workhurts

Was just out washing the car and a neighbor's friend rolled up in a 2009 R8. I've always liked them ... but have never driven one.

2009/2010 cars seem to be in the 80k range which isn't out of the realm of possibility after this car.

I should go drive one. Truth be told, I'd love a 458 but that's gonna be over double and the 430/360 are kinda looking a little old now.

Anyway, anyone have any experience with the R8? 4.2 specifically.

AlexKeyWest

I considered an R8 but decided against it on ease of ingress/egress. I'm older, tall and a bit over weight. If you wife or significant other is going to be a passenger often, they'll definitely have a problem.

DC911S

I think the R8 like lots of Audi engines has issues with carbon buildup

sambb

i liked the R8. Would be a nice alternative to the GTS i purchased. I just always wanted a porsche. For me, either would have been great. Cant complain about the R8. There are far far worse choices out there.

Dennis C

I considered an R8 when I was shopping for my 997 turbo. I've also driven an R8 on the racetrack. They are beautiful cars and they have a wonderful exhaust note, but the driving experience is lacking compared to a 997 or a 991. I found the DSG transmission in the Audi to be a very poor performer compared to PDK, especially on the track. The interior of the R8 is nice, but it's really not that different than any other Audi product. It doesn't feel as special on the inside as it looks on the outside. I'd like to drive one with a manual transmission and see how that feels, but overall I think I would still prefer a Porsche.

ralt12

I'd be more curious about the AMG GTS coming out or the Cayman GT4, and I'd like to drive the flat-plane crank Shelby to see how it sounds.

workhurts

Agree on the AMG GTS but that's unlikely to have a manual and although I adore the Cayman platform I'm still not smitten by the GT4. I have a feeling the AMG will be more Aston Martin(esque).

Was just going on the premise of a car that actually looks exotic and the R8 seems to fit that bill.

I wonder just how much different it drives than it's gallardo cousin.

wc11

SpeedyD

Yes, I cross-shopped R8 V8s... great looking car, interior beautiful but less sporty and less unique than my 911 interior. Less direct driving feel too, slightly slower than the 997.2 cars. I would take an R8 over a 991 but not over my car.

You will get more attention in one, however, and it is certainly more exotic looking.

Also, in the model years I looked at (pre 2012) you really need to go with stick as rtronic was closer to Porsche tiptronic than pdk...

phaphaphooey

If you are going to DD the car the Porsche wins by a mile. It is so much more practical in so many different ways. However, if it is a special event car only to be driven on sunny weekends I would lean towards the Audi as it is more exotic and driving it is more of an "event" imo.

red996

I know this sounds nuts, but don't bother with the 4.2!

5.2 V10 6 speed manual. Epic stuff. It's the only car I am looking at right now.

powderzone

I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to test a 458, a Gallardo, an R8, and the GTR. The R8 was my least favourite by a mile. The engine needed to be wound out to within an inch of its life to keep pace, the brakes were skittish, and the driving experience was far less involving than a Carrera.
Frankly I wasn't very impressed with the GTR either. Yes, i know it's the fastest out of the four but it didn't feel as "fun" as it should have. It felt like a...well...like a Nissan.
The Gallardo was a monster. So much fun to drive but ridiculous at the same time. It looks insane and the single clutch tranny is brutal. I had a great view of the headliner and had to slouch down to see out the windscreen properly. But...it was loads of fun. As one of the instructors said, it's like a crazy ex-girlfriend. She's going to try to kill you but she can also be a lot of fun.
The 458 was in a class by itself. Superbly built, brilliant soundtrack, and really quick.
My take away from that driving experience was that if funds were no object, I'd still rather have my 4S cab as my DD but sure would like to have a 458 parked next to it.

Ynot

I hear that a lot from current and past owners. Get the V10 or stick with your Porsche. It's not worth the upgrade. A nice low mileage one V8 can be brought in the mid 80's range, not cheap but certainly affordable. I'm just scared of Audi cars in general, they tend to break after warranty.

red996

Yes a known issue on both the 4.2 and 5.2. Hopefully it's localized to the intake valves. That can be serviced, to a point. I over heard an Audi tech call FSI a Fu@ken stupid idea once.

I hang out on http://www.r8talk.com/ from time to time. Some known issues on the R8 are carbon buildup in the intake valves, magnetic ride shock issues, air conditioning problems, and sagging seats. If the magnetic ride shocks die they are something like $1800 each to replace. Forget that, after market coilovers! If your air conditioning pump goes, I think they have to pull the engine. 30 hours labour? The air conditioning problems kinda worry me, I wouldn't be scared to wrench on it to some extend, but engine extraction is pretty worrysome. I would not want an r- tronic transmission. Apparently it's pretty bad. S-tronic is the dual clutch on the 2014 R8 v10. More of this please!

Not alot of Audi love on a Porsche forum!

Team Plutonium

The 4.2 is underpowered for the look of the car. Drove one for an entire day when I briefly thought I wanted one. Sounded nice but was kinda 'meh'. The attention this car gets is also annoying. At the end of the day I knew that the novelty of owning an R8 will wear off quickly, and I'd be back in a 911.