Quote:
Originally Posted by Im4citadel
I have tested the 997 Turbo and it is undoubtedly a great car. I am not purely looking for the performance end though. I am looking to have a weekend, mid-engine supercar.
So if you are asking me if looks and the "wow" factor are more important than pure performance...yes it is.
Here in the Tysons VA area a 911 Porsche is almost as common as Camrys (a joke, but seriously the Porsche dealership is down the road from my office and I see a new one rolling off the lot on a daily basis).
They are driven exclusively by 50 year old execs with cellphone holders (whoever lives in the DMV area...just try and deny this).
I want something unique that will be a show stopper.
I love having the M3 and discussing the car with other true enthusiasts and gear-heads, but if its truly going to be my "weekend" toy.... I'm sorry, but I want attention looks.
My goal is to keep it close to $85000 as possible.
Again, I am headed down this weekend to FL and am testing the V8 R8 in question (I am very much leaning towards this one).
I would like to test the 360, but have no real time to head up to Cleveland to take a look at the red one.
I did however see one at the Sterling dealership here in DMV, but the sales manager there is like the Gestapo about test drives.  |
Based on this post, it seems to me that the R8 would be a mistake. What you are looking for is a Ferrari, not an Audi. Audis are boring, R8's are ho-hum. I see them all of the time and they don't interest me. I'll snap my neck and almost drive off the road to get a second look at a Ferrari, even an older one like a 355 for example.
On the issue of maintenance and reliability, you really need to read up. Audi has arguably the worst reliability track record in the luxury market. The V8 WILL 100%, WITHOUT A DOUBT, suffer from carbon buildup. The RS4 guys are losing 10% of their power due to carbon buildup before the car starts misfiring and they are forced to pay ~$1500 to clean it. Now your not-so super 420 HP super car may as well be a 4.2L A6.
There's also a possibility that a cylinder of three will inexplicably become scored and you'll need a new motor like the S4 and RS4 guys. If one of the 17 timing chain tensioners fails, the motor will have to be pulled to replace the timing system. The B6 and B7 S4 guys are paying upwards of $5k to have this done (this is a 80 to 100k mile issue though).
My point is, the R8 is boring and not the "maintenance bargain" super car that you might think. Please, whatever you do, do not buy an R8 without driving a 360 first. At least give us that.