Hello,

I'm new to this forum, and would appreciate any advice or suggestions, as I'm trying to decide on a Porsche 911, or AM V8 Vantage. I recently turned 52, and have been smitten with middle-age crazy. I owned a 911 about 25 years ago, and loved that car. I sold it when I got married, and after what seems like an eternity of mortage payments, kids college tuitions, etc. etc. etc., it's finally time to reward myself. The Porsche 911 pretty much speaks for itself in my mind, but, the AM V8 Vantage is a stunningly beautiful car. I've tried to research the V8 Vantage, but there isn't a lot of data on them, apparently, because it's so exclusive. Can any V8 Vantage owners tell me how reliable they are, and are they really worth looking at? My memory of British cars dates back to the early 70's, when my friends were driving Jags, Triumph's, and MG's. They were all great looking cars, with terrible reputations for reliability. Now, I realize cars have come a long way since the early 70's, but I'm still a little leary of British cars. I would sincerly appreciate any feedback. Thanks

 

If I wanted a car for speed and quickness, I would get the 911. If you want a car for class, exclusivity, and that attracts attention, get the AM.

Not sure about reliability, and I struggled with the same choice. In the end, the beauty of the car, closed the deal for me. Hopefully, since I could not find any consistent real horror stories on reliability I am going to be ok.

 

I haven't ordered a car yet, but had a deposit down on a 997tt. I went to drive the Vantage about a year and a half ago as I was opening a new dental office and starting my landscaping project (why exactly did I buy a new construction?). Although there is no power comparison, the Aston is a much more fun car to drive. There's no other way of putting it - you have to go drive it yourself. I previously owned a 996 C2 cab and a 993TT. They were both great cars. I drove the 997TT and was blown away - it was by far the fastest car I'd ever driven.

So, here's how it went - I'm copying my post from amoc.org right after my test drive:

"I currently have a deposit down for a 997tt. After some consideration I thought it would be best to go out and drive the V8V and DB9. I love the power and push of the 997tt, but there is just something intangible about the Aston Martin design that was calling out to me. I made the appointment last week and arrived at the dealer this morning.

I was warmly greeted by the dealer and we needed to go to a remote location to pick up our first car to drive - a DB9 coupe. My salesperson drove the V8V coupe (from the showroom) to the area where the DB9 was being kept. He quickly began showing me what the car was capable of - I then rather quickly informed him that, as a passenger, I tend to have a weak stomach. So we slowed things down a bit. I could tell, though, that although the car had less power than the 997tt it was something that I would be more than happy to live with.

We took out a midnight blue DB9 first - stunningly beautiful. There were a few DB9s and a few V8Vs in this particular area - it was difficult to tell them apart by a quick glance. Part of me was concerned that I would completely fall in love with the proportions of the DB9, making it more difficult to "compromise" and get the V8V. This first matter of concern was quickly erased after seeing the cars side by side.

My next concern was that the DB9 would be roomier than the V8V. Upon getting into the car I thought that the V8V may have had slightly more front seat room - but having been only a passenger and not having driven the V8V yet I couldn't be sure (the DB9 wins hands down on rear seat room, though - although my 14lb. Havanese would have trouble sitting back there) . So we slowly (ok, not so slowly or smoothly) pulled out onto the open road. The V12 has a lot of power and it comes on fast from a dead stop. It took me a while to get used to smoothly accelerating, but after a few stops it wasn't so much an issue. The car was equipped with the sports pack and it drove beautifully. The engine would roar if you put your foot down and the car tracked with a great deal of confidence. I did, however, need to respect the size and weight of the car. It seemed to need 'guiding' around turns - whereas the V8V could be thrown around turns. I walked away from the drive impressed.

Next up was the V8V coupe with the manual transmission. The car did, in fact, feel roomer in the driver's seat - so I wasn't imagining it. The shifter was slightly notchy, but not in a negative way. The car had a solid feel and a relatively calm demeanor - until I buried the accelerator. Wow, what a sound. No videos or audio clips can really convey the sound this car makes - it is intoxicating. I would easily trade some power for that sound - it was mesmerizing. Handling was impeccable and the car could be thrown around at will - the balance was superb. The coupe was a dream to drive and with 80% of the torque available at 1500 rpms I could just keep it in third and cruise around town - calling for the power when I needed it. Living with the manual would be easy...

...but not as easy as the sportshift. I went into driving the sportshift expecting not to like it. After reading some of the posts on the forum I was expecting hard shifts at low speed driving and harder shifts at high speeds. I was wrong on both accounts after figuring out what was going on. It can give you hard sport-type shifts if you want it, or it can shift (almost) as smooth ans an automatic. I was paying more attention to the road and less attention to shiftwork. It made the car more enjoyable, at least for for me. I do like rowing through the gears, but I like knowing what's going on around me equally as much. The sportshift suits me rather well, and my gonads are still intact after saying so.

The 997tt is a beast. With a manual, it requires the utmost concentration under hard acceleration in first gear in order to avoid hitting the rev limiter. With the tiptronic it is also a beast - but that's the point of the car. There is no feeling like sitting in a 997tt under hard acceleration - you'd need to book a NASA flight to experience harder acceleration. But I digress, I went to drive Astons today and I came away with a new perspective. I have driven porsches for a while. I traded an '03 C2 cabriolet for a '97 993tt - and it was bliss. It was raw and powerful and loud with fabspeed muffler bypass pipes. The 997tt was to be my venture back into the world of Porsche - but it will not be so. I am sold on the V8V coupe. Driving it was like opening a door to a new world - it is refined, elegant, and above all it is an experience. It is plenty fast and handles like a dream. It has the intangible something I've been looking for and I know I will look forward to getting in and driving it every time I open the garage - and it just happens to be one of the greatest looking cars on the road."

That was with the 4.3. I haven't yet driven the 4.7 and I will admit that since catching the Aston bug I have been struggling with saving some more cash and grabbing a DBS. The downside is that I could order the V8V next summer - who knows when I could get into a DBS. I think I'm sticking with my original choice. I can't wait to pick up a Vantage 4.7 Sportshift with a Sports Pack.

Now if I could only decide on a color...

BTW - reliability, from what I've been following over the past 18 months from other Aston owners is not something to be too concerned about. Dr. Ulrich Bez (head of Porsche during the 993 turnaround) is now at the helm. Take that for what you will, but Porsche thinking has made it's way to the Aston stables.

 

My story too.

 

I came from many Porsches - also wife drives a Cayman S - my last one was a 996tt w/ lots of mods for the track and pumping out a true 550HP. Didn't look at a 997tt cause it was less of a car than my modded 996tt. I actually got bored of the tt, and everyone has a Seal Grey Porsche ... 2+ years later in my 2007 Vantage (w/ some mods) and I am still a very happy camper. Example of reliability - my 2007 Vantage is just as reliable as my wife's 2007 Pcar, they have the same mileage too.
There are some nice differences in the 2009 Vantage vs. my 2007 ... AM is doing a nice job.

 

I have both the 997 and AM V8 Coupe. 997 is very responsive and faster but ride is somewhat harsh compared to AM V8. AM is definitely more classy, more exclusive, more comfortable but also a bit more expensive. AM is a tad slower but it is still fast enough for normal driving (it is not a slouch) unless you are racing on the tracks. Am feels a bit more solid. 997 has a lot of plastic parts in interior but AM has solid Aluminium dials etc and just looks more classy. Both cars handle well in corners and turns but AM will lose in straight line acceleration. Oh, 997 has quieter exhaust compared to AM. AM exhaust note is much better, especially if you put sports exhaust. I don't have sports exhaust on 997. AM seems fine for reliability although you sometimes you hear one or two horror stories. Of course, both cars are expensive to fix anything. I suggest getting AM cause it is so unique. 997 is so common these days cause Porsche built a lot more compared to AM. But they are both good cars. Let us know what you decide.

 

Porsche to AM than is what most people in this forums exp. My case is same as most both is good car, Porsche is easy to handle and fastest compare to AM, in return you get a better feeling in AM as is more exclusive and classy. Reliable is not a main issue, just the maintaine cost would be higher than Porsche.

 

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post. Thus far, I've received some pretty good feedback, which will make this an even more difficult choice? The automobile market is pretty soft right now, so I will probably begin my search for a 2007-08 V8V with low miles, preferably from an Aston dealership. I have a tendency to keep my cars a long time, and usually baby them. I have a 1966 Corvette Stingray convertible, which I've owned for 26 years, and did most of the restoration myself. Again, thanks for your feedback. Chris

 

get the 911

 

I had a deposit down on a 997 tt that I had ordered to spec. I had driven one, and while it's fast, I never really gelled with the car...too much turbo lag, too low of a redline, felt awkward to drive, etc. Then I drove a Vantage and it felt so much better. Obviously not as fast, but much more driveable to me. And a much more special experience.

Based on that, compared to the standard 997 or 997S, I'd definitely take the Vantage. The small amount that the 997 is faster than the Vantage is rarely explored on the street. This is a very quick car, and IMO it looks and sounds better than the 997 by a long shot. Handling and brakes are great. No reliability problems in mine. Porsches are everywhere and blend in with the scenery, whereas valets jump up and move the front car out of the way every time I pull into a nice restaurant...and this is in South Florida where nice cars are everywhere.

I'm not a street racer, but I did have one funny Porsche story. I had a guy in a 997.5 S pull up next to me and rev his engine before taking off like he was going to race...then he was slowed down in traffic and we ended up next to each other at the next light. His engine sounded like a vacuum cleaner. When we were at the light, I messed with him and gave it a rev so he could hear what a sports car should sound like. When the light changed I let a bit of a gap open up in front of me before opening it up for a short stretch. The exhaust on this car is so loud and sounds so menacing, he didn't want anything to do with me after that.

I would almost buy this car for the exhaust note alone, but it has so much more. There's no way I'd trade it for a Porsche. Obviously they're very nice cars, but it's just a personal preference. And my gf is very happy I got this one instead of the turbo, too...she says there's no comparison.

 

I can't tell eveyone how much I appreciate their feedback! I feel the only way to gauge a car, is by asking the people who own them. I live in St. Louis, and we have a local Aston dealer. I've went for a test drive this afternoon, and was very impressed. The car I drove was actually sold to someone while I was test driving it. They have two other V8V, but both are automatic's, and I'm interested in the manual transmission. The manager indicated they have an 07 and 08 that might be purchased from another dealership, so I'll take a look at those when they arrive. I'm 6'2", 210 LBS, and I fit very comfortably in the driver seat. I sat inside a DB9, and was a little cramped for leg room and head room. The service department said they've haven't had any problems with the V8V, but the DB9's have had some issues.

 

Whilst in most situations the Porsche is probably quicker, the attached video also provides a good insight. Take note of all of the times.
Whilst they claim a damp track at the end, there was still plenty of tire smoke.
Go the Vantage!!

http://www.dpccars.com/car-videos-08...ercar-test.htm

 

Yeah that video remains controversial. While I like the idea that the vantage could be that fast, it seems pretty unlikely that it would beat the DBS by 3 seconds, not to mention beating the GT2, GT-R, and Gallardo SL by a second. I've watched it pretty close to see if I could find what they did, but I can't see anything fishy...they even go to 4th gear in the vantage before shutting down. That tach needle is flying, though...I compared to a video I did in my '07 and there's no comparison. In fact, it's faster than the 0-100 in rmrmd's video of his supercharged vantage, so draw your own conclusions.

That said, it's a quicker car than most people give it credit for. The '09s are easily mid-12 second cars, while a properly broken-in 06-09 should be able to do low 13s.

 

I have owned 997 C2S's for the last 3 years and now drive an AMV8 and have no regrets so far.

The 997 is a better car, however the AMV8 is a much much more special car...

The AMV8 makes every journey feel not long enough!

 

I had both a 997TT and the Vantage at the same time. I sold the Porsche and kept the Vantage for many of the same reasons listed here.