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Years ago I flew all over the country to meet clients at the local airport to discuss engineering systems or to design their developments. When you meet a potential client in your own plane they assume you must know what you are doing and are very successful at what you do, or the products you are selling. The psychology of meeting that way influenced a ton of business and the expense of owning a plane was absorbed in the extra business it created. This was in the days before laptops, and the equipment alone took up space and weighed well over 100 pounds. I discovered this influence beginning with a Cherokee 6 that I bought from a funeral home for $20,000 in 1985. As business grew, so did the planes - but be it a $20K Cherokee or a $500K Malibu - the influence was the same. I no longer fly because I'm too old to fly safely, so I began replacing flying with Aston Vantages (having a few Lagonda's since the late 1980's). When I pull up in my Aston for a meeting or to present at a city, its a similar psychology to flying to a meeting. My silver Aston does not get so much attention on the street, but when you pull up in the Aston for a meeting it does influence in a positive way the initial impression potential clients have about me. I'm not sure a Ferrari or Lambo would have the same impression, other than perhaps the new Roma. My Vantage sits next to my desk in my office when it's not on the road - new clients that come in are always impressed. It's just a small but nice touch and often leads to interesting conversations.
Very true. One of the reasons I fly private jet for many business meetings. Besides showing up 5 minutes before lift off, or even 20 minutes late as they will wait for you, it makes an impression when they pick you up at the jet port. Also allows you to leave when you want. I flew out of Santa Monica early the day the riots started. Saw the storm cloud brewing and called Aero wanting to leave ASAP. Good thing, 2 business partners got stuck there for 4 extra days. Show up to a meeting in a Ferrari and you look like you are trying to hard. The AM is subtle but the message is received.
The best is pulling into the bank, with the lobby closed and only drive through open with 10 cars in line due to COVID19. Then watching people in line as you get out of your AM and they open the lobby door for you. Understated but message received. The bank manager is a huge Aston and James Bond fan, so I get treated better than I deserve.
Oh and @Prefurbia , you were one of the reasons I took the plunge to get the Renegade Hybrids kit to go SBC in my 928 track car back in 2008. Your cars got a lot of flack from the purists, but I was impressed. Still have my 928 though I only drift it now, was racing SCCA ITE for a long time. The drift kids love it. 427 SBC with 675HP NA. Loud, mean and nasty. Plus super light. And the e-brake on the wrong side for drifting. Good thing a quick clutch kick does the job to get sideways.
I really miss the 928's we had. I had a chance to buy the orange 928 back for just $22K (I had $105K invested), but with the Vantage I'd probably never drive it and doing car shows with my son's 928 (we sold both at the recession) was no longer an option. There was another older person that wanted the car also. I asked if he'd take care of it and show it and he said he would so I let it go to a better home. I almost bought the Chevy Powered 928 in Florida being listed on E-Bay right now, but held back because same reason, with the Vantage I'd probably never really drive it. So I do miss having the Chevy powered 928 - just not enough.
928 values have been going up the last 2 years. Still not a good investment. My track car is just that. Frankenporsche, home built. Beer budget. But a blast to drive.
The Vantage in the Alloro Green and yellow livery gets as much attention as the Firesand Orange F-Type SVR.
I love Alloro Green, but livery on any car is a no-no. In my mind, a subtle darker green shouldn't attract that much attention, since I remember Corollas and Accords from the 90s in a similar color (though it seems to be rarer now), but maybe it stands out on the sleeker AM body.
I think my red dinged up MR2 attracted more attention when waxed than my matte gray plastidip FR-S (which got a ton of attention). I definitely am not getting a red car again (unless the red is very dark), maybe with the exception of an NSX if I ever have spare money and parking space for a collector's car, since both the 1st and 2nd gen look amazing in red.
Last edited by convexproblem; 07-01-2020 at 12:59 PM.
I like the understated look of my Aston, some are not sure if it’s an Audi or a Passat, I really could not care less, I will say that at the gas station my muscle car at a fraction of the cost gets more attention, normally from a lessor educated type of person.
it seems Aston although desirable is simply not in your face and I enjoy that, in the GT 550 every dick and his dog is giving hand signs and suggest revving to appreciate the sound from the V8.
In contrast when I arrive anywhere with a Helo and do a tight approach and quick stop adding a touch of retreating blade stall (for attention) It can be said with authority that every person want s to offer head 😉
I hope when my C8 gets here it’s not going to attract attention but I doubt that ...it’s the first time the Americans have built a sexy car and it’s RHD
The car does get attention - but positive. I have a 2007 DB9 Volante in Tungsten Silver. Immediately after I bought the car, I went on vacation up to Maine. It still had the temporary tags on the car. While stuck in traffic on I-84 with the top down, a guy driving a MB S560 rolls down his window and yells "Congratulations". Later while in Maine, I was parked at the park near the docks, an middle-aged couple (especially the woman) really admired the car. Later that week, I put the DB9 in a car show along with 2 other AM (DB7 BRG and a black Vantage) and parked near a beautiful Maserati GranTurismo convertible. It was my DB9 that got all the attention from attendees at the car show.
Many times I have driven down the interstate and get a thumbs up from people - one from someone driving a beater F-250 pick-up. Someone in a pretty Cadillac-V (the one with the big V-8) coupe gave me a big thumbs up. I have had SRT Challengers and Hellcats give me a thumbs up or friendly waves. The cars are just understated and beautiful. They aren't the fastest, or the best handling, but they certainly some of the prettiest.
In the VinWiki CarTrek episode - the Aston was considered to be "old money" while the Ferrari 355 owner was thought to be a Hedge Fund manager and the Lamborghini owner was thought to be a rapper or strip club owner by people on the street. All in all, most people respond positively.
as an adult male... does anyone else feel as if they are standing in front of their bedroom mirror twisting around to see how they look in their jeans from the rear when discussing in a public forum how much attention their car gets? seems a bit shallow and vain to me.
I've had 6 Vantages - 3 V8's and 3 V12S - At car shows they get attention, most often on the street I don;t get even a glance, on occasion I get a thumbs up. Maybe 1 out of 10 times at the gas station someone asks about the car.
That's pretty much my experience here in the Midwest.
My dad was joking with me about the Aston being my "mid-life crisis car", and I told him that if anyone were hoping to attract a sweet young thing, this is NOT the car to have. The only people I seem to attract with it are the occasional car guy. 90% of people have no idea what they're even looking at, much less that it's special.
Originally Posted by Kalepsis
A lot of it depends on color. Mine gets quite a bit of attention because it's yellow. But a silver or black car flies more under the radar.
Agreed. My car is Onyx Black and I have a feeling it would get much more attention if it were painted "Look at me red" like every other Ferrari out there. The muted colors Aston normally uses means their cars are much easier to blend into the crowd.
Frankly, I like that it flies under the radar. It's like the difference between being "rich" and being "wealthy". If you're rich you have a lot of money and want people to know it. If you're wealthy, you have a lot of money and you know it, and that's good enough.
as an adult male... does anyone else feel as if they are standing in front of their bedroom mirror twisting around to see how they look in their jeans from the rear when discussing in a public forum how much attention their car gets? seems a bit shallow and vain to me.
your my kinda guy we just could not care less......I’m nearly an adult and as I grow towards being an adult....I’m more concerned with what I think about people than what they think of me....
the closer I get to being an adult the more I enjoy my dog,,,,, I know I’m not adult yet cos often I will circle the block to look up the skirt of some unsuspecting women who inadvertently was seated advantageously for boys my age ... this action tells me I’m a red blooded man& I couldn’t care what others think
I'd say it depends on the color heavily like other have noted. In addition the appearance ie is it dirty or cleaned up.
When looking for a Aston this year and last I noticed the repair bills were significantly higher on average and maintenance than Ferrari so partially it may be Astons higher prices. For Aston I'd suggest Miller over the disgusting Long Island Dealership, they tried to defraud me stating at their asking price which showed the car was Timeless certified didn't in fact have the certification completed and they wanted additional money to certify it. Yet they falsely listed it as CPO under timeless on Aston Martin's website. AM corporate was aware of this funny business and so I asked every dealership for copies of the Timeless paperwork as a PDF. Some were honest and said it was being done then sent it others sent a generic one not the actual inspection. When I dealt with Miller for other cars depends on the brand for free pickup and delivery. If you buy the car from them it's free but if not depends if the brand reimburses them in my experience Ferrari and Bentley $0 pickup, Maserati was about $250 from NY to CT.
Very true. One of the reasons I fly private jet for many business meetings. Besides showing up 5 minutes before lift off, or even 20 minutes late as they will wait for you, it makes an impression when they pick you up at the jet port. Also allows you to leave when you want. I flew out of Santa Monica early the day the riots started. Saw the storm cloud brewing and called Aero wanting to leave ASAP. Good thing, 2 business partners got stuck there for 4 extra days. Show up to a meeting in a Ferrari and you look like you are trying to hard. The AM is subtle but the message is received.
The best is pulling into the bank, with the lobby closed and only drive through open with 10 cars in line due to COVID19. Then watching people in line as you get out of your AM and they open the lobby door for you. Understated but message received. The bank manager is a huge Aston and James Bond fan, so I get treated better than I deserve.
Oh and @Prefurbia , you were one of the reasons I took the plunge to get the Renegade Hybrids kit to go SBC in my 928 track car back in 2008. Your cars got a lot of flack from the purists, but I was impressed. Still have my 928 though I only drift it now, was racing SCCA ITE for a long time. The drift kids love it. 427 SBC with 675HP NA. Loud, mean and nasty. Plus super light. And the e-brake on the wrong side for drifting. Good thing a quick clutch kick does the job to get sideways.
For me, driving up in an Aston can go both ways... I'm in construction and when I'm working with a client on consulting services, showing some money works... I won a large project and as thanks, sent a chartered plan to the client and picked him up in nice Merc AMG I borrowed from a friend...However, when I working real construction, they expect you to be driving a pick up truck, as a "working man..." so I have both... I am amazed at how folks want to find the most expensive lawyer they can afford to get out of trouble, but want to find the cheapest contractor to build their $10M office building...oh well, Its blessed to have a choice of nice vehicles to drive...
My 2014 V8V got a lot of attention...sold it. Now my V12 Skyfall Silver DB11 is off the charts. Nonstop attention. Glad to take the time and talk about it at the pump but on the interstate, just pass me already.
Getting sent to VIP parking at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Race Day
I only drive my '06 DB9 Volante about 4k miles a year, but each time it feels like a special occasion to me. The odd thing is, I'm pretty sure it makes other people happy, too. I live just south of Indianapolis, and there's a lot of car love here, as well as a good amount of automotive knowledge. Just about every time I take it out I see people pointing, staring, and smiling. The cool thing is that that I've never been aware of anyone disparaging the car or its driver; it just makes people...happy!
Can confirm it does get a fair bit of attention, but at the same time you fly under the radar. Would be happy to go for a cruise with NYC people when the pandemic settles down.
07-01-2020, 11:03 AM
