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Minor Accident Damage: 2009 Audi R8

When it was introduced in 2006, the Audi R8 was seen as a game-changer in the sports car world. Here was a car that was capable of competing with cars from Lamborghini and Ferrari, but was more comfortable and more refined than its competitors in day-to-day use, and significantly cheaper and easier to maintain. This 2009 Audi R8 has been the victim of a bit of misfortune, and while it may be down, it is certainly not out. You will find it listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Wrightstown, New Jersey, and is being offered for sale with a salvage title. The owner has set a BIN price of $49,995 for the Audi.

As you can see from the shots, this Audi has suffered some accident damage, hence the salvage title. The owner states that the damage is all cosmetic and that the car is structurally sound. This will have been the kiss of death for the car with an insurance company because new replacement parts for those damaged are quite expensive. However, the R8 has now been in production for long enough that a healthy market has developed for second-hand parts. Therefore, the new owner may be able to source replacement parts for this car at a reasonable price. The car is also covered with a blue wrap. The color that you see on the front of the car is original. This may be either a blessing or a curse. Removing a wrap can be a time-consuming task. However, if you were to source second-hand body panels, it may save a significant amount of time and money to leave the car in its wrap, and have the replacement panels wrapped to match.

Interior comfort is one of the R8’s strong points, with a supple ride allied to sumptuous seating. This R8 has all of the creature comforts that you would expect from the car, including heated leather seats, satellite navigation, air conditioning, power windows, power locks, and cruise control. While the interior is in generally good condition, I did notice that the leather on the driver’s seat is stretched. One saving grace for this R8 is the fact that the accident damage didn’t cause the air-bags to deploy. If that had happened then the repair bill for the car would have increased significantly. What the owner does say is that everything on the R8 is fully operational.

When initially released, the R8 was only available with the 4.2l quad-cam V8 engine, which is what this car is fitted with. This sweet little V8 produces 414hp, which gave the R8 very respectable performance figures. The engine in this R8 is backed by a 6-speed R-Tronic automatic transmission. The R8 is all-wheel drive, with a torque split of 70% of the power being sent to the rear wheels, while 30% is sent to the front. The car has covered a claimed 28,000 miles, so mechanically it should be in good condition. In spite of the accident damage, the owner states that the car runs and drives okay, with no issues apparent from the accident damage.

The Audi R8 is a car that, even in V8 form, offers more performance than most ordinary people would require. Then again, it isn’t an ordinary car. This particular car needs some work before it can return to the road, but thankfully, this work appears to revolve around the replacement of bolt-on panels, along with the replacement of a few ancillary cooling and electrical components. I was amazed that it is possible to source a good replacement front fender for $107, and that was without doing a detailed or thorough search. Good examples of the 2009 Audi R8 vary in sale price at present between about $64,000 and $75,000. This one needs some work, but if you are considering to buy and keep for long-term personal use, then it might be worth considering.

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    Some people should just not be allowed to drive an exotic sports car. The car was wrecked twice ( or bought wrecked, red front clip and wrecked again) Wrecking a fantastic car like this,,TWICE, what’s wrong with you?

    Like 11
    • Avatar DayDreamBeliever

      Not quite accurate there… I read the information this way: This is a RED car, and the front is original paint. The blue part is due to a WRAP, which was apparently removed from the hood after the damage. In the eBay photos you can clearly see the red inside the door and engine compartment hatch, as well as the exposed frame sections. So, one wreck of a red car that had been wrapped blue.

      Like 16
      • HoA Howard A Member

        Thanks, I had never heard of that. So you say everything that’s blue is a vinyl wrap? To the layperson on these (me) it looks like someone put a red front clip on and wrecked it again.

        Like 2
    • Avatar Jqa

      A salvage title with 49k price tag another 40k with repairs = Overpriced and non sellable. Good luck

      Like 4
    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      Howard: Perhaps the better way to look at it would be: people who would spend the money to WRAP an exotic should not be allowed to drive it.

      More money than brains.

      Like 3
  2. Avatar leiniedude Member

    And a 50K salvage title.

    Like 12
  3. Avatar Steve

    The economics of this don’t make sense to me…”Good examples of the 2009 Audi R8 vary in sale price at present between about $64,000 and $75,000…” (This will get you a car with a clean title… I can’t see spending $50k on a car that will possibly take $10k to fix (or more) to fix…and have a salvage title… There is obviously some reason the seller doesn’t fix it themselves. If it were easy, why don’t they do it?

    Like 32
    • Avatar dgrass

      I agree with you 100%. Overpriced salvage branded turd.

      Like 16
  4. Avatar Carl Jones

    There is one problem that needs to be looked into and that is a broken frame which requires taking all the top parts of the engine off to get to to see. If it is broken it will require $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to repair.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar JM

    This is overpriced for a salvage R8, check YouTube for “Copart R8”. The early years have a an issue with the aluminum strut towers cracking, and the only Audi approved fix is a 30k job so people wanting to unload their R8 do so by putting it through insurance as a total loss. These have been bought at auctions for 30k and fixed for $500-$1000 material and labor. Early year R8 are all eventually going to suffer the same illness, this one being salvaged twice could have something to do with the strut towers.

    Like 13
    • Avatar nrg8

      Audi approved means exactly what when there is no warranty? I guess through insurance, sure. But if you know a good welder, get some NDT done to see what the appropriate repair will need be. There is no reason to spend 30k.

      Like 1
  6. Avatar SMS

    After suffering through Audi ownership the one comment that has stuck in my head is “Audis are as reliable as a crack head single parent.”

    Like 21
    • Avatar UK Paul 🇬🇧

      I have had 6 brand new and used Audis since 1998 and only thing I have repaired was an alternator on a 200,000 miles S8. None of the others have even needed a headlight bulb from memory.
      The cracked turret thing is interesting to know. It is strange its not been fixed but in its defence it is on the face of it a fairly cheap and simple repair.
      The point being if you owned this and sold it unfinished the buyer would have more confidence the car was not more seriously damaged.
      I never touch damage repaired cars but might if i saw it was light enough. Of course the problem comes when you then want to move it on.

      I worked in the motor trade years ago and once saw a car dealer cutting out a deplyed airbag and gluing the flap closed afterwards. I doubt that could be done on more modern cars though.

      Like 1
  7. Avatar Wolfram

    i had a funny conversation last week, guy called me about a new C7 Z06, his third sentence was asking me about the price of a new engine in case it blows up, i told him, and he responded that this is a bargain and that he just come back from his Audi dealer, on his R8 the V10 blow up after 3 years and not even 20k miles on it, Audi want to charge him now 65k € (about 73k $US) for a complete engine incl. installation and 19% VAT. As the market value here is around this you have a total loss after 3 years. No warranty, no accomodation, and this on a perfectly maintained and not tuned car. And this is not the first story i hear about them.

    Like 6
  8. Avatar Dolphin Member

    What @SMS said.

    Like 5
  9. Avatar Fin Dude

    Looks like it was a drivers ed car. Still did not learn anything

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Anne Appelin

    Over priced, I bought a salvage R8 looking better than this for £34500

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Fordfan

    J m is correct these have strut towers that crack and are aluminium
    The proper way to fix the problem is to remove the front half of the car
    Samcrack on utube has a video on a 2009

    Like 4
    • Avatar nrg8

      Sam had a welder gusset it up. Last vid I saw it was going thru florida inspection. He feels it will pass. Naysayers say the car needs almost total disassembling and new front frame installed. 30k versus 500 dollars and his time.

      Like 1
  12. Avatar Jack Tesell

    Trying to make a quick $13K

    Sale Status
    $36,750 Sold
    Auction Info
    Seller Type
    Third Party
    Seller Name
    Aaa Auto Club Group Companies

    Auction Date
    October 4, 2018 3:00 AM CDT

    Location
    Miami-North, FL

    Like 11
    • Avatar DayDreamBeliever

      Good information, Jack!

      I don’t think it’ll sell at $50K. Armed with what you have found, an interested party could offer $37,000….. LOL

      Like 2
  13. Avatar Michael Ridley

    Samcracks repair on you tube is a joke. It will just crack a little farther from the weld. There area few people that have triangle a good repair for the frame but it is still labor intensive and not cheap

    Like 2
  14. Avatar S. Ryan

    Hit so Hard it has a Bloody Nose!

    Like 3
  15. Avatar Calvin S

    $50,000 for a salvage title Audi R8? I can find Audi R8s on Autotrader for under $50K all day long, without salvage titles and damage. I will say, the wrap is cool.

    Like 2
  16. Avatar Art M.

    At 20-25K you could fix it, drive crap out of it and have fun with it, but at 50K you are starting out in the hole. Thanks but no thanks for me. The salvage history is at least a 20% hit, and that is if repaired correctly.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    I get worried when I see a heavily damaged car that has had the damaged panels removed. There was a good reason this was totaled. I’m sure the owner got paid for the car, now they are trying to make some more $$. If it was an easy fix why hasn’t been fixed? Much visible damage in the LF, and probably a lot more you cant see. if you could pick this up cheap and fix it would be worth it, but not for 50 Large. Run Forrest Run….

    cheers
    GPC

    Like 4
  18. Avatar Coventrycat

    Oh sorry, I thought I was on Craigslist. I was looking for Barnfinds.

    Like 6
  19. Avatar hatofpork

    Audi-check. Salvage-check. New Jersey-check. What could possibly go wrong?

    Like 7
  20. Avatar STM

    Given the asking I think I know how it got smashed.

    Like 2
  21. Avatar PHJ

    Yeah, that Copart R8 YouTube series has everyone thinking about buying a salvaged R8. It sure looks easy in the video….Id bet that’s why they even dared to put this up for sale.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar DaveA

    Salvage title? No bueno. Been there done that hard to insure!

    Like 0
  23. Avatar CanuckCarGuy

    I’d be okay with an older, low-tech vehicle on a salvage title… depending on the extent of the damage of course. Something like this Audi, would be a non-starter…too many unknowns that could increase your rebuild costs exponentially.

    Like 1
  24. Avatar Frank Fitz

    Hit so hard, it’s dog has a bloody nose.

    Like 0
  25. Avatar Poncho

    $50k can buy one hell of a nice Cobra kit car if you need a supercar experience and you are throwing that kind of money around. For that price for a project with a Salvage Certificate…move on. Spend the money wiser somewhere else on a nice car already done and ready to drive.

    Like 3

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