Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Discussion
Last Summer I ended up selling my TVR Chimaera. This seemed to be a sensible decision as I was looking to move house and was spending more and more time out of the country and not using the car as much as I wanted. The car sold quickly and I spent the rest of the year driving my MINI JCW - hoping it was the right compromise between being fun but also a bit sensible and practicable. As much as I enjoyed the MINI, I soon realised that getting rid of the TVR had been a big mistake, and that trying to be sensible isn't always the right thing to do!
So, over Winter, I spent plenty of hours on here drawing up a short list of cars to replace the TVR - mainly another TVR! Using some excellent man maths my budget soon began to creep. I started off looking for another Chimaera or maybe a Griffith, but then decided a Tuscan would be the perfect next car for me. As the budget started to creep I began to idly look at what else was out there...
This leads me on to what I ended up with.
The car is a 2006 model in California Sage Green with a green interior. I was after any colour that wasn't silver/grey/black, with my preference being green or yellow. When I saw this one advertised I had to go for a look. I wasn't sure about the idea of a green interior, but as soon as I saw it in the showroom I was blown away and pretty much decided on it there and then.
I've had the car for just over 3 months now and have mainly been using it for sunny days and trying to do some longer trips in it. The car had only done 15000 miles when I got it so I'm determined to actually put some more on it and not just leave it tucked away in the garage. I'm hoping to use it for lots of car events and road trips over the Summer.
I love everything about it so far (although maybe not the petrol consumption which I think is worse than the TVR was!). I find myself going out to the garage to just look at it and can't park it up without having a look back over the shoulder. The noise is fantastic - the TVR was louder but this I prefer the noise of this one overall. I think the performance of it is spot on (I haven't tried the 4.7 or V12...) and like the fact you have to rev it to get the best out of it - more chance to hear the engine and then the exhaust howling. I've got no plans to change anything on it - just to enjoy it as much as possible.
So, over Winter, I spent plenty of hours on here drawing up a short list of cars to replace the TVR - mainly another TVR! Using some excellent man maths my budget soon began to creep. I started off looking for another Chimaera or maybe a Griffith, but then decided a Tuscan would be the perfect next car for me. As the budget started to creep I began to idly look at what else was out there...
This leads me on to what I ended up with.
The car is a 2006 model in California Sage Green with a green interior. I was after any colour that wasn't silver/grey/black, with my preference being green or yellow. When I saw this one advertised I had to go for a look. I wasn't sure about the idea of a green interior, but as soon as I saw it in the showroom I was blown away and pretty much decided on it there and then.
I've had the car for just over 3 months now and have mainly been using it for sunny days and trying to do some longer trips in it. The car had only done 15000 miles when I got it so I'm determined to actually put some more on it and not just leave it tucked away in the garage. I'm hoping to use it for lots of car events and road trips over the Summer.
I love everything about it so far (although maybe not the petrol consumption which I think is worse than the TVR was!). I find myself going out to the garage to just look at it and can't park it up without having a look back over the shoulder. The noise is fantastic - the TVR was louder but this I prefer the noise of this one overall. I think the performance of it is spot on (I haven't tried the 4.7 or V12...) and like the fact you have to rev it to get the best out of it - more chance to hear the engine and then the exhaust howling. I've got no plans to change anything on it - just to enjoy it as much as possible.
Edited by ollyh1988 on Sunday 12th February 19:41
Hitch78 said:
You've got to put some pics of the interior up!
^^ This. Green interior sounds great!Lovely car and photos. Can imagine a lot of former TVR owners have moved to Jag XKs and Astons. Your profile says you're in Cornwall - lots of good driving roads down there!
Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Tuesday 17th May 10:16
Thanks for all the nice comments, especially about the colour. It's one of those colours that looks so different in different light - on a gloomy day the car can look quite grey, but in the sunshine the green really stands out.
I've just had the car detailed and a full body paintwork correction to get it looking as good as possible.
I'll try and update the thread as I own it, and of course post some more pictures (including the interior).
On the list for the upcoming PH Sunday service at the Aston factory this weekend and can't wait to take the car on a proper trip up there and see some more amazing cars.
I've just had the car detailed and a full body paintwork correction to get it looking as good as possible.
I'll try and update the thread as I own it, and of course post some more pictures (including the interior).
On the list for the upcoming PH Sunday service at the Aston factory this weekend and can't wait to take the car on a proper trip up there and see some more amazing cars.
jdwoodbury said:
very nice indeed OP, have you removed the fuse yet?
Yes, tried a couple of days with it in (just to hear the difference) then pulled it. Though there would be more difference to be honest but I think I've been spoilt by having a very loud TVR previously. I much prefer the noise the Aston makes but the TVR had a lot of volume, even at idle. I did have an idle look for an exhaust for the car but not sure if it will be worth it for me. Hopefully will be able to hear a few with some aftermarket exhausts this weekend.So, a weekend away in the car to travel up to the Piston Heads Sunday Service at the Aston Factory.
The boot swallowed a couple of weekend bags with ease (which we would have struggled to do in the F-Type roadster I tried last year) and with the tank full of super unleaded we headed North from Cornwall in torrential rain which didn't let up all trip. I ended up driving the whole way to the overnight stop just outside Gaydon as my girlfriend (who has only driven it for a couple of short trips) didn't feel comfortable trying it with all the surface water on the road. I'm 6'3 and that's mostly down to my legs but there is definitely enough room for me behind the wheel. After a few hours I had to stop to have a stretch as I still haven't found a really comfy seating position yet.
The car wasn't very clean after all that rain and sadly there wasn't a chance to jet wash the grime off before getting to the factory but the detailing I had done a couple of weeks previously seemed to help the worst of the muck run off the bodywork.
The event at the factory was brilliant and well worth travelling all that way for - some amazing cars turning up and a great chance to have a look round the building. I was still really happy to be able to get back in mine but based on noise alone if there is ever the chance to swap to a V12 I doubt I'd hesitate!
The boot swallowed a couple of weekend bags with ease (which we would have struggled to do in the F-Type roadster I tried last year) and with the tank full of super unleaded we headed North from Cornwall in torrential rain which didn't let up all trip. I ended up driving the whole way to the overnight stop just outside Gaydon as my girlfriend (who has only driven it for a couple of short trips) didn't feel comfortable trying it with all the surface water on the road. I'm 6'3 and that's mostly down to my legs but there is definitely enough room for me behind the wheel. After a few hours I had to stop to have a stretch as I still haven't found a really comfy seating position yet.
The car wasn't very clean after all that rain and sadly there wasn't a chance to jet wash the grime off before getting to the factory but the detailing I had done a couple of weeks previously seemed to help the worst of the muck run off the bodywork.
The event at the factory was brilliant and well worth travelling all that way for - some amazing cars turning up and a great chance to have a look round the building. I was still really happy to be able to get back in mine but based on noise alone if there is ever the chance to swap to a V12 I doubt I'd hesitate!
Thought I'd do a quick update having owned the car for over a year now.
It is still an amazing feeling to open the garage and see the car inside. For me simple things like washing it or just looking it really make the owner experience. I had that with my old TVR, but even more so with this.
I haven't taken the car on any huge road trips, but have done a few trips around the UK. In the year I've put on about 5k miles, which took the previous owner almost 4 years to do! The car is on 21k miles now and still feels as good as the day I bought it. I'm not sure if it is all Astons, but it still has this amazing smell to the interior!
I don't find it the most comfortable car to use over long distances, sometimes ending up with some lower back pain. I put this down to me being quite tall, so the cabin is a bit snug, rather than the seat itself.
It has just come back from a service, which I chose to have done at the Aston Martin dealer near me (still a 3 hour trip!). It didn't end up being as expensive as I thought it would be (I've certainly had more expensive services before) and it was worth the journey and the cost to have a look at the 2 Aston Martin Vulcans they had in there! Thankfully nothing was picked up on the Service as needing any work (besides a worn wiper blade!) which is always a big relief!
So to sum up a year of ownership, I still love it. It is a total dream come true to own, and I am still just as happy looking at it as I am driving it! This might sound sad, but I've even had the girlfriend driving it with me following in the other car, just so I can see and hear it on the road!! I think the only thing I don't like about it (besides the average of 14mpg but I was prepared for that) is that it is a coupe. I've had a few soft-tops before and think it really adds to the experience to drop the roof. However this time I went for the coupe as I much prefer the shape. I still think it is the best looking car out there.
I hope to hang on to the car for longer, but like most of us on here, there is always that next itch to scratch (maybe a convertible one).
It is still an amazing feeling to open the garage and see the car inside. For me simple things like washing it or just looking it really make the owner experience. I had that with my old TVR, but even more so with this.
I haven't taken the car on any huge road trips, but have done a few trips around the UK. In the year I've put on about 5k miles, which took the previous owner almost 4 years to do! The car is on 21k miles now and still feels as good as the day I bought it. I'm not sure if it is all Astons, but it still has this amazing smell to the interior!
I don't find it the most comfortable car to use over long distances, sometimes ending up with some lower back pain. I put this down to me being quite tall, so the cabin is a bit snug, rather than the seat itself.
It has just come back from a service, which I chose to have done at the Aston Martin dealer near me (still a 3 hour trip!). It didn't end up being as expensive as I thought it would be (I've certainly had more expensive services before) and it was worth the journey and the cost to have a look at the 2 Aston Martin Vulcans they had in there! Thankfully nothing was picked up on the Service as needing any work (besides a worn wiper blade!) which is always a big relief!
So to sum up a year of ownership, I still love it. It is a total dream come true to own, and I am still just as happy looking at it as I am driving it! This might sound sad, but I've even had the girlfriend driving it with me following in the other car, just so I can see and hear it on the road!! I think the only thing I don't like about it (besides the average of 14mpg but I was prepared for that) is that it is a coupe. I've had a few soft-tops before and think it really adds to the experience to drop the roof. However this time I went for the coupe as I much prefer the shape. I still think it is the best looking car out there.
I hope to hang on to the car for longer, but like most of us on here, there is always that next itch to scratch (maybe a convertible one).
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