997 (GTS, C4S)....so why is a R8 looking tempting?
Discussion
Due to a new job and the fact we have decided not to move this year i will have in a few months time the opportunity to upgrade to a new car.
Now having had my 996 C4S, which i love, i was always under the impression to stay with Porsche and go for a 997 GTS or C4S. But for some reason having spotted a few Youtube clips of a R8 im thinking am i being a turncoat looking at one??
My budget is £50k and ill find a decent C4S but may push a little on a GTS especially when i want to buy from OPC or well known Indy like where i bought the 996. But i saw a manual R8, low miles, Audi Approved supplied for £48k. Personally i see a R8 more of a supercar than a 911, probably because i dont see many of them and there are 3 911's and 1 Boxster on my estate. Im thinking while i can buy a car like a R8, should i and if so whats the pitfalls if any?
Should i wash my mouth out and trot off to the nearest OPC or should i sneak to a Audi dealer in a hoodie and dark glasses??!!!
Now having had my 996 C4S, which i love, i was always under the impression to stay with Porsche and go for a 997 GTS or C4S. But for some reason having spotted a few Youtube clips of a R8 im thinking am i being a turncoat looking at one??
My budget is £50k and ill find a decent C4S but may push a little on a GTS especially when i want to buy from OPC or well known Indy like where i bought the 996. But i saw a manual R8, low miles, Audi Approved supplied for £48k. Personally i see a R8 more of a supercar than a 911, probably because i dont see many of them and there are 3 911's and 1 Boxster on my estate. Im thinking while i can buy a car like a R8, should i and if so whats the pitfalls if any?
Should i wash my mouth out and trot off to the nearest OPC or should i sneak to a Audi dealer in a hoodie and dark glasses??!!!
petop said:
Due to a new job and the fact we have decided not to move this year i will have in a few months time the opportunity to upgrade to a new car.
Now having had my 996 C4S, which i love, i was always under the impression to stay with Porsche and go for a 997 GTS or C4S. But for some reason having spotted a few Youtube clips of a R8 im thinking am i being a turncoat looking at one??
My budget is £50k and ill find a decent C4S but may push a little on a GTS especially when i want to buy from OPC or well known Indy like where i bought the 996. But i saw a manual R8, low miles, Audi Approved supplied for £48k. Personally i see a R8 more of a supercar than a 911, probably because i dont see many of them and there are 3 911's and 1 Boxster on my estate. Im thinking while i can buy a car like a R8, should i and if so whats the pitfalls if any?
Should i wash my mouth out and trot off to the nearest OPC or should i sneak to a Audi dealer in a hoodie and dark glasses??!!!
The R8 is very accomplished and well realised IMO. Now having had my 996 C4S, which i love, i was always under the impression to stay with Porsche and go for a 997 GTS or C4S. But for some reason having spotted a few Youtube clips of a R8 im thinking am i being a turncoat looking at one??
My budget is £50k and ill find a decent C4S but may push a little on a GTS especially when i want to buy from OPC or well known Indy like where i bought the 996. But i saw a manual R8, low miles, Audi Approved supplied for £48k. Personally i see a R8 more of a supercar than a 911, probably because i dont see many of them and there are 3 911's and 1 Boxster on my estate. Im thinking while i can buy a car like a R8, should i and if so whats the pitfalls if any?
Should i wash my mouth out and trot off to the nearest OPC or should i sneak to a Audi dealer in a hoodie and dark glasses??!!!
But its nothing like a rear engined focused 911.
Think of a Volkswagon Golf that is a bit faster and lower.
Synthetic, VERY mainstream to the touch and a doddle to drive.
jackal said:
The R8 is very accomplished and well realised IMO.
But its nothing like a rear engined focused 911.
Think of a Volkswagon Golf that is a bit faster and lower.
Synthetic, VERY mainstream to the touch and a doddle to drive.
And its this that is making me think hard about it. Im no Ring meister and to be fair top speed has never been my thing but the fact is where possible (and the other half isnt with me) i can have fun in my C4S, would the R8 be a bit to clinical?But its nothing like a rear engined focused 911.
Think of a Volkswagon Golf that is a bit faster and lower.
Synthetic, VERY mainstream to the touch and a doddle to drive.
If i could afford a V10 then i think my mind would be made up, especially with the newer "PDK" type gearbox but would i be missing "the Porsche" thing?
Sounds to me like you have already made your mind up 
Friend of mine has a V8 which I have had the pleasure of driving also. Sounds fabulous, seems plenty quick enough for me and also agree that it does seem to have much more of a super-car look about it.
Personally, only downside I can think of is that it's quite wide and possibly a bit too wide for the kind of roads I like to drive on ??
Anyway, why not just go for a test drive and then if you still want one...go for it !
Friend of mine has a V8 which I have had the pleasure of driving also. Sounds fabulous, seems plenty quick enough for me and also agree that it does seem to have much more of a super-car look about it.
Personally, only downside I can think of is that it's quite wide and possibly a bit too wide for the kind of roads I like to drive on ??
Anyway, why not just go for a test drive and then if you still want one...go for it !
not so much clinical ... more 'ordinary'
if you were blindfolded and you got to press the pedals, move the gear shift, the steering wheel a little ... driving position aside, you could just as well be in an A4 Avant
don't get me wrong, its supposed to be like this because of the target market so Audi have aced it and its actually nicely balanced, handles well and the damping and body control on uk roads was also pretty impressive (esp. for an Audi)
but feel, feedback, depth of the chassis etc ... not in the same playing field IMO
but then not much is .... still waiting to drive an F that is as challenging and engaging dynamically
if you were blindfolded and you got to press the pedals, move the gear shift, the steering wheel a little ... driving position aside, you could just as well be in an A4 Avant
don't get me wrong, its supposed to be like this because of the target market so Audi have aced it and its actually nicely balanced, handles well and the damping and body control on uk roads was also pretty impressive (esp. for an Audi)
but feel, feedback, depth of the chassis etc ... not in the same playing field IMO
but then not much is .... still waiting to drive an F that is as challenging and engaging dynamically
I know what you mean about UK roads and Audi's. I had a A3 3.2V6 and to say i could feel every stone in the road was an understatement.
Of course as usual with cars i spend months non-stop looking before i commit. I think i need a bit of advice from those Audi lot on here to see what they say!
But someone hit the nail on the head. The 911 still has that old school about it (991 aside im afraid) and if its not some of the dodgy ergonomics but does what it says on the tin and there rawness then i think the R8 would be failing. After all, i have driven a fair few trucks in my time, and although the new fangled gearboxes a kid could use, there is nothing better than going up and down a 13 speed Fuller Roadranger without crunching!
Of course as usual with cars i spend months non-stop looking before i commit. I think i need a bit of advice from those Audi lot on here to see what they say!
But someone hit the nail on the head. The 911 still has that old school about it (991 aside im afraid) and if its not some of the dodgy ergonomics but does what it says on the tin and there rawness then i think the R8 would be failing. After all, i have driven a fair few trucks in my time, and although the new fangled gearboxes a kid could use, there is nothing better than going up and down a 13 speed Fuller Roadranger without crunching!
Lovely car,had one for 3 years longest I've kept any car,when the gen 2 997s came out kept getting invites to silver stone to test them,did it and spent the entire time wishing I was driving the r8 instead.
Utterly wonderful chassis and balance,do what you want with it ,I went into it from a 996 turbo,997c2s and 997 turbo and despite being much slower than the 997turbo the r8 was the better car.
as for the interior comments,it's very similar to a tt,in the same way a997 interior is the same as a boxster.
Read the comparison tests and drive one ( manual only the auto version is s
t)
Utterly wonderful chassis and balance,do what you want with it ,I went into it from a 996 turbo,997c2s and 997 turbo and despite being much slower than the 997turbo the r8 was the better car.
as for the interior comments,it's very similar to a tt,in the same way a997 interior is the same as a boxster.
Read the comparison tests and drive one ( manual only the auto version is s
t)Edited by franki68 on Monday 8th July 08:01
jackal said:
not so much clinical ... more 'ordinary'
if you were blindfolded and you got to press the pedals, move the gear shift, the steering wheel a little ... driving position aside, you could just as well be in an A4 Avant
This. if you were blindfolded and you got to press the pedals, move the gear shift, the steering wheel a little ... driving position aside, you could just as well be in an A4 Avant
I test drove one at a main dealer and nearly fell asleep at the wheel. The only thing that kept me awake was a rattling door trim and the clunk of the R-tronic gearbox lazily choosing another gear after several minutes of thinking about it. It also felt big on country roads.
They look and sound good from the outside, they are boring inside.
The R8 is an amazing car to drive, its like a big comfortable Lotus Elise.
Its never going to feel the same was as a 911 (what does?) because its design and layout are totally different but as a car to enjoy in isolation, its fantastic.
Get yourself booked on a test drive and go from there - you will either love it or hate it but make sure you test drive the manual!!!
Its never going to feel the same was as a 911 (what does?) because its design and layout are totally different but as a car to enjoy in isolation, its fantastic.
Get yourself booked on a test drive and go from there - you will either love it or hate it but make sure you test drive the manual!!!
I can't tell you what an R8 drives like, or a GTS for that matter, however I've had a good look at both.
Will this car require any sort of practicality? Shopping / holiday luggage?
The R8 has virtually no storage compared to a 911.
A new R8 is also coming soon and could date the current one dramatically.
Will this car require any sort of practicality? Shopping / holiday luggage?
The R8 has virtually no storage compared to a 911.
A new R8 is also coming soon and could date the current one dramatically.
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