Understand sarcasm much?

And age and status? You have not a clue.

I guess we took the bait.

I'm guessing you drive a 997. Thats a pretty fantastic car. I have just sold my Cayman R (it was a track car) and I can tell you as a road car you can take to a track, a Porsche has few equals. You say the Aston is owned by old men, well the same can be said for Porsche. Paradoxically the 911 is the perfect car for serious car guys and suit wearing ******s. That said there are few serious guys among the company that truthfully mostly makes SUV's now. The Porsche is the watch that can go 200 meters beneath the sea, worn by guys in meetings. That is true of the Aston, but I think they are a little more honest about that fact, and they don't make SUV's with big cup holders.

See how fun it is to be a ******.

I have also owned an R8 V10. Its a pretty great car. Very fast, very well built. Low on everyday excitement, because it is meant to be an everyday car. 911's are similar with the exception of the GT3 and RS cars.

I have never owned a Vette, though I was close to buying a Z06 for a track car. I bought the Cayman R instead.I respect the Vette, but I can't get with the cheese factor in the C7 styling. Those shiny wheels and black vents are just unforgivable. For others its perfect, and I'm glad they buy it. The world is better with Vetes in it, but my driveway is not.

I have owned two Astons. A V8 and a V12. I sold my R8 and kept my V12 because it is ACTUALLY the better road car. That is if you want the road to feel exciting at all times. Part of that excitement comes from the fact that it is not as capable. If you "drive" cars by reading about them, that statement will make no sense. But a great car to own and drive is about so much more than stupid head to head performance reviews. A car has to have a unique voice and experience. It has to be willing to do something different than what everything else is. Otherwise its just product.

The great cars are more than good product they are a way of going fast. Making a fast car is much easier than making an amazing car.

If you don't "Get" the Aston thing. Don't sweat it, almost no one does. Thats part of the charm. There is a Porsche on every street in my hood. Barely any Astons. I get it, and I really don't care if another car is faster. I have owned other cars and I do own other cars. But I know why my Aston is different. I also love my other cars, but for different reasons. Each car has its thing that makes it amazing, judging every car by the same criteria is just plain stupid.

As far as girly cars, who cares. Thats such a bunch of crap anyway. Why pay attention. I have a Lotus 211 that weighs 1500lbs and has a 4 banger putting out just under 300hp. It is faster than most of the BIG MANLY cars out there. I am very sure it will make your 997 feel tame.

Hell lets just say it, if you don't own a BAC Mono or a Radical RCX, you are probably a pussy. They seem to be the last hardcore cars for serious drivers left. Tongue mostly in cheek.

I see you live in Honolulu. Forgive as I have never been there, but can you even drive a true performance car to its potential there? Do you you have a world class track to go run your car on? Anyone can drive a car 3/10ths on the street. Hell, you can barely get proper heat in a tire on the street, and that's the rub of all this. Guys who drive any of these cars on the street are not really driving them to their full potential anyway. I loved a little Boxster S I had because its performance was perfectly suited to the speeds you could do on the street. You could shift it three times before you were way over the limit. Most modern cars are like cutting twigs with axes, too much tool to make anything really challenging.

If you can, forgive me.

Well, being 58 and sensitive about my age, that was a hurtful post you made gotgolf52. Thankfully, someday you too will be my age and understand.

Having owned lots of sports cars through the years, black penguin expressed my feelings precisely; thanks for that post. As a child, I alway aspired to own an Aston and now that I have the means, I own a vantage S which I really like. It's the "best of the bunch" of sports cars that I've owned which included an RX7, a C5, a 911, a Boxster S and an Audi R8. Yes, the new Vette is a better performing car than my Vantage S... Looks good too, but when it came time for me to replace my 07 Vantage I didn't consider any other make. Astons do that to you, since the it's the intangibles that make this car better than the cars that compete in the same market segment. Finally, although I'm an old man, I still kick the butts of many, much younger triathletes. I'm even looking forward to next year when I'll be competing in a new age group.

Thank you gentlemen for your advice. Here in Honolulu, we don't have any track for high performance cars, it just my passion for luxury sport cars. I love the sound of the exhaust or the rumbling noise of the engine or the art of auto design. I have a 2009 BMW M3 strip down to bare metal just for track whenever I have a chance to visit my second home in Vegas. I think the Vett offer tremendous value for track performance car and kudo to GM for finally get it right on the new C7. May be I will replace my M3 with C7 Z51 package next year (just make sure all the bugs straighten out)
As for AM, my wife is fixating on Audi R8, I am trying to convince her to look at AM before she make her final decision. My question is "are there any changes as far as appearance or performance between 2010 and 2014 model year. Please help, thanks in advance

If your wife is fixating on the R8, then that's the car to get her. (Happy wife=happy life) R8's are remarkably special cars and also have the "sense of occasion" that exotics bring. They are also cheaper to maintain and insure. They are wider than the Vantage but will not scrape the ground on curb approach like an Aston might. Reliability wise, I think they are the same although they didn't source some of their parts from China(!). While Aston continually improves the cars from year to year, I do not believe the changes are that dramatic 2010 vs. 2014.... Purchase Grants bible on Astons for a detailed analysis.

I drove an R8V10 as my daily driver and my V12 Vantage for summer, weekends and sunny days. The R8 is better as a daily driver. The approach angle are better. The paint is more durable, though not as nice. The tech works perfectly. You feel like you are driving a normal Audi unless you are putting the boot down.

But...

The R8 is a curious mix. It has all the practicality of a good everyday driver, but the packaging of an exotic. The frunk is small and it gets hot in there. Your ice cream will melt before you get home from the grocery store. The doors are really long and its hard to get out when you are close to another car. There is a little bit of storage behind the seats, but its not really that secure.

The interior on most Audis is fantastic, but the R8 feels a little wanting now (the latest is an improvement). The plastic would feel great in an Audi TT, but less so in a car costing this much. The grills on the front and the sides look like the came off a Mazda. The new Huracan seems to have fixed that, so there is hope Audi will too.

As far as maintenance goes, I have had minor problems with my Audis, minor with my Astons, none with my Range Rovers, Mercs or Porsches. Pick your poison.

AXARUNNER "happy wife = happy life" great statement but I probably still have much to learn about wife=life=happy, since we just newly wed :) anyhow, I do try to make her happy.
Black penguin - your advice is greatly appreciated, may be I should have her read all the comments you wrote. Before I write my check to Audi dealer, I would like her at least seat inside an AM and test drive it. If she still insist to get the R8. I guess AXARUNNER has a point there. Thanks gentlemen

I have to say the post by Black Penguin on this page is one of the best I have seen on 6speed, and no I am not wanting to date him.:p

Very well done in telling the gotgolf52 person why HE loves Aston. I also suspect that english may not be the native tongue of Gotgolf52.

Pretty funny response actually. And this is probably coming from someone that any decent racer could beat in a Miata on toyo RA1s. I don't mean this in a bad way, but its the truth. Almost any supercar, without even the right tires, can fall victim to to defeat on the road by a good driver on the right tires. (and im not talking racing slicks here). . so my point is, you don't buy a car for its book performance. you buy it for feel. go ahead and drive a Vet and then get in a aston Martin and tell me what you prefer? If its all about HP/weight, then get a motorcycle, or if you need 2/4doors, get a Subaru and put a28psi boost on it.


The point is, cars ARE about style feel, smell and looks. The AMV8 is a work of art. well made, good power, and great handling for the type of car it is. There is a reason these cars cost twice as much and there is a reason that many will buy it. Its because its worth it. :)


you want a race car...... you can build one out of most any capable car, 10 years older for much less money that will be quite a bit faster than the new Vet. Not that its not a great car, it is..... but beauty is in the eye of the beholder...... Plus, do you want a car that every tom dick and harry has, or something a little unique?

Well said sir, the whole post not just this snippet.

Please forgive me for my gramma, English is my second language. We only live here for few years for business. But I do love America, there is no other country offer so much freedom and business opportunity like America. Back to AM, there is no authorize AM dealership in Honolulu, i am not even sure if there are any certify AM technician on the island. Is this car require only skill AM tech for service? Can Jaguar of Hawaii service this car?

I love my Aston, but if I lived on your island, I would likely by the R8, They likely have a proper R8 technician on staff. At this price point the dealer experience is a big part of the ownership experience. Being able to get your car serviced by the dealer is great for resale.

The R8 is also made in very small batches. I think its down to 1200 cars a year. Thats very similar to a Vantage. It took ten weeks for me to get a wiring harness for my car. (under warranty) A friend of mine had his written off after an accident, and the months of rental cars needed until the parts would be available, actually factored into the car being cheaper to replace.

Porsche's are made in much higher volumes and might be easier to own as a result.

If you are a hardcore fan, then take the import hard road. To me you sound just a little more pragmatic than that,

Black penguin - as always your advice are on key. I am somewhat practical but I don't mind spend a little more to own an exclusive car like AM. Wife probably will get her at R8. I am moving my office to the Midwest next year, hopefully I will get my first Vantage then. Once again, I really appreciate your comments.

I think you're find that this is generally the case here, but your post pretty antagonistic don't you think?

That describes pretty much every car forum I've participated in. There shouldn't be room for people fighting and being derogatory but there will always be a spectrum of opinions and you have to be able to take the good with the bad :)

Anyway, let's keep this on track - you're potentially in the market for an AM, let's keep this thread on topic and start talking about your decision. Do you have your eyes on any cars in particular - any thing on a Dealer's website?

Stuart- as of now, I probably keeping my 911 for weekend fun and M6 as our DD, wife want to go shopping this weekend for her car (probably at Audi dealer or MB). I have been reading a lot of reviews on AM model year 2010 and up. Visually I can't tell the different on the exterior, prices are ranging from high $80k and up. I am probably more comfortable with anything less than six figure as her joy ride. The only problem now is on the island we don't have any dealer service for AM. But the more I read about it, I want it more.