From a drivers perspective (which is the preeminent grading value for me), it's all about a GT versus a sports car. Though many say that the non GT* 997's have gotten a bit 'soft', they are bonafide sports cars while the AM Vantage is surely in the GT class. More aggressive than some of their others, it's a completely different gig for the driver.
If that's not a priority, or it IS a priority and you prefer a GT , the AM surely is a spectacularly beautiful car, makes great noises and has (as another poster cited) an interior akin to a custom tailored suit. And you surely will not see nearly as many on the street as you do Porsches. I get the impression that you will meet and greet the techs at the AM shop far more often than the Porsche, but that might be old tapes.
So, netting it, whether AM continues to evolve the car, add more HP, prices vary, etc., etc., it all comes down to the 'gestalt' of what you seek. My choice is that the more hard core, the better. The 997S is at the luxury end of the sports car scale. My Ford GT is anything but a GT, but it's too rare to play race car driver so someday its an Ultima or a Lotus that would best float my boat.
Finally, good luck. You've got a great problem on your hands.

 

Good points and in line with what I've been thinking. I think I'm more of a GT driver (since I'm confident I haven't squeezed out even 75% of what the C2S can do), but it may just be that I'm trying to convince myself so I'll make the change. I'd like to test drive the Vantage, but - like mentioned earlier - very hard to find (let alone find a seller/dealer willing to let you drive).

All of this hinges on my ability to sell my C2S which has proven difficult in my initial tries here locally in Seattle. May not even be worth getting all fired up until I can find a willing buyer.

 

Have to think if you pull up to the dealer in your 911 and ask to test drive one they will be more than willing to let you. Aston is hurting and need sells. The dealer here is practically begging me to come in. They should have a used one to take a spin in. Im actually going to a dealer tomorrow to look at a 08. No intention to buy, but want to check it out.

 

You're probably right. I drive by the lot everyday and see a ton of them lined up.

zschicago - let me know what your thoughts are after your test drive!

 

Just took a brief look at the drivers republic article. If you look at the pic of the targa taken from above the car, it looks like it doesn't offer all that much more openess than a typical 911 with a sun-roof?

I wonder how much more open air you get with the targa. I think i'd rather save the weight up there and just have a sunroof.

 

Drove the 08 & 09 AM Roadsters Wednesday. Great cars, but I think I am sticking with Porsche. They are smaller than I expected. Not much headroom. You sit low in the car. My shoulders were barely level with the top of the door. I really dont think they are worth the 140K sticker. Even at 95K for the 08 I would have a tough time buying. I love the Hand built English car, but think I might just pickup a new 09 997 PDK.

 

Hi:

I sold my AMV8 to buy the 997.2 C2 when it first came out. I drove the AM to 10k miles, and have 6k on the 997.2 now, and I can honestly say that aside from its drop dead good looks, I don't miss the AMV8 at all.

Compared even to the C2 (As opposed to the C2S), the AM was noticeably slower. When I drove the PDK C2 for the first time, I was amazed at its crisp transmission and blistering fast acceleration. In comparison, the AM was very heavy and seemed a bit labored when shifting gears. There is something magical about the engine being mounted in the back, as if there is an invisible hand pushing you forward. Other advantages that the C2 has is its gas mileage. I managed at best 15.2 MPG combined city/highway on the AM, but regularly get 21.5 MPG on the C2.

Its unfair to compare solely on the performance, since the AM is what i'd consider a touring car, whereas the C2 is a pure driving machine. Interior in the AM was slathered in suede and soft leather, but after 10k, the bolsters on the AM started looking really ragged. Also, the hand made nature of the car allows for small defects in workmanship. For example, the trunklid of the car had two equidistant "dents" in the paint, where you could clearly tell that it was due to poor welding of the bolts underneath. Other niggling features included the same window buttons as my Land Rover, and the cheap and horribly useless navi system ripped straight out of a Volvo. (Oh, I forgot the 1980's era Jaguar key and keyfob)

All in all, go with the Porsche. Either C2 or C2S, both will really bring smiles to your face.

 

Wow, you're admitting publicly that at one time in the recent past, you had TWO british cars. A recovering auto-anglophile. Well, the first step of the 12 step program is realizing that you own a problem. Or two