Aston Martin v 911

As some of you will know, in April of this year an elderly man's car hit my stationary and parked 911 cabriolet C4 causing some damage. The car was taken to the OPC in Cambridge and the other driver's insurers has agreed to pick up the bill [withour any claim by me on my own insurance policy] and they ir car hire company is arranging for me to have the use of an Aston Martin!! I will be dropping off the 'old' car for repairs on Saturday and picking up a different 'beast' then. A bit of luck in having the opportunity of testing a different type of car. Report on the differences etc. to follow ... PS Incidentally, much to my relief, the car sailed through its' MOT test on Friday [ ]

Crikey! An AM loan car? I'm sure my insurer would only stretch to anything more than a basic Corsa! [&:] Enjoy!

I think I read somewhere a similar situation with an M3 being supplied. Problem was the car hire was still invoiced to him which he then had to claim back of the other parties insurance policy ... which was not easy considering the very high car hire charges

I think it's down to being a 'no blame accident'. Where the other party is wholly and indisputably at fault, you are entitled to a loan car of reasonably similar quality to the one you have been deprived of. Insurers don't normally offer this, but claims management companies such as Helphire do. Of course, in the big scheme of things, we all pay for this through higher insurance premiums. Nothing is for free.

Let's hope you don't end up getting the usual car hire response: "Sorry sir, the car you've booked is unavailable; we do have another car from the Aston Martin Group ready to go now: I hope the Ka will meet sir's expectations." [ ]

julian, I do hope you enjoy mitigating your losses!

Thanks folks for the messages. I have spoken to the hire company which was nominated by the other party's insurers [Saga Insurance] and they are picking up the tab in full, including the cost of overnight car parking in a secure car park!! And all of this without much dispute; I suppose that the signed admissions of liability by the other driver helped. So, anyone who has a no fault accident should always try to get a signed admission of liability from the 'guilty' party. See, there are some [slight] advantages to being a Solicitor even if I only earn what the Legal Aid system allows based upon assessment of fees in 1997! Please, please do not get me started on that topic - it is not motoring related... However, just to amuse you all, do have a look at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6981558.stm and see the sort of client I periodically have to deal with - this report indicates an application for a Darwin Award for 2007 should be made sooner rather than later. My report will follow sometime after I hand the AM back with a number of miles added to the clock

I assume that your "planned" touring holiday around Europe starts as soon as the AM is delivered? Obviously they will not be charging any mileage excess.

Well, I do intend to go to Suffolk bird-watching and photographing - the feathered variety, of course - followed by a trip to Southampton during the week. Time alone will tell if I enjoy my trips in another fast car.

it will be interesting to see what you think of the AM as i tested a DB7 before deciding on the 911. I was quite disappointed with the DB7's performance and the interior was what i expected...all bits of other cars!! Will wait with interest to see what you thought

I hope its an AMV8, ran one for a year before the GT3, fabulous car, not quite as good as a drivers car compared to the 911, but so much more "special" to look at, sit in & own. Be prepared to be loved by all, it really does get a fabulously positive reaction from other road users.... unlike Pork!!!

Picked up AM V8 on Saturday morning- off a low loader at teh OPC Cambridge. A very suspicious man left the AM dealership next door to see what was going on and why an AM was being delivered and not collected from his dealership! It is a very interesting car - more responsive than the 996 [the AM is a 2007 car with only 9150 miles on the clock]. The interior is well put together and is fairly comfortable although it takes an age to set up the seats and the gear lever is far too high for my liking. Engine sound is marvellous but the real problem is an horrendous clutch; that might be the result of previous misuse, but if so, the hire company should have sorted it out before I collected the car. The clutch is so very stiff and grates at low speeds. That noise is enough to drive anyone mad - and if you add the stiff clutch, ankle ache is the order of the day. Inside the cabin the tyre and road noise is somewhat intrusive although one can easily hear the growl of the engine under acceleration. It now has about 9650 miles on teh clock with more to follow soon!! Further report to follow.

Will we be seeing you and your AM at the Rose of York meet in Richmond tonight? Kish

Drove the AM around Suffolk and Huntingdonshire this week end. Very powerful acceleration but there are significant problems with this car. In many ways I will be glad to hand it back later this week. The wind and road noise can be very intrusive, sometimes even drowning out the V8 sound. The fittings squeak quite a bit and, I think, some of them seem to be from the Ford spare parts bin. Ther have been some strange squeaks developing from the front of the car in first and second gear whilst rattles can be heard from the dashboard area. However, the clutch is a real nightmare. It would drive me to distraction and my left ankle to a chiropractor if I regularly drove this car. The Porsche clutch is a dream compared to this AM example. The gear change has always been so very notchy and it is sometimes quite hard to get into first gear. That is probably the worst aspect of driving this car and would put me off buying one. Perhaps this is my bad luck, but I met another V8 driver and he had exactly the same complaint. The car eats petrol, but I suppose that this is normal for a V8. All in all, a fun experience, but no substitute for the real [Porsche] thing. My friend Judy says that this AM is the Tara Palmer-Tomkinson of cars compared with the 'footballers wives' car which is a Porsche. I feel that it is the other way round. What are your views?

I reckon the V8 looks stunning, sounds amazing to those outside. Never been in one though, so can't comment about the drive. I'd agree that Astons do sit a 'class' above Porsches, probably only because there are so many Porks about now, not to mention the small matter of the asking price which is about 20% above a C2S. For me though, the AMV8 will never be a true competitor to the 911 because its not as practical- this struck me the other day as I drove to Wales in my C4S with my missus, 2 young kids and luggage- our usual family car was rendered unavailable by a small misunderstanding re the MOT due date... I've heard other poor comments about the quality of the AMV8, but I'm sure they'll get them right soon enough. They do an auto version now too I think.

Absolutely stunning to look at and to listen to too .... ....assume you have removed the exhaust baffle fuse .....if not please do...awesome noise ...which may alleviate some of pain from the clutch ....perhaps the inquisitive AM man can shed some light re clutch?? Cheers Kevin

Handed AM back on Wednesday afternoon. Was so pleased to get back into 911 C4 cab and drive a straightforward car with a properly working clutch. Parked in London overnight. Next day - Thursday at about midday - scaffolder dropped a piece of metal onto the rear of the car [ ] [ ] [ ] and drove off [ ] [ ] [ ]. Unfortunately for him, 3 witnesses had seen and challenged him. Police informed [ ] [ ] [ ]; c£1,000 worth of damge + cost of appropriate replacement car for several days - the insurers will be paying up and deducting the expenses from his wages [ ]. Apart from the sheeer frustration I am now feeling, I wonder what replacement car would be appropriate? Can I have some suggestions? IMHO, a 997 C4S coupe seems the best bet.

Your not having much luck lately are you...