First exotic: New owner V8 Vantage!
 

Hello guys,

Been following this forum closely for years but never posted.

I'm in my twenties and been working hard in my field so finally a month ago I was able to achieve one of my dream: buying an Aston Martin. Always been a big fan of this brand since those db7/vanquish days.

I was really looking at the Rapide v12 but after considering the fact that I already got a s550 I've decided to go for a 2008 Vantage.

The dealer did a great job importing the car from Arizona to Montreal. I can't wait for summer condition to kick in. I've been able to get one with a superb pedigree and all the options I desired:

- Meteorite Gray exterior (this color is really something, not original I know but god it's gorgeous)
- 6 speed manual transmission
- Painted red calipers
- 19' inch wheels
- Premium sound system
- Bluetooth
- Cruise Control
- Alcantra suede rooftop
- HID headlights

Welcome to the family, i think you made the right decision with the V8 Vantage especially since you already have an S class which is almost similar to a Rapide's driving experience. You can't go wrong with any Aston Martin model. Great looking car and have fun!

Basketball?
 

Lebron, In your line of work being 298#, run like a deer and dunk at the end of a sprint are even more important. Big biceps, triceps, deltoids, etc., sure help in the intimidation department, however.

Yes big biceps are gooder. Nice car. Welcome to the group.

Same situation as me, recently got myself an aston before hitting 30. Also the same color. I love it. I went with an 07.

Its a great car, but be ready to accept a lot of judgement from others.

• How many kms?
• Interior pics? (I have always been picky about the interior and was a big reason I went with my car)
• Are you putting licence plates in the front?
• Could you tell us a bit about the importing process/costs? I went with a local car with 11,000kms.

Very nice car my friend. It good to be young and drive one of these beautiful car :)

Also have the same color
 

I have an 09 also same color as yours with a tan interior. While the color seems somewhat routine for the Aston, it's also a safe choice for resale. The silvers show up nice in Astons as some of the Greens. There is enough contrast to show the shape (not too dark) and emphasize the shape. My last Aston was a slightly lighter shade of silver, also nice. I'd also take the Aston driving course - I took it and later on my wife and son had a training day. It's quite the experience and you'll learn how to drive in a way that makes it so much more special. It's available to any Aston owner, so contract your dealer for details.

Sorry to hijack, but what does this entail?

Congratulation on your acquisition too!

I just turned 29 so it does feel good to access the Exotic world that early.

I'm not really worry with judgement from others: ''have you ever met a hater doing better than you? me neither...'' I'll continue to carry myself humbly and spread love around me!

The car has 20 000 miles. It's quite a lot but this is a one owner car and has always been located in Arizona where the road are pretty good and the weather is hot and dry. Time will tell if I did make a smart choice but so far inspection is telling me this car is in mint condition.

In Quebec, licence plate in front are not required.

Importing was effortless through Paul Motor, they did all the work for me for a reasonable fee. They are the reference in Quebec for exotic imports. It's run by 2 brothers: true gentlemen!

With the change rate not being that good, I did not obtain a bargain, pretty much what would I have paid for a local Aston but at least I did get all the options I wanted.

The Aston Martin Driving course seems real nice, I will contact Montreal Aston dealer for availability.

Cheers guys!

Yep big biceps are morer betterer and importanter than education, or they must be if they get you an Aston in your 20s!

Congrats on your cars. Having an Astons in your 20s is a good omen for your futures :)

Very nice.

Sorry for the delayed response - was traveling. I did some checking. It seems the performance driving course is just held in the UK now. When Ford owned Aston, we went to the Ford Proving Grounds in Michigan... apparently that's not available.


That said, I'd still highly recommend it. For about $2,000 USD you get a full day of lessons, being treated as if you're royalty. If it's the same as when Ford owned Aston, it begins with a nice breakfast (really nice) in a private room with a real race driver talking about general driving dynamics in a level that someone with no experience can understand. Then (they provide the car), you start with some high speed runs with emergency stops and then a tight race course. I was surprised that I got the car airborne (I was a motocross guy, so jumps were somewhat natural) at one point, just like in Casino Royale! I must'a jumped the car 30 times - that alone was worth $2000. In general we spent the day on a wide variety of courses at all kinds of speeds beating the car to the max. The catered lunch was great and we came back to a washed and detailed car for the afternoon hard driving. In all, I'd guess there was at least 5 hours behind the wheel in street clothes - no helmet with speeds to 160+ and nice sounds (exhaust and music).


What seemed at first to be an intimidating experience was not at all. It made driving the car a completely different experience, so much so, that I sent my son and wife to take the course also.


What was also cool about the Ford track is you could see next generation cars running around.


Again, I'd recommend it to any Aston owner.


Another caution: You beat the crap out of the car for an entire day. I asked them, what happens to the car after it's been through the course. They said at about 8,000 (extremely hard) miles it goes on the used lot of a dealer. These were silver base cars with black interiors. They also said they are sold without any special notice that they were training use. So I'd be cautious when buying any 'Ford era' Astons with generic colors and over 8,000 miles to look at the history to make sure they were not training cars.

I could've had a 246 Dino when I was 19, but I would've had to live in it... ;)