Coupe options, circa £35-£40k

[The Surveyor]

Hi guys, I'm after some thoughts as I'm going to be buying a new GT / Coupe in the next month or so to replace my Tuscan.

My initial thought is an early V8 Vantage Aston Martin or Maserati Granturismo, both of which can be found within my price bracket. Current preference is the Aston, and I'd welcome any thoughts on those or the Maserati, as well as suggestions of other options for both sporty drives and long-distance touring. Oh and for the record, I don't want a Porsche or a BMW.

Cheers

Paul

[The Surveyor]

Yes, the 'coupe' tag refers to the body style rather than number of seats, 2 seats is perfectly fine as would be the 4.2 Maserati or 4.3 Aston with regard to engine size as they are still quite capable.

I'm not sure about the big Merc, I see them as being a fast version of a daily driver, than something special for the weekend. Jag is a good shout.

[The Surveyor]

The Audi and 997 leave me a little cold, no matter how great they are I just don't 'want' one if that makes sense. Some other good suggestions, cheers.

[The Surveyor]

Quickmoose said:

Interesting thread this as it's clearly a very subjective issue for the OP as to how the brands make him 'feel'

For me you just have to read out aloud the names in the frame and a few rise to the top so in no particular order, read these out....

Ferrari
Ford
Porsche
Nissan
Audi
Mercedes
Aston Martin
Jaguar
Maserati
BMW
Chevrolet
Lotus

Each of them above make something that fits the written description.
For me Ferrari, Lotus, Porsche, Aston and Maserati sound the nicest
Out of them Porsche are more common place (and already discounted by OP)
Ferrari within budget may prove more costly to keep?
Lotus not quite on par
Leaving Aston or Maserati

Can you go wrong between these two?
Choose a DB9 and be upset when you see a Gran Turismo
Choose a Gran Turismo and be upset when you see a DB9

Masser for me please

I'm liking this logic...

[The Surveyor]

CaptainSensib1e said:

How about an RS5?

Same reason why a C63 or M3 doesn't float my boat, they are very fast versions of something much more mundane. Great for a daily driver, but I just can't see one making my pulse quicken when I pull the dust cover off it if that makes any sense!

[The Surveyor]

The cars going to be weekend / evening zipping about and also long runs / trips abroad. The Tuscan was perfect for that as its comfortable but scary swift at times, and it had a huge boot so it was the perfect Le Mans camping trip car. No track use but something that's going to be fun around the Northumberland back roads. So far, the Vantage is heading the list.