My first Aston Martin purchase - Any feedback very welcome!

[JulianPH]

Here are a few more pics from today. The alloys look black in the photos but are a gunmetal anthricite in the flesh. The car does seem to look slightly darker than Tunsten in the flesh though - and I love it!

[JulianPH]

SELON said:

Now you can use one of the great lines...

"Shall we take the Aston or the Bentley darling?"

Yes! I was actually on the phone to a mate ealier when my daughter (going out for swimming) said to my wife "can we go in the Range Rover", to which I said "take the Bentley, it saves moving the Aston", to which my mate said "what the fk do you sould like"

[JulianPH]

Ken Figenus said:

LOL

Looks like a great car and a truly great service. Happy days

The only thing that dates it ever so slightly is the orange indicators on the front. Fashions change and it is all clear glass at the rear. Maybe worth seeing if you can do the same on the front in a Wheeler Dealer style >ducks in case its a 4 figure jobbie<

Enjoy!

Very good point about the orange front indicators - does anyone know how much this would cost?

Also, I want to get it fully detailed - Paddy/Lee seems to be the man to see, I believe..?

Ken, I jumped to the conclusion (in an earlier post) that you were referring to the Wales v England match - I hope I got hold of the right end of the stick (as an avid Wales supporter)

Edited by JulianPH on Friday 6th March 19:09

[JulianPH]

Ken Figenus said:

You did mate - I'm over it as France win fixed it

It certainly did! England were bloody lucky in the first round at Cardiff (of course we fell down towards the end) and Ireland has dominated so far. Next weekend will be interesting...

[JulianPH]

Bincenzo said:

Julian, soooo glad it worked out so well, the car looks stunning. Be aware, Tungsten is massively sensitive to ambient light and will metamorphasise as the day goes on. I love it. Wheels look fabulous, and I'm loving the lines "saves moving the Aston"......good work.

Thanks, it couldn't have worked out better in the end. I've come into the marque exactly where I should have and given I am already enjoying this car as much as I am then I have so much more to explore at my leisure!

If I had gone straight into that DBS I would have had a bad taste in my mouth from the beginning. The 9 is a perfect starting point.

The car is in incredible condition, I picked my wife up in it the day it arrived and we went for a drive and then admired it back at home and she thought it was new (though she is not exactly a car enthusiast!).

Cheers

[JulianPH]

johnxjsc1985 said:

I like the DB9 and the Bentley it would be interesting to know what you think about the comparisons.

It is very interesting comparing the two side by side actually.

Exterior wise, the Bentley is more handsome (almost quite regal), but the DB9 is just achingly, jaw-droppingly beautiful.

When it comes to the interior there is no doubt that the Bentley has a greater spec, quality and finish in everything. The rear seats are also perfectly usable for small children (even my wife at 5' 7" is okay in there for short hops) and the cabin feels buch bigger (because it is!). Having said that, the Aston interior feels much more sporty and in keeping with its exterior (and is a fantastic place to be).

Driving - there are two instant differences. Whilst they both have very similar stats they achieve them in very different ways. The first thing to say is that the Bentley's 4 wheel drive plants all 4 tyres on the road and you can pull onto a main road from a right angle with the pedal down as hard as you like (well, almost). With the Aston you have to be a bit more careful or the back end wants to come out.

Obviously with more time in the Aston I should master this but right now I know I can pull out in the smallest gap with the Bentley with an approaching car never getting close to me. I wouldn't try this in the Aston yet!

Another thing is getting used to the amount of presure you need to put on the brakes in the Aston. The Bentley just stops dead.

The most interesting difference however is the feel. The Aston growls like mad as you go through the gears (and this in itself is incredible and highly addictive) but when you check the speed you are surprised you are not going faster than you are (though you are certainly going fast!). The Bentley does not give this feedback and so you often check your speed and go st - I didn't realise I was going that fast!

All in all they are very different cars and you can't really compare the two. The Bentley is more refined and elegant and the Aston is just stunning and much more fun to drive.

If the Bentley is like the classically beautiful woman you would love to marry, the Aston is the stunningly sexy flirt you can't stop thinking about.

So my advice is marry the Bentley but keep the Aston as your mistress!

In fact, that is not a bad analogy, as you know one day you are going to wake up to find your wife has sprouted two extra doors and a bigger boot - and you can always trade your mistress in for a newer model if she becomes to demanding and high maintenance

Edited by JulianPH on Saturday 7th March 14:41

[JulianPH]

fuzzy01 said:

Good luck with your decision, we took the remaining option, we now have an Aston and Bentley although we "only" have the DB9. We alternate them as much as possible and enjoy both as they are so different.

Hi Fuzzy, I've just joined your Aston/Bentley club! The right choice without a doubt.

Cheers