Never been into that brand, but lately I am drooling whenever I see them passing, I am seriously considering buying a V8 Vantage S to replace the 4S, amazing sound and beautiful lines, no chance for me to test drive one, so I would like to ask you Porsche guys like me, whats up with them?
There is an Aston section in this forum but that may be biased.
Thanks for your opinions.

 

I never think of Aston Martins. Its Porsche for me or nothing.

 

Dr. C will chime in soon ...

 

I think they are beautiful cars, but I am not a big enough fan to buy one. Go with your preference.

 

We were just looking at them the other day! Wanted to add something else to the stable...wife says that they 'just didn't do it for her...and didn't look that 'special'.


I like them, however, they don't make me drool or anything.


Go drive one, sit in one and YOU make that determination as to whether or not you will make the change.


Keep us posted!

 

drove a DB9 3 years ago and was completely disappointed. The car looked great from the outside but the interior was really outdated esp the nav popup screen. Also I didn't feel connected to the road driving it. I really wanted to like it, but it was unimpressive.

 

James Bond loves them .. as for me, they are beautiful to look at .. I'm sticking with the Porsche brand

 

Take it on a long test drive. The Vantage with the sportshift tranny takes time learn. I like my 2012 Vantage s. If you can only have one car I would say Porsche. Good luck.

 

Don't do it! Actually all jokes aside...they are gorgeous cars. My coworker owned one (Vantage V8 S) and he had nothing but problems. Constantly on the fritz. I drove it a couple of times and the paddle shift is absolute garbage (get the manual if you are gonna get one). It lags and there is a rough shift response. Big pluses were the exhaust note and the sex appeal. Performance and drivability is no where near your 4s. He just recently bought a C4s and saids he will never go back. They are great cars to look at but they will be outperformed by almost everything in their price bracket. I don't understand how Aston has not caught up with other comparable brands.

 

The last DB9 I drove was gorgeous to look at, but inside felt dated and it drove with a heavy feeling.... Felt a bit like our Maserati GT Sport, kind of fat feeling. Hard to describe, but I chose the 991 instead. Just my .02

 

I consider myself a Porsche fan, having owned a few (997s, 987, 986s) and still have one in the garage:



I was car shopping and planning on buying one of my ultimate dream cars, a 911 Turbo. While I was car shopping got side tracked by the V8 Vantage. I sat in the car and it felt so different: thick leather everywhere, metal gauges and *****, beautiful exhaust note. The car felt special to look at and drive. I got bit by the bug, so here it is now in my garage:





Compared to my old Carrera S: The Aston was a little slower, didn't handle as well, never made me feel scared at the limit (which was a very good thing in the 997s). I still miss the heavy traction and planted feeling from the rear engine. It certainly is a different car.

But aside from all the speed testing, numbers, etc, it carried a very different driving experience. It is fun to drive at all speeds (fast and slow), the steering and shifting are very heavy and mechanical, the deep exhaust note from the v8 engine, and it's truly an event to drive. Lastly, it just looks beautiful and gets many compliments, which I really don't care for, but am not offended by. I once read some where that the Porsche 911 is the better "machine", but the Aston is the better "car". That statement makes sense to me now that I've owned both.

And just for the record, I'm still planning to get a 911 Turbo and will tell my wife that it is her 911 Turbo and that it will blow the doors off my Aston. If my sales pitch is successful you will see it on a lift in the garage

 

Here was my 2007 Aston Martin Vantage prior to getting my Current 2014 991S Cab:





Ahh...where do I start? First of all, I am amused by some of the comments by those that have never owned one <g>

Performance: Very much similar to a 911 of the same vintage. I tracked this car and Instructed in it, very-very capable. One of the nicest and most neutral handling cars this side of the old E36 BMW M3. A joy to drive fast The V8 engine makes an incredible sound, especially if you pull Fuse 32 which defeats the flapper valves and remove the back panel cover. You'll feel like you're at Sebring. Brakes are excellent. I could hustle by Vantage around a track better and with more fun than a 2007 997, which was not as good at speed in the handling dept.

Components: The build level on an Aston will blow away your Porsche. This is a hand-made car and it shows, a Porsche is a production car - a very good production car - but still full of plastics and push-in fasteners. Not so on an Aston. The paint is hand-sanded, metal and leather replaces plastics and fasteners are real metal rather than plastic clips. This is automotive art.

Daily Driver: Here's where it falls down. That sexy body means you are dropped down low in the car and can't see out. Backing the car up is a nightmare. Smacking the front spoiler on every curb stop is a given. And its hard to get in and out of, my wife complained constantly about ease of access and it bothered me, too. The GPS is a joke. The Porsche is much better daily driver but won't get near the attention the Aston does.

Parts and Maintenance: When Ford bought Aston they really did a great job solving the reliability issues that plagued the brand prior to 2005. Most the car is Volvo electronics and many of the parts are either Ford or Jaguar. That's a good thing as parts that are made by Aston ONLY for Aston can be pricey. A new clutch for my this Vantage is $ 6k installed vs $ 3K for a 911. Annual maintenance is around $ 2,700 a year - a proper oil service is a PITA on this car if you do it right (dry sump system). Reliability is very good - not at Porsche levels but not as scary as some would have you think - probably on par with a BMW.

Why did I sell? Two reasons. I wanted a convertible and don't really like the Aston ones (except for the Vanquish I can't afford) and the difficulty outlined in the Daily Driver comments. Great road car, great track car, crappy one to go to the mall in. Would I buy another? Yes, but the Vantage is too hard for my 60 year old bones to get in and out of - would have to be a Vanquish!

Buying Tips: Their automatic transmission "Sport shift" is dated and old. Its not really a modern dual clutch, its an assisted clutch like the early BMW SMG's and Ferrari units. It can burn the plates in city traffic and the guys that get into trouble with them are the ones that creep in traffic in DRIVE mode. It can't tolerate that. The manual box is a joy, same as in the Ferraris (transaxle). One big problem with Astons is mileage. They depreciate like mad if you drive them. A 2012 Porsche with 25K miles on it is acceptable, but a 2012 Aston with 25K miles on it is a car nobody wants. Go figure.

 

Great feedback, Dr. C.

 

I owned a V8 Vantage from new from 2007 to 2012. Hands down the most beautiful car I have ever owned. Even today, arguably still one of the most beautiful cars on the road, IMHO.


I currently own a 2014 911_50 and agree with 95% of what drcollie wrote above, with the exception of the build quality. I think the overall engineering and build quality of my Porsche far exceeds that of the Vantage that I owned. It's difficult to describe and surely subjective, but the Porsche feels much, much more solid than the Vantage did to me. I never felt as connected to or confident in the AM as I do in the Porsche.


I'm a Porsche convert now, but I'll always lust for an Aston Martin.


DaveG

 

I made the switch from the Porsche brand to AM. No regrets. Porsches are the superior performance cars but both are quite usable as DDs. My biggest gripe with AMs is the technology in them in. Although it does everything I need I personally thought Porsche had one of the best systems in the business so the AM felt archaic in comparison. The AM will attract more attention and in my experience it is never negative reactions from onlookers. Cost of ownership is higher than a Porsche that's for sure but you know that going in. If you haven't driven an AM definitely go take out of for a spin. The db9 I had was my favorite car to date and I am enjoying my newly acquired 2012.25 vantage s. If you have any questions regarding options just ask. Good luck!