V8 Vantage questions
 

I'm not new to 6speedonline, but I am new to the Aston Martin forum. Drove a 2006 V8 Vantage for a few days and loved it.

I do have a couple of questions:

Where do you take your car for service?

I live in Bergen County, New Jersey and the nearest dealer is Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, CT. Are there any good Indy mechanics in the Bergen County area?

I read that on the 2007 or later models the passenger airbag will disarm if a child is in the front seat. Can someone confirm this?

I would like to be able to pick my 6 year old up from school. It's only a mile away but I want to make sure she would be safe.

Must have options for me are a 6 speed manual and the 700Watt stereo, and probably the sport package.

I'm looking at pictures of used ones online, how can I tell if the car has the 700Watt stereo?

I test drove an 08 with the sport shift transmission and it was awful, worst transmission ever, IMO.

I'd prefer a 2009 for the 4.7L engine. Is the 4.7 worth the extra $$$?

How good is the sport package?

This will be a semi daily driver, or probably the daily driver (good weather only). Does the sport package make the handling a lot better? I love fast cars, but handling is even more important to me than 0-60 times.

How is the ride with the sport suspension? Is it too harsh for daily driving. My C4S has a stiff ride but is fine for a daily driver.

And most importantly....I play ice hockey three times a week, can I fit my hockey bag and stick in the passenger seat?

Based on your name I am going to assume you have track experience. So with that in mind:
--To me the sportpack was not a must. My elise serves as my track car and I only took/take the Vantage to the track for a lark to be frank. But you might choose differently
--When you turn on the audio system it displays the "premium audio" msg if it is equipped with the upgraded audio
--09 vs. earlier, personal choice. The power upgrade with the bigger engine makes a difference. But it boils down to $ and preference.
--Sportshift...umm, yeah!
--Service, I get mine done at a local speed shop that services all the pro-racers and track cars. Called Prather Motorsports. I'm in the same boat, only worse, the nearest dealer is 700 miles. My comfort has to do with Jag bits and Volvo electrics. I.e. I can get parts somewhat easily if needed.
--Hockey. I don't see why not. You could even remove the cargo area cover and put it in the boot. Mind you the sticks might become projectiles in an accident.

I'm in Bergen County too and I haven't found an independent that handles AMs. Mine's still under Warranty but it would be nice to find one. So yes, Miller is the choice. I believe the X-dealer in Edison is still an authorized service center, but I stopped going to them because they really didn't seem to care about AM customers.

I know my 2009 airbag automatically disarms, but I'm not sure what year that feature started.

As far as the Sports pack goes, I ended up not getting it. The base setup on the 09 coupe is pretty good and a little smoother for every-day driving (which is what I do, at least when it doesn't snow). However, its wasn't that the sports-pack was horrible for everyday driving, but I when I was buying I only had 3 cars to choose from and I liked the rest of non-sports pack car better.

The other thing to remember with these cars is that some stupid things are optional, so make sure anything you really want is on the car. This includes things like memory seats, cruise control, etc.

FYI, with the engine and clutch upgrade for 09, and especially after it got a software upgrade (from the factory), I find the Sport-Shift pretty good.

Can't tell you about hockey sticks, never tried. I'm sure it would fit in a convertible.hilarious

[QUOTE=RaceCarDriver;3223619]I'm not new to 6speedonline, but I am new to the Aston Martin forum. Drove a 2006 V8 Vantage for a few days and loved it.

I do have a couple of questions:

Where do you take your car for service? The dealer

I live in Bergen County, New Jersey and the nearest dealer is Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, CT. Are there any good Indy mechanics in the Bergen County area? No idea

I read that on the 2007 or later models the passenger airbag will disarm if a child is in the front seat. Can someone confirm this?

I would like to be able to pick my 6 year old up from school. It's only a mile away but I want to make sure she would be safe.

Must have options for me are a 6 speed manual and the 700Watt stereo, and probably the sport package. I agree on all three.....but never listen to the radio, only the engine

I'm looking at pictures of used ones online, how can I tell if the car has the 700Watt stereo? Ask the seller

I test drove an 08 with the sport shift transmission and it was awful, worst transmission ever, IMO.

I'd prefer a 2009 for the 4.7L engine. Is the 4.7 worth the extra $$$? Depends on you and your budget.

How good is the sport package? I love it....makes a huge difference. Mine is only a weekend car though.

This will be a semi daily driver, or probably the daily driver (good weather only). Does the sport package make the handling a lot better? I love fast cars, but handling is even more important to me than 0-60 times. Much better IMO

How is the ride with the sport suspension? Is it too harsh for daily driving. My C4S has a stiff ride but is fine for a daily driver. no

And most importantly....I play ice hockey three times a week, can I fit my hockey bag and stick in the passenger seat? Would be close, but i would say absolutly especially if you remove the rear parcel shelf./QUOTE]

Mine is a 20006. There's a button on the side of the front dash from the passenger side that is only accessible when you open the passenger side door (that is when you put a child there). Press that and it will disable the airbag on that side.

[QUOTE=111R;3223877]Based on your name I am going to assume you have track experience. So with that in mind:
--To me the sportpack was not a must. My elise serves as my track car and I only took/take the Vantage to the track for a lark to be frank. But you might choose differently]

Yes, i do have lots of track experience but the vantage would just be used as a street car. I would keep the 911 or m3 for the track/autocross.

Or maybe by an elise (one of my favorite cars)

Keep the answers coming, thank you

I too live in Jersey (exit 148 GSP) and I take my car to Miller in Greenwich (worth it). I have been able to fit two sets of golf clubs in the back. Don't know about the hockey stick though. I have an 07 with sport cats (Larini) and a sport exhaust (Miltek). I'm still going to chip the engine and change the air filters soon (RSC). The premium sound system is the best sounding stereo I have ever had in a car... better than the B&O in my Audi R8. I hear the sports pack can be rough but I too would look for a car with that option as I love the look of the wheels.

When did the sports suspension become an option? 2009? Can someone confirm?

Thx

G

The Sports Package can be retro fited to older cars too - 4.3 or 4.7.

Questions
 

If you want sports pack you need an 09 or newer. Thats the first year. You also get the 4.7. I sold my 08 for my 09 sports pack roadster and think it is a far better car than the earlier cars.