Returning to R8

[rmclachlan]

looking at returning to the R8 fold after a year with a Gallardo - great car but a bit too ostentatious for me, I need something a little more stealthy. I am considering an ex-demo V8 R-tronic in Daytona. Of the two cars I am looking at one the one car is fully loaded and the price reflects this, whilst the other lacks B&O, Magnetic Ride, & Parking Sensors as the main options. Will the lack of these options on the cheaper car make much difference at resale time? I am also considering a V8 Vantage - anyone had one of these as well as an R8?

[cavaret]

I have driven my friends vantage, and it is without a doubt a beautiful car with a nice ride, but it just does not handle like the R8. The R8 feels so much tighter. Granted I have only driven it 2 days and have not really pushed it, but I feel like these two are worlds apart.

[CPBRI]

great car but a bit too ostentatious for me, I need something a little more stealthy. ?

Interesting take on the matter. While I agree that a Lambo would be a very showy car to own/drive, I find that my early experience with the R8 has been anything but stealthy.

Coming from a 911 turbo, I always felt like it blended in easily without too much flash. The R8, on the other hand, constantly garners attention no matter where I go. Great car, but I'm not big on the attention it gets.

[mngolfer]

I think if you want to enjoy the car you get the options. They will enhance your driving experience. If you want to just resell the car then maybe you will not want the options. I have a friend that did not get any options. He hates it that it did not come with a garage door opener. He does not like his sound system, or no parking sensors or heated seats or ....

I think you will get some of your money back if you get the options, but not all of it.

[Monkey boy UK]

looking at returning to the R8 fold after a year with a Gallardo - great car but a bit too ostentatious for me, I need something a little more stealthy. I am considering an ex-demo V8 R-tronic in Daytona. Of the two cars I am looking at one the one car is fully loaded and the price reflects this, whilst the other lacks B&O, Magnetic Ride, & Parking Sensors as the main options. Will the lack of these options on the cheaper car make much difference at resale time? I am also considering a V8 Vantage - anyone had one of these as well as an R8?

Well, Rmclachlan,

Firstly, in my opinion, never buy an R8 without magnetic ride & park sensor, when you come to sell it, all dealers will milk it, go for the extra's, whatever the cost, the AM is without doubt a great car, but, common sense will prevail, you know the answer, you just need someone to point it out!!

Let us know what choice you make, even if you go to the other side we will still R8talk to you

[FiftyPence]

1) I considered an AM V8 Vantage because externally it looks great but the interior looks rather dull and the satnav I believe is from Volvo. They just don't have the level of gadgetry that their competitors have. AM's are quite common here in Guernsey now and I wanted something rare.

I also considered a Porsche 911 turbo but I just don't like the sound of them. The interior didn't seem to be anything to shout home about either. There are plenty of Porsche's on the roads of Guernsey so that ruled it out.

I also looked briefly at the Nissan GTR which is a great car but there are already a few here and I don't like the badge, sound or stigma of it. Over here the older model GTR's are very popular and I didn't want to simply have the updated version of what they were driving.

I wanted something rare to Guernsey roads which I could make use of for a few years without getting bored and wishing I had gotten something else. In my case opposite to your requirements, I wanted something which stands out a bit and I just knew the White R8 would do that because noone here has a White R8 and the R8's which are here are rarely seen.

2) I searched high and low for an R8 matching my requirements. Each time they had already sold shortly before I called. Sometime later I came across one which was the right colour and it seemed ideal but it was missing audi magnetic ride, heated seats, carbon engine package and carbon interior package. At first I looked over the missing features because it was the right colour but my head told me to continue searching because I would eventually find the ideal car with the complete spec I desired.

I am really glad I didn't settle for that car because if I had done, I would often get into the car and think 'i could have had the carbon interior, I wonder what that would have looked like'. During my research, everyone had suggested going for magnetic ride and not to get an R8 without it. For resale this was a big feature for me because one day I may want to sell the R8 and shifting one with mag ride will be so much easier. I rarely drive with it on here but in Europe I wholly intend to make use of it and it's just nice to have the choice to use it.

I conclude that you should get back into a fully loaded R8 in stealthy Daytona grey or black.

[Garyhun]

Don't forget that MAG ride is always on!!!! It automatically adjusts the suspension depending on driving style.

Most people think it's only on when you press the button!!

[FiftyPence]

Oo great info, thanks Gary.

[rmclachlan]

Don't forget that MAG ride is always on!!!! It automatically adjusts the suspension depending on driving style.

Most people think it's only on when you press the button!!

I did not realise this - i thought it really stiffened the suspension when the button was on, never thought it was constantly adjusting when off. It is a bit too firm for some British roads when on, probably great for track use though.

[harrison]

Yeah,thanx Gar. I am better informred now. \"/