Originally Posted by drcollie

The other day I'm parked next to a Ferrari 612, a beautiful car - just stunning. The owner is a very friendly guy and we start chatting it up. I ask to see the engine and he's glad to pop the hood and show me that V12 Redhead. Then he points to a label under the hood that says "Check Oil with the engine running at idle" and asks me why the car is like that? He's never owned a car where you have to check the oil with the engine running. I say, "That's because you have a dry sump lubrication system, an separate oil tank in the car. Most high end machinery built for the track has that over a wet sump system". He has never heard of this and didn't know there were different systems and asks me why they do that and what does the oil tank look like? So I explain to him that under high cornering loads a wet sump system lays in the bottom of the engine and under aggressive cornering can slosh to the side, and get oil starvation (BMW E36 M3's were famous for this) and you don't want that on the track or autocross, etc. and by having a separate oil tank you can ensure a constant and steady flow. Then I take him over to my Vantage and show him because his 612 oil tank is hard to see. He thought it was very cool how they did that and how nicely crafted the Aston Oil Tank is made.

He looks over my Vantage and comments on the slotted rotors and how racy they look. And I say, "Yes, but they're still cast iron - your ceramic rotors/brakes that are about 20 times better." He said "What's a carbon brake rotor and why do I want them?" So I explained that to him as well.

It dawned one me that a lot of people that buy these high end cars really don't know what they have. They buy the image, the panache, the style, the heritage, or because their buddies have them, I guess. And they find it most interesting when someone explains to them what they do have, and how it works. Not too long ago I was explaining to a 458 Italia owner that the body of their car was all carbon fiber - and they thought it was just steel like a Toyota. Crazy stuff.

Originally Posted by DonBond

My techs in Lake Forest really go out of their way to talk to me about my car, improvements, etc. But when we talk, we really talk about the details.....they seem to get kind of excited when a customer can communicate on their level....and I learn lots of tidbits from them as well.....

Originally Posted by irish07

Amazing place..used to go there for Aston Training, used to be the North American training facility..Now it's in Cali.

Nice sized showroom with some oldies and collectors on display..and garage floor you could eat off, place has a guy that rides around on a small Zamboni to clean up the spills in the garage..awesome-ness!!

Originally Posted by drcollie

The other day I'm parked next to a Ferrari 612, a beautiful car - just stunning. The owner is a very friendly guy and we start chatting it up. I ask to see the engine and he's glad to pop the hood and show me that V12 Redhead. Then he points to a label under the hood that says "Check Oil with the engine running at idle" and asks me why the car is like that? He's never owned a car where you have to check the oil with the engine running. I say, "That's because you have a dry sump lubrication system, an separate oil tank in the car. Most high end machinery built for the track has that over a wet sump system". He has never heard of this and didn't know there were different systems and asks me why they do that and what does the oil tank look like? So I explain to him that under high cornering loads a wet sump system lays in the bottom of the engine and under aggressive cornering can slosh to the side, and get oil starvation (BMW E36 M3's were famous for this) and you don't want that on the track or autocross, etc. and by having a separate oil tank you can ensure a constant and steady flow. Then I take him over to my Vantage and show him because his 612 oil tank is hard to see. He thought it was very cool how they did that and how nicely crafted the Aston Oil Tank is made.

He looks over my Vantage and comments on the slotted rotors and how racy they look. And I say, "Yes, but they're still cast iron - your ceramic rotors/brakes that are about 20 times better." He said "What's a carbon brake rotor and why do I want them?" So I explained that to him as well.

It dawned one me that a lot of people that buy these high end cars really don't know what they have. They buy the image, the panache, the style, the heritage, or because their buddies have them, I guess. And they find it most interesting when someone explains to them what they do have, and how it works. Not too long ago I was explaining to a 458 Italia owner that the body of their car was all carbon fiber - and they thought it was just steel like a Toyota. Crazy stuff.

Originally Posted by astongirl

This is why I love this forum... I'm learning so much about the car from your knowledge and experiences and hope I can pass on the knowledge as I keep learning more from many of you.

(This thread reminds me of when I was shopping for my 1st boat and I'll never forget walking into one of the marinas and the dockmaster's assistant making a comment to me that I'll never forget... 'buying a boat is not like buying a dress'.... I gave him a sarcastic grin and walked out.. He did not engage in any type of conversation with me beforehand so he had no idea what my level of knowledge on boats was....unbelievable....so as the phrase goes..never judge a book by its cover...)

Originally Posted by blue_skies

I can echo this sentiment. I was 24 (and don't really look much older than 20) when I was shopping for my previous V8VS. One dealership wouldn't give me the time of the day off the bat. Nevertheless, it earned Beverly Hills AM two sales within a year.

Assumptions are always dangerous.

Originally Posted by blue_skies

I can echo this sentiment. I was 24 (and don't really look much older than 20) when I was shopping for my previous V8VS. One dealership wouldn't give me the time of the day off the bat. Nevertheless, it earned Beverly Hills AM two sales within a year.

Assumptions are always dangerous.

Originally Posted by blue_skies

I can echo this sentiment. I was 24 (and don't really look much older than 20) when I was shopping for my previous V8VS. One dealership wouldn't give me the time of the day off the bat. Nevertheless, it earned Beverly Hills AM two sales within a year.

Assumptions are always dangerous.

Originally Posted by drcollie

Will you indulge a non-car related story? I own a small, boutique furniture store that specializes in what would be the Aston Martin of furniture. There was a young man that would come into the store in his early 20's, with shaggy blond hair and holes in his jeans before that was a fashion trend. His name was Alex, and he always had a smile on his face and would spend hours looking at the hand-made furniture in my store and come in at least once a month. He and I both knew it was way out of his price range and he would say "One day I'm going to make it big and come in and buy out the store", and I'd laugh and say "You know where we're at". I was always cordial with him, and answered all his questions. I never expected him to buy the first item.

Unbeknownst to me, Alex was developing a stock picker software on his own and apparently he got it working really well, because one day he came back in the store on his usual Saturday and his smile was wider than usual-his blue jeans were still tattered and he was still shaggy, and he DID buy out the whole store, literally, to go into his new multi-million dollar house. He furnished three homes with me and became my single largest customer in 30 years of business and never once asked for a discount off my prices.

Originally Posted by drcollie

Will you indulge a non-car related story? I own a small, boutique furniture store that specializes in what would be the Aston Martin of furniture. There was a young man that would come into the store in his early 20's, with shaggy blond hair and holes in his jeans before that was a fashion trend. His name was Alex, and he always had a smile on his face and would spend hours looking at the hand-made furniture in my store and come in at least once a month. He and I both knew it was way out of his price range and he would say "One day I'm going to make it big and come in and buy out the store", and I'd laugh and say "You know where we're at". I was always cordial with him, and answered all his questions. I never expected him to buy the first item.

Unbeknownst to me, Alex was developing a stock picker software on his own and apparently he got it working really well, because one day he came back in the store on his usual Saturday and his smile was wider than usual-his blue jeans were still tattered and he was still shaggy, and he DID buy out the whole store, literally, to go into his new multi-million dollar house. He furnished three homes with me and became my single largest customer in 30 years of business and never once asked for a discount off my prices.