Feel good 2nd car. Aston Martin vs TVR

[Stick Legs]

I have been around the houses on this so many times it's not true and am looking to see what the hive mind thinks.

I work at sea and do 3 weeks on 3 weeks off now.
In the household we have my wife's 320d Touring soon to be upgraded to a Discovery and my 'daily' Mini Cooper S.

Not looking to loose either of the above cars and once the building works are complete will have up to £40k to spend on a toy for myself.

My car history has always favoured GT cars, Capris at first then XJ-S and 6 Series BMW's.
I always wanted an Aston Martin V8 (1980's style) but they are well out of my league now.

Never having done the hot hatch thing I bought the Mini on a whim and love it as a fun daily, great on the B roads near me.

I have always wanted an Aston Martin, and I have always liked the TVR Griffith, even went to Blackpool and blagged a factory visit when they still made them.

My choices are this:

Aston Martin DB9, 2006 onwards, £36k-£40k.

Pros- It's an Aston, it is beautiful.
Cons- It is hugely thirsty, running costs I can bear but will the fear of a huge bill take the shine off?
Unknown- Is it actually fun to drive or is it more of the XJ-S style of GT car.


Aston Martin V8 Vantage, 4.3 or 4.7, £30k-£40k.

Pros- It's an Aston, they are reputedly good to drive, not as thirsty as the DB9.
Cons- Bork factor, it is not quite as pretty as the DB9 (IMHO).


TVR Griffith, £20k-£30k.

Pros- Cheaper and more economical, can be DIY'd by me and I can afford one of the very best. I have driven one and it was awesome.
Cons- It's not an Aston, between this an the Mini I have 2 rather focused driver's cars that aren't that comfortable.

Have any of you owned both and what delighted you or irritated you the most about each experience?
Obviously between now and buying I will drive all 3 and this should clarify a lot, but they are such great cars that I would probably be happy with any one.

Pity my dilemma!

[Jasandjules]

I have had TVRs for over 24 years now and have a 5.0 Chimaera in the garage.... BUT In your shoes I would be buying a DB9 because having an Aston is having an Aston....

[PrinceRupert]

I recently put a deposit down on a TVR Tuscan after considering a DB9/Vantage (albeit briefly). I decided on the Tuscan as it seemed more special for a weekend car. Plus, suspect running costs will be lower - provided obviously the engine and chassis doesn't need major work, they don't seem massively expensive to run, and those risks can be mitigated by buying a car with a recent engine rebuild from a specialist with a good reputation. I have heard that part and labour prices for an Aston can be eye watering.

Edited by PrinceRupert on Friday 26th February 18:19

[ZX10R NIN]

The Aston is a very good GT car & has a great feel good factor, with a good Indy running costs can be reasonable BUT I'd buy a Maserati GranTurismo infact I did after realising the Aston was practical enough for me (I needed the rear seats & a boot) but here's the thing the Maserati felt every bit as special & the engine & drive was very good.

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102159...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102199...

TVR wise they're all very good options & special, don't overlook the Tamora they're a good option:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202003108...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008212...

[Mouse Rat]

If you're looking at something special, fun and more as a weekend toy go for the TVR.

if you're looking at something to use more than that in all weathers take the Aston.

I have a Tuscan. Its bonkers and I don't use it too much but when I do its intoxicating. However I wouldn't use it everyday.
Also as others have mentioned the Aston will cost much more to run.

[davek_964]

Had a V8 Vantage for about 4 years - even kept an ownership thread running in the Aston section if you care to find it.

Definitely GT rather than sports car, and the power delivery is such that it feels slower than it is (4.3).

I liked mine a lot and it was almost entirely a positive experience. Parts prices can be silly - new suspension spring for my 360 was about £75. The same for a Vantage is almost ten times that, which frankly is a complete piss take.
But lots of parts can be sourced without the Aston tax if you find the Jag / Volvo equivalent.

If I was looking for a £25-30k car again now, another Vantage would be top of my list.

[ollyh1988]

I’ve had a V8 Vantage and TVR Tuscan and Chimaera.

The Vantage is a wonderful car to own. I got as much pleasure out of just looking at it in my garage as I did driving it. It’s not the fastest car (didn’t feel much quicker than a Boxster I’d owned previously, but that didn’t matter to me - If I’d wanted something really fast I’d have looked at something different). Mine was faultless and didn’t depreciate, which was a nice bonus.

The Tuscan is much rawer and has caused more problems to own (the first one was returned to the dealer). It is exciting and scary to drive, total contrast to the Aston. I love the way they look and actually prefer the noise to the Aston.
The Chimaera (same for a Griffith) feels much older than the Tuscan. The V8 noise is far nicer than the Tuscan (at idle and low speed). I loved just burbling round, roof down, listening to that noise. Mine never caused me any problems (the old Rover V8 is a great engine) but it’s worth looking at a few to find a sorted one.

In an ideal world I’d have both an Aston Vantage and a Tuscan - two very different drives.

[ollyh1988]

And just to add about running costs... you should think being an Aston it would be very expensive to run but it really wasn’t. Servicing costs were lower than when I had a Porsche. The clutch can be expensive but so can a lot of performance cars. My first Chimaera was reasonable to run, but my Tuscan cost me £5.5k last year at service time (clutch, throttle bodies, major service and a few other items).

[Stick Legs]

Thanks all, really helpful replies.

I'm now plotting how to end up with a DB9 & a Griffith.