£40-50k, which Aston?
Discussion
I would second bogie's comment. You can' really 'shake off' any other determined driver without 80-100hp at hand and certainly not on a motorway.
And I'm not sure about gutless = Vantage either. To me gutless is not being able to keep the nose from straying out or stay on the line for more than 1 switchback (=DB9 despite the hard ride, or DB7).
I spent HOURS driving these. And by driving I mean race start (>4K rev but with traction control on) and then onto the B road from my place to the main road. I must say really struggled with going for an Aston period, because of many of these concerns (vs 997, XK-R). In the end I was won over by the look (inside and out) and the handling - specifically of the Vantage. The DB7 and DB9 I drove felt ponderous to me. For me staight-line performance (above a certain threshold) was secondary and there is far less difference between the Astons than the 500hp XKR and the 997 I drove.
And I'm not sure about gutless = Vantage either. To me gutless is not being able to keep the nose from straying out or stay on the line for more than 1 switchback (=DB9 despite the hard ride, or DB7).
I spent HOURS driving these. And by driving I mean race start (>4K rev but with traction control on) and then onto the B road from my place to the main road. I must say really struggled with going for an Aston period, because of many of these concerns (vs 997, XK-R). In the end I was won over by the look (inside and out) and the handling - specifically of the Vantage. The DB7 and DB9 I drove felt ponderous to me. For me staight-line performance (above a certain threshold) was secondary and there is far less difference between the Astons than the 500hp XKR and the 997 I drove.
"Gutless" tends to mean having the car in top (or a gear or two higher than would be ideal in "max attack"), planting your foot and not much happening very quickly.
Larger capacity, higher cylinder count motors will typically be better in this respect. And it can be a nice trait if you want a cruise on a motorway, or your slippers preclude using a clutch (;)).
The 4.3 V8 isn't best known for having more torque than necessary sub-4k revs, and as in top or even 5th you'll be under this level when travelling at typical motorway speeds, planting your foot and expecting big acceleration is going to be wishful thinking.
Drop the clutch and drop two gears though, and it flies. Better still, get off the motorway and onto the twisties and it's really very good.
Depends what you want. Ignoring torque factors, I still think you'll get a better quality V8 for the budget mentioned, AND it won't end up causing your sphincter to twitch every time you take it in for a service (or chuck it round a corner!).
Larger capacity, higher cylinder count motors will typically be better in this respect. And it can be a nice trait if you want a cruise on a motorway, or your slippers preclude using a clutch (;)).
The 4.3 V8 isn't best known for having more torque than necessary sub-4k revs, and as in top or even 5th you'll be under this level when travelling at typical motorway speeds, planting your foot and expecting big acceleration is going to be wishful thinking.
Drop the clutch and drop two gears though, and it flies. Better still, get off the motorway and onto the twisties and it's really very good.
Depends what you want. Ignoring torque factors, I still think you'll get a better quality V8 for the budget mentioned, AND it won't end up causing your sphincter to twitch every time you take it in for a service (or chuck it round a corner!).
The 370z Nissan is a pretty quick car. It's almost as powerful as the vantage and a bit lighter to boot. You'll need a v12 to humiliate it in a straight line.....
The vantage doesn't "feel" quick unless it's driven purposely. I guess that the db9 has so much more low down torque that it'll pickup well when cruising at low revs. The vantage demands a more purposeful approach, rather like my old Honda.....
Hmmmm.....
The vantage doesn't "feel" quick unless it's driven purposely. I guess that the db9 has so much more low down torque that it'll pickup well when cruising at low revs. The vantage demands a more purposeful approach, rather like my old Honda.....
Hmmmm.....
stanwan said:
The 370z Nissan is a pretty quick car. It's almost as powerful as the vantage and a bit lighter to boot. You'll need a v12 to humiliate it in a straight line.....
The vantage doesn't "feel" quick unless it's driven purposely. I guess that the db9 has so much more low down torque that it'll pickup well when cruising at low revs. The vantage demands a more purposeful approach, rather like my old Honda.....
Hmmmm.....
exactly my take on it The vantage doesn't "feel" quick unless it's driven purposely. I guess that the db9 has so much more low down torque that it'll pickup well when cruising at low revs. The vantage demands a more purposeful approach, rather like my old Honda.....
Hmmmm.....
I know a guy whos just gone from a classic V8 to a DB7GT to a V8 Vantage, last time I saw him i asked him how he was getting on, he was raving on about "more useable" and "fun on normal roads" and asked about lower power "less torque, same performance, just different driving style to extract it", which is pretty much what I thought when I test drove the DB9 and Vantage at Millbrook in 2007
Id actually like a Vantage RS if they made one, breathe on it a bit to 440-450bhp 4.7 or 5.0 aspirated, lose 100Kg or so with carbon bits ...then youd have something lighter and as quick (maybe quicker) than a V12V
I still reckon the baby Aston has the best chassis for real world use as a "sportscar".....rather than a Grand Tourer with seats for the kids
f328nvl said:
tuscaneer said:
f328nvl said:
High days and holidays = any Aston
and minimal depreciation = DB7 (GT or Vantage) or Vanquish
£50k = Great DB7 GT or cheap Vanquish
Cheap Vanquish = Road to bankruptcy
Hence DB7 GT.
DB9 = Depreciation although Volante is a maybe (but have to have an auto as so few manuals around)
V8V @ 50K = 4.3v8 = Gutless = unhappy
the question is,however,how much time have you actually spent in a v8v?i think because clarkson and his little mate made comments about its grunt everyone and his dog repeats this "fact" as biblical proof.i think gutless is a bit over the top for this car.i've had a lot of (very)quick cars in the past and it doesn't leave me needing any more 99% of the timeand minimal depreciation = DB7 (GT or Vantage) or Vanquish
£50k = Great DB7 GT or cheap Vanquish
Cheap Vanquish = Road to bankruptcy
Hence DB7 GT.
DB9 = Depreciation although Volante is a maybe (but have to have an auto as so few manuals around)
V8V @ 50K = 4.3v8 = Gutless = unhappy
Its true regarding the performance - the 370Z is quite a quick car but its no Aston mind you neither is my GTR which does leave the 370 for dead I will be having a strong look at the V12V and 4.7V when I end my recent self-imposed "one car only" policy but tbh the GTR is so capable and easy to live with it might be more difficult than I foresee
mind you neither is my GTR which does leave the 370 for dead I will be having a strong look at the V12V and 4.7V when I end my recent self-imposed "one car only" policy but tbh the GTR is so capable and easy to live with it might be more difficult than I foreseeinteresting you bring up the gtr.i have to ask,does it cause you to always drive in a hurried manner?there are three local to me and as soon as i get within 500 yards of all of them the drivers feel the need to to take off guns blazing,smoke out the back end like i did about 20 years ago when i got my first car.don't quite know what they are trying to prove
stanwan said:
The 370z Nissan is a pretty quick car. It's almost as powerful as the vantage and a bit lighter to boot. You'll need a v12 to humiliate it in a straight line.....
The vantage doesn't "feel" quick unless it's driven purposely. I guess that the db9 has so much more low down torque that it'll pickup well when cruising at low revs. The vantage demands a more purposeful approach, rather like my old Honda.....
Hmmmm.....
Agree on that - like the S2000 you need to get it in the right gear and then it flies. If you want to be able to really shift it in the wrong gear then you are looking at the wrong car. The vantage doesn't "feel" quick unless it's driven purposely. I guess that the db9 has so much more low down torque that it'll pickup well when cruising at low revs. The vantage demands a more purposeful approach, rather like my old Honda.....
Hmmmm.....
Last week I drove alongside a V12V and we were neck and neck for most of the time, I was working the box. This week I was alongside a fine DB9 and he left me for dead as I put pedal to metal in 4th rather than knocking down to 2nd.
I think the Vantage is deceptive. I once drove a 911 turbo and stuck it into 6th at about 30mph and floored it. It pulled like a train all the way to a number where my bottle went...
But I still bought the Vantage. It's just horses for courses and whatever takes your fancy....
Haha
Well no, I drive it just like any car - and no smoke anywhere
I am in London and its silver.
Yes a GTR is a "skyline thingy" but whilst it doesn't have the classically beautiful lines of an Aston etc I don't think its ugly having said that all the positive attention you get can be a bit tiresome in terms of people staring or wanting to take a look and driving after you or wanting to film the car etc GTR's are of course far more rare than most cars so perhaps not unexpected. I think there are about 1300 or so in the UK - but that will of course change over time depending on sales
Well no, I drive it just like any car - and no smoke anywhere
I am in London and its silver.
Yes a GTR is a "skyline thingy" but whilst it doesn't have the classically beautiful lines of an Aston etc I don't think its ugly
having said that all the positive attention you get can be a bit tiresome in terms of people staring or wanting to take a look and driving after you or wanting to film the car etc GTR's are of course far more rare than most cars so perhaps not unexpected. I think there are about 1300 or so in the UK - but that will of course change over time depending on salesmichael gould said:
tuscaneer said:
michael gould said:
whats a GTR
one of those nissan skline affairs.quick and capable by all accounts but ugly as sinHi Tusc
Having owned a number of cars including a GT3 mk1 I must say that the GTR is not as uninvolving as you may think. The steering is nicely weighted and very direct although maybe not as tactile as the GT3 (what is?) the GTR despite all its trick differentials and gearbox feels surprisingly organic and "chunky". You have a high level of feel and the electronics even in non "Race" mode allows the car to behave "normally" - like when braking from 120leptons very hard on a slight bend into a roundabout (where safe to do so ofc) the back will step out a little and a flick of opp lock will control it before the computer says "no" if you are quick enough. The stability of the car on any road and seemingly at any speed is staggering but the atssering wheel is alive and chatting - it was a revealtion because I had also read all the negatives - and I can also only assume from people with no or little seat time - I was very pleasantly surprised. There is very little lag and the acceleration is quite something - overtaking from 2 to 2.5k is entirely stress free and of course it has a max of 430odd pound feet from 3200 to 5200 so not unexpected. I am not going to sit here and say its everyone's cup of tea or the best car ever ofc - it depends what you want but if you want an all round car with a fairly good size boot, room for easily 3 adults if not 4 if the driver is not tall or can put up with a cramped driving style (and not everyone is over 6 foot) then its hard to beat for the money especially with the performance on tap. My gf who is 5'6 can easily have someone 5'8 behind her on the passenger side for example in comfort. I do recommen trying one if you have time.
it also return around 26mpg in "not hanging around motorway and mixed A and B road driving" - in fact with aircon off and driving "normally" it actually managed just under 30mpg for the day having said that - I took a friend to the airport yesterday who was running late (sort of 45 miles in 29 mins average pace) and it returned around 12-14mpg - but with around 500hp.....
Sorry for thread hijack - hopefully the OP got some good advice somwhere in this thread
Having owned a number of cars including a GT3 mk1 I must say that the GTR is not as uninvolving as you may think. The steering is nicely weighted and very direct although maybe not as tactile as the GT3 (what is?
) the GTR despite all its trick differentials and gearbox feels surprisingly organic and "chunky". You have a high level of feel and the electronics even in non "Race" mode allows the car to behave "normally" - like when braking from 120leptons very hard on a slight bend into a roundabout (where safe to do so ofc) the back will step out a little and a flick of opp lock will control it before the computer says "no" if you are quick enough. The stability of the car on any road and seemingly at any speed is staggering but the atssering wheel is alive and chatting - it was a revealtion because I had also read all the negatives - and I can also only assume from people with no or little seat time - I was very pleasantly surprised. There is very little lag and the acceleration is quite something - overtaking from 2 to 2.5k is entirely stress free and of course it has a max of 430odd pound feet from 3200 to 5200 so not unexpected. I am not going to sit here and say its everyone's cup of tea or the best car ever ofc - it depends what you want but if you want an all round car with a fairly good size boot, room for easily 3 adults if not 4 if the driver is not tall or can put up with a cramped driving style (and not everyone is over 6 foot) then its hard to beat for the money especially with the performance on tap. My gf who is 5'6 can easily have someone 5'8 behind her on the passenger side for example in comfort. I do recommen trying one if you have time. it also return around 26mpg in "not hanging around motorway and mixed A and B road driving" - in fact with aircon off and driving "normally" it actually managed just under 30mpg for the day
having said that - I took a friend to the airport yesterday who was running late (sort of 45 miles in 29 mins average pace) and it returned around 12-14mpg - but with around 500hp.....Sorry for thread hijack - hopefully the OP got some good advice somwhere in this thread
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff