New member from Holland - Happy new V8V owner!
Discussion
Hi all,
I have been lurking on Pistonheads for a while in my quest to make my move into the world of British sports cars.
I live in Amsterdam, and about 2 months ago I started looking for my first car (I am a belated driver at 28yrs old, even worse yet I have my exam in 1 month). I have always been a race fan, having had my motorcycle license since I was 18 and since then owned around 30 different sport motorcycles including track bikes which I still race. I also own a Opel Speedster which is in the process of being supercharged by myself and my best friend, purely meant for the track.
But as the saying goes, there is a time to grow up (or perhaps that saying doesn't exist, I secretly hope so
) so I needed a car. However it needs to do 1 important thing: put a smile on my face. Plus the fact my girlfriend had to do all the driving wherever we went was slowly getting embarrassing.
After a few months of ednlessly reading every single article I could get my hands on, I managed to get my list down to 3 cars:
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage coupe 4.3 (4.7 is still out of my budget)
- Porsche 997.1 S coupe
- BMW 2007 M3 coupe
The BMW was my reserve choice, meaning I would buy it if I couldnt find a good example Porsche 997s or AM v8v and sell it as soon as I would find one of the 2 other options.
In Holland we have a small supply of well optioned 997.1 S coupes and an even smaller offer on AM V8V's (I believe at the moment there are a total of 9 AM V8Vs for sale online, thats convertible, coupe, 4.3 and 4.7 together!). SO I had to go to our auto-loving-neighbours --> Germany.
After viewing a Porsche 997.1 (which turned to have the milage magically lowered), I realized the V8Vs were getting very close to my budget and since a year there is a 911 craze going so the prices on porsche are very inflated.
This Saturday I went to visit a dealer just over the border near Dusseldorf and, I found my better (mechanical) half.
Onyx black, black leather interiour with white stitching, cruise control (impossible to find!), PDC back, heated seats, Big Nav, Sport wheels etc. Complete service history and a 2 yr warranty. Just had its big service 4 months ago including brakes done. 20,000 KM ago a new engine was supplied and fitted by AM as part of the warranty, at the same time it received a new clutch. So I am set for the next year with no services needed (hopefully) and 2 yr warranty I think I made the best choice I could have done.
I couldn't be more excited. Today I had my 10th lesson at my driving school, I couldnt tell anyone about the car I bought as I thought it would sound too outlandish.
Better get that license soon.
As the car needs an export license, I have to wait for 1 week until the paperwork is sorted and I have time to pick her up.
I will be trying to contribute my experiences on this forum as I have already plans to make a non-remote switch for fuse22 control ( I found a switch hidden in the armrest!), clear lights have been ordered and other fun bits as a Larini exhaust are on the purchase list.
Greetings from a newby driver and Aston Martin afficionado from Amsterdam!
Kind regards,
Brakke
P.S: I added some pics of the car. She is a bit dirty as they just had the car in and were about to detail it before I pulled the trigger!
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/Dg1sHeZc.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/hZiGlrLe" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/hZiGlrLe.jpg)
|http://thumbsnap.com/P2QE3T2b[/url]
I have been lurking on Pistonheads for a while in my quest to make my move into the world of British sports cars.
I live in Amsterdam, and about 2 months ago I started looking for my first car (I am a belated driver at 28yrs old, even worse yet I have my exam in 1 month). I have always been a race fan, having had my motorcycle license since I was 18 and since then owned around 30 different sport motorcycles including track bikes which I still race. I also own a Opel Speedster which is in the process of being supercharged by myself and my best friend, purely meant for the track.
But as the saying goes, there is a time to grow up (or perhaps that saying doesn't exist, I secretly hope so
) so I needed a car. However it needs to do 1 important thing: put a smile on my face. Plus the fact my girlfriend had to do all the driving wherever we went was slowly getting embarrassing.After a few months of ednlessly reading every single article I could get my hands on, I managed to get my list down to 3 cars:
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage coupe 4.3 (4.7 is still out of my budget)
- Porsche 997.1 S coupe
- BMW 2007 M3 coupe
The BMW was my reserve choice, meaning I would buy it if I couldnt find a good example Porsche 997s or AM v8v and sell it as soon as I would find one of the 2 other options.
In Holland we have a small supply of well optioned 997.1 S coupes and an even smaller offer on AM V8V's (I believe at the moment there are a total of 9 AM V8Vs for sale online, thats convertible, coupe, 4.3 and 4.7 together!). SO I had to go to our auto-loving-neighbours --> Germany.
After viewing a Porsche 997.1 (which turned to have the milage magically lowered), I realized the V8Vs were getting very close to my budget and since a year there is a 911 craze going so the prices on porsche are very inflated.
This Saturday I went to visit a dealer just over the border near Dusseldorf and, I found my better (mechanical) half.
Onyx black, black leather interiour with white stitching, cruise control (impossible to find!), PDC back, heated seats, Big Nav, Sport wheels etc. Complete service history and a 2 yr warranty. Just had its big service 4 months ago including brakes done. 20,000 KM ago a new engine was supplied and fitted by AM as part of the warranty, at the same time it received a new clutch. So I am set for the next year with no services needed (hopefully) and 2 yr warranty I think I made the best choice I could have done.
I couldn't be more excited. Today I had my 10th lesson at my driving school, I couldnt tell anyone about the car I bought as I thought it would sound too outlandish.
Better get that license soon.
As the car needs an export license, I have to wait for 1 week until the paperwork is sorted and I have time to pick her up.
I will be trying to contribute my experiences on this forum as I have already plans to make a non-remote switch for fuse22 control ( I found a switch hidden in the armrest!), clear lights have been ordered and other fun bits as a Larini exhaust are on the purchase list.
Greetings from a newby driver and Aston Martin afficionado from Amsterdam!
Kind regards,
Brakke
P.S: I added some pics of the car. She is a bit dirty as they just had the car in and were about to detail it before I pulled the trigger!
|http://thumbsnap.com/P2QE3T2b[/url]Edited by Brakke on Monday 27th January 15:31
AMDBSNick said:
Congratulations and good luck on you test.
Out of interest have you had an insurance quote yet
I understand why you would ask that.Out of interest have you had an insurance quote yet
I have lived in the UK myself in the past and tried to get my Kawasaki Ninja insured there on a EU drivers license....lets say the premium was so much that in 2,5 years it would have cost me the value of my bike.
The UK sometimes has gone a bit mental when it comes to insurance (I have also lived in Germany and Sweden so I feel I am able to compare country specific insurance costs across the EU a bit), so I am not surprised to your question.
In Holland it works slightly different: they mostly look at how many years you are already driving around without any accident on your name. For me thats close to 10 years. Yes, I dont have car driving experience which makes it a bit expensive.
So for the first year my GF is going to put the car on her name, I am legally allowed to drive it so no probs there.
After 1-2 year ill put it on my own name and then it will be affordable (assuming I havent crashed it by then
)Insureance-wise it would cost 2100 euro's full comp per annum like that in Holland, so not too bad I guess.
Neil1300r said:
You've not passed your test, but you've bought an Aston!
Dutch have a reputation for being a bit crazy, but you Sir have taken it to another level.
Well done
Even though my parents are both Persian, I have grown up in Holland, so I guess the Dutch idiocracy has slightly rubbed off on me as well.
One downside of not having the car and license ---> I spend way too much time online looking at tastefull upgrades and general topics of other people's cars... So bad for my daily productivity
Edit: good to see I am not the only Japanese race-bike and Aston Martin enjoyer on here
Edited by Brakke on Monday 27th January 15:21
Brakke said:
One downside of not having the car and license ---> I spend way too much time online looking at tastefull upgrades and general topics of other people's cars... So bad for my daily productivity
Ha! This isn't going to change even after you have both. PH accounts for an estimated £47B of lost productivity every year.Far Eastender said:
Welcome, I'm also in Amsterdam (Jordan).
Hi Far Eastender!Dutch-mode-on: Jordaan? Ik zit zelf in Oud-West, dichtbij Vondelpark.
Mogerlijkerwijs als jij zelf ook een Aston hebt dat je me misschien wat tips en informatie kan geven betreffende onderhoud (waar. wie etc)?
Dutch-mode-off:
Cool, didn't know Amsterdammers were a frequent visitor on Pistonheads, good to see another countryman amongst their ranks!
Maybe we can start our own splinter group
montecristo said:
Ha! This isn't going to change even after you have both. PH accounts for an estimated £47B of lost productivity every year.
Haha!Probably you are right, for now I will use it as an excuse until I get my car. Then ill find another one to come on here. As mentioned before I will be doing some small upgrades, either I succeed and I will post them here or fail, in which case I will need immediate online assistance lol. Either way, PH is my new "tomorrow": the mystical land where 99% of my productivity, motivation and achievement is stored....
George29 said:
No there's a few of us! What bikes do you have?
Really? Cool! Seems I have found a combined forum, no need to switch between websites anymore then lol!At the moment: VTR- SP1 (road bike) and a Yamaha R6 track bike (2001, so I can really trash it as the parts are cheap). Next year I might try either a new(er) R6 or go to a ZX10R or R1 track bike.
In the past I fixed bikes as a hobby, rode them for couple of months and sold them on. Paid my college more or less like this.
That gave me a chance to test and try a lot of them (no hayabusa yet though
! ), the ones I liked I priced higher so I could ride them a bit longer.Cool, hope to see you around here then!
Brakke
Brakke said:
Really? Cool! Seems I have found a combined forum, no need to switch between websites anymore then lol!
At the moment: VTR- SP1 (road bike) and a Yamaha R6 track bike (2001, so I can really trash it as the parts are cheap). Next year I might try either a new(er) R6 or go to a ZX10R or R1 track bike.
In the past I fixed bikes as a hobby, rode them for couple of months and sold them on. Paid my college more or less like this.
That gave me a chance to test and try a lot of them (no hayabusa yet though ! ), the ones I liked I priced higher so I could ride them a bit longer.
Cool, hope to see you around here then!
Brakke
Brakke,At the moment: VTR- SP1 (road bike) and a Yamaha R6 track bike (2001, so I can really trash it as the parts are cheap). Next year I might try either a new(er) R6 or go to a ZX10R or R1 track bike.
In the past I fixed bikes as a hobby, rode them for couple of months and sold them on. Paid my college more or less like this.
That gave me a chance to test and try a lot of them (no hayabusa yet though
! ), the ones I liked I priced higher so I could ride them a bit longer.Cool, hope to see you around here then!
Brakke
Beware, George is a complete and utter bell end
Brakke said:
Really? Cool! Seems I have found a combined forum, no need to switch between websites anymore then lol!
At the moment: VTR- SP1 (road bike) and a Yamaha R6 track bike (2001, so I can really trash it as the parts are cheap). Next year I might try either a new(er) R6 or go to a ZX10R or R1 track bike.
In the past I fixed bikes as a hobby, rode them for couple of months and sold them on. Paid my college more or less like this.
That gave me a chance to test and try a lot of them (no hayabusa yet though ! ), the ones I liked I priced higher so I could ride them a bit longer.
Cool, hope to see you around here then!
Brakke
I have a 2C0 R6. They're great on track (although my CBR600RR was nicer to ride). Had an R1 track bike very briefly. Bought it soon after passing my test when I was quite inexperienced, and it was too much for me at the time. At the moment: VTR- SP1 (road bike) and a Yamaha R6 track bike (2001, so I can really trash it as the parts are cheap). Next year I might try either a new(er) R6 or go to a ZX10R or R1 track bike.
In the past I fixed bikes as a hobby, rode them for couple of months and sold them on. Paid my college more or less like this.
That gave me a chance to test and try a lot of them (no hayabusa yet though
! ), the ones I liked I priced higher so I could ride them a bit longer.Cool, hope to see you around here then!
Brakke
I'm getting a ZX10-R at the end of this season to replace my R6. They're ridiculously fast, but it's quite hard to adapt to riding them because of the traction control and other electronics on them.
George29 said:
I have a 2C0 R6. They're great on track (although my CBR600RR was nicer to ride). Had an R1 track bike very briefly. Bought it soon after passing my test when I was quite inexperienced, and it was too much for me at the time.
I'm getting a ZX10-R at the end of this season to replace my R6. They're ridiculously fast, but it's quite hard to adapt to riding them because of the traction control and other electronics on them.
Wow cool.I'm getting a ZX10-R at the end of this season to replace my R6. They're ridiculously fast, but it's quite hard to adapt to riding them because of the traction control and other electronics on them.
Seems like taste wise, bikes are similar. Had a 600RR as well. Loved it eventhough I think it lacks torque (for a 600 that is).
Im trying to steer clear from electronics for now, I have a few track weekends planned with Focused Events (I believe its a big company in the UK) to go to Spain, hopefully ill get my level back up to where it was 4 years ago, then I will make the jump to 1000cc again and well see what happens from there.
For now, my bike is not on my mind. Its the Aston....
T-minus 5 days.....
Brakke said:
Wow cool.
Seems like taste wise, bikes are similar. Had a 600RR as well. Loved it eventhough I think it lacks torque (for a 600 that is).
Im trying to steer clear from electronics for now, I have a few track weekends planned with Focused Events (I believe its a big company in the UK) to go to Spain, hopefully ill get my level back up to where it was 4 years ago, then I will make the jump to 1000cc again and well see what happens from there.
For now, my bike is not on my mind. Its the Aston....
T-minus 5 days.....
Yep focused are ok at track days. I'm going with them to Almeria on 1st of March for 4 days. I usually use No Limits though, much better at organising track days. Seems like taste wise, bikes are similar. Had a 600RR as well. Loved it eventhough I think it lacks torque (for a 600 that is).
Im trying to steer clear from electronics for now, I have a few track weekends planned with Focused Events (I believe its a big company in the UK) to go to Spain, hopefully ill get my level back up to where it was 4 years ago, then I will make the jump to 1000cc again and well see what happens from there.
For now, my bike is not on my mind. Its the Aston....
T-minus 5 days.....
Do you do any track days at Assen? Would love to do one there!
Not long to go now for the Aston. Enjoy it
George29 said:
Yep focused are ok at track days. I'm going with them to Almeria on 1st of March for 4 days. I usually use No Limits though, much better at organising track days.
Do you do any track days at Assen? Would love to do one there!
Not long to go now for the Aston. Enjoy it
Lol, you have to be joking. Do you do any track days at Assen? Would love to do one there!
Not long to go now for the Aston. Enjoy it
Im in Almeria the 5th of March until the 8th, returning the 9th.
I find the communication at FE events to be poor. Actally I need to call them now to know when I have to ship my bike... Darn, more work.
Believe it or not, I havent done any track days at Assen yet! Mainly because its overpriced and a far drive.
Edited by Brakke on Monday 27th January 16:27
George29 said:
Yep focused are ok at track days. I'm going with them to Almeria on 1st of March for 4 days. I usually use No Limits though, much better at organising track days.
Do you do any track days at Assen? Would love to do one there!
Not long to go now for the Aston. Enjoy it
George this is really sweet,seeing you and your new friend getting all matey.Do you do any track days at Assen? Would love to do one there!
Not long to go now for the Aston. Enjoy it
I hope you realise that our new Dutch friend has planned to refurbish the alloys in gloss black and put loadsa carbon all over the car and put a dark tint on the windows.
P.S. You did read that he has a girlfriend already ?
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