New or used?

[ptaylor_9849]

I will soon be looking to purchase a V8. I really only wanted to spend around 100k which narrowed my choices to 08's. So my question is this; Would you search for just the right 08 for 100k or would you reach for an 09 at 113k or would you go crazy and go 125k for new? In other words, if you could do it all over again you would.........

Thanks

[desperado]

I like the many little detail improvements in the USA for 2009. The white digital dash displays in particularly (vs red in 2008) are a very nice improvement. Also, many 2008s do not have the carbon fiber bits, as they were on the price list but not available in USA until 2009 model year. Of course they can be added after the fact, but it is expensive to do so.

I know this is not what you asked, but if purchasing again I would go for the additional power of the V10.

[NVRL8R8]

When you say new for 125k, I'm assuming you mean 2010, but used? Don't think you'll be getting a 2011 for 125, and even hard to get a 2010 for that, unless it had over 10k miles, and was not very optioned as far as msrp goes.

[ptaylor_9849]

Yeah, not really looking for a lot of options. V8, Manual trans..B&O Stereo. Thanks for the info on the gauge colors, I wasn't aware of that. Please keep the comments coming. I'm learning a lot.

[desperado]

You should be certain to ask about the leather options on any used car you consider. The Fine Nappa leather is noticably different from the standard leather, and the Enhanced leather upgrade replaces quite a bit of plastic upholstry material on surfaces other than the seats with additional leather. The net result is to give the car a much different look and feel than the standard leather interior. KfabR8 has had both, and can attest to the differences.

[R84ME]

You want a 2009, there were a few updates as mentioned. You should be able to find a 2009 for just over 100K. Many of those 2009s for $115-$120K have been around quite a while.

[rmicroys]

When we were looking for our car, we were looking between used '08 and '09s vs the new 2010 V10. Based on the options that a lot of the used cars had, they often were loaded up to the point near of the new V10 (vanilla). So, we went and ponied up the bucks for a new V10. That was the best choice we ever made. If you can swing it, buy new. You won't regret it with the R8.

[Falcon Flyer]

Finding a new V8 for sale might be very difficult. I wanted one, and my dealer could not find me one, so I ended up putting one on order and just purchased a used 2009 that was completely loaded even with Anthracite headliner for $119k with 1000 miles on it. So I will drive that until my new one comes in, in about 20-24 months.

I approached the V8 like you did, only wanted the B&O system, CF Side blade... so the price would be around the 128k ... far less than the 160k for the cheapest V10.

One thing to keep in mind, if you are planning on leasing, the V10's have a lot better residual values... so the payments are only $300 dollars apart.

[sapien]

If you want a new 2011 V8, some dealers have allocations now.

Of course, you'll have to wait a few months, but that wasn't really a big deal to me. I placed an order for a 2011 back in march, the car is about to be built and should be here by mid November. No crazy premiums either, just straight MSRP.

If you gotta have it now though I doubt you'll be able to find a brand new 2010 or 2011 on a dealer lot that isn't marked up in price.

Hell, when I was shopping for an R8 a few months ago they were asking for 125,000 for a 2009 R8 with like 20,000 miles on it. Crazy when you think the same car could be bought new for like 5k more and 0 miles. Of course, what you're really paying for there is to skip the wait time.

[CPBRI]

Buy the most recent model that you can realistically afford.