996 GT3 to Aston V8 Vantage? will the V8 be to boring?
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996 GT3 to Aston V8 Vantage? will the V8 be to boring?
Going to be selling / pxin my GT3 over the next few months and looking at possibly getting into a 07 V8 Vantage, but not sure if its going to be up to the raw performance of the pork.
Have driven one yet, but thought I would ask the PH massive for a view on thinks.
I am looking to move from the bone shaking track focused machine to something more luxury and comfortable, but still want the performance and thrill.
Is the V8 Numb and Boring?
Or will it be a good laugh?
Thanks
Going to be selling / pxin my GT3 over the next few months and looking at possibly getting into a 07 V8 Vantage, but not sure if its going to be up to the raw performance of the pork.
Have driven one yet, but thought I would ask the PH massive for a view on thinks.
I am looking to move from the bone shaking track focused machine to something more luxury and comfortable, but still want the performance and thrill.
Is the V8 Numb and Boring?
Or will it be a good laugh?
Thanks
I personally think you will find it a bit dull in performance stakes. The throttle response on the 2007 v8 vantage is sluggish, the power comes in late and it feels like it lacks torque.
However, despite this I chose a 2007 v8 vantage over a porker!
Put simply it is one of the most gorgeously proportioned cars of all time, sounds great, has a great interior and nobody normal dislikes them.
The porker GT3 was the best car I've ever driven, from a pure driving experience, but the vantage was better than all other cars including the porker at everything else IMHO!
However, despite this I chose a 2007 v8 vantage over a porker!
Put simply it is one of the most gorgeously proportioned cars of all time, sounds great, has a great interior and nobody normal dislikes them.
The porker GT3 was the best car I've ever driven, from a pure driving experience, but the vantage was better than all other cars including the porker at everything else IMHO!
Jibberingloon said:
Is the V8 Numb and Boring?
Honestly what answer do you expect on here in the cathedral of Aston Fanboyhood? 
4.3 or 4.7 V8? The 4.7 has a good extra slug of torque and useable power but neither will feel raw like the Porsche. If you want comfort, pace and class, then the Aston is the right choice. It also sounds much better and is a very enjoyable place to be, but you'll notice the weight of the thing.
But as a machine that exists for no other purpose than to drive fast, a GT3 is hard to beat and the V8 won't beat it at that task. If you're selling it, I assume you want something other than that though so maybe, just maybe it's what you're looking for?
People who have come from fast cars are often initially underwhelmed but give it a chance... you'll actually be going a lot quicker than you think you are as it is so refined and cossetting; the V8, even in 4.3 form is quite an A to B machine if you wring it out, which it is very happy with. It is neither numb or boring, my DB9 with Sports Pack rack has as good a steering feel as my early 996 or Esprit. If it doesn't feel good as god as your 996 then it needs a geo, not uncommon with cars of this age.
The thing I like about the Aston is looks and luxury, just trying to weigh up the balance of
Performance / On The Edge Drive / Focus / Pedigree "AGAINST" Luxury / Comfort / V8 Sound / Prestige
Also the comedy side of Porsche people look at you an go knob where as the Aston they go oh thats nice! LOL
And yes is was the 4.3 I was looking at.
Other cars are a 997 / Cayman R / Gran Turismo and the R8, but sense is telling me I dont want an Audi Supercar (It seems wrong)
But the reason for selling is I want a change, as Ive had the Pork for 5 years now.
Performance / On The Edge Drive / Focus / Pedigree "AGAINST" Luxury / Comfort / V8 Sound / Prestige
Also the comedy side of Porsche people look at you an go knob where as the Aston they go oh thats nice! LOL
And yes is was the 4.3 I was looking at.
Other cars are a 997 / Cayman R / Gran Turismo and the R8, but sense is telling me I dont want an Audi Supercar (It seems wrong)
But the reason for selling is I want a change, as Ive had the Pork for 5 years now.
Edited by Jibberingloon on Friday 4th January 17:43
V8 Animal said:
Take a look at the V8VS but they are dearer.
Play fair, that's not really an option... people with budget for a 4.3 can't really consider a car that is easily twice as much!Budget creep might get you into a 4.7 though, well worth it.
On your list, all I would look at would be the GranTurismo but they are HUGE! And again, you need an S (4.7) to get any pace out of it. No idea what they've crept down to by now.
Leftfield Aston choice... DB7 GT? Rock solid residuals and a good steer if a little old fashioned. Or a manual DB9, can be had for the same price as a Vantage, with 70bhp and a bucket of torque thrown in...
yeti said:
Play fair, that's not really an option... people with budget for a 4.3 can't really consider a car that is easily twice as much!
Budget creep might get you into a 4.7 though, well worth it.
On your list, all I would look at would be the GranTurismo but they are HUGE! And again, you need an S (4.7) to get any pace out of it. No idea what they've crept down to by now.
Leftfield Aston choice... DB7 GT? Rock solid residuals and a good steer if a little old fashioned. Or a manual DB9, can be had for the same price as a Vantage, with 70bhp and a bucket of torque thrown in...
Sorry,Budget creep might get you into a 4.7 though, well worth it.
On your list, all I would look at would be the GranTurismo but they are HUGE! And again, you need an S (4.7) to get any pace out of it. No idea what they've crept down to by now.
Leftfield Aston choice... DB7 GT? Rock solid residuals and a good steer if a little old fashioned. Or a manual DB9, can be had for the same price as a Vantage, with 70bhp and a bucket of torque thrown in...
I was looking more on the performance side of the matter as there not like for like cars where the S is a lot more like it.
Price hasn't been mentioned so i guess £40k budget??
It all depends what you want. I've come from an Esprit V8 Sport 350, then a Noble M12-3 to my V8V (4.3). The Sport 350 was very quick, the Noble was bonkers quick (i.e. 375bhp/390lb/ft and 1050kg) but I'd not go back to either of them now.
The V8V is actually quicker than it feels I think. When I look at the speedo after flooring it, then I see its acceleration, but I don't feel it as much.
And I dont think you can get much out of a test drive either to decide one way or the other. I've had mine for nearly 6 months now, and the more I drive it, the more I like it.
The V8V is actually quicker than it feels I think. When I look at the speedo after flooring it, then I see its acceleration, but I don't feel it as much.
And I dont think you can get much out of a test drive either to decide one way or the other. I've had mine for nearly 6 months now, and the more I drive it, the more I like it.
snuffy said:
The V8V is actually quicker than it feels I think. When I look at the speedo after flooring it, then I see its acceleration, but I don't feel it as much.
And I dont think you can get much out of a test drive either to decide one way or the other. I've had mine for nearly 6 months now, and the more I drive it, the more I like it.
Very well said. Astons are so competent at what they do that much of the sAnd I dont think you can get much out of a test drive either to decide one way or the other. I've had mine for nearly 6 months now, and the more I drive it, the more I like it.
t-yourself stuff is taken away. Tht doesn't make them unexciting though but it's hard to get a handle on the car over a short drive.I swapped my 911 in for my V8V...
Best thing I ever did!! Maybe a little less pokey off the lights but who cares.. Much more panto in the Aston...
One thing I will say is is that the porker used to feel unstable at 150 + but the Aston feels settled and planted above 160+...
My advice is stop pondering the change and just do it!!
Best thing I ever did!! Maybe a little less pokey off the lights but who cares.. Much more panto in the Aston...
One thing I will say is is that the porker used to feel unstable at 150 + but the Aston feels settled and planted above 160+...
My advice is stop pondering the change and just do it!!
I traded my 996 GT3 Comfort against a 4.3 Vantage in January 2009.
The GT3 was a raw track car which took no prisoners, had no driving aids and punished you if you got it wrong. The ride was hard ,was a pain on the occasions I drove it in towns and would rarely go over speed humps without scraping the front plastic spoiler. Having said that, on an open A class road with lots of fast bends it was a fun car to drive.
I took it to Le Mans twice and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The V8 Vantage was a completely different car. I would say very civilised against the GT3. I certainly didn't find it sluggish but agree with others on here that you have to scream it a bit if you wish to extract the best performance from the engine. Servicing and day to day running costs were a lot more than for the GT3 .
My advice would be to try a Vantage,. If you find you don't like it you can always go back to another GT3.
The GT3 was a raw track car which took no prisoners, had no driving aids and punished you if you got it wrong. The ride was hard ,was a pain on the occasions I drove it in towns and would rarely go over speed humps without scraping the front plastic spoiler. Having said that, on an open A class road with lots of fast bends it was a fun car to drive.
I took it to Le Mans twice and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The V8 Vantage was a completely different car. I would say very civilised against the GT3. I certainly didn't find it sluggish but agree with others on here that you have to scream it a bit if you wish to extract the best performance from the engine. Servicing and day to day running costs were a lot more than for the GT3 .
My advice would be to try a Vantage,. If you find you don't like it you can always go back to another GT3.
yeti said:
snuffy said:
The V8V is actually quicker than it feels I think. When I look at the speedo after flooring it, then I see its acceleration, but I don't feel it as much.
And I dont think you can get much out of a test drive either to decide one way or the other. I've had mine for nearly 6 months now, and the more I drive it, the more I like it.
Very well said. Astons are so competent at what they do that much of the sAnd I dont think you can get much out of a test drive either to decide one way or the other. I've had mine for nearly 6 months now, and the more I drive it, the more I like it.
t-yourself stuff is taken away. Tht doesn't make them unexciting though but it's hard to get a handle on the car over a short drive.Neil1300R said:
Won't get a 4.7 on a 2007. Didn't come out until 2008. OP will find a 4.3 too slow.
Current main dealer prices;4·3 Lowest (Model Year 2006) £35,000
4·3 Highest (Model Year 2008) £53,000 - same as a few 4·7s ?
4·7 Lowest (Model Year 2009) £49,000
If you accept the performance drop from your GT3, everything else about a Vantage will surely be a plus. Friendly reactions from people will be the extra bonus.
Having been very fortunate to have owned a string of Porsche's from 911s to 968 Club Sports, I bought my first AM in March, a manual V8V 2010. I test drove the 997 GTS before taking the plunge and I have no regrets. Yes the GTS with it's launch control and PDK was a fantastically fast piece of engineering which I appreciated, but the AM stirs the heart strings so much that it easily overcomes any performance differences. If you find the gap is an issue, just contact Bamford Rose for a remedy.
I find that I don't drive the AM like the Porsche as I don't need to ring it's neck to feel I'm getting the most out of it,
The smile on my face says it all before and after every drive.
There are plenty of threads about the 4.3 vs 4.7 but to be honest I'd see that as a secondary consideration. The primary one is, do you want an Aston Martin.
Good luck
Jeremy
I find that I don't drive the AM like the Porsche as I don't need to ring it's neck to feel I'm getting the most out of it,
The smile on my face says it all before and after every drive.
There are plenty of threads about the 4.3 vs 4.7 but to be honest I'd see that as a secondary consideration. The primary one is, do you want an Aston Martin.
Good luck
Jeremy
Mako V12V said:
To V8 probably
To V8S maybe/maybe not
To V12V NO!
I went from 997GT3 to V12V. Drove the V8 first but didnt do enough over and above the gt3 to convince.
I did exactly the same.To V8S maybe/maybe not
To V12V NO!
I went from 997GT3 to V12V. Drove the V8 first but didnt do enough over and above the gt3 to convince.
I found the driving experience of a v8v very underwhelming after the GT3. The v8v felt so dull witted by way of comparison. Even the v12v is dynamically no where near a gt3 but it has its own character and excitement!
The bottom line is it depends what YOU want out the car. There is no doubt that the GT3 is the more involving driver's car, but it is very raw and unrefined, so can be wearing when you aren't in the mood to put pedal to metal. The Aston on the other hand can't give you the ultimate driving highs, but it brings it's own strengths. The current range has a wonderful balance no other car " flows" down a B road like a V8, where as the GT3 insists you max attack everything to have fun, the Aston encourages you to take a step back; but it is still great to drive once you adjust to its different feel so ensure a decent test drive rather than a quick round the block.
Performance wise there isn't much in it the 996 GT3 is only a tad quicker ( the 997 GT3 on the other hand is much quicker!) but you will also gain things that you sometimes long for in a GT3.... like a GT ability when you aren't in a full on mood, but still fun when you are. The special luxury but sporting interior, a decent stereo and a few toys, the overall, looks, feel, sound, image, positive reactions from others adds up to create a different feel good automotive experience. Having owned ( or driven) most 996/997 variants I still love Pork but unless you still want max track attack ( in which case get yourself a 997 GT3 next) the Vantage will give you a whole new automotive experience. For reference I went from 996TT- V8 Vantage 4.3 - 997GT3 - V8 Vantage 4.7 Roadster...etc. Best of luck with the search.
Performance wise there isn't much in it the 996 GT3 is only a tad quicker ( the 997 GT3 on the other hand is much quicker!) but you will also gain things that you sometimes long for in a GT3.... like a GT ability when you aren't in a full on mood, but still fun when you are. The special luxury but sporting interior, a decent stereo and a few toys, the overall, looks, feel, sound, image, positive reactions from others adds up to create a different feel good automotive experience. Having owned ( or driven) most 996/997 variants I still love Pork but unless you still want max track attack ( in which case get yourself a 997 GT3 next) the Vantage will give you a whole new automotive experience. For reference I went from 996TT- V8 Vantage 4.3 - 997GT3 - V8 Vantage 4.7 Roadster...etc. Best of luck with the search.
Edited by Grant3 on Saturday 5th January 10:33
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