R8 Spyder - Daily?
Discussion
Afternoon,
Looking at swapping my M4 Cab for a 2 seater with big engine and manual gearbox - been looking at R8's and V8Vs. In R8 terms my perfect car would be a V10 Spyder Manual.
Been warned off using the V8V as a daily for a few reasons... wanted to know what the reception was from the German corner.
- Regardless of roof, does the V10 actually work as a daily. I have a 6 mile commute each way, B roads with no traffic - normally takes 10mins and is enjoyable short drive.
- Spyder, how tough is the roof and its mechanism? I previously had an S2000 with a single skin roof - it offered little to no insulation and was bit of a pain during winter - the material also needed to be fairly warm to fold properly. How does the R8 fair in bad weather, as it will be stored outside...
Any other comments or feedback relating to going from a M4 to R8 V10 appreciated.
Cheers...
Looking at swapping my M4 Cab for a 2 seater with big engine and manual gearbox - been looking at R8's and V8Vs. In R8 terms my perfect car would be a V10 Spyder Manual.
Been warned off using the V8V as a daily for a few reasons... wanted to know what the reception was from the German corner.
- Regardless of roof, does the V10 actually work as a daily. I have a 6 mile commute each way, B roads with no traffic - normally takes 10mins and is enjoyable short drive.
- Spyder, how tough is the roof and its mechanism? I previously had an S2000 with a single skin roof - it offered little to no insulation and was bit of a pain during winter - the material also needed to be fairly warm to fold properly. How does the R8 fair in bad weather, as it will be stored outside...
Any other comments or feedback relating to going from a M4 to R8 V10 appreciated.
Cheers...
can't comment on the daily bit as i never use mine lol
I did come from an M4 Coupe to a R8 V10 Spyder S-tronic, having had a manual F430 i don't buy into the hype, maybe i'm old, but the worst part of the Ferrari was the err.. manual gearbox, i'm not sure if the R8s is better, but i sold both to buy a more usual car so the s-tronic was the way to go for me. My daily consists of sitting on the M40 and M25 so a manual is a no no
in terms of the differences its stark, one is a very fast, naff sound sounding (but great looking), 4 series and the other is a supercar, i know people disagree with the super car thing, that's their choice, IMO it looks, sounds and goes like a supercar, the majority of the public react to it like a supercar too, pics, chats, requests for rides etc - this might be a negative for some people though.
Performance IMO is similar i.e. much more that you can really use on the road, the R8 is way less lairy which is probably due to the 4x4, but you can feel the weight disadvantage, the R8 infotainment is s
te and practicality is really bad especially in the spyder, both are great cars though, i wouldn't buy another M4 (even though i'm in the market for a replacement 4 seater), i would buy a gen 2 R8 though 
I did come from an M4 Coupe to a R8 V10 Spyder S-tronic, having had a manual F430 i don't buy into the hype, maybe i'm old, but the worst part of the Ferrari was the err.. manual gearbox, i'm not sure if the R8s is better, but i sold both to buy a more usual car so the s-tronic was the way to go for me. My daily consists of sitting on the M40 and M25 so a manual is a no no
in terms of the differences its stark, one is a very fast, naff sound sounding (but great looking), 4 series and the other is a supercar, i know people disagree with the super car thing, that's their choice, IMO it looks, sounds and goes like a supercar, the majority of the public react to it like a supercar too, pics, chats, requests for rides etc - this might be a negative for some people though.
Performance IMO is similar i.e. much more that you can really use on the road, the R8 is way less lairy which is probably due to the 4x4, but you can feel the weight disadvantage, the R8 infotainment is s
te and practicality is really bad especially in the spyder, both are great cars though, i wouldn't buy another M4 (even though i'm in the market for a replacement 4 seater), i would buy a gen 2 R8 though I'd want a better head unit for daily duties in an R8 and the manual can be slightly gummy before the oil is fully warm.
If parking is decent at destination and there's super-unleaded en route I see no reason why you couldn't use it all the time.
General reliability is very good and their foibles are well documented.
If parking is decent at destination and there's super-unleaded en route I see no reason why you couldn't use it all the time.
General reliability is very good and their foibles are well documented.
Ran an R8 coupe daily for two and a half years without any issues. It's a supremely reliable car, easy to drive and park, and mine never attracted any negative attention. I wouldn't expect the Spyder to be any different. A lot of miles will hit its value, but far less than something more exotic.
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