Buy A Used, Manual Audi R8 For Less Than A New VW Polo GTI

We’ve just about wiped away the tears from the sad news this week that the final Audi R8 has been built. As we enter the bargaining stage of grief though, we’ve taken the dangerous task of skimming through the classifieds for some used bargains and found this tempting option.

This is a 2007 Audi R8 which the seller is asking £28,995 for - about £1,000 cheaper than a brand-new Volkswagen Polo GTI will cost you. Our eyes well and truly lit up.

Of course, that comes with a few caveats. For a start, It’s the early 4.2-litre V8 R8, not the 5.2-litre V10, which some may argue is the better engine (author note: I definitely do not agree) but you are going to be down on power on the later 10-cylinder cars.

That engine has also covered 96,000 miles across five owners. That may not be a huge deal considering this is now a 17-year-old car, and the seller is keen to stress full-service history, but this is still a pretty exotic sports car that requires consistent, expensive maintenance which generally becomes a bigger red flag with each new owner.

Its MOT history isn’t too bad, with three fails recorded and not for anything that throws huge red flags. Its most recent fail was in August last year due to its nearside indicator repeater not working, but that looks to have been fixed. It had an advisory for a fluid leak on its pass certificate though.

There’s been a lot of recent work done at least, including new suspension arms and bushes, fresh shock absorbers, a new radiator (potentially related to that fuel leak) and a battery. Perhaps a little unexpectedly, it's also had a new bonnet catch and driver’s door lock.

It has a few appealing factory options too - including heated seats and a Bang and Olufsen OEM sound system. The head unit has been swapped out for a touchscreen, but the seller says they’ll include the original too.

The best options box ticked off all of them though is the one for the six-speed manual, complete with that iconic shifter gate.

You’ll have to be feeling quite brave for this bargain Audi R8, but now the sports car is dead, this might be one of the best deals on the market.