What do you guys think of Aston Martins?
#31
04-02-2015, 06:52 PM
Too many of you guys are comparing Astons to Porsches based on performance, and an Aston is not about that - its about the Art of the Automobile. If you want pure performance and the most bang for your buck go buy a new Corvette - it will smoke your Porsches and leave many thousands in your pocketbook. But you didn't buy a Porsche for all out performance, either.
Astons are handmade. That's what you are buying. A wet-sanded paint job worked on by two men for 28 hours that's smooth as glass, not a robotic paint booth one done on conveyer belt like at Porsche in 1/5 the time that shows plenty of orange peel under the lights. Your door sill plates on an Aston are aluminum, held in place with a stainless steel allen head, not plastic with snap in plastic catches as in a 991. The inside of the door pocket is leather-lined, again - vinyl and plastic on the Porsche. The list goes on and on and on.
Most Astons don't leave their garages very much. No more than a fine painting on the wall in the house. That's why you see 6 year old Astons with 2K miles on them as the norm. The Porsche is a Driver's car, plain and simple
Art of the Car. That's Aston Martin.
Astons are handmade. That's what you are buying. A wet-sanded paint job worked on by two men for 28 hours that's smooth as glass, not a robotic paint booth one done on conveyer belt like at Porsche in 1/5 the time that shows plenty of orange peel under the lights. Your door sill plates on an Aston are aluminum, held in place with a stainless steel allen head, not plastic with snap in plastic catches as in a 991. The inside of the door pocket is leather-lined, again - vinyl and plastic on the Porsche. The list goes on and on and on.
Most Astons don't leave their garages very much. No more than a fine painting on the wall in the house. That's why you see 6 year old Astons with 2K miles on them as the norm. The Porsche is a Driver's car, plain and simple
Art of the Car. That's Aston Martin.
#32
04-02-2015, 11:38 PM
Too many of you guys are comparing Astons to Porsches based on performance, and an Aston is not about that - its about the Art of the Automobile. If you want pure performance and the most bang for your buck go buy a new Corvette - it will smoke your Porsches and leave many thousands in your pocketbook. But you didn't buy a Porsche for all out performance, either.
Astons are handmade. That's what you are buying. A wet-sanded paint job worked on by two men for 28 hours that's smooth as glass, not a robotic paint booth one done on conveyer belt like at Porsche in 1/5 the time that shows plenty of orange peel under the lights. Your door sill plates on an Aston are aluminum, held in place with a stainless steel allen head, not plastic with snap in plastic catches as in a 991. The inside of the door pocket is leather-lined, again - vinyl and plastic on the Porsche. The list goes on and on and on.
Most Astons don't leave their garages very much. No more than a fine painting on the wall in the house. That's why you see 6 year old Astons with 2K miles on them as the norm. The Porsche is a Driver's car, plain and simple
Art of the Car. That's Aston Martin.
Astons are handmade. That's what you are buying. A wet-sanded paint job worked on by two men for 28 hours that's smooth as glass, not a robotic paint booth one done on conveyer belt like at Porsche in 1/5 the time that shows plenty of orange peel under the lights. Your door sill plates on an Aston are aluminum, held in place with a stainless steel allen head, not plastic with snap in plastic catches as in a 991. The inside of the door pocket is leather-lined, again - vinyl and plastic on the Porsche. The list goes on and on and on.
Most Astons don't leave their garages very much. No more than a fine painting on the wall in the house. That's why you see 6 year old Astons with 2K miles on them as the norm. The Porsche is a Driver's car, plain and simple
Art of the Car. That's Aston Martin.
It's not often that I disagree with your posts, but this time I couldn't disagree more strongly.
Posters aren't dissing AM only because of its performance, it's because of the lack of the overall package (unanimously excluding its beauty and its sound). What do I care if a car (or anything) is handmade if it's handmade like crap and breaks down? And if I want art to sit static for me to look at, I'll buy art. I buy a car to drive a car. And btw, good art appreciates in value.
Let me be clear, I REALLY want to want an AM. It's why I keep going back to drive them. But they just don't match up to today's car buying expectations. They don't match up to Porsche, or BMW or Bentley for that matter. I too am hoping that their next gen products bring AM to 21st century sport/luxury/GT car standards.
Last edited by hinckley; 04-02-2015 at 11:46 PM.
#33
04-05-2015, 03:31 PM
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Age: 54
Posts: 1,032
Rep Power: 62 
I have owned many sports cars including an Aston Martin V8 Vantage with the SportShift transmission. The SportShift takes some getting used to and there is a learning curve. I also had my TCU reprogrammed by RSC which reduced shift times by a large margin. The car ran flawlessly for 5 years! I had no issues and normal annual maintenance ran between $750-$1200 per year from my local dealer. I also changed my exhaust and did some other light mods.
Agreed, the performance was not as good as a Porsche but the overall experience was much more special. No comparison to Porsche and I have owned several including a 2010 997.2 Turbo with Aerokit. I would get more looks and appreciation in the Aston in one month than I get over one year in the Porsche. They are great cars with very neutral handling. Sure, it's not as fast off the line but I don't think that's what they are all about. Candidly, I'm really sorry I sold mine. I love driving the Porsche but miss the Aston experience. One day I will own another.
Agreed, the performance was not as good as a Porsche but the overall experience was much more special. No comparison to Porsche and I have owned several including a 2010 997.2 Turbo with Aerokit. I would get more looks and appreciation in the Aston in one month than I get over one year in the Porsche. They are great cars with very neutral handling. Sure, it's not as fast off the line but I don't think that's what they are all about. Candidly, I'm really sorry I sold mine. I love driving the Porsche but miss the Aston experience. One day I will own another.
#34
04-08-2015, 11:07 AM
I also considered the Vantage, and came very close to buying one. In the end, the Porsche won out, and I don't regret it at all. Well, not until I see a Vantage. There's some guy in town who has the exact car (colors, options) that I was about to buy. I hate him.
And for those who lament the lousy sportshift transmission (which I drove, and agree, is crap) you should really consider the manual. It's very nice.
#35
04-08-2015, 12:05 PM
Too many of you guys are comparing Astons to Porsches based on performance, and an Aston is not about that - its about the Art of the Automobile. If you want pure performance and the most bang for your buck go buy a new Corvette - it will smoke your Porsches and leave many thousands in your pocketbook. But you didn't buy a Porsche for all out performance, either.
Astons are handmade. That's what you are buying. A wet-sanded paint job worked on by two men for 28 hours that's smooth as glass, not a robotic paint booth one done on conveyer belt like at Porsche in 1/5 the time that shows plenty of orange peel under the lights. Your door sill plates on an Aston are aluminum, held in place with a stainless steel allen head, not plastic with snap in plastic catches as in a 991. The inside of the door pocket is leather-lined, again - vinyl and plastic on the Porsche. The list goes on and on and on.
Most Astons don't leave their garages very much. No more than a fine painting on the wall in the house. That's why you see 6 year old Astons with 2K miles on them as the norm. The Porsche is a Driver's car, plain and simple
Art of the Car. That's Aston Martin.
Astons are handmade. That's what you are buying. A wet-sanded paint job worked on by two men for 28 hours that's smooth as glass, not a robotic paint booth one done on conveyer belt like at Porsche in 1/5 the time that shows plenty of orange peel under the lights. Your door sill plates on an Aston are aluminum, held in place with a stainless steel allen head, not plastic with snap in plastic catches as in a 991. The inside of the door pocket is leather-lined, again - vinyl and plastic on the Porsche. The list goes on and on and on.
Most Astons don't leave their garages very much. No more than a fine painting on the wall in the house. That's why you see 6 year old Astons with 2K miles on them as the norm. The Porsche is a Driver's car, plain and simple
Art of the Car. That's Aston Martin.
I couldnt said it better DrC
Just ordered mine, 2015 Aston Martin V8 GT with manual transmission.
Theres always time to get back to Porsche (992), In the meantime, I need to fulfill my desire to own an Aston.
Thanks guys for all the advise.
.
#38
04-08-2015, 06:13 PM
Aston Martins are nice, but I never had a poster of one on my wall or a toy model of one as a kid. Definitely wouldn't kick one out of bed though.
#40
04-09-2015, 07:56 AM
I think you're being a bit harsh. Yes, there are issues with the AM as noted (visibility, ingress/egress, ride quality) but I think their old reputation for typical British quality (or lack thereof) was mostly resolved during Ford's ownership period.
I also considered the Vantage, and came very close to buying one. In the end, the Porsche won out, and I don't regret it at all. Well, not until I see a Vantage. There's some guy in town who has the exact car (colors, options) that I was about to buy. I hate him.
And for those who lament the lousy sportshift transmission (which I drove, and agree, is crap) you should really consider the manual. It's very nice.
I also considered the Vantage, and came very close to buying one. In the end, the Porsche won out, and I don't regret it at all. Well, not until I see a Vantage. There's some guy in town who has the exact car (colors, options) that I was about to buy. I hate him.
And for those who lament the lousy sportshift transmission (which I drove, and agree, is crap) you should really consider the manual. It's very nice.
I didn't mean to be overly harsh. As I said, I really have tried to want an AM but like you, the Porsche always wins out.
I agree that the AMs are not the AMs of old. But even the dealer hesitated a bit when I told him that this would be my DD and my only car. I also spent quite a bit of time on the AM boards and confirmed that there's still enough issues to hold me off until we see how the next gen is upgraded. fwiw, I've never driven the sportshift. I would only be interested in an AM with MT.
#41
04-09-2015, 09:33 AM
I always believed that Aston Martins were in Ferrari price territory, but to my surprise, the special edition AM Vantage V8 GT I just ordered retails for less than a Carrera S.
#42
10-01-2015, 05:01 AM
I owned a lot of cars in the past: Mercedes (still own one as a dd), Audi's, Porsche (a 993).
Since 3 years I was thinking about buying a new weekend toy. I looked at a couple Ferrari's (some 360's and a 430), looked at a lot of Porsche's (997's and even a 996 4S).
The Ferrari's where nice to look at, and very, very fast. Special too! The 430 was (and still is) very expensive to buy. But a 360 is probably the best Ferrari to buy at the moment because it is relatively cheap and reliable (but I kept in mind there is no such thing a a cheap Ferrari).
A Porsche is probably the best car to buy if you want a fast and reliable sportscar: it's nice to look at, fast, can be used as a dd, good value for money if you buy second hand, relatively good mileage if you drive calm.
But it was always my dream to buy an Aston Martin. If you want performance, this is not the car to buy. If you want value for money, this is not the car to buy. If you want comfort, this is not the car to buy (I own a Vantage, I've been told a DB9 is way more comfortable). A Porsche is probably the more sane choice.
But I still got myself in an Aston
If you want something special, with a nice sound, and a fantastic design, this is the car for you!
Ps: English is not my first language
EDIT: Forget about a Porsche, if you want value for money, buy a Jag XK!
Since 3 years I was thinking about buying a new weekend toy. I looked at a couple Ferrari's (some 360's and a 430), looked at a lot of Porsche's (997's and even a 996 4S).
The Ferrari's where nice to look at, and very, very fast. Special too! The 430 was (and still is) very expensive to buy. But a 360 is probably the best Ferrari to buy at the moment because it is relatively cheap and reliable (but I kept in mind there is no such thing a a cheap Ferrari).
A Porsche is probably the best car to buy if you want a fast and reliable sportscar: it's nice to look at, fast, can be used as a dd, good value for money if you buy second hand, relatively good mileage if you drive calm.
But it was always my dream to buy an Aston Martin. If you want performance, this is not the car to buy. If you want value for money, this is not the car to buy. If you want comfort, this is not the car to buy (I own a Vantage, I've been told a DB9 is way more comfortable). A Porsche is probably the more sane choice.
But I still got myself in an Aston
If you want something special, with a nice sound, and a fantastic design, this is the car for you!
Ps: English is not my first language
EDIT: Forget about a Porsche, if you want value for money, buy a Jag XK!
Last edited by The_Orange; 10-01-2015 at 05:27 AM.
#43
10-01-2015, 11:44 AM
They're like supermodels
Nice to roll around with but you wouldn't want to be married to one.
Astons are sexy and sound great. But they're built so poorly and the engineering is awkward
DRP
Astons are sexy and sound great. But they're built so poorly and the engineering is awkward
DRP
#44
10-01-2015, 01:34 PM
Bought a V8 Vantage from new in 08' - sold it 2+ years later. Beautiful car - still today. But this,
>>Astons are sexy and sound great. But they're built so poorly and the engineering is awkward<<
is 100% accurate. I'm now on my second Porsche. No regrets.
DaveG
>>Astons are sexy and sound great. But they're built so poorly and the engineering is awkward<<
is 100% accurate. I'm now on my second Porsche. No regrets.
DaveG
