I’m often asked what is the best entry-level exotic car you can buy today, and while that may seem like an oxymoron to some, there is actually one car I like to crown the “king” of all-around exotic cars and it’s none other than the Audi R8.
Although there is a newer and greater second generation R8 model that debuted in 2017, there is no denying that the first generation R8 (08-15) is still fantastic value and even looks as if it rolled off showroom floors today.
With such tremendous ‘bang for the buck’ and too many misconceptions about exotic car ownership, I wanted to have a few of my Exotic Car Hacks students who actually own the Audi R8 help answer many of the same questions you may have about the car, cost of ownership, and more.
If you are in the market for your next exotic car and considering the Audi R8, see what my students have to say about the car and the Exotic Car Hacks strategy about owning one.
Skip L
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: 2009 R8 V10 with the r-tronic tranny, all carbon options.
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: I pay $149/month for my R8 and RAV4 combined through Erie Insurance.
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: Haven’t had to perform this yet. (Only owned car for 3 months)
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: None as of yet.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: Exotic Car Hacked helped me feel comfortable finding a car that had been sitting for a while and making a lowball offer. (I offered $5k less than what they were asking a couple days after the lowered the price by $2k!)
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: Not sold yet.
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: Find one that has aftermarket coil-overs, saves the headache of ever having to spend $2k to replace one of stock shocks. Also, if you get an r-tropic transmission, try to find a car that has had the clutch recently changed. Overall, I’ve driven my R8 over 1500 miles already and I’ve loved every second of it!
Kristian R
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: 2018 R8 V8 S-tronic. Black exterior with red interior. I chose the R8 because ever since I laid my eyes on one when I was 15 years old in 2008 it became my dream car. I told myself I would have one one day!
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: $195/month
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: Haven’t paid for an oil change yet as previous owner prepaid for all future services.
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: None.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: Originally saved about $7000 off dealer asking price
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: I first sold my R8 back in March after owning 3 months and profited $1500. So made $500/month. Bought it back again from the guy I sold it to for $9k less. Still currently own.
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: I would highly recommend an Audi R8 to anyone. It is a phenomenal car and can even be used as a daily driver.
Peter G
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: I had a 2010 r8 V10 from July 2016 to June 2018. I chose the car strictly due to the fact I wanted to move from my Porsche into a supercar. I knew I would be daily driving it and wanted the reliability that comes with the R8.
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: $250 CAD a month for full coverage.
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: Varied between shops but never more than $300 CAD.
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: The car was pretty flawless for the whole ownership.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: Even with the Canadian market being different from the US market in terms of financing I still saved more on this car than I ever would’ve imagined thanks to Exotic Car Hacks.
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: My cost of ownership was pretty minimal. What I bought and sold for I made sure I negotiated at least that on my next car. Which I ended up getting a 2017 580-2 Huracan. So I just rolled it over into the next car and I am doing great with the state of the market here in Canada and what I paid in June 2018.
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: Life is too short to drive boring cars. Give the exotic car world a try, its a great networking tool for the real world as well.
Joe D
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: 2011 R8 V10 Spyder
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: $220/mo
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: $250.
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: No issues.
How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: Was asking $89k which was a good deal, but using Exotic Car Hacks methods I got them down to $84k to make a great deal.
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: Not sold
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: I love my R8 it’s a beautiful car and I’d say it’s the best exotic to start with.
Dustin L
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: I have a 2010 V10 R8. I chose the car because I had a 05 Gallardo previously and it simply was just too cramped of an interior for me to fit. Armed with the research I did in the group, on the website, and the target price I went in and test drove the car. I loved it and decided to buy it. I not only got it for around the target price, but I used the same resources to get the maximum value out of my trade-in, the Gallardo, which ended up being the same price I bought it from them for.
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: $200/month
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: N/A
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: None.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: I saved $10,000 add that to the fact that I had the knowledge to explain the current market for a manual first generation Gallardo I actually got what I paid for it back which was obviously less than I owed and they applied the additional money to the R8 which ended up making it just over $15,000 in savings from their asking price. I used an Exotic Car Hacks referred finance company and got a very good rate on the loan which has also saved me money over my year of ownership
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: N/A
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: In my opinion it is the best car to buy in that price range. The performance is better than the Gallardo, it turns more heads than my DBS did and it has more room and a upgraded interior compared to both those vehicles as well. The parts and service are way cheaper and there are a lot more aftermarket accessories available.
Aris I
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: 2012 V8 manual black exterior, red interior. I’ve always loved the design, like that it’s all wheel drive, easy to maintain, best value for dollar, great entry level exotic.
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: $350 CAD
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: Not done yet.
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: The bluetooth microphone does not pick up. But that is relatively small.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: Being in Canada, I was still able to save over $5,000 CAD by applying PJ’s methods.
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: N/A
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: Amazing car, Get an exhaust, try and get one with Audi after care for your peace of mind (hard to find, I’ve been very luck), manual is the way to go… Assessment from PJ was accurate.
Vince W
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: 2009 Audi R8 manual
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: Insurance monthly was about $500 (I was 18 at the time)
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: $250
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: Had a leak with the throwout bearing, had to do a new clutch and flywheel, o2 sensors went out too.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: Being so young, Exotic Car Hacks helped me in more ways than just by saving money on the buy, it helped me when I needed maintenance work done on the car, helped me shop for cheapest insurance for my age, it was priceless.
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: Bought for $70k sold for $68k.
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: The R8 is great!
Hunter S
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: 2009 Audi R8 4.2 – 6 speed manual.
I chose the car because of the mods/trim it had: White (Most popular among R8s), manual transmission (are and holds value), right mods (I changed wheels from gold to black) exhaust, suede seats, carbon blade. Miles were moderate – Hit 30k miles, so it was moderate, and I knew it would have been flipped before 35k.
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: Roughly $200/month
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: $2-400 for usual maintenance.
- Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: I had ZERO issues until I went to sell it. From my last service to the sale (in roughly 2k miles) the PPI showed suspension oil leak and belt needed replaced.
I paid for new coilover system and repaired damages at local shop for $5,500. The new coilover’s made the car sit lower, making it more appealing/upgrading the look. Buyer was happy paying asking price at this point. Had I known about the damaged suspension, I could have sourced slightly used coilover system and the repair would have been cut in half. But since I had a buyer already- didn’t have a choice.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: I paid $65,000 for the car. After repairs and insurance over 5 months: I was in the car for roughly $72,000. I sold the car for $73,000 with 36k miles on it.
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: In 5 months, I made $200/month driving the car.
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: 1) Buy manual – I’ve driven auto and I’ve driven manual. No comparison. Value holds better, everything is better.
2) Make sure – it’s either under warranty, the suspension has been replaced, or upgraded. If it hasn’t- plan on spending $2-3k on coilovers and upgrade it yourself because it will fail on you.
3) AC – This is very common problem, and full AC issue replacement is $5k. Make sure this has been repaired.
4) Biggest upgrade to the R8 is the exhaust – I would say this is KEY. Big selling point- great add-on when driving- I’ve had both, and stock R8’s sound like shit.
Curtis D
- Tell us about your R8 and why you chose that car.
A: In October 2018, I used PJ’s car finder service to get my 2012 Audi R8 V10. I has the gated manual 6-speed transmission. It had 16,000 miles on it.
- How much insurance do/did you pay monthly?
A: Bundled with other vehicles, hard to itemize out.
- How much have you paid for an oil change?
A: N/A
Have/did you had any issues? If so what?
A: Check engine light remains on due to aftermarket exhaust, but no major issues.
- How much did you save on average by using the Exotic Car Hacks method?
A: I used the car buying service so PJ did the negotiating for me. The car was initially listed for a little over $100k. They dropped the price to $96k right before PJ contacted them (this price is already lower than any other similar cars on the market) PJ negotiated another $2k off that price. My purchase price was $94k. Every other manual with similar miles and year and spec were still listed around $107k.
- If your R8 is now sold, what was your total cost of ownership?
A: N/A
- What would you tell anyone that’s in the market for an R8?
A: IF you can afford to, DEFINITELY get the V10 and if possible, a manual. Both add that wow factor when talking to people about the car but most importantly, in my search I found that the combo of the two is very rare and people are willing to pay significantly more for the manual. Every dealer I talked to about the R8 said its hard to find a manual or a V10 because the demand is so high. Demand=better resale.
Conclusion
As you can see, Audi R8 ownership varies for every car and individual, but there’s no denying they all have one thing in common: the Audi R8 is one of the best entry level exotic cars you can buy today and NOT lose money.
For those of you who don’t want the ownership costs of a Ferrari, or the flashiness of a Lamborghini, but want a everyday usable exotic car (with the performance to back it up), look no further than the first generation Audi R8.
If you want to learn everything there is to know about the car, please refer to our Audi R8 buyer’s guide.
If you want to see more of our students who have successfully hacked their first exotic car, check out more of our students.
Finally, if you are in the market for an R8 today and want to learn more about the Exotic Car Hacks strategies, please check out our free training to learn how to hack your way into one.
Hope the real world experience of actual owners helped you on your quest for your very own Audi R8.