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Here are my thoughts, I too am planning on perhaps upgrading to a dream weekend car in a few years.

A silver Audi vs. red Ferrari? Hmm, let me think about it a bit.
The F360 looks dated? Check out the side by side pictures with the F430, the bodies are all but identical.
The Audi is more practical? That's actually a negative in my book for a weekend car.
The Ferrari is trickier at the limit? Well that's a challenge for me.

What the F360 has as the weak spot is that it still requires periodic cambelt changes (every 30k miles if not mistaken). If the car you are looking at has 8k miles and the upcoming major service is due in 7k miles, that means as a weekend car you will easily get 4-5 years out of it before the hammer falls.

Go buy the last issue of EVO from the bookstore, it has an article on the entry-level Ferrari's, pros and cons, maintenance etc. Very informative. I would also call the local dealers and ask for a good faith maintenance estimate for the next x number of years for those models.


Bottom line I personally would take the Ferrari every time, with the need for maintenance carefully understood and accounted for.

But before plonking your well deserved bonus on either, make sure you test drive them, the actual cars you are considering buying. When spending $80k on a car, what's another $500 for an airplane ticket? That will *instantly* tell you which one you desire - one of the two will scream "take me home" at you and you will know what to do.

[Mr.MichaelM3]

Dude to be honest the 360 is crap.......the tranny alone in that car would steer me far from it. However if you're looking into ferrari's try to pick up a used F430 I had lots of experience with both cars. THe f430 is on such a different level than the 360. The tranny is a POS IMHO

[highyo]

i drove a 360 vert a few years back, the low end torque is terrible but i believe this is the last of the stick shift ferraris? the gear box was tremendous. on that alone i would go with the ferrari.

are you actually considering a sht box from ingolstadt?

[Singletrack]

I'd rather have the Ferrari personally because that R8 does not excite me. I'm not sure about the cost of ownership on the R8, but it is pretty pricey with the 360 as you point out. The dealership can tell you exactly what each scheduled service will cost on it, so I would get that info from them.

I'll be in the same situation as you in 1-3 years I hope. I've kicked around the idea of getting a carbed 308 (if I can fit in it) to drive the hell out of then restore....I'm more inclined to do that, or wait for the 430s to drop further in price than pickup a 360.

Good luck in your decision!

[Rekrul]

Originally Posted by Im4citadel

I've set a certain budget for myself and decided on it coming down to these two rides.

I like the choices and yes I can go for the 430 or V10, but if it were between just these two cars what would you suggest?

Thats all I'm asking.

Ok... if we are limited to just the v8 r8 and the 360. I would go for the 360, as it still is a Ferarri and will likely have that passionate nature to it. But the reason why I wouldn't buy either.. is neither outperforms your M3. So once you get over your original wow factor, and perceived notions of the car you may end up regretting your decision.

I mean these are performance vehicles correct? No matter what, they are sports cars. So why get something that really isn't performing? Let alone pay a good amount of money. If you are in the position to be considering this, 30-40k spread over 5 years is not a lot of money. I would definitely go with a v10 r8... it is a fucking monster and outclasses your m3, and you get the WOW factor.

[Singletrack]

Originally Posted by highyo

are you actually considering a sht box from ingolstadt?

hahahaha - tell us how you really feel : )

I don't hold a high opinion of Audi quality either based on my personal experience and those of my friends and family.

[CarbonAlpine]

As soon as my bday comes up in October I'm getting an 2009-2010 r8. I've been between the r8, 997 turbo coupe or maserati grandsport and honestly the r8 has more of the exotic factor. The 360 looks old as others have said, not worth that kind of change if you ask me.

[j2m]

If it's a choice between those 2 only, I would choose the R8. The 360 is a little to "Magnum PI-ish" for me

[highyo]

Originally Posted by Singletrack

hahahaha - tell us how you really feel : )

I don't hold a high opinion of Audi quality either based on my personal experience and those of my friends and family.

in the neighborhood of 85k for a used auto, i think you could do much much worse than a turbo p-car. i know the OP was asking between the two, and they have more "flash", but a 997 turbo? come on dude that's a no brainer.

[Doctor J]

Originally Posted by kthxbye

Both cars are a good chunk of change, I'd go with the R8 for a few reasons:

- Modern features
- Reliability
- Practicality (even as a weekend car there is more to give up with the Ferrari)
- I personally feel the R8 has more "wow factor" than a 360 which can really look dated (and not in a good way) from some angles (esp. interior)


If you are a speed junkie there are many aftermarket kits that retain the drivability and reliability of the R8 and will still blow the doors of near anything you'd ever encounter in your travels

I agree.

The early versions of F1 transmission are tempermental. Caveat emptor

[Singletrack]

Originally Posted by highyo

in the neighborhood of 85k for a used auto, i think you could do much much worse than a turbo p-car. i know the OP was asking between the two, and they have more "flash", but a 997 turbo? come on dude that's a no brainer.

Concur - has to be considered in the equation. But just might not be what he is looking for in this case.

[Erhan]

Originally Posted by highyo

the low end torque is terrible

again with the low end torque. it is a ferrari, it is not meant to be driven at low revs...

[scheherazade]

If it were me,
If the ferrari is a stick, I'd get that (more fun, older, rawer, etc.)
Else, I'd get the R8 (auto vs auto, I just get what's more reliable)



R8 has a strong looks factor.
360 has the ferrari aura.
Either one will get attention.

Most people have no idea how old either one is, and they will both just look like $$$$$$$ to the average person (and random people will assume the Ferrari is more expensive).
Hence the one draw back when driving expensive-looking cars : No matter where you go, people's first impression when they see you is "douche bag" (and the ferrari screams douche a little louder than the R8).
Although 'certain' girls will react quite positively...

Car people will appreciate either one. Maybe the ferrari a tad more for the 'will be a classic' factor.

Pure performance people won't care much for either, but the ferrari will be more of a driver's car.

-scheherazade

[Erhan]

Originally Posted by mdosu

First of all, I don't get why people are saying pay up for a 430. The 430 is at least $50k MORE than the 360...OP is in the $80k market as implied in his post, not a 430 market. The R8 V10 is also ALOT more expensive than $80k. Why suggest this? I mean when you bought your M3 for $70k range, I take it most of us were in no way considering buying something in the $112 range...

I see your view point. But here we're discussing something that is not a necessity. OP is buying a car as a luxury toy. My point is, do it right, or don't do it.

And from my point of view, both R8 and F360 does not deserve the money.

[Titanium Silver]

Originally Posted by swartzentruber

Like Rekrul, can we vote none of the above? You can get a brand new R8 for not that much more with full warranty. I think you'd be crazy to spend that kind of money on a 4 year old R8. Also, if I want "practicality", I'd be looking at a lightly used Turbo over a lightly used R8. As for the Ferrari, not a huge fan of either the 360 or the 430, but really like the 458 redesign. I guess I'd probably pick the 430. Also, that a damn old car if that's your primary car, and not a weekend/show/garage car.

Edit: I just priced out a brand new R8 tiptronic for $130k. If you can afford a 4 year old used car for $95k, you should be able to afford $130k for a brand new one, but that's just me.

Good points here. I would not purchase either vehicle. The 360 is obviously a great car, but old... A 4 year old R8 for 95k seems overpriced. Way rather have a 997 Turb with warranty.

You have a lot of options for 100k.

[goto35]

r8 for sure. 360 just looks TOO OLD

[highyo]

Originally Posted by Erhan

again with the low end torque. it is a ferrari, it is not meant to be driven at low revs...

it matters, ESPECIALLY if a few more duckets can get the near pefect 430.. saying you're not supposed to drive ferraris at low revs is obvious. but it's still an issue.

[M3PO]

That Audi is going to need carbon cleanings on a regular basis. Also, Audi has a terrible track record with their high performance 4.2L V8s as far as reliability and longevity. The B6 and B7 S4 guys know this all too well. The B7 RS4s aren't too far behind. The V8 in the R8 is essentially the same. The possibility of scored cylinders and faulty timing equipment would stop me from getting the R8.

[Jeskali]

i think the message is clear. neither of those cars is significantly (if at all) superior to the M3 performance wise so you should probably go for a 911 Turbo, v10 R8 or the F430. All are nicer cars and can probably be had for close to the same $

[SunnyD]

Only 360 I'd own would be the Challenge Stradale. Otherwise, the R8 would make for a better DD.

[Alex07M3]

Originally Posted by Erhan

I see your view point. But here we're discussing something that is not a necessity. OP is buying a car as a luxury toy. My point is, do it right, or don't do it.

And from my point of view, both R8 and F360 does not deserve the money.

Agreed ! Sure if you own a M3 V8 420hp +8000redline ,don't buy a R8 V8 420hp +8000redline ! But in any other case , the R8 is a great buy !!

[adc]

Originally Posted by username11

What the Ferrari offers is an absolutely exhilarating driving experience. There's a reason every car enthusiast has at least one burned in memory of hearing, seeing, or riding in a Ferrari but nobody remembers riding in a 4.2L V8 Audi.

Keep the M3 and seek out a well maintained 360 CS.

I second that.

I had a most memorable ride at full speed at Summit Point Main in a well driven 360CS. The only car more exciting that I've experienced is the Ariel Atom, but you cannot really drive it in the rain and that is a concern for both weekend and track.

The brakes on the 360CS were the strongest I've ever experienced, the way it was responding to inputs was fascinating and the sound was spellbinding. I don't know what they go for, but it's got to be worth it.