cgfen

Chairman Meow is considering giving up her Nordic Gold 09 2S at the end of the lease and has her eyes on a 2011 V8 Vantage.
They are spectacularly beautiful cars IMO, but the "sport shift" tranny is a real let down compared with the PDK.

Would like to chat if you have an 09 or newer and get your ownership experience thoughts.

Thanks

Craig

CBnAT

I've been researching them myself. From what I have seen your maintenance will be high $ and the V8 feels underpowered. A better deal maybe a used DB9. Apparently the V12 Vantage is nice, I think it will be the car to look for, but you will have to wait 2 more years before they start popping up used.

I'd like to hear some owner input as well.

okbarnett

I like the look but cant hardly stomache the quality. Its hard to pay money for such a primative car. Its got old volvo electronics, all of the features are pretty much just add ons and pieced togather. Its got a laundry list of common repeditive problems. It will cost a fortune to support. And be pretty unreliable.
I could really make a cool looking car out of one. But to pay such big money for whats going to be a real burden would be hard to overcome.

blk on blk

not an owner, but have driven many times as i flirted with the idea of getting one. the V8 feels way underpowered, the car feels very heavy, braking not great. Just not that fun a car to drive, but incredibly beautiful to look at. I guess if you were used to a much more "gt" feeling car like a BMW 6 series or something then the aston would feel a bit sportier, and more exotic. Comparing it coming from a 911 it feels sluggish, heavy, and boring to drive. It sure is a beautiful design however, and that is enough for some people.

kosmo

i was on the fence for about 6months. Heres what i found:
1. the NAVI is lifted from Volvo and its TERRIBLE. The GPS on my smartphone is superior.
2. the AC sux. In Dallas thats important buy maybe not an issue for you in Ca.
3. I preferred the stick as the shorts shift was jerky.
4. the 4.7 L is way better and gave the car the much need torque.
5. for some reason the leather seems to wear very quickly, especially on the left thigh bolster on the drivers seat.
6. the Porsche is prob a better drivers car, but the AM is also quite good, albeit more fussy.

btw you cant get deals on 2010's right now....

dhud

I owned a 2007 Vantage. It was unbelievably beautiful to look at and had one of the most intoxicating exhaust sounds around. I truly loved the car. With that said, I actually drove it and took trips to the mountains in it and it was always mechanically sound. However, the electronics were another issue. As stated above the navi was terrible, my door locks would not work after three attempts by the dealer to fix, I had a loose exhaust bracket that took two weeks to track down, the power steering pump rattled which required a shim, the shifter could be a bit jerky especially on cold mornings, the reverse light would light up and the reverse chime would ring while going forward at 70 mph, and the accelerator pedal could wear my foot out on 2 to 3 hour trips. I sold the car before the warranty ran out and went back to a 911 Turbo. I did love the car so much that I went back and drove a 2009 Vantage and tried a DB9 assuming those issues had been fixed. Unfortunatley, the steering pump still rattled, etc, etc. Sadly, I knew the quality would have to improve before I could do it again. My dealership was awesome always loaning cars or sending an enclosed truck to pick up the car. I accepted the inconvenience as the price to pay to own an Aston Martin

An easy answer to your question is to look at the used Vantage's on the market. There are a lot of them and they all have low miles. That should tell you something. If it is an itch you need to scratch like me, then by all means do it. I have no regrets. However, if you are expecting the same relaibility and service experience as a Porsche, you will probably be disappointed. Hope that helps.

cgfen

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
This car would definitely be leased, so long term maintenance is not a concern.
Priorities place aesthetics over driving dynamics, heresy but true........

I know the AM is not nearly the "drivers car" that the C2 is, but the only time its really driven is when i drive it

Chairman Meow has other priorities.

A recent track day made it clear that it's much more capable than my 993, but not necessarily more desirable, at least not for me.

cheers

Craig

swajames

The AM V8 is, probably, the car I ought to have bought when I got my last 997. I came very close to buying a V8 Roadster but in the end went for the 997. I won't argue with those that claim the Vantage isn't the driving machine that the 997 is, it isn't, but for me at least it has the 997 beat in terms of the intangibles. It's much more beautiful, it sounds absolutely intoxicating, the interior is much nicer than my 997 and the Aston brand is a notch or so above Porsche in the grand scheme of things. It's not that I'm unhappy with my 997, I love it, but the Aston to me has more soul and inspires much more passion. I probably should have traded the clinical competence of my 997 for that soul and passion. The Aston has flaws, but almost every car with some soul does. The more recent revisions of the AM V8 address some of the criticisms of the earlier cars - faster, better built and better to drive. Anyway, the Aston is an itch that at some point I'll need to scratch. I just love them.

pissedpuppy

who is chairman meow?

StanThePorscheFan

^ She who must be obeyed, I suppose.

JackQ

After 5 911s (current 06 997S) I have put a deposit on a 09 Vantage SportsShift coupe. I think everyone that says that they are slow have not driven the 4.7! If you check Road and Track and others that the 4.7 is actually 0.1 sec faster in the 1/4 mile. It does not have the sharpness of the 997. As far as reliablity, lurking on the British fourms where many over there use Aston as a daily driver seem to have few major issues, clutch one of them. I drove the SportShift expecting to hate it after what I read, but liked it. I have allways had manuals!

tanger

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...c2s-w-pdk.html

cgfen

my sweetie

indeed true!

kosmo

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/aston...-v8-vantage-s/


to put things in perspective a gt3 puts on 435hp w/ 3.8L. Ferrari's 458 puts out 560ish w/ 4.5L.

For such a nameplate AM really needs to step up their game in engine tech.