Great service from Dick Lovett AM, Bristol
Discussion
Well, it finally happened! After years of deliberation, driving my better half mad, 10 years of very hard graft work-wise, nose buried for weeks in the essential The Definitive Guide to Gaydon-era ASTON MARTIN book, last Thursday I finally made a relative snap decision.
I had my eye on a Volcano Red V8 Vantage S which had seen advertised at HWM Walton-on-Thames AM for over 8 months. It was at the very top of my budget, but I thought it best to also view of more local "base" black V8 Vantage at Dick Lovett Bristol. I also contacted various other dealers (AM and non-AM) the preceding week, but found that HWM and Dick Lovett were the ones to give the very best online responses.
I never got as far as Walton-on-Thames. George at Dick Lovett showed me the immaculate 10k mile Onyx Black example. Two owners and obviously extremely well cared for by both. It could have done only 2k miles and I'd have believed the odometer. The yellow highlighting (callipers and stitching) helped to lift things. Even the relatively meagre options tick list which avoided premium audio, cruise, reversing camera and sports suspension didn't really put me off.
George and his colleagues at Bristol were all fantastic. Genuine, real car people and not pushy in the slightest. The Bristol showroom and servicing floor (which I was also given a tour of) was immaculate, bang up-to-date and a glittering display of wonderful AM examples old, new, mainstream and rare.
A deal was quickly struck. I didn't haggle hard just asking for an additional year AM warranty and battery conditioner.
As at that point I was still wittering on about ideally wanting sports suspension (because that's what my 10 years of Evo magazine subscription said I should have...), I did also ask about a sports exhaust upgrade. They suggested fitting a V12V back box for £1,700 inclusive. Could be expensive - I don't know - but I'd be more interested to learn how this affects the noise of the V8. Thoughts below, please.
With the deal done, the following day I sorted out insurance. Incredibly it was only £500 - which is possibly the only benefit of having peaked recently at just past the big 4-0.
When sending the insurance confirmation to George, I also asked if I could be collected with my wife from the rail station upon collecting and if he could place a bouquet of flowers in the car I'd sort. He said we'd be collected without hesitation and for me to not worry about the flowers and that he'd sort it all out.
So this morning was the realisation of years of dreaming. To say that being collected from a commuter station in brand new V12 Rapide S was special is something of an understatement!
Upon arrival, the car was still having the final prep whilst we did the paperwork. My wife and I were made to feel extremely welcome and special at every point.
Then the reveal came. Our car was placed pride of place in the showroom handover area, draped in a black sheet. When whisked back it revealed a car detailed within an inch of its life (I had opted for the ceramic coating to help maintain the polish and harden the paint surface a little). In the passenger seat was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which made my wife very happy.
Having been given an overview of all controls, I asked about the absence of tyre repair kit. Without hesitation a brand new set was produced and given. An issue with the valet key was resolved in double-quick time thanks to a brand new key.
All that was left was a drive home over some fantastic known twisty tarmac.
Initial impressions? Deeply, deeply impressed. I know it's the peak of the honeymoon with this car, but positives include:
But a huge thanks to George and his colleagues at Dick Lovett. Buying what is, in reality, a toy like this is more than just paying for a lump of metal. It's about the experience. That experience has been lavishly laid out. Good work!
I had my eye on a Volcano Red V8 Vantage S which had seen advertised at HWM Walton-on-Thames AM for over 8 months. It was at the very top of my budget, but I thought it best to also view of more local "base" black V8 Vantage at Dick Lovett Bristol. I also contacted various other dealers (AM and non-AM) the preceding week, but found that HWM and Dick Lovett were the ones to give the very best online responses.
I never got as far as Walton-on-Thames. George at Dick Lovett showed me the immaculate 10k mile Onyx Black example. Two owners and obviously extremely well cared for by both. It could have done only 2k miles and I'd have believed the odometer. The yellow highlighting (callipers and stitching) helped to lift things. Even the relatively meagre options tick list which avoided premium audio, cruise, reversing camera and sports suspension didn't really put me off.
George and his colleagues at Bristol were all fantastic. Genuine, real car people and not pushy in the slightest. The Bristol showroom and servicing floor (which I was also given a tour of) was immaculate, bang up-to-date and a glittering display of wonderful AM examples old, new, mainstream and rare.
A deal was quickly struck. I didn't haggle hard just asking for an additional year AM warranty and battery conditioner.
As at that point I was still wittering on about ideally wanting sports suspension (because that's what my 10 years of Evo magazine subscription said I should have...), I did also ask about a sports exhaust upgrade. They suggested fitting a V12V back box for £1,700 inclusive. Could be expensive - I don't know - but I'd be more interested to learn how this affects the noise of the V8. Thoughts below, please.
With the deal done, the following day I sorted out insurance. Incredibly it was only £500 - which is possibly the only benefit of having peaked recently at just past the big 4-0.
When sending the insurance confirmation to George, I also asked if I could be collected with my wife from the rail station upon collecting and if he could place a bouquet of flowers in the car I'd sort. He said we'd be collected without hesitation and for me to not worry about the flowers and that he'd sort it all out.
So this morning was the realisation of years of dreaming. To say that being collected from a commuter station in brand new V12 Rapide S was special is something of an understatement!
Upon arrival, the car was still having the final prep whilst we did the paperwork. My wife and I were made to feel extremely welcome and special at every point.
Then the reveal came. Our car was placed pride of place in the showroom handover area, draped in a black sheet. When whisked back it revealed a car detailed within an inch of its life (I had opted for the ceramic coating to help maintain the polish and harden the paint surface a little). In the passenger seat was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which made my wife very happy.
Having been given an overview of all controls, I asked about the absence of tyre repair kit. Without hesitation a brand new set was produced and given. An issue with the valet key was resolved in double-quick time thanks to a brand new key.
All that was left was a drive home over some fantastic known twisty tarmac.
Initial impressions? Deeply, deeply impressed. I know it's the peak of the honeymoon with this car, but positives include:
- Colour; so glad I went for black as it looks immensely classy
- The driving position is spot-on
- The steering feel is the best of any car I've owned (not an exhaustive Evo list admittedly)
- Brakes are more than up to the job
- It's a surprisingly comfortable ride without any downsides; I'm now glad I didn't get sports suspension especially as I live in the war-damaged-effect-road countryside
- Wind and tyre noise at motorway cruising speed is beyond admirable
- The base 150W HiFi is fine and connects to the iPhone instantly
- The sat-nav is actually useful (but it is the later Garmin option rather than the earlier Volvo-sourced one)
- Did I mention the engine yet? Oh my! Oooooooh my! The exhaust note. Wow!
But a huge thanks to George and his colleagues at Dick Lovett. Buying what is, in reality, a toy like this is more than just paying for a lump of metal. It's about the experience. That experience has been lavishly laid out. Good work!
Edited by nickv8 on Wednesday 24th May 08:17
Thanks Graze, alscar, leerandle, Sean and cayman-black! 
Grant, over on this thread asked for some more photos, so I've dug up the advert shots from Dick Lovett…
Must admit I prefer these one-colour alloys without any black paint, gloss highlights, etc. But that's naturally a personal preference. I was originally looking for an example with the 10 spoke alloys, but I'm changing my mind now. The yellow callipers offset things beautifully.
The car can't be doing too bad. It was a surprise for my young son who likes seeing Ferraris on TopGear and Land Rover Defenders around the town, but was never fussed about AM's. So last night I took him for a drive and in the evening he was starting to make V8 noises LOL!
This morning he changed his mind that the best car on the drive is no longer the Twingo RS (I still love too) but it may now be the V8V. Hmmmm… have I just created a young man with very expensive but spot-on future tastes?
Grant, over on this thread asked for some more photos, so I've dug up the advert shots from Dick Lovett…
Must admit I prefer these one-colour alloys without any black paint, gloss highlights, etc. But that's naturally a personal preference. I was originally looking for an example with the 10 spoke alloys, but I'm changing my mind now. The yellow callipers offset things beautifully.
The car can't be doing too bad. It was a surprise for my young son who likes seeing Ferraris on TopGear and Land Rover Defenders around the town, but was never fussed about AM's. So last night I took him for a drive and in the evening he was starting to make V8 noises LOL!
This morning he changed his mind that the best car on the drive is no longer the Twingo RS (I still love too) but it may now be the V8V. Hmmmm… have I just created a young man with very expensive but spot-on future tastes?
Great write up and congratulations.
As some of you know I am the AMOC Area Rep for Devon and Cornwall and when AML closed the Aston dealership in Exeter I had the chance to meet Dick Lovett's MD who told me what they had planned for Bristol and how he hoped they would win over Exeter customers. He came over as a real car person very focused on customer service and they have put together a great team.
I have to say how they have dealt with looking after my cars just confirm what a good set up they are creating in Bristol. Great to see stories like we are seeing about them which confirm my thoughts.
As some of you know I am the AMOC Area Rep for Devon and Cornwall and when AML closed the Aston dealership in Exeter I had the chance to meet Dick Lovett's MD who told me what they had planned for Bristol and how he hoped they would win over Exeter customers. He came over as a real car person very focused on customer service and they have put together a great team.
I have to say how they have dealt with looking after my cars just confirm what a good set up they are creating in Bristol. Great to see stories like we are seeing about them which confirm my thoughts.
Very happy for you Nick - love the enthusiasm on your achievement I'm still the same 3yrs later
What were they selling re the paint treatment? Have a couple of my cars coated in CQuartz and I really like it - the dozens of hours it has saved me viz waxing! Also lovely touches by the dealer; Rybrook did something quite personal and similar for us and I still think about it and smile 3 years later. It all counts.
ENJOY!
I'm still the same 3yrs later What were they selling re the paint treatment? Have a couple of my cars coated in CQuartz and I really like it - the dozens of hours it has saved me viz waxing! Also lovely touches by the dealer; Rybrook did something quite personal and similar for us and I still think about it and smile 3 years later. It all counts.
ENJOY!
Thanks hashluck, Ian, avinalarf and Ken!
Ian - glad you experience mirrors what we received. I didn’t write originally my experience with AM Cardiff which was also a Stratstone branch superseded by the new Bristol facility. Suffice it to say that my first go at buying a V8V wasn’t a great success.
Having said that, I have had an excellent previous experience with AM Cheltenham. About four years ago when I first toyed with the idea of buying the cheapest possible sub-30k mile 4.3 V8V from a dealer at the time, the Cheltenham branch was wonderful. Their kindness towards my then very young son remains with me and actually had me rooting for a purchase at Cheltenham before I set foot in Dick Lovett’s showroom. Sadly they just didn’t have the car I was really after in recent months.
I always think that savvy marques of this ilk need to invest many years in the future by enticing the young ones who will grow up with favourable memories.
I also joined the AMOC with family membership. I know what’s been written about AMOC’s forum, but this Pistonheads one seems nicely active it doesn’t concern me. What I would like to do is to join an AMOC meet in the near future. The pack came through today, so the window sticker is already on the screen!
The product was GTechniq. I think it was applied by a contractor. It cost £700 inc. VAT and came with a comprehensive care kit. I recall it was originally offered at £1,000 but they reduced it without me even starting to question that. It may well be on the high-end price-wise, but I’m aware that as with many modern water-based paints, every bit of help is welcome to stop the marks appearing. I’ll see over time if it’s a success as they claim that it won’t need a polish for 6 year (which would be mightily ambitious, IMHO). But as it ensured an amazing finish when I collected the car yesterday, I already feel it was money well spent.
Finally - following another evening blast with my son (have supermarket trips ever been so trivial and non-direct? ), three things about the 2014MY V8V are becoming very apparent;
Ian - glad you experience mirrors what we received. I didn’t write originally my experience with AM Cardiff which was also a Stratstone branch superseded by the new Bristol facility. Suffice it to say that my first go at buying a V8V wasn’t a great success.
Having said that, I have had an excellent previous experience with AM Cheltenham. About four years ago when I first toyed with the idea of buying the cheapest possible sub-30k mile 4.3 V8V from a dealer at the time, the Cheltenham branch was wonderful. Their kindness towards my then very young son remains with me and actually had me rooting for a purchase at Cheltenham before I set foot in Dick Lovett’s showroom. Sadly they just didn’t have the car I was really after in recent months.
I always think that savvy marques of this ilk need to invest many years in the future by enticing the young ones who will grow up with favourable memories.
I also joined the AMOC with family membership. I know what’s been written about AMOC’s forum, but this Pistonheads one seems nicely active it doesn’t concern me. What I would like to do is to join an AMOC meet in the near future. The pack came through today, so the window sticker is already on the screen!
Ken Figenus said:
Very happy for you Nick - love the enthusiasm on your achievement I'm still the same 3yrs later
What were they selling re the paint treatment? Have a couple of my cars coated in CQuartz and I really like it - the dozens of hours it has saved me viz waxing! Also lovely touches by the dealer; Rybrook did something quite personal and similar for us and I still think about it and smile 3 years later. It all counts.
ENJOY!
Thank you Ken! That sentiment really fills me with hope! I'm still the same 3yrs later What were they selling re the paint treatment? Have a couple of my cars coated in CQuartz and I really like it - the dozens of hours it has saved me viz waxing! Also lovely touches by the dealer; Rybrook did something quite personal and similar for us and I still think about it and smile 3 years later. It all counts.
ENJOY!
The product was GTechniq. I think it was applied by a contractor. It cost £700 inc. VAT and came with a comprehensive care kit. I recall it was originally offered at £1,000 but they reduced it without me even starting to question that. It may well be on the high-end price-wise, but I’m aware that as with many modern water-based paints, every bit of help is welcome to stop the marks appearing. I’ll see over time if it’s a success as they claim that it won’t need a polish for 6 year (which would be mightily ambitious, IMHO). But as it ensured an amazing finish when I collected the car yesterday, I already feel it was money well spent.
Finally - following another evening blast with my son (have supermarket trips ever been so trivial and non-direct?
), three things about the 2014MY V8V are becoming very apparent;- The ride is amazing considering the type of car, width of tyres, cornering ability, etc.
- The brakes have had their first planned trial from only 40mph. Put it this way, I had to back off promtly as my son’s back quickly departed the seat’s backrest!
- The best bit is that it’s one of those cars that feels like it’s going faster than it actually it. Probably down to the amazing soundtrack, this could be a real saviour for my sanity and license. Curiously similar to the Twingo RS, you simply don’t have to be a moron on the road to revel in the car. Perfect!
Nick, your comment "I also joined the AMOC with family membership. I know what’s been written about AMOC’s forum, but this Pistonheads one seems nicely active it doesn’t concern me. What I would like to do is to join an AMOC meet in the near future. The pack came through today, so the window sticker is already on the screen!"
The Club is more than just the forum. The South West (Areas 4 & 20) are active and have lots of events going on through the year. I presume you are in the Bristol area but if you ever fancy a trip down to join us down in Devon and Cornwall you would be most welcome.
The Club is more than just the forum. The South West (Areas 4 & 20) are active and have lots of events going on through the year. I presume you are in the Bristol area but if you ever fancy a trip down to join us down in Devon and Cornwall you would be most welcome.
IanV12VR said:
The Club is more than just the forum. The South West (Areas 4 & 20) are active and have lots of events going on through the year. I presume you are in the Bristol area but if you ever fancy a trip down to join us down in Devon and Cornwall you would be most welcome.
Fully agree, Ian. We have been active members of a couple of car clubs over the years and founded another. Each person is in a club for a different reason, but for AMOC, I'm personally looking for attending fun gatherings - and look forward to it! A trip down to Devon and Cornwall is never a bad thing, so hopefully one day we'll get a chance to meet.
nickv8 said:
The product was GTechniq. I think it was applied by a contractor. It cost £700 inc. VAT and came with a comprehensive care kit. I recall it was originally offered at £1,000 but they reduced it without me even starting to question that. It may well be on the high-end price-wise, but I’m aware that as with many modern water-based paints, every bit of help is welcome to stop the marks appearing. I’ll see over time if it’s a success as they claim that it won’t need a polish for 6 year (which would be mightily ambitious, IMHO). But as it ensured an amazing finish when I collected the car yesterday, I already feel it was money well spent.
Its an excellent product and no snake oil! Price is not too bad if that was a full paint correction detail (getting rid of all the swirl marks from std washing over the years etc). You do know you have to up your game in the washing stakes now plus buy her expensive beauty cosmetics and high end bathroom products 
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff