Drove a Vantage

Last night I drove my friends 07 Aston Martin Vantage. My 996 is getting a new clutch. Very solid,amazing exhaust sounds and not alot of room but enough. It brings alot of attention where ever you go. People smile at the 996 they are in awe of these things ! Over all still the like the 996 cab.

I never thought that I would want anything other a porsche,lambo or ferarri until I was in a Vantage and was quite impressed- I totally know what you are talking about with the sounds - for the money I think I would still do the new turbo however but you never know-

What about the suspension. How do you feel about the overall ride. Stiff, soft, tight, corners, etc......

For me I would term it as a little heavy feeling- not quite as agile a feel of say the 996 but still very good overall.

a little too cutesy of a ride for me. give me a new vanquish S with manual tranny or the DBS, but yes, it is much more money.

I've driven both the Vanquish S and DB9 Convertibe. I hated both. There's no clutch pedal for the Vanquish S, it's like an SMG but worse. I drove the car hard and the clutch was smoking when I got out of it. The Vanquish is a beatiful car however. I wasn't impressed with the DB9 either, it got a lot of attention and thumps up but it's a car for golfers not drivers (no offense to golfers). Both cars didn't handle very well, they are NOT sports cars. I would call them luxury GT's, like a Jaguar. The Vantage V8 looks great and should have performance and handling to match. I would be wary about buying one. I would be concerned with reliability and resale value.

Hate is a strong word. There's a reason why I said new Vanquish S because in the last year, there is a manual tranny option available which allows one to avoid the rather lame "SMG" application. I don't like the DB9 with its much more toned down, slab-sided looks. To me, I'm not a "racercardriver" and do appreciate looks and luxury in a GT coupe. A 911 will never look the business as an Aston Martin Vanquish or DBS. They're not the same type of car. I find it funny how some you guys try to judge cars for what they were never designed to be in the first place. For a GT coupe that gives you a sense of luxury, style, exclusivity, and smooth performance, the Vanquish S is absolutely spot-on for me. DBS, I'm sure, will prove to be much more sporty which is fine by me.

I guess I just look at the group as the "toy" that I would own. I guess the term sports car is a loose one to me. No I wouldnt think of tracking an aston or say that the feel is the same in any of the previously mentioned threads because in some way they are all a little different but I could see how some could purchase it over a p-car and be thrilled.

Mr. Choi, That comment seemed unnecessarily personal, sort of subtly ad hominem. My $.02. CP

The Aston is gorgeous. It's like buying a Breitling watch instead of a Tag Heuer.

In light of this thread, i watched a high level overview of the aston martin vantage. I think I found it especially intriguing as it was the same color combo (white on black) as my DD. It was one fine automobile, that did have the sprite to get it done on the road. Probably not the track in off the showroom configuration, but would look purdy in the stable!

I know that I'm biased but I love my Vantage more every day. It's such a great combination of performance and luxury. That said, it's definitely not for someone who's #1 priority is reliability. I've had mine for just a few months and I've had a couple issues requiring service. I went into it knowing that a handbuilt car is going to have some quirks (especially in the beginning) so the positives are still outweighing the negatives for me by a long shot. And the previous poster is dead on... the reaction to the AM is much different than my 911. People are all over me when I drive it. Anyone in the NYC/CT area who wants to drive one, feel free to send me a PM. You can bring your P-car over and we'll swap rides...

Live from NY nice offer. It is sad how fast some others people can hijack and go negitive on a post.

I test drove the AMV8 earlier this year and I was mightily impressed. When it came down to "would I sell/trade the 911 for it?" the answer was a quick no. Like the OP I have an '02 cab, and I enjoy it more every day, even if it is too hot to put the top down this week. The Vantage is gorgeous and drives fabulously, nice ride/handling trade-off, it reminded me a lot of my Z06 in how the drivetrain felt (shifter, V8 torque, etc.) but with higher quality interior and exterior materials. Much higher. Like many folks, I'm waiting for these cars to get some age on them so that I can pick one up for a decent price. I've bought all of my 911s (I'm on the third) used, saving bunches of money. I just bought a 2003 M5 last month with only 17K miles on it and saved mucho dinero. With supercars, used is the only way to go. Michael

with any car used is the way to go imo. nice pick-up on the m5. i like the e39 body.

Benjamin, want to buy my e39 M5? ;-) ...josh

Make good use of the Ignore List since some people have nothing positive to contribute, if anything at all.

is it slammed on BBS LMs? silver with black interior sport trim? '01 and above? low miles?

let me guess... lol like i give a flying

haha, it's none of those things... but it's cheap ;-) ...josh

He paid 105,000 used. I will wait till they come down also but they attract mucho attention.

I disagree. It depends on what you your motivation is. I'm looking to add another exotic to my fleet in the next couple of months and I am only looking at new cars. I bought my 996 used but that was really because I wanted the specific body style. And I agree that you can save HUGE $$ when buying a couple of years old. But I also figure that I go to Vegas at least once a year and always seem to drop at least $25k. That's probably more than the immediate depreciation I took when I drove the AM off the lot and the feeling of a brand new car... the new-car smell, the anticipation of opening it up after breaking it in, the walk thru with the dealer... all of that is more than worth the $$ to me (and a lot more fun than Vegas). Just my 2 cents (and yes, I understand that this is not a reasonable financial argument - strictly emotional).

I can't argue with any of that. If you can afford it, then sure, new is the way to go. Heck, both of my used cars saved me lots of money, but they both have curb rash on the wheels, a scratch or two here and there, something that rarely happens if I am the original owner. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to go to Vegas and drop 25 large. So, I must buy used. But hell, I've got an M5 and a 911. Even at 4 and 5 years old, respectively, not many people can claim to have two cars like that, especially at the same time. So it's all a matter of degrees. Enjoy the AM and anytime you doubt the wisdom of the purchase, you can rest happy knowing that I'm still envious. Oh - and if you're ready to sell it in four or five years, please shoot me a PM. Michael

lol. You'll be my first call, Michael. And, just to make it mutual, I'm envious of your M5 as well.

Man, you're telling me--I do it the same way. I get a kick out of the people that see my 8-year-old 996 and think it's a brand new $130k car, while they probably paid more for the GM SUV they're driving.

I agree! Whenever I buy a Big TV or Hot Tub I buy new. It seems that you spend $25k the way most people go to the movies and a nice dinner... LOL Not hating, on the contrary, pure jealousy! It cost me a small fortune to buy my Porsche used, new wasn't even an option. If you have the cash, I can see why you buy new. For myself it's too huge a purchase, well worth buying at half price. ps, don't hold out on us! Tell us of the other toys!!