Arnage or Aston Martin Virage
Discussion
Hi,
We currently own a 2006 AM V8 Vantage. However it's just too quick for the long term preservation of driving licences.
So, the question is what to replace it with. We once had a Bentley 8, so wonder about going to an Arnage. But we like the Aston, so wonder about a Virage.
Having asked what to look for when buying a Virage on the AMOC forum, we thought it only fair that Arnage owners make their case. We are told electronics are an issue for both cars......... (interestingly performance, on paper, is similar)
We know in many ways they do different things, but you know what it's like with proper cars. (And no,we can't afford both, says I).
Many thanks,
Sarah Hill
We currently own a 2006 AM V8 Vantage. However it's just too quick for the long term preservation of driving licences.
So, the question is what to replace it with. We once had a Bentley 8, so wonder about going to an Arnage. But we like the Aston, so wonder about a Virage.
Having asked what to look for when buying a Virage on the AMOC forum, we thought it only fair that Arnage owners make their case. We are told electronics are an issue for both cars......... (interestingly performance, on paper, is similar)
We know in many ways they do different things, but you know what it's like with proper cars. (And no,we can't afford both, says I).
Many thanks,
Sarah Hill
Sarah Hill said:
Hi,
We currently own a 2006 AM V8 Vantage. However it's just too quick for the long term preservation of driving licences.
So, the question is what to replace it with. We once had a Bentley 8, so wonder about going to an Arnage. But we like the Aston, so wonder about a Virage.
Having asked what to look for when buying a Virage on the AMOC forum, we thought it only fair that Arnage owners make their case. We are told electronics are an issue for both cars......... (interestingly performance, on paper, is similar)
We know in many ways they do different things, but you know what it's like with proper cars. (And no,we can't afford both, says I).
Many thanks,
Sarah Hill
Hi Sarah, when I get over the shock of a female poster on this forum I will reply....might be a while...'NURSE! THE SMELLING SALTS!!' We currently own a 2006 AM V8 Vantage. However it's just too quick for the long term preservation of driving licences.
So, the question is what to replace it with. We once had a Bentley 8, so wonder about going to an Arnage. But we like the Aston, so wonder about a Virage.
Having asked what to look for when buying a Virage on the AMOC forum, we thought it only fair that Arnage owners make their case. We are told electronics are an issue for both cars......... (interestingly performance, on paper, is similar)
We know in many ways they do different things, but you know what it's like with proper cars. (And no,we can't afford both, says I).
Many thanks,
Sarah Hill
Edited by roygarth on Tuesday 16th October 09:22
Snooty cow!Actually, Arnage and Virage are really very different cars.....
The Virage is a properly hand-built car, the sort of thing where the panels were wheeled by the hand of a wisened artisan and then welded, again by hand into a car. Expect this to be a car of individual quality, requiring a proper specialist to maintain, such as someone used to working with old race cars. Generally speaking, they will degrade as any other very specialist car, but are fixable by adopting the same principles. A main dealer will not be an option.
The Arnage in comparison is a production-line built car, where bodyshells are stamped and welded then introduced to a moving production line. This means that the components are engineered for production, usually to much greater quality standards and you can be sure that car 1 is the same as 14 is the same as 14,014. From an owner's perspective, a dealer will be a good option as they'll still be familiar with them and have all the test kit. Parts prices will be more, however, as you'll not have the same repair options.
In summary, the Aston is made by a small company in a big-boys world, whilst the Bentley is made by a large company which happens to only make a few cars.
The Virage is a properly hand-built car, the sort of thing where the panels were wheeled by the hand of a wisened artisan and then welded, again by hand into a car. Expect this to be a car of individual quality, requiring a proper specialist to maintain, such as someone used to working with old race cars. Generally speaking, they will degrade as any other very specialist car, but are fixable by adopting the same principles. A main dealer will not be an option.
The Arnage in comparison is a production-line built car, where bodyshells are stamped and welded then introduced to a moving production line. This means that the components are engineered for production, usually to much greater quality standards and you can be sure that car 1 is the same as 14 is the same as 14,014. From an owner's perspective, a dealer will be a good option as they'll still be familiar with them and have all the test kit. Parts prices will be more, however, as you'll not have the same repair options.
In summary, the Aston is made by a small company in a big-boys world, whilst the Bentley is made by a large company which happens to only make a few cars.
Sarah,
I might give you some advice since I own a DB9 (very similar to the new Virage) and an 2002 Arnage T.
Both cars are completely different.
The Arnage is a heavyweight limousine, very comfortable and pleasent to drive, but not a sportscar at all. I have three children and it would be possible to drive the whole family from our Berlin based home to the Alps and the whole way back.
The DB9 is much louder, feels more like a sports car, dives harder (although not like a real GT, nor a real 2+2). I wouldn't consider using it for a ride with the family.
Hope this helps!
I might give you some advice since I own a DB9 (very similar to the new Virage) and an 2002 Arnage T.
Both cars are completely different.
The Arnage is a heavyweight limousine, very comfortable and pleasent to drive, but not a sportscar at all. I have three children and it would be possible to drive the whole family from our Berlin based home to the Alps and the whole way back.
The DB9 is much louder, feels more like a sports car, dives harder (although not like a real GT, nor a real 2+2). I wouldn't consider using it for a ride with the family.
Hope this helps!
POORCARDEALER said:
As someone who has bought and sold many Virage, I think they are disapointing overall....a V8 Coupe is a better car in most ways.....Arnage is a nicer car than a Virage for sur
I agree. The Virage is one of my favourite looking cars of all time, and when I first got into cars it was the current car. But the V8 Coupe is a much better car by far. More developed, more refined, more powerful. And they only made 99 of them. And by Aston standards, a comparative bargain. - v8 coupe was launched in 96 iirc
Edited by POORCARDEALER on Tuesday 16th October 22:20
Well if your looking for an Arnage you must try and buy a 2002 model year car onwards, they might look the same but Bentley made massive improvement and made lots of investment in the chassis and suspension that transformed the car from a driving point of view, these improvements were not just minor upgrades they make a real difference too the way the car drives, I have had 4 of these cars now (2002, 2004, 2006,2009) the first 3 were Arnage R and the last was a Arnage T final series, the R offers a nicer blend of comfort and performance and is more relaxing to drive. Having owned both of the cars you refer to the Arnage would be a more enjoyable prospect however compared to the Vantage will be a very old fashioned drive, low mileage cars will be troublesome, best to go for a car that has been used and serviced as they don't like sitting around, the more they are used the better they will be, I also own an 2002 Azure wide body that we keep abroad, that has only covered 5,000 miles from new yet that has had huge running costs including 2 new steering racks at 5k a go. feel free to PM me with any questions you might have
Sarah Hill said:
Ok for clarity, we are looking at the old Virage and we own the new shape V8 Vantage. We're looking at an early 2000's Arnage.
No one has yet to tell me what to look for when buying an Arnage........
Sarah
There have been a few buying articles on the arnarge in classic car magazines. I'll see if I can dig one out and scan it for you. There are lots of youtube top gear articles on the various arnarge, including an early one where the tall one had lots of hair. I cant find any copy of the original top gear test from '89, but the tv programme called Drive (I think) did test the V8 coupe with penny mallory in the late 90s. The V8 coupe and Virage are simmilar but the former is very well developed. Try one.No one has yet to tell me what to look for when buying an Arnage........
Sarah
I have owned an Arnage Red Label (2001) for seven years. That in itself says a lot as I would never dream of getting rid of it (except maybe for a Final Series or a Brooklands coupe). Maybe the later ones have improvements but I have no direct experience of that. For context I also own a GT Speed, Corvette Z06, Spyker C8, a few older cars and have driven an Aston V8 Vantage for a weeks tour in the Alps.. so they are my reference points.
1. The Arnage is fabulous to drive. It is unbelievably torquey and more than powerful enough to go fast everywhere, when you feel like it. It makes you feel imperious and the view out is one of the best features - you'll just love being up high again and being able to see what's going on. It's great for carrying things and people, in style.
2. The power and imperiousness is made more compelling due to the weight and presence of the build. Everything is solid feeling - the steering throttle and brakes are quite heavy - and are better for it. The materials have substance and feel right. Even the bodywork steel seems thicker and more solid. It's a proper car. There is always momentum to how you travel - most of the time you are coasting.
3. The paintwork is beautiful. If you don't notice paint on a car, you will once you experience a Bentley - keep it polished well once a year and it stays clean on its own.
4. It's not a sports car and you do have to drive it respectfully around corners. But once you master the more commanding technique required, you can go very fast indeed A-B.
5. It's never tiring. If you ever drive after a long day, or after a long night, it looks after you. I so frequently get tired of the noise and bumpiness of sports cars when I am not in the mood..
6. I have had no problems - I service it at independents, basic once a year service, a few more things every other year and a more major hydraulic every 4-5 years - this is more expensive, I paid about £3500. Other things like boot lifter struts and such like are now and then. I have had two and a half sets of tyres in 30000 miles. For me it's been one of my cheaper cars to own (except the XK120).
The only downside I can think of is the risk of a major issue, which frankly is probably a lot less than that with a Virage - which will most definitely have major issues at some point.
1. The Arnage is fabulous to drive. It is unbelievably torquey and more than powerful enough to go fast everywhere, when you feel like it. It makes you feel imperious and the view out is one of the best features - you'll just love being up high again and being able to see what's going on. It's great for carrying things and people, in style.
2. The power and imperiousness is made more compelling due to the weight and presence of the build. Everything is solid feeling - the steering throttle and brakes are quite heavy - and are better for it. The materials have substance and feel right. Even the bodywork steel seems thicker and more solid. It's a proper car. There is always momentum to how you travel - most of the time you are coasting.
3. The paintwork is beautiful. If you don't notice paint on a car, you will once you experience a Bentley - keep it polished well once a year and it stays clean on its own.
4. It's not a sports car and you do have to drive it respectfully around corners. But once you master the more commanding technique required, you can go very fast indeed A-B.
5. It's never tiring. If you ever drive after a long day, or after a long night, it looks after you. I so frequently get tired of the noise and bumpiness of sports cars when I am not in the mood..
6. I have had no problems - I service it at independents, basic once a year service, a few more things every other year and a more major hydraulic every 4-5 years - this is more expensive, I paid about £3500. Other things like boot lifter struts and such like are now and then. I have had two and a half sets of tyres in 30000 miles. For me it's been one of my cheaper cars to own (except the XK120).
The only downside I can think of is the risk of a major issue, which frankly is probably a lot less than that with a Virage - which will most definitely have major issues at some point.
Great contribution!
spyker138 said:
I have owned an Arnage Red Label (2001) for seven years. That in itself says a lot as I would never dream of getting rid of it (except maybe for a Final Series or a Brooklands coupe). Maybe the later ones have improvements but I have no direct experience of that. For context I also own a GT Speed, Corvette Z06, Spyker C8, a few older cars and have driven an Aston V8 Vantage for a weeks tour in the Alps.. so they are my reference points.
1. The Arnage is fabulous to drive. It is unbelievably torquey and more than powerful enough to go fast everywhere, when you feel like it. It makes you feel imperious and the view out is one of the best features - you'll just love being up high again and being able to see what's going on. It's great for carrying things and people, in style.
2. The power and imperiousness is made more compelling due to the weight and presence of the build. Everything is solid feeling - the steering throttle and brakes are quite heavy - and are better for it. The materials have substance and feel right. Even the bodywork steel seems thicker and more solid. It's a proper car. There is always momentum to how you travel - most of the time you are coasting.
3. The paintwork is beautiful. If you don't notice paint on a car, you will once you experience a Bentley - keep it polished well once a year and it stays clean on its own.
4. It's not a sports car and you do have to drive it respectfully around corners. But once you master the more commanding technique required, you can go very fast indeed A-B.
5. It's never tiring. If you ever drive after a long day, or after a long night, it looks after you. I so frequently get tired of the noise and bumpiness of sports cars when I am not in the mood..
6. I have had no problems - I service it at independents, basic once a year service, a few more things every other year and a more major hydraulic every 4-5 years - this is more expensive, I paid about £3500. Other things like boot lifter struts and such like are now and then. I have had two and a half sets of tyres in 30000 miles. For me it's been one of my cheaper cars to own (except the XK120).
The only downside I can think of is the risk of a major issue, which frankly is probably a lot less than that with a Virage - which will most definitely have major issues at some point.
1. The Arnage is fabulous to drive. It is unbelievably torquey and more than powerful enough to go fast everywhere, when you feel like it. It makes you feel imperious and the view out is one of the best features - you'll just love being up high again and being able to see what's going on. It's great for carrying things and people, in style.
2. The power and imperiousness is made more compelling due to the weight and presence of the build. Everything is solid feeling - the steering throttle and brakes are quite heavy - and are better for it. The materials have substance and feel right. Even the bodywork steel seems thicker and more solid. It's a proper car. There is always momentum to how you travel - most of the time you are coasting.
3. The paintwork is beautiful. If you don't notice paint on a car, you will once you experience a Bentley - keep it polished well once a year and it stays clean on its own.
4. It's not a sports car and you do have to drive it respectfully around corners. But once you master the more commanding technique required, you can go very fast indeed A-B.
5. It's never tiring. If you ever drive after a long day, or after a long night, it looks after you. I so frequently get tired of the noise and bumpiness of sports cars when I am not in the mood..
6. I have had no problems - I service it at independents, basic once a year service, a few more things every other year and a more major hydraulic every 4-5 years - this is more expensive, I paid about £3500. Other things like boot lifter struts and such like are now and then. I have had two and a half sets of tyres in 30000 miles. For me it's been one of my cheaper cars to own (except the XK120).
The only downside I can think of is the risk of a major issue, which frankly is probably a lot less than that with a Virage - which will most definitely have major issues at some point.
The Virage, in my experience, was one of the most under-developed and appallingly assembled cars of modern times. AM was lucky it came at a time when supercars were appreciating and customers were very forgiving but let's not forget that when the market turned down in the early 90's AM almost went to the wall and the factory laid off two thirds of the NP staff. This wasn't just based on a general lack of demand it was also that the car was so poor and those people that were buying luxury cars refused to accept the compromises of the Virage (and the need for another car, preferably driving along behind you). Yes, many have been sorted and are only occasionally used as classics but, even well sorted, the car is underpowered, the ergonomics are from the 1950's and many of the electrical components are made of unobtainium. It just isn't really a nice car and never was. It was extensively developed for the insanely fast (and still quite fragile) V8 Vantage and V8 Coupe which was one of the low oilume cars from AM that actually worked (but was riotously overpriced new)
The Arnage had its flaws but will be better sorted and is easier to keep that way. The 10 years between Virage and Arnage seem more like 20 and that's certainly not saying that Arnage was modern in 2000 just that Virage quality, design and performance are from the 70's at best.
The Arnage had its flaws but will be better sorted and is easier to keep that way. The 10 years between Virage and Arnage seem more like 20 and that's certainly not saying that Arnage was modern in 2000 just that Virage quality, design and performance are from the 70's at best.
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