I am considering replacing my C2S with an Audi R8 4.2 or 5.2 depending on what deals are out there on low mileage pre owned units. Dealer referenced Audi Program cars with me. Said they are used by Audi for various events like track experiences and what not. He said they are completely refurbished and fully backed by Audi. My initial thoughts are to be leery of such a car. Does anyone have knowledge of this program?

Also anyone go from Porsche 911 to R8 and if so what are your thoughts?

Thanks

 

i have driven all 3... and i pick the R8 V10 first, second C2S and Last R8 V8... V8 is not so much fun as a C2S but the V10 is just fukicng insane! but if you wanna pick bicthes up nothing get better than the Audi... but at the End of the day Nothings better than a Porsche as a Daily Driver and Experiance

 

I hear ya love the Porsche brand and at this point am thinking I can only roll with the 5.2 R8. The 4.2 would be a good launching point and from a looks standpoint gets the job done, but I don't want a boring car that I will tire of in a year or so. With the 5.2 there is no real looking back. 2010 Turbos if you can find them are near 135k very similar to an R8 V10 and sorry to say I think the sound and experience of the V10 probably wins out. However if I can get a nice 2009 Turbo at a good price that may be best all around car for money. As for the picking up women standpoint I try to get them before they ever see my car...

 

i went from your exact car to a 2009 r8.

what i liked about the R8:
- much more comfortable and luxurious then the c2s
- felt more solid and planted
- so much more rare than the c2s - i think there were only a few driving around boston when i had mine.
- i owned mine for 6 months and actually sold it for a profit - when does that happen?

what i disliked about the R8
- it felt more like a gt than the 911. i had an s5 as well and the R8 felt more like that - built fro cruising - the 911 is a raw sports car - the R8 is not. (i tracked both of them - and the 911 is much more suited for it)
- all the attention got to be a bit much - my girlfriend liked it though.

now i have no sports cars - looking to get back in - i'm torn on getting another 911 or trying out the vantage - but i digress....

 

Thanks for the input. It's funny how the R8 does so well on track testing with reviewers praising it's mid engine layout. However I have heard many owners discuss the civilized drive in the car with some saying it's actually boring. I am thinking the V10 may be better way to go. I hate to go with V8 and feel my C2S was quicker.

Resale value is a definite consideration too. I am def not happy with the bath my C2S has taken in two short years. Though I don't think the R8 today has the type of resale you experienced back in 09 it is still pretty damn good. I take it you sold your R8 not a trade in deal?

As for the attention factor I am considering that as well. In a 911 turbo you fly under the radar a little more than R8. I don't want to get a car that I am overly paranoid to drive.

I guess for me it will ultimately come down to best deal. If I can get an 09 Turbo for 5-10k under an 09 R8 I think that is the way I may go.

Btw- Don't go with a V8 Vantage if you are expecting it to be quick. More of a GT car with a certain attention getting factor. As for 911 def get a good deal on a 997 with 991's due out this fall.

 

I think a test drive is in order!

R8 V1 is around $135k used? I thought they are more like $145-150k. At 135k, seems like a no brainer compared to V8

 

Wish I could no R8's available in my area to drive. I just need to see pricing on these "Program" R8's. I am pretty much in the R8 vs. 997.1TT debate right now. Many have told me 997.1 tt is a no brainer over a V8 R8, yet there are a few 997.1 tt guys moving to R8's for the wow factor.
I think in the 2-3 year term the 997 will lose more money than the R8 especially the V-10.

 

actully when i was at the Track with the V-10 last year several times, i noticed the Car Ran Hot often...

 

I would imagine these "Program" or demo R8 to be pretty beat up. Lots of seat and track time that take the car to the limit. If you buy it, make sure it comes with at least a 2 year warranty just in case. Also, brake, clutch, wheel and other interior wear items such as seat bolster should be inspected. If it checks out, you may have a good deal.

 

Yeah exactly I need more info before I would ever consider. In reality I think the price wont be too much different in which case I will only consider a "Normal" CPO R8.

 

Had my 997TT for 3 years, put 65,000 miles on it, and got a '10 R8 V10 about 2 months ago.

The quick answer: R8 V10 > 997TT

The 997TT is a great car, but after driving the R8 V10 there's really no comparison, it wins in pretty much every category.

1. Exterior: R8 : put them side by side and the 997TT just doesn't have the same appeal. The R8 is a supercar that just happens to be a reliable Audi underneath. Back, front, side, 3/4 it wins from every angle. But from the back, which was my favorite angle for the 997TT, the R8 just looks killer.

2. Interior: R8 : I would put the R8's interior a notch above the Turbos. It's less fussy, fewer buttons, and has a more unique feel. The finishes without adding any options just feel more solid. Just the way the doors close, the feel of the leather, and ergonomically its great. I'm 6'1-6'2" and fit with no issues. It does have a slightly high dead pedal at first but you get used to it and its at a better height for the clutch actually.

3. Sound System: -- : Can't really say either sound system is hands above the other, maybe the R8s slightly edges out the Turbo, but not enough to really have a clear winner.

4. Electronics : R8 : Given that I had an '08 TT with no factory options for bluetooth or satellite radio, I give this to the R8. The NAV is good, no complaints there. Bluetooth is good quality no issues, and menus are easy to use.

5. Exhaust: R8 : Stock for stock, R8 all the way. Just deeper fuller sound from the V10 compared to the Turbo's 6.

6. Power: R8 : The NA R8 just puts the power down immediately. No turbo lag, no delay, it just moves. Really just makes it so much fun to push the car in the higher RPMs.

7. Transmission/Shifter: R8 : I put in the short shifter in the TT so I can't really recall the stock feel. But the R8 is by far the smoothest shifting I've ever encountered. Not to mention the flywheel seems lighter than the Turbo, you definitely need to switch gears faster than the TT to catch the RPMs between 2nd and 3rd, etc. And the metallic gate, supercar territory all the way.

9. Suspension : R8 : The stock ride height for the TT seems a bit high by comparison. The R8 also has one of the firmest and solid suspensions of any car. It just feels well put together and balanced and really copes well with the horrible roads of NYC.

8. Every Day Driving DD: R8 : The R8 just seems easier to drive overall. Whats funny is that after you drive it for a week you forget that its a super car. It just becomes an every day car thats comfortable on long trips. The TT was no slouch in this department either, but the feel of the suspension over the horrible roads gives it the edge plus it has a 24 gallon gas tank. Also the way the car is designed I'm not scraping the front anywhere. I'm of course careful but its well designed. Also comes with the rear view camera and so many parking sensors front and rear that you can park it anywhere. It even has sensors on the bottom of the lip and the rear to not only tell you how close you are to something, but also if you are about to scrape the front or rear. Mine does come with the Hill-Assist, which I actually hate, but I could see how it could be useful for others that aren't as used to manual.

9. Mileage : TT : While the R8 does get worse gas mileage especially if you aren't crusing in 6th gear, what it does do is give you a 24 gallon! gas tank. If you're on a long road trip and you fill up you'll see your range at 400+ miles. Driving in 3rd and 4th you will be eating up a lot more gas, probably about as bad as a Range Rover supercharged. I give the TT the win on this one because it does get better gas mileage in every gear and its gas tank isn't that small to make it a bother.

10. WOW Factor : R8 : This one is of course subjective, but it definitely goes to the R8 in my opinion, I didn't need anything else but to put the two cars side by side to immediately see the difference. The R8 just has so many sculpted lines, especially the V10 with its side skirts, exhaust, larger diffuser, larger scoops, its just perfect as is and doesn't require any mods. The 997TT on the other hand I was modding after the first year to keep the car exciting and give it more visual appeal. The added benefit is that you get a Super Car thats an Audi so it doesn't ever feel pretentious. It's just classy and exotic and not as flamboyant as a Gallardo or something equally as outrageous. Not to mention I got mine in black which I think makes it more understated as well. Additionally the 911 is a 911 to so much of the public. We know the differences, but the 997TT and the GT3RS shares so much DNA with the 997 911 that it just feels like a more common car. As for the R8, I've probably seen a total of 2 on the streets in NYC since launch. And the price of the car certainly attests to this.

Verdict: R8 V10 #WINNING

Can't comment on the R8 V8, never test drove it. I think the visual lines of the V10 are just so much more refined and I knew if I got the V8 I would be modding it to make it look like the V10. Not to mention the V10 itself is just amazing, I mean a lambo engine with an Audi Warranty, who could say no to that?

 

Btw, my R8 is a CPO with 100,000 mile warranty and 5 years, which definitely sealed the deal for me, given that I put 65,000+ miles on the 997 in three years, this car will definitely get over the standard warranty so the fact that it gets a regular Audi CPO as if its an A4 is awesome.

 

Great write up. I agree with all your points and lets not forget the resale value of R8 compared to TT. I was on the phone this morning with a Porsche dealer and he explained that the reason R8 holds it's value better is it's more of an exotic car than TT. R8-WINNER... I laughed and said your not supposed to say that about the competition. At least he was honest.

What do you think the current market is for a CPO V-10?

 

I had a porsche for 3 years and never owned an Audi so I really have no affiliation to the brand, but with the R8 I think they hit a home run really.

It's very difficult to find any kind of fault with the car.

I picked up the 2010 CPO V10 with 2200miles for $140K from the dealership. I felt with the full CPO I got a great deal. It's fully loaded though I don't know how many options aside from carbon bits you can add to a V10, but the car was perfect and looking around it was hard to find them in general, so I decided to just pick it up. At best I might have found one for $135K but thats doubtful.

I've seen 09s and 10s advertised at the same price all near the $140K mark and I dont believe any of those were CPO.

This was the dealership on 57th st in the city, so I think they just wanted to move the inventory and I think I got a good deal on it.

MSRP was $156k originally, asking was $146,9k, got it for $140k even.

If I really pushed it I think I could have got it for $139k, very doubtful they would have budged lower.

They were offering the car lower than $139k but then it was without the CPO and given my yearly mileage I wouldn't take it without the CPO.

And the response from everyone who has seen it is the same, they all love it more than any of my other cars and there's just no comparison to the Porsche. But test drive one and you'll see. Though its a pain to even get the dealerships to give you a test drive even if you pull up in a 997TT. But its definitely way more exotic than a 911.

It's basically a gallardo with smoother lines.

 

I am pretty confident R8 is a good car. I can almost imagine how it drives without driving it. How did you make out on sale or trade of your TT?
BTW- You got a real strong deal on your car loaded CPO V-10 with only 2200 miles...