Grab them before we do
£42,995
The Audi R8 RWS in our recent Britain’s Best Driver’s Car super-test (7 November) will have set some souls thinking about bagging themselves an early model. A poke around the classifieds turned up a few for about £30,000 – but that isn’t where you want to look. Instead, between £35k and £40k is where nice, early R8s hang out. By nice we mean, above all, full service history and definitely no insurance category status (we found a Cat D that wasn’t immediately declared as such). One tidy R8 that caught our eye was a 2008/58 V8 automatic with 44,000 miles and full Audi service history, for £37,995. It looked the business in Phantom Black with black leather (inset), and was being sold by a reputable specialist.
Touch wood, it’s without fault, but all the same it and all used R8s can be a money pit if you get it wrong, so do your checks.
The V8 engine is a reliable unit but beware cars that have had extended service intervals – an annual service is best. Listen for misfires caused by faulty coils, and for any engine grumbles suggesting imminent big-end failure.
While you’re poking about, check the outer radiators for leaky seams. The clutch lasts around 20,000 miles so we’d pay particular attention to the one in the car we have our eye on.
Get it on the ramp and inspect the suspension for steel and aluminium corrosion, leaky shocks and play in the lower rear wishbones. Brake discs are around £300 each so factor wear into your negotiations. Still with the car in the air, look for bodywork ripples, dents on the long doors and, again, possible galvanic corrosion where steel and aluminium meet.