Daily Drive Supercar - again! Stradale/911 Turbo/Virage/i8
Discussion
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?
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
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
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?
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
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
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 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 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!
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!
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!?
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,It's a NA 6 litre V12 and is beautiful and will still be beautiful in 30 years time, let alone another 3 years.
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
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
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!!!
Enjoy the drive and you've got a great choice of options on your list!
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!!!
Enjoy the drive and you've got a great choice of options on your list!
Chaps,
Thank you all so much for your comments and contributions, it really is helpful getting so much insight from people who have actually owned these vehicles rather than journos that have ragged it around a track.
To try to broadly respond to everyone's kind suggestions/comments;
Maserati - I am out on this sadly, having considered it long and hard. I have had 2 x Granturismos before and one reason I got out of it second time round is it felt a bit dated. Having had a 991 turbo since and currently in a Panamera, this reservation definitely wont be overcome by getting in a Stradale instead. I am used to seamless bluetooth streaming, great sat nav, electrics that work, touchscreen etc and going back into a Masser would feel a bit of a step back in this respect. Also had some reliability issues with them in the past. The noise is what draws me toward them, but as someone else has pointed out that cant be a sole reason for buying a car. Still think they're superb cars and would recommend them to someone in the right circumstances, but the reality is noise aside I feel there is a lot of compromise to be made to own one - more compromise than sticking with the Panamera. I will definitely be keeping a keen eye on the next generation of these though!
DBS/Virage - as mentioned, sat in a couple at AM and have test drives for a DBS and Virage lined up for Feb 6th. The DBS is beaut, had seen someone in the Aston forums post a link to this which is just perfect; http://www.stratstone.com/search/vehicledetails/us...
I need to spend a bit more time in one, I am a bit concerned that I couldn't get comfortable in there (6 ft 4 and long limbed). The Panamera is so comfortable from a cabin size perspective, as was the Maserati, not really wanting to buy something I get sick of driving within few weeks. Will see how I go on the drive. Love the Vanquish, amazing, and at £120k not much gap between the price of one of these and a DBS. But definitely too flash to sit on a driveway, would need to be after a house move so perhaps the car after next
I8 - toyed with the idea but realise I am forcing myself to want one rather than really wanting one. Cool car but just not for me, I want something that will do more harm to the environment and burst some ear drums
On the other suggestions, looked at an F Type Coupe, couldn't get comfortable and found it cramped. What a noise though. FF way out my price range but thanks for causing some wishful thinking.
There is a bit of me that thinks exploring these other options has made me realise how much I really like the Panamera - I think dependent on what happens on the DBS test drive the answer may lie in sticking with the Pan but part exing it for the Turbo version if I can get one that has had a big chunk of depreciation taken out of it. I get to keep the refinement, badge, reliability, size, comfort, road presence and practicality but get a great noise and performance too. This is all boxes ticked in a way that a Bentley Continental or FF can do, but within the parameters of being able to be sat on a drive near a main road and not attracting too much attention.
So looking like stick but with a quick change of engine, or DBS if it totally wows me and I manage to find a seating position that doesnt involve my knees by my ears.
Thanks again forumers, your collective wisdom has again proved both helpful and enlightening
Thank you all so much for your comments and contributions, it really is helpful getting so much insight from people who have actually owned these vehicles rather than journos that have ragged it around a track.
To try to broadly respond to everyone's kind suggestions/comments;
Maserati - I am out on this sadly, having considered it long and hard. I have had 2 x Granturismos before and one reason I got out of it second time round is it felt a bit dated. Having had a 991 turbo since and currently in a Panamera, this reservation definitely wont be overcome by getting in a Stradale instead. I am used to seamless bluetooth streaming, great sat nav, electrics that work, touchscreen etc and going back into a Masser would feel a bit of a step back in this respect. Also had some reliability issues with them in the past. The noise is what draws me toward them, but as someone else has pointed out that cant be a sole reason for buying a car. Still think they're superb cars and would recommend them to someone in the right circumstances, but the reality is noise aside I feel there is a lot of compromise to be made to own one - more compromise than sticking with the Panamera. I will definitely be keeping a keen eye on the next generation of these though!
DBS/Virage - as mentioned, sat in a couple at AM and have test drives for a DBS and Virage lined up for Feb 6th. The DBS is beaut, had seen someone in the Aston forums post a link to this which is just perfect; http://www.stratstone.com/search/vehicledetails/us...
I need to spend a bit more time in one, I am a bit concerned that I couldn't get comfortable in there (6 ft 4 and long limbed). The Panamera is so comfortable from a cabin size perspective, as was the Maserati, not really wanting to buy something I get sick of driving within few weeks. Will see how I go on the drive. Love the Vanquish, amazing, and at £120k not much gap between the price of one of these and a DBS. But definitely too flash to sit on a driveway, would need to be after a house move so perhaps the car after next
I8 - toyed with the idea but realise I am forcing myself to want one rather than really wanting one. Cool car but just not for me, I want something that will do more harm to the environment and burst some ear drums
On the other suggestions, looked at an F Type Coupe, couldn't get comfortable and found it cramped. What a noise though. FF way out my price range but thanks for causing some wishful thinking.
There is a bit of me that thinks exploring these other options has made me realise how much I really like the Panamera - I think dependent on what happens on the DBS test drive the answer may lie in sticking with the Pan but part exing it for the Turbo version if I can get one that has had a big chunk of depreciation taken out of it. I get to keep the refinement, badge, reliability, size, comfort, road presence and practicality but get a great noise and performance too. This is all boxes ticked in a way that a Bentley Continental or FF can do, but within the parameters of being able to be sat on a drive near a main road and not attracting too much attention.
So looking like stick but with a quick change of engine, or DBS if it totally wows me and I manage to find a seating position that doesnt involve my knees by my ears.
Thanks again forumers, your collective wisdom has again proved both helpful and enlightening
Hi all,
Sorry for the lack of updates.
Sadly (well not for them I suppose!) the DBS had sold so I wasn't able to drive it. I took the Virage out however, and credit to the AM Dealer in respect to the fact it wasn't a quick 5 minute round the block test drive - probably spent a good 45 mins in the car and drove motorways, country roads etc.
It was hammering down with rain so there wasn't much opportunity for spirited driving, but overall it seemed a superb car - great steering feel, power throughout the range, great noise etc.
Unfortunately I just couldn't get beyond the lack of room in the cabin. I felt my knees were up by my ears! Ok so maybe not literally, but compared to sitting in a Panamera it really is chalk and cheese. It wasn't unbearable, it is something which I think would be palatable for a weekend car, but as a daily drive it just isn't comfortable for me. Had a sit in the Vanquish in the showroom too, which was a bit better but sadly out of my price range for the time being. The Virage feels like a hell of a lot of car for the money though!
So I am currently thinking of sticking with the Pan for a little while longer as there just isn't anything else that fits the criteria for me whilst retaining the level of comfort I currently have. The idea of a 5.0 v8 range crossed my mind, but the depreciation on them is frightening! Bit of an anticlimax of a thread, hopefully I will resurrect it at some point in the not too distant future
Sorry for the lack of updates.
Sadly (well not for them I suppose!) the DBS had sold so I wasn't able to drive it. I took the Virage out however, and credit to the AM Dealer in respect to the fact it wasn't a quick 5 minute round the block test drive - probably spent a good 45 mins in the car and drove motorways, country roads etc.
It was hammering down with rain so there wasn't much opportunity for spirited driving, but overall it seemed a superb car - great steering feel, power throughout the range, great noise etc.
Unfortunately I just couldn't get beyond the lack of room in the cabin. I felt my knees were up by my ears! Ok so maybe not literally, but compared to sitting in a Panamera it really is chalk and cheese. It wasn't unbearable, it is something which I think would be palatable for a weekend car, but as a daily drive it just isn't comfortable for me. Had a sit in the Vanquish in the showroom too, which was a bit better but sadly out of my price range for the time being. The Virage feels like a hell of a lot of car for the money though!
So I am currently thinking of sticking with the Pan for a little while longer as there just isn't anything else that fits the criteria for me whilst retaining the level of comfort I currently have. The idea of a 5.0 v8 range crossed my mind, but the depreciation on them is frightening! Bit of an anticlimax of a thread, hopefully I will resurrect it at some point in the not too distant future
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