Is it wrong to like a car this much???

[KfabR8]

Just got back from another cross country trip in the R8. (6th long trip) :incar:

Started in Ohio on Aug 1, and headed down to the southern tip of Texas for a Mexican Food Fest Tour (there is NO decent Mexican food in Ohio, which is rough on a guy that grew up 10 miles from Mex :cry:) and to see family and friends.

3,765.0 miles in 11 days. Spent exactly 60 hours sitting behind the wheel averaging 60.0 mph and 20.0 mpg. (weird how everything worked out to being exactly .0 - must mean it was a damn fine trip! :applause:)

Anyhow, is it wrong to enjoy a vehicle as much as I am enjoying this R8???:love:

It's my daily driver. :R8kiss: I use it all the time unless my kids are with me (then we take the Family Truckster - the RS6 :rs6kiss:).

The R8's ability to be driven like a normal, everyday car is fabulous. :mech: It's sedate when you want it to be, it drives down the highway with the cruise set in the mid 80's with the utmost of comfort (okay, so the ride's not A8 smooth, but hey, I don't mind - it's not a ride that beats the fillings out of your teeth unless the shock button's been lit up :stick:) and it's just damn fun to drive.

I've had my R8 for just a hair over 14 months and I'm 16 miles shy of 30K as I sit here typing this. (the RS6 just rolled over 50K and I've had it since Oct of '03 - gee, which is more fun???)

My R's been driven in just about every condition you can imagine - snow, rain, dirt roads, tossed away in a ditch this past Sunday :rolleyes: (front end hooked up when I was trying to do a quick spin around and off the side of the road we went - drove right out w/o any damage - whew!), has been up to 181, is on it's third set of sneakers (due for new ones next week) and no matter what I do or what's happened in the car, it's been fun :applause: (which is probably the foremost reason for owning such a wonderful beast) and a joy to drive.

I'll probably hang on to this car until it's to the point that it's just flat worn out. (and then I'll consider what ever new version is out at the time - probably V10. :thumb:)

So, who else owns one of these wonderful machines and actually enjoys it?

Drive it, slide it, thrash it and ENJOY IT!! :incar:

If you own one of these please don't let the car sit in the garage collecting dust. :doh:

And to those of you that have them and don't drive them send me your keys. I'll treat your car like it's supposed to be - I will USE IT FOR YOU!!! (non-6 speed owners need not apply - really? No clutch? :vhmmm:)

[RXBG]

hey Kfab

i think i've seen another post by you elsewhere- documenting a trip to see your father and taking a pic with him similar to one you had taken in your first car if i remember correctly. you are a sincere person and you are a sincere R8 owner. i believe i enjoy mine as much as you do yours- only inhibited by the fact that i can't wisely drive it to work at the office where my patients can see it.

i have 13K on mine. and love it as dearly as you love yours. i've tracked it a few times and have just grown more fond of it. it is a car that is as palpable as it is beautiful. it is as sincere and profound a car as a car can be- it is accessible, multifaceted, capable, versatile, unique, and stimulating. it is a truly unique possession whose ability to do all of the above arouses more of an emotional response than each individual one ever could- it is a machine that is more than the sum of its parts. and only an owner of one of these (or a keen follower and lover of the car) can understand this. what stands it apart from many other exciting cars is the fact that no stigma, history-line, or owner stereotype is attached to it- it is the first of what it is- and so, in my opinion, the only other car that could conceivably share in all of these characteristics is the veyron.

the majority of owners will never get it, in my opinion. but the minority that does will be enough to justify audi's and walter da silva's genius and hard work in creating it. it is a testament in and of itself, isn't? a testament indeed.

[2FST4CHP]

Kfab and R,

Both of you hit it so well. After 16 months and 15K miles, I'm more impressed each day I get behind the wheel. It's absolutely awfull to drive almost any other vehicle on the planet. On days I drive with Ferrari's, P-cars, or anything else worthy of being called a supercar, the R8 has the confidence, poise and attributes to get it done. And when you park it alongside anything like I mentioned, guess where the crowd gathers? I love this car!!!!

[Phage]

Great to read people enjoying their cars. And always great to see an R8 driving by.
V8 sounds so great!!

[KfabR8]

Great to read people enjoying their cars. And always great to see an R8 driving by.
V8 sounds so great!!I have yet to see another R8 on the road. (not sure that I want to - sort of boosts my ego to be in something that I've never seen elsewhere! - is that wrong? :confused:)

If/when I do see another R8 on the road, I'll probably have to whip out my cell phone, pull up along side it and take his picture like everyone does to me! But only if I'm in my R8 and not the RS6. I've been carrying my camera recently and snapping pix back. The reactions are hysterical! :rotflmao:

I've seen probably 10 or so, but they have always been inside dealerships. (Get to see a V10 on Tuesday - may even get to drive it too. )

I've always been entertained by the way dealerships treat me too. (I'm not the normal Audi client - my attire is not necessarily "Audi" ware - will be stated below):

One local dealership (the snobby bastard dealership, if you will - where, ironically, I purchased my RS6) had the first one I saw. It was all roped off and they wouldn't even open the door for you! It was used (750 miles) and they were asking 198K!!! :vhmmm:

Don't know what it is about this particular dealership, but I have always felt like I've walked into the Snobbery. Ah, what ever. My salesman was great and now is in the dealership across town. I'll stick with the nice guys. :cheers:

The dealership in Houston (Porsche/Audi complex), where I purchased my R8 was nice.

I flew down, the salesman picked me up (and looked at me with the "You bought the R8?" look that I get when I step out of it.)

Since the car was paid for before I even got there, what could they say? "Be nice - he owns the car." :bow: They made the purchase extremely pleasant and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Audi or Porsche from them.

The Caddie dealership, that had one sort of out on display - part of the same group that owns the Audi dealership I use - was all about the fact that it had been "demo'd" (what ever that means? - driven?) by one of the old retired Cincinnati Bengals football players. I believe this tactic was to made the car much more of a status symbol.

Inside my head, the very sarcastic thought was "Oh boy Chris Colinsworth drove it! I'm just Sooooooo impressed!" Uh, not so much. :noshake:

The salesman may as well have informed me that the janitor had sat in it too. (I'm not a stick and ball sports junkie by any stretch of the imagination. Wanna talk desert racing or motocross, bring it on.)

Next to the dealership I service both of my cars at, Audi of Scottsdale was by far the nicest and most willing to let me look into the one they had on the showroom :thumb: - "Would you like to take a look inside and see what it's like?"

"Thanks, but that's fine. Mine's sitting out there." (as I pointed to the parking lot.) Reaction of the salesman was hysterical. (he maintained his reaction quite well to his credit.)

I wear flip flops, a t-shirt and ratty old blue-jean shorts all the time. I grew up on/near a beach and never figured out how to dress "appropriately". Hell, I don't own a suit, belt or tie and hopefully can continue to do so. :dig: My fiance' was dressed quite similarly to me too.

You could see the look on his face go from "Wanna see this neat, expensive car?" to "YOU own one?"

Yea, and I love it too!

Indeed - this machine has been nothing but the grandest entertainment from the moment I set foot in it and shall continue to be until it's just flat worn out. :R8kiss:

I need to post those pix in a thread I did elsewhere: "What to do when seen in an R8" or something like that, I believe was the name of the thread. May be on another board, though....

[RXBG]

kfab- what do you do for a living that u don't even own a belt or tie?

[KfabR8]

I own/run a machine/fabrication shop where I make and take care of off road vehicles. - but that's been more of a hobby for the past 10 years. - I don't do anything for the general public.

I've been retired for the past 15 years or so. Worked in finance for years "in the back" if you will. Never had to deal with the public - more a numbers cruncher. Got very lucky in the stock market (not a tech or internet stock to my name - volatile stuff), was wise with my money and have a grand life set up for my future. Plain and simple, I got lucky.

Ironically, I have no formal training in finance. My degree's in Mechanical Engineering.

[RXBG]

cool buddy.

and are you planning to move up to the V10?

[Erik]

Cool story thanks.

[KfabR8]

cool buddy.

and are you planning to move up to the V10?Not until I've worn my V8 completely out. May take a while! :incar:

[RXBG]

Not until I've worn my V8 completely out. May take a while! :incar:


i agree. apart from car-penis enlargement, i see little benefit from spending another 50K for the V10. this car has so much gravy that it won't run out before the next one comes in 3-4 years. i am thinking i might just wait till then.