So what have you done with your Aston today? (Vol. 2)

[anonymous-user]

WalterWhite915 said:

soofsayer said:

Congratulations on your vanq s purchase. Was that the one at McGurks?

The db11/dbss back seats are designed to sit a little lower than the vh2 platform seats, with a little more leg room as well. AM deliberately lowered the rear seats to help deal with the space issue in the back on the previous gen cars.

Thanks! It was the same car I believe, via AM Bristol.

Please excuse my ignorance but how does a car at McGurks end up being sold to you via Bristol? Did Bristol buy it from McGurks?

[WalterWhite915]

soofsayer said:

Please excuse my ignorance but how does a car at McGurks end up being sold to you via Bristol? Did Bristol buy it from McGurks?

I assume so yes, as it certainly was the same car based on spec/mileage. However I didn't ask the specifics about that relationship.

[AdamV12V]

WalterWhite915 said:

soofsayer said:

Please excuse my ignorance but how does a car at McGurks end up being sold to you via Bristol? Did Bristol buy it from McGurks?

I assume so yes, as it certainly was the same car based on spec/mileage. However I didn't ask the specifics about that relationship.

Maybe it was a customer car on sale or return. Cars can often move from one dealer to another on SOR as the seller gets impatient and wants to try a new place to sell.

[anonymous-user]

AdamV12V said:

WalterWhite915 said:

soofsayer said:

Please excuse my ignorance but how does a car at McGurks end up being sold to you via Bristol? Did Bristol buy it from McGurks?

I assume so yes, as it certainly was the same car based on spec/mileage. However I didn't ask the specifics about that relationship.

Maybe it was a customer car on sale or return. Cars can often move from one dealer to another on SOR as the seller gets impatient and wants to try a new place to sell.

Makes sense.

[Tony_L]

What did I do with my Aston today? Simple. I bought it!..(It was actually yesterday, but I only registered here this evening) Like many others I imagine, it's been a long-held dream that I was finally able to realise, so I am now the proud owner of a 2005 DB9. The AM Specialist I bought it from, not sure if I'm allowed to mention their name, is putting it through a full service tomorrow so all being well I'll be arranging it's pick-up on Wednesday for the 140-odd mile trip up here to the North East to it's new home.

If anyone else here is in my neck of the woods then please drop me a PM as I'd love to contact other owners to talk about the fun (or not) of ownership and generally get to know people in this rather exclusive club:-)

[Rappa]

Tony_L said:

What did I do with my Aston today? Simple. I bought it!..(It was actually yesterday, but I only registered here this evening) Like many others I imagine, it's been a long-held dream that I was finally able to realise, so I am now the proud owner of a 2005 DB9. The AM Specialist I bought it from, not sure if I'm allowed to mention their name, is putting it through a full service tomorrow so all being well I'll be arranging it's pick-up on Wednesday for the 140-odd mile trip up here to the North East to it's new home.

If anyone else here is in my neck of the woods then please drop me a PM as I'd love to contact other owners to talk about the fun (or not) of ownership and generally get to know people in this rather exclusive club:-)

Well done Tony, photo when you have it. Otherwise it didn’t happen. Lol

[anonymous-user]

After some careful consideration over the last week or so, yesterday I agreed the sale of my DB11. Before the pitch forks are sharpened and it's used as another example of AML failing - no, that isn't the case. Of the 3 Aston's I've owned, it's been the most fun, most rewarding and easiest to live with. I'd recommend DB11 ownership to anybody who'd listen, but of course, this little patch of the internet remains largely allergic to 99% of the products brought to market under AP's tenure...

I haven't defected to another brand - there's nothing out there for me, and Aston Martin will probably remain quite dear to me.

My reason for leaving the fold; at this moment in time, early DB11's have been gaining value - it wont last forever, in fact it appears the peak might have already past (and I suspect they'll come back down with a bump in a matter of months). I had a good offer that leaves me with some equity, and as I'm looking to downsize the toy box and hopefully buy a property (renting all my adult life has grown tiresome), it made sense to move on.

Farewell comrades

[AdamV12V]

NFC 85 Vette said:

After some careful consideration over the last week or so, yesterday I agreed the sale of my DB11. Before the pitch forks are sharpened and it's used as another example of AML failing - no, that isn't the case. Of the 3 Aston's I've owned, it's been the most fun, most rewarding and easiest to live with. I'd recommend DB11 ownership to anybody who'd listen, but of course, this little patch of the internet remains largely allergic to 99% of the products brought to market under AP's tenure...

I haven't defected to another brand - there's nothing out there for me, and Aston Martin will probably remain quite dear to me.

My reason for leaving the fold; at this moment in time, early DB11's have been gaining value - it wont last forever, in fact it appears the peak might have already past (and I suspect they'll come back down with a bump in a matter of months). I had a good offer that leaves me with some equity, and as I'm looking to downsize the toy box and hopefully buy a property (renting all my adult life has grown tiresome), it made sense to move on.

Farewell comrades

Oh, wow, thats a surprise! That said I think you are right in that prices are most likely at a peak and once normal behaviour patterns resume post lockdown, pricing on supercars in general will re-adjust downwards again, so your timing may well prove to be good!

Anyway I do hope you will stick around to still post here Jon, would hate to see you go just because you dont currently own one.

[Minglar]

AdamV12V said:

NFC 85 Vette said:

After some careful consideration over the last week or so, yesterday I agreed the sale of my DB11. Before the pitch forks are sharpened and it's used as another example of AML failing - no, that isn't the case. Of the 3 Aston's I've owned, it's been the most fun, most rewarding and easiest to live with. I'd recommend DB11 ownership to anybody who'd listen, but of course, this little patch of the internet remains largely allergic to 99% of the products brought to market under AP's tenure...

I haven't defected to another brand - there's nothing out there for me, and Aston Martin will probably remain quite dear to me.

My reason for leaving the fold; at this moment in time, early DB11's have been gaining value - it wont last forever, in fact it appears the peak might have already past (and I suspect they'll come back down with a bump in a matter of months). I had a good offer that leaves me with some equity, and as I'm looking to downsize the toy box and hopefully buy a property (renting all my adult life has grown tiresome), it made sense to move on.

Farewell comrades

Oh, wow, thats a surprise! That said I think you are right in that prices are most likely at a peak and once normal behaviour patterns resume post lockdown, pricing on supercars in general will re-adjust downwards again, so your timing may well prove to be good!

Anyway I do hope you will stick around to still post here Jon, would hate to see you go just because you dont currently own one.

Well said Adam. I totally agree. NFC, well done on the sale. Very good timing. I have always liked reading your posts and it would be a real shame if you no longer contribute on here.

Best Regards

Minglar

[Jon39]

NFC 85 Vette said:

After some careful consideration over the last week or so, yesterday I agreed the sale of my DB11. ....

..... Farewell comrades

Sorry you are leaving Jon.
Your main reason makes perfect sense though. Although much later on for you, retirement with a mortgage already paid off, is preferable to having to pay rent every month, which presumably would steadily increase.

We have so enjoyed your comprehensive posts and hope you will keep in touch. Quite how you know so much about 'behind the scenes' at AML, I don't know, but it certainly makes reading extremely interesting. Have you read SSO's recent report on his website? He has certainly become more bearish since his edition about 6 months ago. One of his concerns is about the CEO's future plans and describes the family living in Germany with the CEO commuting to the UK.

What did you make of the Lotus Emira instant success? Sounds just like AML in 2003/2004, when main dealers had to limit their order taking and were even tuning away eager buyers. Good luck to Lotus after struggling for many years.

Edited by Jon39 on Tuesday 13th July 19:34

[anonymous-user]

Jon39 said:

Sorry you are leaving Jon.
Your main reason makes perfect sense though. Although much later on for you, retirement with a mortgage already paid off, is preferable to having to pay rent every month, which presumably would steadily increase.

We have so enjoyed your comprehensive posts and hope you will keep in touch. Quite how you know so much about 'behind the scenes' at AML, I don't know, but it certainly makes reading extremely interesting. Have you read SSO's recent report on his website? He has certainly become more bearish since his edition about 6 months ago. One of his concerns is about the CEO's future plans and describes the family living in Germany with the CEO commuting to the UK.

What did you make of the Lotus Emira instant success? Sounds just like AML in 2003/2004, when main dealers had to limit their order taking and were even tuning away eager buyers. Good luck to Lotus after struggling for many years.

I don't see why Tobias' living arrangements are of consequence to anybody outside his household. It's no secret that a CEO's role, particularly one in a company with its back to the wall, is a tough gig and you're either travelling a lot, or being based in a different country much of the time. I know a CEO of another firm who lives in Sweden but during lockdown found himself stuck in a London hotel for nearly 9 months. The last 18 months haven't been easy for anybody that doesn't sell PPE or hand sanitiser I expect.

The little I hear from Gaydon (which is still a bit of a ghost town) is that the production line reduction has been a success, they're building less cars, but they're getting them down the line quicker, with better quality and less hold ups. Some just want to watch Aston fail again, which is a pity, but that's nothing new. There will always be individuals who gleefully look at quarterly reports, or technical issues at Goodwood FOS as being representative of the firm's overall position.

The current lead time for a UK DBX order, as it turns out is about 4 months. The trouble dealers have had briefly was that if their demo cars are sold, ordering a stock car (static or dynamic demo) is less of a priority to the factory than fulfilling customer orders, so there's occasionally an instance where a customer who's interested in the car, cant actually view one at a dealer.

One encouraging thing, was that Vantage F1 Edition's been a big success, dealers appear to have been taken lots of orders (note, by lots, I don't mean 7300 per year) - be it due to the road test reviews, or simply the F1 exposure, it's a car that hit the spot. As noted recently, the new configurator is live, and to make dealers lives easier, they now have an offline one that prices up a car as it goes. Previously, you had a list of codes that you had to manually sift through to calculate a price, or spend all weekend building a spreadsheet to do it for you.

Something quietly pushed out without much fuss. The DB11 AMR has been discontinued. The car remains, simply badged as a V12. It's had a price reduction also; I suspect the reason being it was priced to close to the DBSS. Of the current bunch, it's still the sweet spot IMO.

Tobias has been described as being a bit like Dr. Bez - he can make brave, bold decisions that those around him think are the act of a lunatic, but when you take a few steps back, you realise how clever he's been to cut the excess, trim down the business so the foundation is sound, and start focusing on what really matters, while making the most of the current cars before the refreshed range appears.

The Emira is an interesting car; on first inspection, it looked like Lotus, McLaren and Maserati had all been copying each others homework. The price point they've achieved is good, and perhaps bizarrely, nobody minds it having an AMG derived engine and a navigation screen stuck to the centre console. I'm not sure that the more powerful 4-pot engine will outsell the Toyota Camry sourced V6, it makes an intoxicating noise and is quick enough for most.

The advantage Lotus has is they have a benevolent parent company in Geely. Of course we've been told that Aston Martin would die a horrible, painful death if Mercedes or someone else took a controlling stake. Geely have been a wonderful success story for Volvo and Lotus. They provide the money, but they let the car maker decide how to spend it.

My view on where Aston is; the pieces are in place and the foundation has been laid for a promising future. There were some missteps under Palmer, and that's being rectified currently. If the existing, vocally opposed clientele will afford Moers and his team around 18 months to do the necessary, the final internal combustion engine cars may be ones you want to buy, and never let go of. IMO, the personal attacks on members of Aston staff really needs to stop though; it doesn't paint AML's 'loyal following' in a good light at all.

I'm not sure that now I'm out of the fold, I can add much value to the forum, but I might lurk from time to time. The observant may have spotted my Corvette build thread has gone - my choice, and nothing malicious, just a requirement to keep it under wraps at the moment.

[oilit]

Thanks Vette for all your balanced contributions! Hope the ‘build’ continues in the direction you wish.

I too have discretely put 2-3 of the toys in the cupboard up for sale and whilst no deals have been done I understand fully the rational!

[Peter McKean]

I think the Lotus Emira looks stunning from every angle. I was always a big fan of Lotus and had an S1 Elise for a few years, back in the day. They've struggled through lack of budget over the last few decades, but the Emira is a massive generational step forward in looks and quality, though it's essentially a heavily reworked Evora (nothing wrong with that) with a bit more maturity (and a bit of extra weight to go with it).

Interesting how a car which gets the pricing and packaging right can almost instantly reverse the fortunes of an auto maker. Lotus don't make ugly cars (well, not since the 1966 Europa), but the Emira is just so right, that the order book is reportedly filling up incredibly fast. Just like the 2005 Vantage with it's astounding good looks.

The new Vantage is not a bad looking car by any standard - it's so nearly there - but the awkward nose and headlamps don't quite wow the way the old one did.

Edited by Peter McKean on Wednesday 14th July 14:59

[DH 67 AML]

Today I dropped mine off for a period of storage. It was a lovely day and the colour really stood out in the sun......................

[geresey]

DH 67 AML said:

Today I dropped mine off for a period of storage. It was a lovely day and the colour really stood out in the sun......................

So lovely... Ideal car and colour combo! Pm if you decide to sell in a few years time...

[Trahison]

geresey said:

DH 67 AML said:

Today I dropped mine off for a period of storage. It was a lovely day and the colour really stood out in the sun......................

So lovely... Ideal car and colour combo! Pm if you decide to sell in a few years time...

PM in this case as I will offer £1 over geresey's offer

[geresey]

Anniversary run out today... To Sainsburys... Then to B&q... A warm weekend here so roads are overrun with grockles, so not a good idea to go too far. Loving the Aston experience so far. Apart from a couple of scary warning lights, which proved to be nothing, costs to date are approx £1500,which includes 2 services and some cosmetic repair work. Tempting fate maybe, but only known
costs on the horizon for next year are new tyres (2 are cracked with age, Mot advisory) and brake fluid at next service

[mrpseudonym]

I learnt a new word today. I had to look up ‘grockle’ ..

[Tony_L]

Last week I mentioned that I bought my DB9. This weekend I took delivery of it.

[Jon39]

geresey said:

Looking beautiful, geresey.

This is only my own opinion, so certainly not a criticism.
I feel it is a pity that we can often not see any details of black wheels in photographs.
The wheel and tyre blend together.
Silver colours do tend to look prominent when photographed.
However, black wheels do have a great stealth look though.

Wonderful UK weather now, for Roadster and Volante owners. Enjoy.