R8 Buyers Guide...

**roadracer1977** · 01-05-2011, 08:29 AM

Hello all,

I am based in the UK and am in the market for my first R8.
Unlike some others, I don't enjoy paying a premium for buying my cars from a showroom... I'd rather meet the person face to face and buy privately.. Only problem with that is you can't take it back and get a refund if you don't like it / something is wrong... So with that in mind I've been frantically Googling to try and find some sort of used R8 buyers guide, but to no avail

Does anyone know if there is a 2nd hand buyers guide that anyone has done yet? What to look out for? Were there issues with certain years of manufacture? How much should you pay? What options should you get etc etc...? If not could I get you guys (and maybe girls) to post about any experiences you've had when buying an R8 or any problems that are known faults / commmon problems to look out for?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

**M3R8** · 01-05-2011, 09:12 AM

Besides the usual stuff you'd care about in a car, I recently discovered the R8 has a clutch plate wear sensor which can be read with the appropriate cables/software.

Always nice to know how much is left on this wearable part before you need to get expensive replacement work done.

**SebringSilver** · 01-05-2011, 09:17 AM

Er....RoadRacer....R8Talk.com IS the R8 buyer's guide. Seriously, everything you would want or need to know about various editions of the Audi R8 is available from the collective know-how that's been assembled on this forum.

**mngolfer** · 01-05-2011, 10:02 AM

The dealer can also tell you how many times launch control has been used. You should pay to have the car inspected by a dealer. Everything should be covered by warranty, except consumables, at least in the US.

**mark25** · 01-05-2011, 11:35 AM

Welcome to R8 talk, I am UK based and purchased my R8 about 6 months ago. There are a few things that I know that I wished I knowed then.

1) If you like carbon fibre make sure you pickup a car with all these options included as you will pay a lot more adding them as mods later on. Things such as the interior, engine bay and sideblades.

2) Dont buy a warranty thru Audi there are lots of other ways to get the same level of cover for a lot less. Warranty will be around £3,000 for 3 years.

3) Servicing isnt that expensive if you know the right people. Have Audi do the main services so you have the stamp in your book and use a qualified mechanic to do everything else.

4) Dont buy tyres from Audi if you know the right people you can pickup a set of 4 genuine tyres for around £700 which should last you a good 12,000 miles.

Anything else you wanna know just ask.

**roadracer1977** · 01-05-2011, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by SebringSilver

Er....RoadRacer....R8Talk.com IS the R8 buyer's guide. Seriously, everything you would want or need to know about various editions of the Audi R8 is available from the collective know-how that's been assembled on this forum.

Yes I know that, but I was looking for a consolidated list of points to look out for. I'm not trying to be smart, but thought that this might have already been done by a car mag, online or something else.

Even a checklist would be handy...

**maegeri** · 01-05-2011, 12:57 PM

If you are going to use the car as a daily driver, it's nice to have the backup camera. If it's an 08, the adaptive suspension (Magnetic Ride) is optional, after 08 it's standard.

A dealer or top notch car broker has a device to assess RPM history to try to assess if the car has been tracked a lot and something to measure paint thickness to see if bodywork was done.