I've had numerous Porsches ( 986 Boxster, 997 C2S Vert, Cayenne GTS) and I was wondering to the guys who own these 991's, did you guys cross shop the R8 at all?

I know it might not be the world beater in performance regards but the car ( to me at least) is quite beautiful and the interior is outstanding.

If you did cross shop it, what made you choose one over the other?

Did previous ownership of either brand sway the decision at all?

Just curious as to why you chose the 991 as I am going through this predicament myself....After all this going back and forth I might end up with a Prius...

 

I did look hard at the R8 but it didn't have the luxuries or the utility that the Porsche has. I also felt the 991 was more connected on the track. Lastly I didn't want AWD, so given my location, the P car fit the bill.

 

I looked at the R8, but just found it to be too sterile. It's a nice car, but it feels like an Audi.

 

Well put! Same thoughts.

 

Coming from a 997 Turbo I drove the 991 and the V10 and there was no comparison especially in the looks and wow factor.

Hands down the V10 R8 won.

 

I looked at the Audi R8, beautiful car, heavy and really needs the 5.2 liter engine, coming from a 997, thought that the Porsche Carerra was a better fit both performance and price wise.

 

I considered the V10 R8. I love the look of the Spyder, but - and this is just my personal taste - I'm not a fan of the look of the carbon side blade on the coupe. You can order the R8 with the side blade painted to match the body color, but I still was not in love with the look. I ended up ordering a 991S and it is a great car. I want to trade it for a 991 turbo, but would certainly consider new V10 R8 coupe if the 2015 model eliminates the side blade.

 

After owning Porsches for over 30 years, I found the R8 V10 spyder to be the first sports car that moved me away from my beloved 911's. I've put 6000 miles on my R8 and it continues to thrill me every time I drive it. To me, the R8 spyder is the only car that looks as good with top down or up. The sound of the V10 as it approaches redline, the rifle bolt-like gated 6 speed MT, the handling, steering, brakes and overall comfort makes the R8 a great driving experience. The car has just so much "soul". Downsides of the R8 compared to the 991: gas mileage, storage space, electronics (although the B&O system in the R8 makes the Bose sound like a transistor radio), the single clutch automatic trans. is generations behind PDK (but the R8 manual trans. is as good as the Porsche manual) and constant attention the car gets.

 

Why not awd?

 

You forgot insurance costs. I heard it was one of the highest out of any vehicle out there. If thats an issue that is :-)

 

Sure, took a good hard look. Love the R8 look & finesse, but here's the problem...

V8 version performance does not match the price at this time. Start adding some decent options and it almost climbs faster than a Porsche in price.
Anything 997.2 and above is a good bit above it in performance. A 991 will pretty much handle it well on all levels.
A lot of ugly colors IMO like most Audi's today (but still love the brand)
No DCT, manual is OK, R Tronic = yuck.
Going to be replaced soon, but a little late. Finally a DCT, but I'm sure higher priced.

For the V10,....now you're in a completely different price league but not performance compared to the 991. Most reports show the V10 @ mid to high 3's for 0-60 and mid
to high 11's for 1/4 mile. About a tick or two in front of a 991, for a huge price difference. At this price level I'd look at a slightly used Gallardo for even more bang and stares.

There is simply too big of a hole between the V8 & V10 versions that the 991 fills nicely, and at this time both are near the end of their run. I'm sure the new ones will be fantastic, but you can't wait forever.

 

A comment about price: My R8 V10 spyder equipped with all the goodies was a new 2011 that I purchased it in January 2012 for just under $160K. With the economy in the slumps and refresh model coming soon (with DCT, which I could care less about), the dealers were finally giving reasonable discounts. What would a well equipped C4S cab with burmeister (to match or exceed the standard R8 B&O system) sticker at? Don't think there'd be much difference.

 

Configuring each pretty equally (V10 coupe, no spyder listed vs C4S cab) I still come out with about a $30~$35k difference between the two, which even at this level is substantial. I'm sure a sypder version will spread the gap even more. It will be intersting to see what discounts could be had on the R8 in the future though.

Now, if they give the V8 a nice upgrade (think at least RS5), a DCT option and keep the price in line with the 991, then that would be great. Somehow I don't think that is going to happen though. I see a pretty big price jump for the next version just like the 991. Who knows though.

The V8 price level along with its performance is the problem as it just doesn't measure up well against the 991. IMO, the V10 is a bargain based on content alone, however its problem will be the next 991 turbo,....along the same price line, but much quicker.

At this time the 991 set the bar so high in the performance category I think it surprised some makers. If both a V8 R8 and 991S were equal in performance and price,....that would be a REALLY hard decision!

 

And now its time for the Neil Mccauley opinion Bottom line. The future stock Turbo S 991 will absolutely be guaranteed to be faster than any stock V10 R8 to come, especially if the old 997 Turbo S is already faster than the current R8V10. And before anyone even considers getting an R8 in the future, remember the R8 shares the same platform and V10 engine block as the Gallardo. But due to politics (Volkswagon I'm certain said Audi can never be faster than the Lamborghini brand) the Gallardo is faster and only like $10k more than the V10 R8. With that said, for the extra 10 grand, i'd rather take the Gallardo since its a Lambo AND its faster. Which would you choose?

 

Forgot to answer the OP's original question. I chose the 991 because its a fresh new body style and I knew would garner the most attention compared to an R8 since the R8 has been around for around now, everyones seen it compared to the 991. And when I'm done with my 991, I'll be ready for a new Lamborghini. Would never even consider an R8 for reasons stated above.