OldGuy

I called Galpin Ford for Aston martin. On the off chance they would deal with me.
Ring Ring
Operator: galpin Ford
Me: Aston
Op: Who?
Me: ASTON!
Op: WHO?
Me: "ASTON MARTIN!!!" spitting all over the phone
Op:OK let me direct your call
(double ENGLISH ring like on a Pink Floyd song!)
NEW OP: galpin how may I direct your call
Me: Aston
Op: Who?
Me GOOD GOD DO YOU NOT SELL ASTON MARTINS!!!!!! (Sunflower bits this time all over my mouth piece)
Op: Oh let me get a salesman!
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring........1.5 minutes ring ring ring
Me: Later.

C.J. Ichiban

lol

GT3 Chuck

note to self....don't use OG's phone....

blake

OG - I drove a Vantage at Gaudin Aston Martin in Vegas a few months back.... IMHO, it is the perfect touring car with a nice throaty growl....

Call another dealer!

-B

Sharptt

+1
Gorgeous car. If I had a dealer closer to home there would be one sitting in my garage already. I drove an '06 and felt it could use a bit more power. The new engine should remedy that.

mdiez1

OG,

I've seen your other thread regarding the sale of your GT3. As a long time sufferer of degenerative disc disease; one failed surgery; multiple steroid injections which did nothing; hopped up on pain meds, etc; I empathize greatly with your situation.

I own an RS and a Vantage (my daily driver). I can only infer from your post that you are considering an Aston? If so, I thought I might be able to give you some first hand feedback on how the Vantage compares to the Porsche; specifically on the bad streets here in LA; coming from someone with a very bad back.

Vantage's interior is very comfy and pleasant place to be. The thin greenhouse and raked A-pillar is very dramatic when you're inside. The seats are wider and comfier than the RS seats; with adjustable lumbar and thoracic elements. Although the seats are a bit softer and comfier than the RS, the car's suspension isn't as progressive as the Porsche's so it tends to be a bit crashier (especially on square edged bumps and potholes). The RS's suspension (PASM normal) might be slightly harder, but it soaks up bumps and potholes better. It rolls and undulates over bumps while the Aston just crashes through them. In the end, I would say the Vantage is somewhat more comfortable on a day to day basis, but not by as much as you would expect. Supposedly the H&R spring kit alleviates some of the crashiness, supposedly.

I drove a DBS a few months ago. It has a the first implementation of an electronically adjustable suspension on an Aston, and its much more comfy than the Vantage, even though it has 20" wheels!

I have an 08 with the 4.3L Sportshift. It has to be revved past 4k to feel like its moving. It could use a few more ponies, but its not that bad. Gas mileage is not very good (if thats a consideration). I originally chose the sportshift considering stop and go and gridlocked traffic. I drove a manual and the clutch was heavy (much heavier than the RS) and the shifter rubbery. However, the sportshift is not perfect by any means (its been compared to gen-1 BMW SMG). It surges, lurches, catches, and is downright annoying between 1st and 2nd (which in LA is like 75% of the time!). It doesn't like hills, and if you've started off from a stop light and shifted into second, but then suddenly have to stop again (very common situation), the clutch is let out abruptly causing a huge cutoff in forward motion and a huge clunk. Very disconcerting. I'm in manual mode 95% of the time. I've had second thoughts about the sportshift many a time. If the car had a lighter clutch (09's supposedly do), no doubt in my mind I would choose that over the sportshift; even with the rubbery shifter.

Supposedly the 09s have addressed these issues (lighter clutch, better sportshift, more hp, better mpg, etc). I sometimes get annoyed with the car's shortcomings, but it really is drop dead gorgeous inside and out. Makes you feel very special.

I'm assuming you called Galpin in Van Nuys. I purchased my car from the Collection in Miami, and they were great. Unfortunately, I haven't been impressed with the dealers here in LA. If you go to Galpin, it very much feels like a Ford dealer that happens to have a luxury brand. No loaner service. Aston Beverly Hills wasn't any better. I walked to set up an appointment for service and I had to literally hunt someone down to talk to me. I walked out of there.

Likemystoppie?

Tell me you're not REALLY surprised, right?

Chris from Cali

Great write-up. Galpin have been and always will be ***-clowns IMO. I bought a '93 Mustang Cobra from them as a 21-yr old kid and they took HUGE advantage of me. When the car was stolen, I got another from them as a substitution of collateral. What was my "reward" for buying 2 new Mustangs from them? They wanted me to fix some things on my trade-in from a month earlier!

OG - my Aston dealer here in DC (HBL in Tysons Corner) is really great too. My wife and I took an extended test drive of a V8 Vantage, got a tour of their service facility, etc. When it comes time to buy a 911 Turbo or the Aston, I'll have a tough choice to make...

OldGuy

Great stuff guys and M Diez that was VERY helpful.
I LOVE the look of the Aston but the price range
was a tad more than I wanted to go. As was the Black Series.
Chris I WAS surprised. I thought they would have good sales people
but no.
Chris From Cali Great stuff but a dealer in DC is A BIT out of my way.

AndreCT

OG.. not for nothing, but courtesy might have helped you. How about saying "May I get an Aston Martin sales person please?". in stead of just, "Aston".

Not saying it wold have helped,but I know if I was answering the phone and you spoke to me like that I would have put you on Perma hold. Looks like she did to...

Good luck with your AMG.

OldGuy

Andre Good point. I didnt put in my text was Aston Please.
but would you lose a $120K customer over that?
I wouldnt.

MagicMtnDan

OK, according to your post you said, "Aston" to the person at the main switchboard of multi-dealership facility.

Since you didn't say "Aston Martin" or "I'd like to speak to a salesperson at the Aston Martin dealership" the person answering the phone was most likely trying to figure out what person out of several hundreds that work there might be named "Aston" or something similar.

So after the second time you so helpfully said, "Aston" and then finally said something a little more useful, "Aston Martin" they sent your call to the Aston Martin dealership where it rang for one-point-five minutes and then you hung up.

Clearly you couldn't have been too terribly interested in talking to someone since your communication skills were rudimentary at best. Next time I suggest you try explaining why you were calling and who you wanted to speak to. Or you could have used a few more words and said, "my name is Old Guy and I'd like you to have someone at the Aston Martin dealership give me a call as I'm interested in buying a car." You might even want to get the number to the Aston Martin dealership there and call them directly.

Communication typically takes two people to work or it often doesn't work at all.

By the way, don't dismiss the Aston Martin dealership at Galipin. They have some very special cars and capabilities over there. And they have quite a nice display of high end and cutom cars there too. It's work it to go there and ask to have a look. And their Aston Martin showroom is quite unique. Give them another try or at least go have a look.

PogueMoHone

^
You have to either work there, get money from them, or be kidding! There are other considerations too, but I am not going to assume you are crazy.