You should check out R8Talk http://www.r8talk.com/forums/index.php Some hardcore track guy there who will assure you the R8 is great for track. A few even track supercharged and turbo ones and no reported issues

 

at 0:44 min ->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkgD-Pepc1o


at 7:44 min ->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deq-bb_gbGo

 

I can imagine R8 draws a lot of attention. I guess if a car makes you so uncomfortable that you don't want to drive it time to get a new car. I think the 911 is a classic car and it has that special understated cool car look.
I think people who get an R8 don't mind the attention and truly want a car with more of an exotic car presence. I have not heard too many Porsche guys put the R8 down. As a matter of fact I know a few Turbo owners willing to go with the less powerful R8 V-8 for the looks alone.

I can recall being parked in between an SL 63 and an Maserati Gran Turismo and my car seemed to fade into the asphalt. Even though I knew my 911 was a better performance car IMO, I was still wishing it had a little more bad *** flair to it. Of course when they started there cars up it was even more of an attention getter.

 

^Interesting dilemma. I love my 997.1 C2S as a DD, 3.5 bulletproof years at just under 14K miles. The 911 was always my dream car to own. 4 year warranty runs out this summer and my dilemma is waiting for the 991 or moving to an R8 or F-car. I like the R8 a lot, have not driven one. I think I would be happy with the V8, especially since used 6-speeds may be procured for <100K. I guess I will just wait until an R8 to my liking becomes available locally and until then keep enjoying my C2S. The thought of maintaining an F-car frightens me to some extent.

 

I'm with you on that one, its a great platform to work from.

For me I was just tired of modding after the 997TT so I wanted something that I would never be tempted to touch and the V10 is definitely that. =)

I think we are all pretty much in agreement that its an amazing car and a great value.

 

I was looking at a V8 initially as well, but I never got to test drive one. Made the mistake of test driving the V10 instead and it was pretty much over for me.

I think 400hp is more than enough for the street.

But 500hp is just stupid, anything above that mark is just extra layers of stupid.

So with the 500hp you really have no compromises, tons of power, great looks, and its an Audi so hopefully it wont fall apart.

But try to get a test drive somewhere and see how it feels. Overall its a very well planted car, very good chassis, great shifter, I mean its just a pleasure to drive. You feel very connected but at the same time quite comfortable.

 

That's the way my wife feels about the R8. She is willing to give up some of the performance to get into a 'slower' R8V8, because it just looks so damn good. But my fear is that I'd never drive it, leaving it for her to go grocery shopping with.

I wouldn't sell the Nissan to get the Audi, but we are in serious deliberations about our next car, and this is on the top of the list (to add to the garage, as opposed to replacing anything).

 

I've gotten groceries in mine, its certainly got less usable space than a 997 especially with no real back seats.

So it depends on how many groceries she's buying

 

Everytime I mention that we are one step closer on buying an R8, she lights up...

(However, my neighborhood Nissan dealer just got a 2012 Super Silver GT-R in, and she just fell in love with it)

Women... Let's face it, sometimes they are as fickle as we want them to be.

 

Whats funny is I was originally planning on V10, Was trading in my RS4 so wanted the bigger motor. This was in May 2009 and the V10 was not available on lots yet and was told I would not be able to get the V10 for almost a year. Was doing a lot of reading on the R8 and the great reviews the V8 was getting, Decided I couldn't wait a year. Searched online and found a V8 setup with everything I wanted on it a dealership a couple hundred miles away and went right down there and bought. From the time I decided I wanted a R8 V10 to the time I was driving my V8 was less than a week. I have zero patience once I decide I want a certain car.

 

Looks like many of us are on the same boat. I am also seriously considering R8 V10. Now, I have two options. Trade in my 997TT to get used R8 V10 or keep the 997TT and pick up used R8 V8. Unfortunately, looks like V8 pricing is holding up very well and I can't even find one for 80's...

 

On the left coast it's damn near impossible to find a lightly used one for <100K let alone if one is living on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific like moi.

I think I will get an extended warranty on my 997.1 this summer when the 4 year OEM warranty expires and patiently wait for a V8 R8 to come within my desired color and price range. I like the white or ice blue metallic and don't care about options aside from the B&O sounds.

This may buy enough time for me to try the 991 and see if I like it enough to move in that direction. Not feeling the GT3 as a DD.

 

Same here on the East Coast. Keep in mind you might wait for the R8 to come into your price range, but your car will be worth less at that time too.
Nice Color Combo on your 911....

 

Thank you LOL! Yeah good point on the trade-in. I thought when the V10 came out, prices on the V8 would depreciate more rapidly but R8s in general seem to hold their value well. Could be worse, one of my friends paid like 40 or 50K over MSRP to get the R8 when it first launched, ended up trading it in less than 1 year later for a California. Go figure.

 

This was EXACTLY what I was thinking...

When the V8 came out, I was quoted a price of $155k.

Then the V10 came out, and I thought the prices would drop. This damn car is surprisingly stubborn.