Daily Drive Supercar - again! Stradale/911 Turbo/Virage/i8

Daily Drive Supercar - again! Stradale/911 Turbo/Virage/i8

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simong800

Original Poster:

2,321 posts

107 months

Tuesday 19th January 2016
quotequote all
Hi all,

Last time I posted here I was in the market for a change from a 2009 plate Maserati Granturismo MC Shift and found the advice from the forum very helpful. I ended up buying a 911 (991) Turbo which I enjoyed immensely, I kept this for a few months and then stupidly decided I wanted something more "practical" in terms of room etc (missus has an SLK which I refuse to enter so 2 small cars wasn't working). As such I picked up a new Panamera (part ex'ed the Turbo and got decent money back for it) a couple of months back with the idea of it being an all rounder that can do everything ok - daily drive, performance (ish), room, practicality etc.

Anyhow, as was probably easily predictable at the time (should have come to the forums for someone to talk me out of getting out of a Turbo and into a V6 diesel!) I am bored stiff with it. Superb car, great for a motorway cruiser, but after a couple of Maserati's, a 911 Turbo, an M3 a few years back etc it really isn't doing it for me. So the solution to the practicality aspect has been found, we are in the process of placing an order for a Cayenne for the other half which should be here by April. This frees me up to get into something more fun again, with the idea of being into something before summer :-D (as an aside about to put the Pan on SOR, if anyone is interested in doing a deal on it)

I live not far from a main road and don't have a garage, so I need something which;

(a) can be driven daily, and kept outside
(b) isn't going to attract "too" much attention i.e. people on the driveway taking photos etc! (so McLaren, Ferrari, Lambo etc are sadly out)
(c) ideally something with rear seats (no kids, but I am tall and like the room)
(d) budget circa £70k - £80k, and ideally something 2-3 years old which has had a big chunk of depreciation taken out of it

I have whittled down the options to the following;

Aston Martin Virage - great looking, amazing noise, and I don't think the depreciation will kill me either. Anyone owned one and have any experience of the Daily Drive aspect to one of these? Also, I am almost 30 - do I need a flat cap and slippers to drive one, or can I get away with it? smile

Maserati Granturismo Stradale - had 2 Granturismo MC Shifts, by the time of getting rid of the last one I found the performance a bit of an issue in terms of it feeling slow. However having had a 911 turbo since I realise that a lot of useable fun is available in a Mas, and a lot of performance in a turbo isn't usable on the roads. The Stradale seems to be a step up in performance, plus won't cost the earth either in purchase cost and possibly depreciation looking at older used prices. Anyone made the move from an MC Shift to a Stradale, is the boost in power noticeable? Also does the non stradale 2012 model onward facelift feel much difference with the extra HP?

911 Turbo (again) - not the first and won't be the last to sell up and then regret it and buy the same model back haha! Not ruling out getting back in one of these. Might have to wait until they drop a little more (couple at independents at £92k/£93k). Running costs are fine, big chunk of depreciation done, super quick, eminently usable. Only downside is the lack of exhaust note, which literally is the only downside but one that is a concern to me......

BMW I8 - is it mental to consider this as an option?? Seems to have comparable performance to the AM and Mas, lower running costs, as much exclusivity.....any downsides from those who have driven them?

I need to drive the I8, Aston and Stradale but would welcome any thoughts from those who have owned any/either/all of the above. Would love to know of anything to look out for in terms of unexpected costs on the Aston in particular too as it is a brand that is new to me. I did test drive a DB9 in 2012 and it put me off - the salesman took me out in a blue 2005 plate with teak interior hurl which ruined my perception of what is a beautiful car and I am sure a fantastic brand, so I am just back in on these and considering exploring them for the first time since.

Also other than the obvious (R8), anything I am missing out from my consideration? Thinking this will be something I would like to keep 12 months or so....

Thank you in advance wise forum thumbup

Tresco

517 posts

157 months

Tuesday 19th January 2016
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I'll be interested to see the replies you get as I'm looking to buy something similar albeit my budget is £10k lighter than yours.

Have you considered an SL63 AMG? I'm struggling a little with the looks but mid £60's gets you into a 13 plate car which gets great reviews and that noise...

SELON

1,172 posts

129 months

Tuesday 19th January 2016
quotequote all
I drove a Virage for 3 years. Never a problem, regularly drove it on long journeys, 4-5 hour stints and you get out and want to go for another drive in it. Stick in D and normal suspension for lazy traffic driving. Go paddles and sports suspension when you want to have a bit more fun - it shifts very nicely. Boot is a decent size also. There is a recent YouTube video by SOL being very positive about it.

It's a NA 6 litre V12 and is beautiful and will still be beautiful in 30 years time, let alone another 3 years.

MrOrange

2,035 posts

253 months

Tuesday 19th January 2016
quotequote all
I think you need to sort a drive of the i8. It will make the others cars seem a bit last century.

However, judging by my time in an i8 you may find you get more attention than if you were in an Italian. Budget might be an issue to unless you've a company to stuff it through.

phib

4,464 posts

259 months

Wednesday 20th January 2016
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Can only comment on the virage, turbo and Maserati.

I have a 550 I use very little and have been thinking of changing it for something I can use more frequently:

I had 9 X 911's in a row and getting back into one after a 5 year break just left me cold, there was no excitement.

Then drove the Virage, Vanquish and DDS on an Aston day I was invited to, the Virage was the least exciting of the 3 ( just a DB9 with different wheels) would have gone vanquish (but didn't like the depreciation curve!) or the DBS which I liked but Aston's just felt a bit too sensible (I am a bit older but just felt it was too old for me)

Maserati, just love them !! Only car out of the list with a sense of occasion, I had a 4.2 at launch followed by an MC shift and loved both of them. Drove the stradale a few years ago both on the road and on a test track (Chobham)

Only car I would have again is the Maserati, I have really tried to like Aston's but they just don't have quite the same appeal. The thought of owning an Aston really appeals but in reality I just don't quite feel like its enough.

I8 not my cup of tea, had too many BMW's and don't want another one.

So after long ramble my choice would be the Maserati only reason I haven't done it is my 550 keeps going up !!

Phib

easytiger123

2,594 posts

209 months

Wednesday 20th January 2016
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Would say the choice missing from your list is a Conti GT?

DanoS4

868 posts

194 months

Wednesday 20th January 2016
quotequote all
Nobody's mentioned a Merc.....

S500AMG
C63AMG

Not quite a "supercar", but a "super" car nevertheless. 4 seats as well as a daily & GT.....

HamidQ

139 posts

115 months

Wednesday 20th January 2016
quotequote all
With regards to the 991 Turbo exhaust note, checkout the Sharkwerks system. They posted a quick clip on their Twitter account and it sounded pretty good. Worth exploring if you really like the Turbo.

HamidQ

139 posts

115 months

Wednesday 20th January 2016
quotequote all
With regards to the 991 Turbo exhaust note, checkout the Sharkwerks system. They posted a quick clip on their Twitter account and it sounded pretty good. Worth exploring if you really like the Turbo.

simong800

Original Poster:

2,321 posts

107 months

Thursday 21st January 2016
quotequote all
SELON said:
I drove a Virage for 3 years. Never a problem, regularly drove it on long journeys, 4-5 hour stints and you get out and want to go for another drive in it. Stick in D and normal suspension for lazy traffic driving. Go paddles and sports suspension when you want to have a bit more fun - it shifts very nicely. Boot is a decent size also. There is a recent YouTube video by SOL being very positive about it.

It's a NA 6 litre V12 and is beautiful and will still be beautiful in 30 years time, let alone another 3 years.
Thanks for this, going to take a look at one on the weekend all being well, along with a DBS smile

simong800

Original Poster:

2,321 posts

107 months

Thursday 21st January 2016
quotequote all
Thanks for the comments chaps

I have kind of ruled out Mercs on the basis I just don't really like them. Appreciate it is subjective, and I would have an SLS in a heartbeat if they were the right price, they keep going up though! Beyond the SLS I just don't find the interior or exterior styling of Mercs does much for me, and I also think it lacks badge compared to some of the other options.

Kind of thinking none of the options are without compromise, and it is a case of deciding which is the least compromise;

911 Turbo - noise, which granted can be semi fixed with an aftermarket exhaust if I go down that route. Also lacks a sense of occasion. But it is modern in it's tech (decent sat nav, sound system etc) so a good daily drive

Maserati - performance, perhaps reliability too. Flip side is huge sense of occasion, great noise and loads of room. Plus it is by far the cheapest option which helps!

Virage/DBS - is there an argument it does everything the Maserati does but better? Going to have to take a closer look at these. Suppose the only compromise is the age/spec for the budget perhaps.

I8 - seems a bit too sensible in the company of the others!


simong800

Original Poster:

2,321 posts

107 months

Thursday 21st January 2016
quotequote all
easytiger123 said:
Would say the choice missing from your list is a Conti GT?
Love these! Just think it is perhaps a bit ostentatious to be sat on the drive outside a 3 bed semi haha.

The others are cars you have because you like cars, but the Conti screams wealth - I always think you need a detached manor house in the country to have one of these!?

simong800

Original Poster:

2,321 posts

107 months

Thursday 21st January 2016
quotequote all
SELON said:
I drove a Virage for 3 years. Never a problem, regularly drove it on long journeys, 4-5 hour stints and you get out and want to go for another drive in it. Stick in D and normal suspension for lazy traffic driving. Go paddles and sports suspension when you want to have a bit more fun - it shifts very nicely. Boot is a decent size also. There is a recent YouTube video by SOL being very positive about it.

It's a NA 6 litre V12 and is beautiful and will still be beautiful in 30 years time, let alone another 3 years.
Hi Selon,

How did you find the "tech" in a Virage?

Specifically wondering on the Sat Nav, bluetooth (i.e. can you stream music via it?), sound system etc?

I have got used to the modern Porsche interior, touchscreen, bluetooth audio etc. Will I need to massively downgrade my expectations in this respect? Thinking about it in hindsight the Masser (I had an 09 and a 10 plate) were a bit date in this respect, not sure if I would be letting myself in for the same?

Many thanks

SELON

1,172 posts

129 months

Thursday 21st January 2016
quotequote all
Tech...

Satnav isn't touch screen but it works as well as my Tom Tom did. It got me round Europe last summer very well (to Prague and back via France, Germany mainly). No complaints there. I know the earlier Astons Satnav come in for a lot of complaints. Has the traffic on it as well and calculates routes based in traffic situation also.

No voice control.

Has USB inputs and if you want Bluetooth for connection to iPhones/iPods then you can get the dealer to upgrade (maybe a bargaining chip to get it installed before you buy) or as in many cases with other owners of later Astons, we just bought a Bluetooth connector for £50 (I can dig out the Amazon code if you want). That worked well for me to stream my music over it wirelessly.

No DAB. 6 CD changer also.

Phone paired with the car ok, never a problem there either.

The only displays for media/car controls are on the dash and the music system. So there's no nice touch screen to control everything or display for than a few lines of text. So plenty of buttons - which seems to have been a design feature! Personally didn't bother me - buttons don't need a software upgrade or get slower as it gets older.

If you want the ultimate in tech/iPad type displays then it's not for you. But everything worked, from memory.

The only other thing is, for the size of the car it's not the rookie at inside for driver and passenger. I liked it as it felt cosseting, but some might want more airy cabins. See how you get on.

Do make sure you get to put it in sport and play with the paddles and drive it properly in paddles when you test drive it. D is just fine for pootling around and keeping your license. Hopefully you will find sport and paddles are interesting enough for when you get an open road.

Other thing I liked about it was the steering directness and feel. I came from a 911 C4S and felt it was comparable. Obviously different weights to deal with when shunting around smaller roads at speed.

It's all down to personal preferences. I loved my time with it. The response you get from folk all around UK and Europe is great as well.

I only changed it really because the rear seats were too small to get enough of my kids in. They'd grown up so much, so I did the only thing you can do in that situation and... buy a 2 seater!!! smile

Enjoy the drive and you've got a great choice of options on your list!


Ray_MV

60 posts

177 months

Thursday 21st January 2016
quotequote all
I had a similar choice and needed four seats (although also not for children) and went for the facelift Maserati GT MC Sport. If budget had stretched that far I would have gone for the Stradale in a heartbeat and if it's exhaust note your after the Stradale in Race mode is insane! The AM is an interesting choice, but I love the looks of the big Maser and it's such an event at any speed. The Strads are good value now and the carbon brakes round them off nicely and inspire more confidence in what is quite a heavy car.

chiefski26

815 posts

201 months

Friday 22nd January 2016
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There is a c63 black series advertised at £77k from a main dealer online, epic car.

RichardM5

1,736 posts

136 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
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You mention 'practicality'. The boot in the i8 is about big enough for a laptop bag, even for 1 person for a night away it's hardly adequate, you can put stuff on the back seat, but it's not exactly practical.

simong800

Original Poster:

2,321 posts

107 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
quotequote all
Thank you for the detailed response, really helpful!

Swaying toward a Virage or a DBS, have test drives for both booked in on 6th Feb which I am really looking forwards to. Actually went and sat in both test, both amazingly beautiful cars. The Vanquish in the showroom though - wow, thats something else too! Bit pricey for me though unfortunately.

I see what you mean about them not being as roomy as they could be in the cabin, I didnt play around with the settings for too long but struggled to get comfortable so will be looking at that when I drive it. The Masser, my current Panamera and in fairness the 911 all had loads of room and felt a lot roomier than the AM's.......lets see how we get on driving it!

l
SELON said:
Tech...

Satnav isn't touch screen but it works as well as my Tom Tom did. It got me round Europe last summer very well (to Prague and back via France, Germany mainly). No complaints there. I know the earlier Astons Satnav come in for a lot of complaints. Has the traffic on it as well and calculates routes based in traffic situation also.

No voice control.

Has USB inputs and if you want Bluetooth for connection to iPhones/iPods then you can get the dealer to upgrade (maybe a bargaining chip to get it installed before you buy) or as in many cases with other owners of later Astons, we just bought a Bluetooth connector for £50 (I can dig out the Amazon code if you want). That worked well for me to stream my music over it wirelessly.

No DAB. 6 CD changer also.

Phone paired with the car ok, never a problem there either.

The only displays for media/car controls are on the dash and the music system. So there's no nice touch screen to control everything or display for than a few lines of text. So plenty of buttons - which seems to have been a design feature! Personally didn't bother me - buttons don't need a software upgrade or get slower as it gets older.

If you want the ultimate in tech/iPad type displays then it's not for you. But everything worked, from memory.

The only other thing is, for the size of the car it's not the rookie at inside for driver and passenger. I liked it as it felt cosseting, but some might want more airy cabins. See how you get on.

Do make sure you get to put it in sport and play with the paddles and drive it properly in paddles when you test drive it. D is just fine for pootling around and keeping your license. Hopefully you will find sport and paddles are interesting enough for when you get an open road.

Other thing I liked about it was the steering directness and feel. I came from a 911 C4S and felt it was comparable. Obviously different weights to deal with when shunting around smaller roads at speed.

It's all down to personal preferences. I loved my time with it. The response you get from folk all around UK and Europe is great as well.

I only changed it really because the rear seats were too small to get enough of my kids in. They'd grown up so much, so I did the only thing you can do in that situation and... buy a 2 seater!!! smile

Enjoy the drive and you've got a great choice of options on your list!

phib

4,464 posts

259 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
quotequote all
My issue with seating / DBS was my head always rubbed on the ceiling and I am only 5 11.

Think this was sorted in the vanquish though

Phib

foxsasha

1,417 posts

135 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
quotequote all
We've got a Panamera and Maserati GT. Had an I8 for a week, a DB9 for a while and used to own a Conti GT Speed. Got a 991 911 on extended test now.

I liked the DB9 the least, didn't like the way it drove, under steered to a huge extent. Put me completely off them.

Continental was stunning inside and was silly fast (the Speed has 600bhp) but too bling for me. Just too ostentatious.

Panameras a hybrid. It's a nice family car. That's it.

Maserati is a real car and, as has has been said, gives a real feeling of being something special when driven. It also feels faster than the 991 911 Carrera S. Don't know if it is actually quicker but it feels it, certainly at motorway speeds. And the sound, oh my cloud9

The I8 is a very impressive car. Goes well, handles well, feels like your a star in Tron when you're driving it and it gets a LOT of attention. All positive in my experience. Not a Q car though. The build quality doesn't feel anywhere near as good as the Maserati nor is the interior as nice. However I'd seriously consider one if I didnt have kids and then only because of the tax breaks running it as a company car. I wouldn't buy one with my money. Ours also had niggles with the battery not charging properly and it was awful to drive on the petrol engine when the engine was cold.

I'm thinking of selling the Maserati for a 991 Turbo S. Great as the Maserati is it does feel last century compared to the Porsches and, unlike the Maserati, I'd use the Porsche all year. The Maserati has been off the road since the salt went down. Just doesn't sit right running it in current conditions. I can almost hear the salt fizzing away at its underbelly! The Porsche is also much better suited to tribes to (and round) the Ring and the like where as the Maserati is great for getting there but is too much of a big old girl to be comfortable being driven hard on track.