New vs Used: Audi TT vs Audi R8

Say you were in the market for a small coupe. There’s plenty of time to be practical in life, so you want something a bit sporty that looks great and does all the daily stuff you need, and start looking at a new Audi TT. And then you start noticing on the internet that there are older Audi R8s at decent prices. The lighter, well-regarded V8 model. With the new car just coming on stream, there might be a deal to be had.

Good: Full warranty, bulletproof reliability, good-looking all-rounder

Bad: A bit stolid in the handling department, common

The TT Coupe starts at £28,855 in the UK, with an S line 2.0-litre TFSI quattro (the one you want) weighing in at £37,810. For that you get a good-looking, neat-handling AWD two-door that’s as adept at the daily grind as a hot hatch. But you could have...

Good: It’s a 420bhp, mid-engined V8 beginner’s supercar!

Bad: Not as frugal across the board, not as practical

There are quite a few R8 V8s for sale privately at the moment – at under £40k with less than 50k miles. Considering the R8 has a solid reliability record and that it’s very usable given the performance, would you rather have a junior supercar, or a sexy Golf?