Advice on buying a used R8

[MrShabba]

I've finally found the manual R8 V8 I've been looking for with all the options I wanted! Hurray!

Went to see it today and everything seemed fine (bodywork, interior, etc) apart from a few niggles:

1) Service history. It has had 4 stamps in 40k miles, first two Audi and the last two VAG specialist, however paperwork comprised of precisely one invoice from 2012 and the most recent MOT. Should I be really concerned about that? Stamps are obviously genuine and the dealer even rang the specialist to confirm the last service but the lack of paperwork worries me. Why would you not keep your bills on a car like that?

2) Related to service history the car doesn't seem to have ever had it's clutch replaced. It seemed ok when I drove it but in the PH buyers guide it mentions they're usually good for around 40,000 miles, which the car is about to hit. Can anyone who has owned a V8 R8 reveal how long their clutches lasted for? I've searched the forums and can't find much info there.

3) Lastly, I've test driven three R8s now and I'm not sure if I was going mad but the gear changes in the one I drove today seemed a bit less "clunk - clicky" than the others - if that makes sense! It didn't seem to have the catch as you change gear, almost seemed too smooth. Is this related to any sort of gearbox issue? There was not much sign of wear on the gate or gear lever which would suggest hard shifting. Does anyone have any light they can shed on that?

Any help on these points is massively appreciated - this is the first time I've been able to purchase a (junior) supercar so I really want to get it right!

Thanks!

[Kawasicki]

I'd just ring the dealers who did the services. I'd also ring the previous owner, if they tell you to go away...then you can take that as a clue. If they have a massively enthusiastic chat about the car, that's a good sign.

[MrShabba]

Yeah that's a good idea about ringing the previous owner, need to figure out how to get his number now! The dealer did ring the company who serviced it last and they did confirm things but wouldn't go into detail. I suspect it will be harder to get info out of Audi too...

[Kawasicki]

The previous owner's name and address should be on the logbook.

Call the dealers who carried out the servicing yourself. Ask them if they will give you the phone number of the previous owner, or ask them to call the previous owner and see if he is happy to contact you.

[TISPKJ]

Audi / the branch / the independant will be able to print you a copy but without the client information on.
MOT will have previous mot history on, not sure if that can be sourced anywhere now it's all electronically recorded.

[Nedzilla]

How old is the car? Most R8s are on the long life service plan which is every 2 yrs or 20k miles so 4 services in that time/mileage seems about right. Mine is also missing one of the invoices from one of the 4 stamps though I'm not too concerned about it.
Not sure what you mean about the clunk click of the gear change. This is only determined by how hard you slap the shifter against the open gate. If it feels smooth going through the gears with no crunches all should be fine.
Does it have mag ride? If it does it would be worth checking the dampers as they are prone to leaking after as little as 20k miles and they will cost you a grand a corner to replace.