle looked into buying one and came up with much of the above. He ended up buying a DB9. What about an F type? There are a few coming in sub 40k now. Edit I know what you're going to say, not " supercar" enough. Haha You know we've had the sensible conversation on how much these sort of cars cost. If it holds its value that's a bonus, otherwise be prepared to blow 10k in depreciation and running costs but at least you've had some fun. Whatever you buy, make sure you call round! Edited April 7, 2016 by leonk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimojameso Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Great cars but the running costs are scary! Do your research is my advice. I personally wouldn't go near an early V8. A clutch change for example at audi is 6k. You can obviously get it done cheaper at independents but most area's of the car are expensive to maintain. Tyres, Brakes, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 The garage owner just round the corner from me bought one about 6 months ago - he's not thinking of keeping it much longer ... they look cool though ........ but the mpg is horrendous I dont think anyone would be looking at fuel economy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hmm, good advice and feedback everybody. Being the tight arse that i am, its quite off putting to hear that it's a really bad example for running costs. Im not worried about depreciation as i've been following the values quite closely and they're going up if anything, but if general maintenance is such a rip of, that's a major turn off. But then, if you want to drive these types of cars, there's got to be some kind of sacrifice, right? Food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hi Chris, my uncle looked into buying one and came up with much of the above. He ended up buying a DB9. What about an F type? There are a few coming in sub 40k now. Edit I know what you're going to say, not " supercar" enough. Haha You know we've had the sensible conversation on how much these sort of cars cost. If it holds its value that's a bonus, otherwise be prepared to blow 10k in depreciation and running costs but at least you've had some fun. Whatever you buy, make sure you call round! Love the F-Type but it doesnt fit the bill. It's still got an awful lot of depreciating to do yet, and i dont particularly want to lose money on one. I always try to buy cars that have done all of their depreciating so they cost me as little as possible. I broke even on my second zed and 911, which is the plan again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Man Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 The sacrifice that you're prepared for in terms of maintenance, will far outweigh the depreciation of an F Type, which I believe, will hold onto their values well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) The F Type has only been out 18 months though, they've got loads more depreciation to suffer. Edited April 7, 2016 by marzman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Agreed. Good cars, but I still think the hype train is carrying them a bit. In a couple of years maybe a V6S could be a reasonable buy, but I'd sit back and watch values for a bit too. With the R8, it depends how long you plan to keep it. If you can buy one that's had the clutch and brakes done, there should be nothing else to do for a good 40k miles aside from routine servicing. Might not cost you anything to run, relatively speaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 With the R8, it depends how long you plan to keep it. If you can buy one that's had the clutch and brakes done, there should be nothing else to do for a good 40k miles aside from routine servicing. Might not cost you anything to run, relatively speaking. Good point. I'll look in to other potential big ticket items which could go wrong, but you'r right finding one with these done could be the answer. I'd only keep it for 2-3 years anyway, and do < 5k miles per year. At which point assuming i've not lost too much in depreciation i should be able to trade up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic Turtle Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 If i was young and single i'd have an R8 if only because it has the most powerful fanny magnet of all the cars listed above. Women absolutely love it. F-type is also nice but show me a charged jag that hasn't eventually hit four figures. Will drop like a stone. M3 is solid but looks like a brick in a convoy of sports cars. GTR is also fugly, woman repellant and expensive to run. AM electrics too frustrating, 911 too generic/familiar. Thought about an Alfa 4C?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Isn't there someone on here who traded his Zed for an R8. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 If i was young and single i'd have an R8 if only because it has the most powerful fanny magnet of all the cars listed above. Women absolutely love it. F-type is also nice but show me a charged jag that hasn't eventually hit four figures. Will drop like a stone. M3 is solid but looks like a brick in a convoy of sports cars. GTR is also fugly, woman repellant and expensive to run. AM electrics too frustrating, 911 too generic/familiar. Thought about an Alfa 4C?! Pretty much the same logic i've followed myself there... apart from the fanny magnet as i dont need that ! (i'm married, not god's gift ) The 4C is on the radar, but then again it's too new and will depreciate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 The R8 will depreciate at some point. I know there are a few cars holding firm, gtr, r8, amv8 as examples but its just not sustainable imho, when the newer versions start to come down these will have to follow suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 The R8 will depreciate at some point. I know there are a few cars holding firm, gtr, r8, amv8 as examples but its just not sustainable imho, when the newer versions start to come down these will have to follow suit. I disagree. The new versions are minimum £80k more expensive, its a different market and therefore the prices should remain unaffected for a very long time yet. Some cars have a floor limit in terms of value, and i've been following the prices of all cars listed in this thread over a number of years, and none of them have dropped below their current values. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 (edited) Absolutely agree about the floor limit, but the r8, amv8, gtr etc are in the grand scheme of things are just not that special for their value to remain solid or that high, on the most part, they are mass produced and common and once the 2nd v10 prices start to get close its inevitable, as ultimately its the r8 people would prefer to own. I will say they are a good buy but not a sure fire safe bet Edited April 9, 2016 by Jetpilot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 (edited) Yeah you're right too. But then simply from my perspective, a I wasnt buying one as an investment, i just wanted to avoid too much depreciation. In a 3 year window one of these is gonna lose £3-4k, max. Over the same 3 years a brand new Ford Mondeo which is a 'safe bet' would lose 4x or 5x that amount. Edited April 9, 2016 by marzman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 (edited) Stop over analysing it and just go and buy one! Haha. Oh and make sure you visit. It took you long enough to buy a house, at this rate you won't have to worry about depreciation, it will qualify for classic car insurance. Edited April 9, 2016 by leonk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 Stop over analysing it and just go and buy one! Haha. Oh and make sure you visit. It took you long enough to buy a house, at this rate you won't have to worry about depreciation, it will qualify for classic car insurance. Ha ha. Its at least 18 months till i've got the cash for one, so i can afford to analyse at this stage! Im the type of person that absolutely MUST get a good deal. I try not to pay RRP for anything and research incessantly until i can get a deal... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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