Audi R8 V10 or Ferrari 360
Discussion
Having just sold my Cayman I am looking for my next car and have narrowed it down to one of these 2. They would need to be spiders and preferably a manual, budget around £70k. I have an old e90 330i for running around in, so this would be a weekend car with possibly 2-3 track days per year.
Audi seems to be the sensible choice.
Pros:
Newer
cheaper to buy and maintain
I live in Swindon so RePerfromance is close by to look after maintenance and tuning in future.
Cons
Not as special
Ferrari is more the heart choice.
Pros
I've always wanted a Ferrari.
Sound great.
Its a Ferrari.
Cons
More expensive to maintain
Mileage sensitive.(although I'd like to think I wouldn't let this impact my decision too much).
I have driven a manual R8 and an F1 F430 (imagine the 360 to be similar), loved both of them but can't quite decide between the 2.
Has anyone owned both of these cars and can shed some light to help with my decision.
Audi seems to be the sensible choice.
Pros:
Newer
cheaper to buy and maintain
I live in Swindon so RePerfromance is close by to look after maintenance and tuning in future.
Cons
Not as special
Ferrari is more the heart choice.
Pros
I've always wanted a Ferrari.
Sound great.
Its a Ferrari.
Cons
More expensive to maintain
Mileage sensitive.(although I'd like to think I wouldn't let this impact my decision too much).
I have driven a manual R8 and an F1 F430 (imagine the 360 to be similar), loved both of them but can't quite decide between the 2.
Has anyone owned both of these cars and can shed some light to help with my decision.
I think all of the above are fair assumptions and both would suit your requirements. It is head over heart I feel.
I've driven both and think you've covered most points but here's a couple of things to consider:
- Attention. The Ferrari will attract more attention, both positive and negative. Reactions to my R8 have been nothing but positive in 2 1/2 years of ownership
- Looks. Personally I think a Ferrari convertible looks better - not a fan of the R8 convertibles at all.
- Sound. Both sound amazing but you can't beat the V10 - one of the best sounding engines out there, even better with an after market exhaust.
HTH.
I've driven both and think you've covered most points but here's a couple of things to consider:
- Attention. The Ferrari will attract more attention, both positive and negative. Reactions to my R8 have been nothing but positive in 2 1/2 years of ownership
- Looks. Personally I think a Ferrari convertible looks better - not a fan of the R8 convertibles at all.
- Sound. Both sound amazing but you can't beat the V10 - one of the best sounding engines out there, even better with an after market exhaust.
HTH.
Edited by PompeyReece on Thursday 30th May 16:06
Edited by PompeyReece on Friday 31st May 07:35
Think they're very different cars indeed. Old school analogue car vs much newer faster car. Newer car might have less of what some people would call 'character' I don't really see it in cars TBH. I think you should try both. Personally I had my chance to buy a 360 about 10 years ago and got a 997 instead as i wanted something better built, reliable and not too expensive to run. If you have to consider the R8 as the 'head' decision, I don't think a V10 R8 would disappoint!
I’ve just sold my R8 V10 spider. Bought over a number of other options, it was actually my favourite test drive out of all of them, it seemed so right for me.
Lovely object, never set a foot wrong, ticked all the boxes, but ultimately I never felt any connection with it. Also annoyed me having to watch the miles.
Replacement is a ratty V8 Vantage for under half the price that bellows like a wounded lion and loves being chucked about by the scruff of the neck and I adore it.
Take the Ferrari but find a nice high miles one you can actually use.
Lovely object, never set a foot wrong, ticked all the boxes, but ultimately I never felt any connection with it. Also annoyed me having to watch the miles.
Replacement is a ratty V8 Vantage for under half the price that bellows like a wounded lion and loves being chucked about by the scruff of the neck and I adore it.
Take the Ferrari but find a nice high miles one you can actually use.
chris145 said:
Having just sold my Cayman I am looking for my next car and have narrowed it down to one of these 2. They would need to be spiders and preferably a manual, budget around £70k. I have an old e90 330i for running around in, so this would be a weekend car with possibly 2-3 track days per year.
Audi seems to be the sensible choice.
Pros:
Newer
cheaper to buy and maintain
I live in Swindon so RePerfromance is close by to look after maintenance and tuning in future.
Cons
Not as special
Ferrari is more the heart choice.
Pros
I've always wanted a Ferrari.
Sound great.
Its a Ferrari.
Cons
More expensive to maintain
Mileage sensitive.(although I'd like to think I wouldn't let this impact my decision too much).
I have driven a manual R8 and an F1 F430 (imagine the 360 to be similar), loved both of them but can't quite decide between the 2.
Has anyone owned both of these cars and can shed some light to help with my decision.
I’ve driven all three. I wouldn’t compare the 430 to the 360. The 430 is a decent step forward. Audi seems to be the sensible choice.
Pros:
Newer
cheaper to buy and maintain
I live in Swindon so RePerfromance is close by to look after maintenance and tuning in future.
Cons
Not as special
Ferrari is more the heart choice.
Pros
I've always wanted a Ferrari.
Sound great.
Its a Ferrari.
Cons
More expensive to maintain
Mileage sensitive.(although I'd like to think I wouldn't let this impact my decision too much).
I have driven a manual R8 and an F1 F430 (imagine the 360 to be similar), loved both of them but can't quite decide between the 2.
Has anyone owned both of these cars and can shed some light to help with my decision.
Ended up with the v10. With a capristo exhaust it’s sensational.
Go for an R8 V10 plus, an absolutely phenomenal car for the money, you can pick them up for early £60’s, they come with loads of carbons bits, extra bhp, not sure if you can get them in a manual though....for the record I used to love Manual but the S-Tronic box is excellent, worth a try.
If you get one with a Capristo X-Pipe exhaust the noise is incredible.
If you get one with a Capristo X-Pipe exhaust the noise is incredible.
PompeyReece said:
- Attention. The Ferrari will attract more attention, both positive and negative. Reactions to my R8 has been nothing but positive in 2 1/2 years of ownership
Not necessarily - depends a bit on colour. My red 348 attracted far more attention than my Grigio 360 does, and the 360 only gets very marginally more attention than my AM Vantage.I'd also say that in 5.5 years of 360 ownership, and 18 months of 348 ownership I can only remember a couple of negative comments. It really isn't a problem.
My mate has an Audi V10+ R8. It certainly seems to have all the bells and whistles.
I wouldn't swap my 360 for it though.
Given this „I've always wanted a Ferrari.“ I would buy the 360. I think they have aged nicely looks wise.
A manual 360 will likely hold value reasonably well, so if you want to sell it again in a year or two (preferably once there is Brexit certainty) you are hopefully not taking a huge bath. They are old cars, so running costs/repairs might reduce your enjoyment if you are unlucky (less so the big things like engine and gearbox, as those seem to be good, but just general age related repairs could pop up - check what has been done/ideally see invoices on cars you are looking at)
I would also try to find a car that has been driven a reasonable (ie higher) number of miles in the last few years as that should have ironed out a lot of niggles - they don’t like to sit in the garage for extended periods of time
A manual 360 will likely hold value reasonably well, so if you want to sell it again in a year or two (preferably once there is Brexit certainty) you are hopefully not taking a huge bath. They are old cars, so running costs/repairs might reduce your enjoyment if you are unlucky (less so the big things like engine and gearbox, as those seem to be good, but just general age related repairs could pop up - check what has been done/ideally see invoices on cars you are looking at)
I would also try to find a car that has been driven a reasonable (ie higher) number of miles in the last few years as that should have ironed out a lot of niggles - they don’t like to sit in the garage for extended periods of time
Depends how much you want to use it...
The Ferrari has the better looks and the engine bay just looks so sexy. It is more go-kart like to drive and you feel more involved in the experience. The Audi V10 wins on sound and you get a more reliable car where everything 'works'. That's not always good because of the "character" mentioned earlier (either you get it, or you subscribe to the 'newer is better philosophy')
So in summary they both have their distinct advantages, but I would get the 360 if you're going to do low mileage, say 1-2k pa, and the Audi for more miles.
The Ferrari has the better looks and the engine bay just looks so sexy. It is more go-kart like to drive and you feel more involved in the experience. The Audi V10 wins on sound and you get a more reliable car where everything 'works'. That's not always good because of the "character" mentioned earlier (either you get it, or you subscribe to the 'newer is better philosophy')
So in summary they both have their distinct advantages, but I would get the 360 if you're going to do low mileage, say 1-2k pa, and the Audi for more miles.
Larry5.2 said:
The Ferrari has the better looks and the engine bay just looks so sexy.
Remember OP is looking at Spyders, on both cars the engine bay is hidden. However if we're talking engine bays, the R8 with full carbon fibre & LED illumination is good competition for the 360's red looki had an F430 Manual Coupe and sold it for a R8 V10 Spyder s-tronic, i would recommend you try both as they are quite different, i think in comparison the 360 will feel slightly antiquated and slow, though neither of those are actually a bad thing depending on your usage IMO. both cars have plusses and minuses, though which wins depends on your requirements.
i'm surprised at the support for the v10 noise, it does sound good, but to my ears not much beats that Ferrari v8 5 valve wail!
i'm surprised at the support for the v10 noise, it does sound good, but to my ears not much beats that Ferrari v8 5 valve wail!
I am in exactly the same boat if I choose to sell the Evora.
You have to drive them. The 360 has really delicate handling and feedback (much like a Lotus), the R8 doesn't have that finesse and you can feel the weight in the Audi.
Both cars have lovely engines, the Ferrari is more likely to result in sleepless nights (engine management lights and "what will go wrong next?"), but the Ferrari is a Ferrari and quite simply nothing else is.
Brings me to the quote from Clarkson comparing a Ferrari to a Maclaren which IMO applies here
“The McLaren then, is like a pair of tights – very practical and very sensible. The Ferrari though, that is a pair of stockings”.
You have to drive them. The 360 has really delicate handling and feedback (much like a Lotus), the R8 doesn't have that finesse and you can feel the weight in the Audi.
Both cars have lovely engines, the Ferrari is more likely to result in sleepless nights (engine management lights and "what will go wrong next?"), but the Ferrari is a Ferrari and quite simply nothing else is.
Brings me to the quote from Clarkson comparing a Ferrari to a Maclaren which IMO applies here
“The McLaren then, is like a pair of tights – very practical and very sensible. The Ferrari though, that is a pair of stockings”.
I'm finding some of the comments about the 360 reliability a little odd.
It's older, so it's unlikely to be as reliable as the R8 - but they're no more unreliable than a typical car of that age. In fact, is the oldest car I own (of 4) and I'd say the most reliable of them all.
I've had a check engine light once (recently) which I suspect is an oxygen sensor and is just one of those things.
I did have a fairly significant issue recently and it was expensive - however, it's rare (the mechanic I used hasn't seen that failure in 20 years). So - as with most premium cars - they can bite you if you're unlucky. But the idea that they are fragile, will regularly have something wrong with them and will cause you sleepless nights about what will break next is simply not the case in my experience. It's a well built car, and mine has very few issues (5.5 years / 15k miles).
It's older, so it's unlikely to be as reliable as the R8 - but they're no more unreliable than a typical car of that age. In fact, is the oldest car I own (of 4) and I'd say the most reliable of them all.
I've had a check engine light once (recently) which I suspect is an oxygen sensor and is just one of those things.
I did have a fairly significant issue recently and it was expensive - however, it's rare (the mechanic I used hasn't seen that failure in 20 years). So - as with most premium cars - they can bite you if you're unlucky. But the idea that they are fragile, will regularly have something wrong with them and will cause you sleepless nights about what will break next is simply not the case in my experience. It's a well built car, and mine has very few issues (5.5 years / 15k miles).
Agree with the 360 comments made there - had one for last 6 years and never had a warning light. Usual servicing, ball joints, belts etc will be more expensive than the Audi but I personally still think it’s a fantastic car for the money and has aged well. Also worth saying I have use of R8 V10 Plus but would take the Ferrari in virtually all situations - despite the Audi being faster, more comfortable and easier to drive !
Just turned down a very good price for my 360 spider, I just couldn’t let it go.
Very embarrassing for me as the buyer was all set to go, but as I cleaned it I realised that in my humble it is more than the sum of its parts.
Fab cars, mines red cream manual, and I would not exchange it for anything other than a 458 spider which I simply cannot justify, or really afford.
So OP go Ferrari .
Very embarrassing for me as the buyer was all set to go, but as I cleaned it I realised that in my humble it is more than the sum of its parts.
Fab cars, mines red cream manual, and I would not exchange it for anything other than a 458 spider which I simply cannot justify, or really afford.
So OP go Ferrari .
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