Advice: 2011 v8 or 2008 v8+supercharger

[daviddavidw]

Hi all, looking for some advice. I have a 2011 v8 ordered and coming in late October. (Can't quite afford the v10, but have definitely admired the power).

I just found at a nearby dealer a very similar specced 2008 car in clean condition with 5k miles.

What is you advice between:

1) Waiting and buying the new 2011 car.
2) Saving $20-25k and buying the used car.
3) Buying the used car and using the savings to dealer install the Stasis supercharger.

I'm leaning toward #3. If I do that, are there additional maintenance/special needs/ reliability issues with the SC?

I'm not planning on tracking the car, and I'd like to use the car as a daily driver. It's a 6mt.

Thanks in advance for any advice. This board is great.

[cmxi]

I would go with option 3. The only downfall is the factory warranty. One year versus four. From most accounts, it appears you'll end up better off with the supercharger versus the V10 engine. For me, the answer would come down to reliability of the supercharger combined with the one year of warranty left. And I have no information on that. In sure someone will chime in.

[KfabR8]

#3 and look into Audi's extended care. The STaSIS setup is a great option. Loads of torque, pulls like a freight train, is smooth in delivery and is still very much usable as a daily driver.

[NFS13]

Why spend all the extra money on the 08 if its just a daily driver? The cost of everything on the 08 will bring you back to 2011 price. And having an 08 I wish I had the harddrive nav system.

[daviddavidw]

According to the dealer the certification and/or extended care will not apply to the drivetrain of the supercharged car, only the original factory warranty. The reliability of the supercharged engine in year two and the old style nav are the two things I'm worried about with option #3, but the extra HP nice.

[Bodhii]

For me, its a complete no brainer. My attitude about buying previously owed supercars is always the same. Almost all Audi R8 owners and the owners of other similar supercars, are absolutely fanatical about keeping their cars in extreme top condition. These are usually the most babied cars in the world. Because of this, buying these previously owned supercars, is usually a most intelligent thing to do.

And as I have said before, the myth about being a car's very first driver, is just that; a myth. Before your purchase of any new Audi R8, several AUDI and shipping employees will always have driven that car, including a spirited test drive on a test track. You will simply be the very first person to actually PAY a very large amount of money to drive the car. That is hardly a distinction that I hold very dear.

And as KfabR8 said so very well, "The STaSIS setup is a great option. Loads of torque, pulls like a freight train, is smooth in delivery and is still very much usable as a daily driver."... and with a fully warrantied system that is very very well tested with thousands and thousands of hard tested track miles by several different R8 owners. (this hard track testing represents significantly in a very short time, the effects of YEARS and YEARS of normal street use)

[SteveR]

While I don't disagree with anything Bodhii said, personally I would get the 2011. If I were to use the car as a daily driver and had no intention to track it, the better Nav system and proper iPod integration would be at least as important to me as the extra power. The fun factor difference between the stock V8 and the V10 or TT V8 will be pretty small on city streets, and if it remains important to you the turbo can always be added later.

Also, if you hold on to cars like this a while as I intend to, specing a car exactly the way I want it is worth the added cost of buying new.

[SDR8]

Besides the Nav and audio option for the 2011's, the 2008 also has an older DIS. It is a redish color and seems to be a lower display quality. Several people have said they like the newer version (that started in 2009's).

Besides the different items from year to year, you also have a lot shorter warranty remaining on the 2008's. For real world driving (on public roads), the stock V8 has enough power to get you in trouble with law enforcement. I know everyone always wants more power, but it all comes down to what is important to you.

If I were in the market for a R8, I would most likely look for a used 2010. That way someone else took the big cost hit for the first year. It would have most of the newest updates (Nav, AMI, DIS, etc.) and a longer warranty. But as I said, it all depends on what is important to you. I would also consider a 2009, but probably pass on a 2008.

[KfabR8]

I must say that I agree w/the instrumentation. The 09 I recently purchased has the nice white characters and now that I have that, seeing the red characters in my RS6 (and previous R8) make it seem dated - very 1970's LED.

The new nav setup with the AMI is very nice. The nav works very well (although I haven't figured out how to make it show me how many more miles to a spot on the map beside the destination) and the AMI works better than any other I-pod control that I've seen integrated into a car (must be said that I've only seen 3 others).

The 09 also moved the rear hatch release from by the driver's foot, via a cable and mechanical pull, to just under the seat belt and is activated via an electric switch similar to the window switches. Small difference, but a difference none the less.

[daviddavidw]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll keep my 2011 order, while keeping my eye out for the perfect 2009 or 2010.