V12V / V12VS - Essential Options

V12V / V12VS - Essential Options

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V8V Pete

2,497 posts

126 months

Friday 21st July 2017
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cayman-black said:
V8V Pete said:
Shame you missed this (Madagaskar, Lightweights, B&O, carbon everything) but it's still out there somewhere ......

Pete its a shame YOU did not snap this one up as i know you still love it!
Must agree its a stunner. To think it was for sale 1st time round for over a year, hard to believe.
I was a fool. I should have just done it. Always remember, it's easier to beg for forgiveness than be granted permission biggrin

cayman-black

12,641 posts

216 months

Friday 21st July 2017
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biggrin

waremark

3,242 posts

213 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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chesby said:
I agree with Adam. The lightweight seats are far better than the sports seats......

The sports seats maybe more attractive to the casual buyer who is not a driving enthusiast
How can you say better when opinions are so sharply divided? I am certainly a driving enthusiast and would not consider a car with buckets, be it Aston, Porsche or McLaren.

Seats and gearbox are so fundamental that you have to try and decide for yourself.

Having a 2012 car, I wish it had the newer toys such as auto lights and wipers, reversing camera, and Android Auto. I am not an audiophile but I find the Tune 2 Air Bluetooth works fine. On the other hand the radio reception is lousy. I think no Astons have adequate radio reception until DB11.

jonby

5,357 posts

157 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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waremark said:
How can you say better when opinions are so sharply divided? I am certainly a driving enthusiast and would not consider a car with buckets, be it Aston, Porsche or McLaren.

Obviously I have no idea how much seat time you've had in Aston lightweights so this may well not apply to you, but on numerous occasions I've had owners of Porsches with buckets get in my car and after a short while, comment how comfy the seats are contrary to their expectations - more hip room, more general comfort, easier to get in & out of, surprising support, etc - the Aston lightweights really are a superb design - will be interesting to see what equivalent might be available going forward into the various new models. Whether you have tried the Aston ones or not, I simply don't get the statement 'I won't consider a car with buckets'......not all buckets are alike

As for sharply divided, most opinions on here in favour of sports seats tend to be either because they have a soft top and want to heat the seats, or because they are in the U.S. (where they can't get the seats anyway) and want the extra airbags unavailable with lightweights, or because they have a problem with a combination of manual box, lightweights and in some instances, central console. Very rare to read on here that someone actually finds the seats themselves uncomfortable

Edited by jonby on Saturday 22 July 15:17

AdamV12V

5,012 posts

177 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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jonby said:
Obviously I have no idea how much seat time you've had in Aston lightweights so this may well not apply to you, but on numerous occasions I've had owners of Porsches with buckets get in my car and after a short while, comment how comfy the seats are contrary to their expectations - more hip room, more general comfort, easier to get in & out of, surprising support, etc - the Aston lightweights really are a superb design - will be interesting to see what equivalent might be available going forward into the various new models. Whether you have tried the Aston ones or not, I simply don't get the statement 'I won't consider a car with buckets'......not all buckets are alike

As for sharply divided, most opinions on here in favour of sports seats tend to be either because they have a soft top and want to heat the seats, or because they are in the U.S. (where they can't get the seats anyway) and want the extra airbags unavailable with lightweights, or because they have a problem with a combination of manual box, lightweights and in some instances, central console. Very rare to read on here that someone actually finds the seats themselves uncomfortable

Edited by jonby on Saturday 22 July 15:17
Totally agree - the lightweight seats are not only comfy but remarkably east to get in and out of compared to many. I had a GT4 with the 991 lightweight buckets and they were a royal PITA to get in and out of and I could see why they would put people off, but no such issues with the Aston buckets. You really would have to either be very elderly or have severely limited movement to find them a problem.

What makes the issue even more clearly one sided in my opinion is that the std Sports Seats are actually quite poor for a car at this level. I feel they offer below std levels of comfort and adjustability not only at the price point, but quite frankly at any level. I honestly think they are some of the least comfy and supportive seats I have owned in any car I have had.

chesby

476 posts

224 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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waremark said:
chesby said:
I agree with Adam. The lightweight seats are far better than the sports seats......

The sports seats maybe more attractive to the casual buyer who is not a driving enthusiast
How can you say better when opinions are so sharply divided? I am certainly a driving enthusiast and would not consider a car with buckets, be it Aston, Porsche or McLaren.

Seats and gearbox are so fundamental that you have to try and decide for yourself.

Having a 2012 car, I wish it had the newer toys such as auto lights and wipers, reversing camera, and Android Auto. I am not an audiophile but I find the Tune 2 Air Bluetooth works fine. On the other hand the radio reception is lousy. I think no Astons have adequate radio reception until DB11.
You are quite right opinions are sharply divided. The reason I believe I can give my opinion about the lightweights being better than the sports seats is because I have owned both types of seats in the Astons I have owned. As I said in an earlier post my missus and I are different shapes and sizes (thank god) and we both agree the lightweights are better. Friends of mine who have also ridden and have expressed an opinion prefer the lightweights...........

Apologies if my opinion offends you, but it is just my opinion.

peteA

2,681 posts

234 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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Does most of this thread not suggest that there are few essentials and mostly personal preferences?

They are all amazing cars...just enjoy!

chesby

476 posts

224 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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peteA said:
Does most of this thread not suggest that there are few essentials and mostly personal preferences?

They are all amazing cars...just enjoy!
I suppose if we want to be pedantic we could argue that the term "Essential Options" is an oxymoron.

waremark

3,242 posts

213 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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chesby said:
Apologies if my opinion offends you, but it is just my opinion.
Your opinion does not offend me in the slightest. What i disagreed with was that you expressed your opinion as though it is the only valid opinion. As you know my opinion is different. Neither is wrong.

Interestingly, I do not regard the V12 as a hot rod: I love its elegance inside and out. I consider the look of the sports seats to better match the elegant appearance, I want an adjustable backrest angle and seat heating, I find the sports seats comfortable and they provide me with adequate support even on track. I suppose that if I was buying a GT8 which is aesthetically lairy I might go for buckets (I agree they are quite comfortable ).

chesby

476 posts

224 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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waremark said:
Your opinion does not offend me in the slightest. What i disagreed with was that you expressed your opinion as though it is the only valid opinion. As you know my opinion is different. Neither is wrong.
On an earlier post, on the first page of this thread, in fact I wrote:

"It's funny most of us V12 Vantage owners consider the Lightweight seats to be essential but the Vantage magazine buying guide reckons they make the car harder to sell and I was told by one of Aston Martin's drivers that at least one of the Dealer Principals refuses to order demonstrators or stock cars with them.

I personally love them and both my missus (a 5' 8" size 12) and myself (a 5' 11" fat b*****d) find them more comfortable than the sports seats."

As you can see I actually gave examples of people with different opinions and why. Please note in the first sentence I also used the word "most" when describing V12(S) owners, and in the second paragraph use the word "personally" when describing my experience of the lightweight seats. That post is not the words of a writer who does not accept the thoughts of others.

If you had read the whole thread carefully and bothered to check if I had written any earlier posts you would have comprehended that far from thinking mine was the only valid opinion, I, in fact accepted differing views.

But perhaps the opportunity to be sanctimonious got the better of you?

Flugplatz

1,952 posts

245 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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Seat wars biggrin

Ex Boy Racer

1,151 posts

192 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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I kind of get what he's saying.
It's brilliant that you guys prefer your racing car seats, but let us guys who prefer the normal ones have our opinion too without telling us we're wrong! I wouldn't touch the buckets with yours, personally, but that's ok.

cayman-black

12,641 posts

216 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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Ok the most essential option you can get is to get one of the original V12Vs with the six speed manual box, there done!

AdamV12V

5,012 posts

177 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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I think the point is that most people who say they prefer chairs have bought a car with them and are happy, and perhaps have either just sat in the buckets for a few mins in a showroom or had a short test drive in them.

I believe many of the people who have bought a car with buckets have owned a car with chairs before and therefore have significant experience of both and clearly state they would not go back to chairs.

Is there anybody who previously owned a car with buckets and now has now bought a car with chairs specifically because they believe they are better than buckets? confused

Flugplatz

1,952 posts

245 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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Chair wars biggrin

V8V Pete

2,497 posts

126 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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AdamV12V said:
I think the point is that most people who say they prefer chairs have bought a car with them and are happy, and perhaps have either just sat in the buckets for a few mins in a showroom or had a short test drive in them.

I believe many of the people who have bought a car with buckets have owned a car with chairs before and therefore have significant experience of both and clearly state they would not go back to chairs.

Is there anybody who previously owned a car with buckets and now has now bought a car with chairs specifically because they believe they are better than buckets? confused
I was going to post along these lines Adam but didn't want to stoke the fire too much because we all love each other really - well nearly all anyway biggrin

Like you I've owned both and there is no way I would go back to chairs BUT I am young(ish), slim and sporty ........

jonby

5,357 posts

157 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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V8V Pete said:
AdamV12V said:
I think the point is that most people who say they prefer chairs have bought a car with them and are happy, and perhaps have either just sat in the buckets for a few mins in a showroom or had a short test drive in them.

I believe many of the people who have bought a car with buckets have owned a car with chairs before and therefore have significant experience of both and clearly state they would not go back to chairs.

Is there anybody who previously owned a car with buckets and now has now bought a car with chairs specifically because they believe they are better than buckets? confused
I was going to post along these lines Adam but didn't want to stoke the fire too much because we all love each other really - well nearly all anyway biggrin

Like you I've owned both and there is no way I would go back to chairs BUT I am young(ish), slim and sporty ........
I'm definitely neither slim nor sporty although I'm unsure whether 46 is young(ish).......mutliple road trips doing up to 600 miles/10 hours seat time per day, always come out fresh as a daisy

waremark

3,242 posts

213 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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chesby said:
On an earlier post, on the first page of this thread, in fact I wrote:

........

If you had read the whole thread carefully and bothered to check if I had written any earlier posts you would have comprehended that far from thinking mine was the only valid opinion, I, in fact accepted differing views.

But perhaps the opportunity to be sanctimonious got the better of you?
Have read whole thread, liked that first post which I found informative, did not register who posted what.

RobDown

3,803 posts

128 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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So the conclusion to this whole thread is that there are no essential options but that the OP should definitely spend some time in both LW and Sports seats to see which he prefers?

V8V Pete

2,497 posts

126 months

Sunday 23rd July 2017
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So diplomatic Rob, what is it you do for a job?

46 is definitely youngish Jonby smile