Spyder Delivery Help Please

[OTG]

Throwing down on a new Spyder tomorrow and looking for opinions on delivery.

Option 1 is to rent a race trailer and buy some tie downs and drive the 550 miles to get it with my pick-up. Cost - $600 plus putting 1,100 miles on my newish truck.

Option 2 is to fly down and drive it back. Cost - $225 plus putting 550 precious miles on my brand new ride (to me this will hurt).

Option 3 is to transport it. Cost - $750. Problem here is I've done this twice before and have been pissed about the way my car was treated and the random delivery times - one was 4 days late and had a two dings on the edge of my door because the fat driver couldn't get in and out of it in the tight trailer and the other was 6 days late after a promised and paid for 48hr delivery.

My vote is between 1 and 2 (so I'm not even sure why I put 3 in there). Expecting most of you will say drive it back and enjoy the ride. However, the weather won't be great and I'll probably cry when I pop open the garage door the next morning and my brand spanking new Spydi is all dirty and already has 600 miles on it. Although it will be my co-daily driver, I know I'll be looking at the miles a little more on this car than my other, less expensive DD.

FYI - this is my first $150k+ car purchase and I'm sure I'll learn to say, "screw it, if you're paying for it, you might as well use it." However, I wasn't planning on putting more than 6-8k miles on it/yr, so to use nearly 10% of those miles up on the first day is a hard pill to swallow for me. Am I being ridiculous here?

[Professional_Slacker]

dude....really, why buy it if you are just going to let it collect dust in the garage? I took delivery on my dream car on dec 8, 2011. here we are almost 2 months later and I have 2k miles on her and would have many more if it just wasnt practical to haul my boxer and tools to and from my boat at the marina.lol

I say drive it, enjoy the car for all that it is and can be. when you get home and have her safely tucked into her stall in the garage, show her some love with a good detail job.

enjoy your new baby. congrats

[desperado]

Am I being ridiculous here?

Well, yes. At least to those of us with 30,000 miles or more on our R8s.
And especially if you are going to be daily driving it as opposed to keeping it as a garage queen / collector car.
Remember also that there is a 1,500 mile break-in period. You might as well get that over with ASAP so you can start driving the car as it is meant to be driven. (and thanks all, but let's not start another discussion on break-in technique in this thread, please!)

But since the mileage is obviously very important to you at this point, it seems that option one does make the most sense. edit: I agree that option three is a non-starter.

BTW, if you put your location in your profile maybe some nearby member would even offer to help you out with a trailer?!

[charliex]

Dude its an R8. Drive it. Its not a Bugatti. By the time you sell it, is it going to have cost $1000.00 every time you started it, or $50?

[STEEVE]

Option 2: Drive it back and enjoy the car.

[ignomini]

I'm more of the garage queen crowd, but having said that I would drive the car home. Getting through those break-in miles in dribs and drabs is a nightmare. After a 500 mile drive home, in my opinion, you're ready to use 80 percent of red line. Those last few Rs will come by about 800 miles, because who on earth has the patience to wait 1,500 miles before a little hoonage.

[blackspyder]

fly down, drive back.

I managed about 500, then thought it has a warranty who cares - red line time.

[Dimitri]

Drive it that car 550 miles are not that bad

[BlkwdwR8]

Drive it.. if you plan on keeping the car for a while, enjoy it. No matter what you're going to take a depreciation hit, you might as well enjoy every bit of it.

[jeffgrice]

Hey there,

The BIG question is where are you located and where is the car located?

If there is any chance of snow/ice I am sure you car has summer tires on it so that would be a mess.

If the drive is good weather, frankly I would drive it 500 miles. Just stay away from trucks flinging stones!

Have Fun!

Jeff