The Audi R8 is the ultimate “dream car” of the late 2000s. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. Sure, the Nissan GT-R had an absolute stranglehold on the culture and the Corvette ZR1 was an Amerigasm akin to shooting a baconator with a Colt 1911 while a bald eagle flies overhead, but now that the dust has fully settled, the R8 is still the best.
How many awards has it won? Pretty much all of them. World Performance Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year, Canadian Car of the Year, Automotive Magazine Design of the year and car of the year, you already know what’s going on. It was Iron Man’s car, everyone from Chief Keef to Juelz Santana mentioned it, it was the desktop wallpaper of every teenager and everyone who was still a teenager mentally. The R8 has always been a total stunner.
And best of all, the Audi R8 sold in decent numbers. So this absolute powerhouse is now the cheapest way to get a modern manual transmission vehicle and the cheapest way to get a modern supercar, so cheap that they overlap with the price of the new Mustang. Don’t believe me? Just take a look for yourself.
What are we looking at?
Just one of the best poster cars of the 21st century. For decades, Audi built cars for people who liked to ski. They were really fast on snow, but could never quite keep up with the fast BMWs and AMGs. Then, in 2006, Audi went crazy. They took their 4.2-liter V8, mated it to a stroked six-speed manual transmission, stuffed it into a modified Lamborghini Gallardo structure, wrapped it in some of the sexiest sheet metal to come out of Germany since, well, ever, and gave it LED eyes that haunt your dreams and fuel your fantasies. The result? An instant classic, a boost for the Audi brand, and an overnight household name – the R8.
In one fell swoop, Audi made the Porsche 911 look boring, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage uninspired, the Ferrari F430 overpriced and the Lamborghini Gallardo redundant. It was a true everyday junior supercar that combined the livability of a sports coupe with the absolutely beguiling X-factor and performance of the world’s best machines. I wanted one. You wanted one. We all wanted one. Maybe that’s why Audi sold more than 26,000 of these things. But such a high production rate for an exotic car means less exotic prices on the used car market.
How much is it?
An R8 for Mustang money? Well, yeah. If you want the fastest Mustang of the moment, you’re probably looking at the Dark Horse. Well, for the 2025 model year, a base Dark Horse model with no extras starts at $65,570 including freight. Yes, you can easily find a decent-looking Audi R8 for that money. In fact, you’ll even be able to find a manual-shift model, like this 2009 R8 coupe with a six-speed manual that sold for $60,069 on Cars & Bids last month. Nice. Sure, it might have a few aftermarket modifications like an ECU remap, Armytrix exhaust system, BC forged wheels, and BC Racing coilovers, but those aren’t necessarily bad things. Plus, this car isn’t wrapped, and the paint actually looks pretty good, even with 83,000 miles on it. The catch? Two minor dents and one minor to moderate dent on the Carfax. However, if you’re looking for an R8 to keep, that might not be bad news. This is an R8 that the new owner can enjoy driving often, and if that’s not a win, I don’t know what is.
That’s all well and good, but how about a gated R8 with a clean Carfax and lower mileage? Check out this 2009 model that sold for $65,000 on Bring A Trailer a few weeks ago. Not only does it have a clean Carfax, but it also had an acceptable 63,000-mile odometer reading when it was sold, although the modifications may not be to everyone’s taste. However, there are good signs that someone spent some serious money on this car. Sure, the wrap makes it difficult to see the condition of the paint underneath, but the fact that the owner spent a lot of money wrapping the door jambs speaks volumes. The same goes for the KW V3 coilovers, because while they’re not the same as the factory mag suspension, these aren’t cheap suspension parts. Oh, and if you don’t like the wheels, don’t worry – the factory originals came with the car, neatly packed in boxes. Seems like quite a lucky find, right?
Want to trade a pedal for a really low-mileage convertible? No problem. This red 2011 R8 Spyder sold for $63,500 on Bring A Trailer on Wednesday and has just 17,000 miles on the clock. Sure, the R-Tronic automated manual transmission isn’t exactly what you’d call smooth, but the OEM Mag-Ride shocks in 2019 tip the scales, as does a clean Carfax and the generally excellent cosmetic condition of this car. A solid deal by any measure.
What can go wrong with an Audi R8?
Have you noticed how many used first-generation R8s come with aftermarket adjustable coilovers? Yes, there’s a reason for that. Audi famously used magnetorheological shock absorbers on those cars, and replacement parts cost $2,799.99 each at FCP Euro. Yes, each. It turns out that buying a supercar still often means spending supercar money on replacement parts if you want to keep everything in original condition. Ouch.
Oh, and then there’s the fact that the air conditioning is a sore spot on these cars. The compressor itself isn’t crazy expensive at $464.99 for an OE Denso compressor from FCP Euro, but replacing it on V8 cars requires an absurd 27.5 hours of labor. Why on earth would that take longer than a full day? Because you have to remove the damn engine to get to it. Supercar, right?
Otherwise, these cars are pretty robust, although general maintenance and upkeep costs are higher than, say, a Porsche 911. The rear brake discs are expensive at $481.02 a piece at FCP Euro, the engine needs a whopping ten liters of oil for an oil change, and the control arms cost a pretty penny. On the other hand, Audi used a lot of common components in building these cars, so parts like cabin air filters, tie rod ends, and even some interior electronics are pretty inexpensive.
Should you buy an Audi R8?
Compared to a Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the Audi R8 is more expensive to run, doesn’t have as much power, is less practical, and you’d have to be very lucky to get a warranty on it. But it’s also the flagship of a generation, a line drawn for mid-engine cars by an automaker fed up with people making fun of the understeer of most of its cars. A used Audi R8 isn’t a smart choice over a new Mustang Dark Horse, but if you’ve always wanted one, what are you waiting for? Life is getting shorter.
(Image credit: Cars & Bids, Bring A Trailer)
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