Audi R8 V10 vs. Ferrari F430

[dailydriver]

Well, again I appreciate all the comments. I made a decision. Yesterday ... I just bought a single owner 2010 R8 V10 manual with 4900 miles. I'm excited. Won't get the car for 3-4 weeks since it needs to be trucked to my residence. I love ferraris, but I've heard too many bad stories. Same day ... my neighbor gave me a ride in his new 458 Italia. Awesome car and sound. Hope the R8 feels similar.

Congrats, you will love it. A friend of mine has a 458 that I was able to drive and is is pretty amazing - way better than the 430 in every way (but different than the R8 though). Somewhat related to the original post, here is a video I made last year at my track. I had a guest with a 430 Spider and recorded some of our lapping. I was just lagging behind waiting for a signal to pass, so the driving line isn't the tightest.

[TY (Houston)]

Braces, congrats on the R8 and the MT6! You will definitely love it!!

Stig, agree, my dealer always (obviously) does the recommended service and costs no where near what Andy's dealer is charging. Maybe there's some non-routine/out of warranty charges in those figures.

[Andyferrari]

Hi Stig and Ty, maybe it's cheaper to service Ferrari's in the USA. My last basic annual service with no additional work was £900.00. It was a main dealer but still seems expensive to me.
Anyway good news is I don't have to worry about it any more as I picked up my R8 V10 on Friday afternoon! All I can say is what an amazing car!

[LordIbis]

I'm so glad I didn't pick Ferrari and went for R8 V10, especially after reading all this. 458 Spider has been my first choice but then picked R8 as I believed it has much less "look-at-me" factor. Boy, I couldn't be more wrong

[Stig 1]

but then picked R8 as I believed it has much less "look-at-me" factor. Boy, I couldn't be more wrong

congrats!!! but the Ferrari Does have a larger "look-at-me" factor

also..... Good job on the lifetime member commitment with only 5 posts!

[TY (Houston)]

Yep. I get many more positive remarks and questions on the R8 Spyder than the 458 Spider. I also think the Audi is much better looking. The lines of the hard top convertible just don't work that well, IMO.

[jjtarnow]

I've had a Ferrari F430 before my R8 V10.

Here are my opinions:

My F430 was a 6 speed manual with the classic gated shifter. This is by far the worst transmission I've ever experienced in a car. The pedals are so close together that you often times always rub against the dead pedal when pushing the clutch in. The shifter is extremely clunky and very jerky around town. The only time when this transmission actually works is when you are driving fast and pushing the car hard LOL. Then everything seems to be sync perfectly. If you are going to get a F430, go with F1 Transmission.

The F430 was also very plain, it didn't have any amenities such as Navigation, parking sensors, rear view camera, horrible sound system etc.

The only positive I can say about the F430 compared to the R8 is that the F430 more nimble on its feet. The steering is a lot lighter and more precise.

Other then that the R8 is better in every way. Easier to drive around town, excellent Audi warranty, very reliable, has all the amenities as a luxury sedan etc.

Not to mention the R8 V10 is much faster then the F430 in a straight line as well. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

I owned a F430 coupe and now have a R8 v10 Spyder. I feel the R8 is a vastly superior car in most every way. It's more refined inside and out. The F430 ride was rough...the front spoiler was absurd..scraped it often....I had paddle shift on my F430 and disliked it...had a very tough time not stalling in reverse...had the dealer try and address it a few times with no remedy. The dealer service quality was awful...insanely overpriced with anti-enthusiasts behind the desk. No..a F430 doesn't cost 10k a year but when you have a serious mechanical issue it's going to cost you..period.

The R8 is refined...handles great around town and screams on the open road...handles the twisties like a champ (re: the R8 not tracking well? I've driven both the F430 and R8 on the track and the R8 is great...) IMO the R8 is gorgeous in a more passive way than the F430...it's not yelling "look at me"...it takes a car guy to know what it is but most everyone knows it's something special.

Where does the F430 beat/equal the R8? The interior smells incredible, the sound is sexy and oh yeah...owning one gets you a ticket to the Ferrari factory tour.

Good luck...