Ferrari 575 vs Aston Martin Vanquish

[BKB]

Hi all,

Since buying a F355 for myself back in March, I've managed to persuade 4 friends to get involved in Ferraris (1 355, 2 F430s, 1 360 Spy). My current victim wants to go for something with more stand-out and is considering the 575, but potentially a Vanquish. This was covered by Clarkson and Coogan several years but I'm interested to hear if anyone has a view on these 2 cars nowadays. Obviously bang-for-buck on both is expectional given the depreciation. How would they compare in terms of running costs, ownership satisfaction and consistent usage etc?

There will be more prancing horse fans in here than Aston followers, but a few hard facts and anecdotes will hopefully help me steer him in the right direction.

Many thanks.

[adam24]

BKB said:

Hi all,

Since buying a F355 for myself back in March, I've managed to persuade 4 friends to get involved in Ferraris (1 355, 2 F430s, 1 360 Spy). My current victim wants to go for something with more stand-out and is considering the 575, but potentially a Vanquish. This was covered by Clarkson and Coogan several years but I'm interested to hear if anyone has a view on these 2 cars nowadays. Obviously bang-for-buck on both is expectional given the depreciation. How would they compare in terms of running costs, ownership satisfaction and consistent usage etc?

There will be more prancing horse fans in here than Aston followers, but a few hard facts and anecdotes will hopefully help me steer him in the right direction.

Many thanks.

Hi Al,

Clarkson vs Damon Hill wasn't it?! That's always a good watch.. It would be a 575M for me anytime, the Vanquish seems so dated in comparison.

You should come up to one of our breakfast meets, we have a 575M who reguarly attends and the owner is a great person to speak to as it's his daily driver too! This proves they can handle regular use. I can put you in touch with him if you wish? I think your mate would be disappointed with a Vanquish after spending some time in the 575M. The F1 box is great for it's age, you must go with the Fiorano pack and it has plenty of toys including launch control! The standard exhaust is a bit quiet for me so you would need a tubi too!

The only attraction to the Vanquish is the noise - it's just something else!

[Shmee150]

adam24 said:

It would be a 575M for me anytime, the Vanquish seems so dated in comparison.

I'm for one interested you think so; I would completely put them the other way around. The Vanquish screams elegance and just looks beautiful on the street; whereas to me the 575M is looking just like a dated Ferrari - it hasn't yet got a classic look but also is far from new designs.

And then the noise...

[3200gt]

Shmee150 said:

I'm for one interested you think so; I would completely put them the other way around. The Vanquish screams elegance and just looks beautiful on the street; whereas to me the 575M is looking just like a dated Ferrari - it hasn't yet got a classic look but also is far from new designs.

And then the noise...

What he said!

[BKB]

OK good stuff, 2-1 to the Aston...so far!

[mattiselvis]

Shmee150 said:

adam24 said:

It would be a 575M for me anytime, the Vanquish seems so dated in comparison.

I'm for one interested you think so; I would completely put them the other way around. The Vanquish screams elegance and just looks beautiful on the street; whereas to me the 575M is looking just like a dated Ferrari - it hasn't yet got a classic look but also is far from new designs.

And then the noise...

And then you'd look around the cabin and wonder what you'd just done. Vanquish interior is terrible on all but the run-out models.

[BKB]

I just think the Ferrari seems to have aged better...take DB7s for instance, they don't look that great these days...I'd worry the Vanquish will go the same way.

And £50k seems to buy more Ferrari than it does Aston...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1364416.htm

vs

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1643385.htm

[paul0843]

even though i am biased towards the 575, a very close friend of mine has
a late vanquish s ... i would say his interior is more dated even though he has the new
sat nav facelift but externally it has definately aged better than 575..

[lambo_xx]

Personally I'm not a huge fan of the Vanquish. It's a great looking car but the gearbox really isn't very good on early models and for me the interior is terrible. I would much rather buy a DB9. As for which to buy over the 575? I reckon your friend would be best to drive both. If I was choosing it would probably be the 575 but as already said it needs a sports exhaust.

[rs200evo]

I went through the same decision a few years ago, actually owning a 575 and then changing to a Vanquish S. I much prefer the Vanquish S in terms of driving dynamics, noise & styling. It still a car that makes your heart skip a beat just approaching it from different angles. I do think it's an icon in terms of design. I never got to that point with the 575.

Now I have to say that it had to be a 2006+ S to get me over the dated interior issue. That means a budget that can be quite higher than a 575.

The gearboxes are not that dissimilar. I always drive the S in sports mode to quicken the shift (it does not change the ride, purely the shift times). The full auto mode is terrible in the S though, very poorly set up. I never use it.

I do think the last S models will become quite collectible. I also find the Aston a lot more useable than the Ferrari in terms of peoples approach to it. Obviously driving either of these cars elicits reactions from people, but for some reason I find it more 'acceptable' to drive an Aston day to day then I did the 575. It's maybe psychological but it makes the car more enjoyable.

Finally, I find Aston servicing and customer care great. Given the choice all over again, I'd not hesitate to go for a 2006+ S.

DJ

Edited by rs200evo on Sunday 25th July 09:04

[BKB]

Very useful feedback - thanks very much!

[MDahmen]

I am always surprised that people say the 550/575 look dated. I still think they are amazing looking cars (imo one of the most elegant looking cars of the last 20 years) and much prefer the design to the 599 - I do seem to be in the minority though.
Also love the exterior of the Aston and the sound is to die for.

[anonymous-user]

Vanquish every time. Last hand built car from Aston and still brutally muscular and beautiful to look at.

[sevenaurelius]

Top Gear.. Seen this?...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3rP7Bxgx3w

[AKA8]

MDahmen said:

I am always surprised that people say the 550/575 look dated. I still think they are amazing looking cars (imo one of the most elegant looking cars of the last 20 years) and much prefer the design to the 599 - I do seem to be in the minority though.

I agree, I drive past a few of each everyday and what really puts me off is the slightly raggy Vanquish I see with the number plate G 5POT and the crappy Kahn wheels. When you look at it closely, the shut lines look enormous, the massive black lines around the headlight and then the very average interior really put me off. I think it looks very old and the bulges on the rear arches don't work anywhere near as well as they did on things like DB4 Zagatos etc. I'm pretty sure that they're meant to be a nod to Aston's history but they ruin the proportions of the car. It's not elegant, and it's not quite taut enough to look aggressive either.

Noise wise, it just sounds too manufactured for me. I don't think it sounds like a V12 should, it's noisy rather than cultured.

Driving wise, I found a Fiorano sportpack felt like a very powerful M3 (that's a good thing), but the Aston felt quite old next to it. Granted, my experience with the Vanquish S is a limited, but I've been out in one, and I think it's more of the above with a crap looking bigger boot spoiler.

[toohuge]

I would go for the 575, it's a great car. I saw a Vanq on the road recently and I have to say it did look old.