Should I sell ? (SAG or AMV8)
Should I sell ? (SAG or AMV8)
Author
Discussion

witty

Original Poster:

95 posts

250 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2007
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It's happened. Today a lovely looking Aston AMV8 passed me on the ring road and it got me thinking about moving the SAG on to make way for my first Aston experience.

I floated the idea with the missus and she went only mildly apoplectic (a ringing endorsement then!). So tomorrow I’m going to trundle down to the AM garage for a test drive.

Am I doing the right thing? Has anybody got experience of both?

How much is a Dec05 Sag with 2,900 miles on the clock likely to raise against an 80k Aston?

hobo

6,626 posts

276 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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witty said:
How much is a Dec05 Sag with 2,900 miles on the clock likely to raise against an 80k Aston?

All I'd say is make sure you spec the extra cushioning on the drivers seat as its gonna hurt for a while yes

Polarbert

17,936 posts

261 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Take some lube as well. biglaugh

DJC

23,563 posts

266 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Witty wtf would you want to do something as dumb as that?

OK going from the Sag to an Aston I get, Ive looked at it myself and frequently entertain notions of a Vanquish, but wtf would you want the gay Aston?

Its underpowered, its soft, it isnt as practical as a Sagaris and compared to the Sagaris its mass f**king produced! And you will have to pay the best part of £60k *more* to get it! Christ, I wouldnt pay Aston £30k for an AmV8, the bloody car is an insult to the Vantage name.

targarama

14,785 posts

313 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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You should try to sell the Sagaris privately, then pick an AM V8 at leisure. If you price the Sagaris right it should sell quite quickly. Get a p/ex quote but make sure you're sitting down.

I think the Aston is great (I didn't at first - too much Volvo on the dash and silly max power looking speakers in the parcel shelf, plus stupid looking plastic airducts from the bonnet to the engine). It is a lovely car though.

To turn it into a real car you need to take it up to Prodrive for a bit more gogo juice and their handling pack

Question is, is the Aston 50-60k better?

seymourski

304 posts

266 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Sorry for the hijack but if you are seriously thinking of selling the Sagaris please let me know - I have been looking for the right car for a while now.

Daftlad

3,324 posts

271 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Lots of baby Astons for sale. Car has a bad reputation in the trade and you should be able to negotiate well........once you've sold the Sagaris privately.

rpa.janwell

1,653 posts

267 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Astons. Hmm. So many of the damn things around now, used to be a bit special.....

witty

Original Poster:

95 posts

250 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Thanks for the comments chaps. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I guess my heart rules the head when it comes to motors. That’s why I paid 55k for my Sag 16 months ago despite numerous warnings about TVR’s so called reliability – non of which materialised I hasten to add and I have loved every minute of ownership. A truly awesome car.

But a new girl has caught my eye and I’m smitten. Maybe it’s just a passing fad, an infatuation, a mid-life crisis perhaps? But at the moment I’ve just got to have her!

Seymourski, yes I’m serious about selling. PM me if interested.

AlexRWD

1,254 posts

267 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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I can understand you being smitten by the Aston, I think it is a stunning looking and sounding car. cloud9

Not driven one, so I can't comment as to whether it is "soft", but all reviews I have read seem to agree it is the most focused and "hardest" modern Aston by far, much closer to being a 911 rival than the DB9, and presumably a lot "sportier" than the big old Vanquish, which I imagine would struggle to see which way it went on the twisties.

Just saw a repeated TG the other day where they tested it against the M6 and 911 on the IoM, as usual Porker was the winner, but shocking thing was how the 500+ bhp Beemer only managed the same time on their test road as the Aston.

Shame it doesn't have a bit more power though.

targarama

14,785 posts

313 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
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Yeah, AMV8s are common a muck. Saw one on my commute this morning, but didn't see any other TVRs

There certainly seem to be a lot for sale though. Guess many owners dumped them back at dealers (if we're to believe some of the reliability niggles - TVR levels of reliability).

Sell private, negotiate hard. Drive away in the car you really want.

matty_boy

156 posts

267 months

Thursday 5th April 2007
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Having got both, I'd say... keep the Saggy!!!

The Aston Martin was an aspirational thing for me, and now I've got one, I really appreciate just how incredible TVRs are.

There are a number of issues with the Aston: it squeals, rattles and creaks, one of the door mechanisms doesn't work properly, the headlamps condensate, the satellite navigation doesn't function, the door sills are all scratched, and lots of niggles and disappointments. They don't affect performance per se, but they do affect the pleasure.

Now, having had numerous TVRs, I can put up with niggles, but somehow I thought spending 100k on a car would deliver me to motoring utopia. But alas... and also, my TVR dealers have looked after me far better than my Aston dealer has...

More than that, though, it's all about performance. Don't get me wrong, the Aston can shift, it does sound glorious (especially when the fuse controlling the butterfly valve on the exhaust has been pulled) and it's a stunning looking car, and apart from the many minor niggles, it's generally well made to be fair... but... and it's a big but... it ain't a TVR... where's that huge grin gone?!?

My Saggy is away from home right now (long story) and my heart aches for it. I can't wait to get it back, to look at it, sit in it, hear it, drive it. It gets me all emotional. When it returns, I'll be thinking hard about whether to just keep the TVR and get rid of the Aston. But when the Aston's at the dealer (again), I miss its good points, true, but I'm not heart broken about driving around in the courtesy old man's Jag instead. Because there's no soul to either. There are differences, but they're the same.

I've waffled a bit. Didn't mean to. There's only one sentiment really. If you can afford both, sure, have both (or have two or three TVRs). If you can afford only one... keep the Saggy!!!

Daftlad

3,324 posts

271 months

Thursday 5th April 2007
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matty_boy said:
Having got both, I'd say... keep the Saggy!!!

The Aston Martin was an aspirational thing for me, and now I've got one, I really appreciate just how incredible TVRs are.

There are a number of issues with the Aston: it squeals, rattles and creaks, one of the door mechanisms doesn't work properly, the headlamps condensate, the satellite navigation doesn't function, the door sills are all scratched, and lots of niggles and disappointments. They don't affect performance per se, but they do affect the pleasure.

Now, having had numerous TVRs, I can put up with niggles, but somehow I thought spending 100k on a car would deliver me to motoring utopia. But alas... and also, my TVR dealers have looked after me far better than my Aston dealer has...

More than that, though, it's all about performance. Don't get me wrong, the Aston can shift, it does sound glorious (especially when the fuse controlling the butterfly valve on the exhaust has been pulled) and it's a stunning looking car, and apart from the many minor niggles, it's generally well made to be fair... but... and it's a big but... it ain't a TVR... where's that huge grin gone?!?

My Saggy is away from home right now (long story) and my heart aches for it. I can't wait to get it back, to look at it, sit in it, hear it, drive it. It gets me all emotional. When it returns, I'll be thinking hard about whether to just keep the TVR and get rid of the Aston. But when the Aston's at the dealer (again), I miss its good points, true, but I'm not heart broken about driving around in the courtesy old man's Jag instead. Because there's no soul to either. There are differences, but they're the same.

I've waffled a bit. Didn't mean to. There's only one sentiment really. If you can afford both, sure, have both (or have two or three TVRs). If you can afford only one... keep the Saggy!!!

Top posting. Almost had me in tears just thinking about the Sag.

SEN 18

1,247 posts

242 months

Thursday 5th April 2007
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"KEEP THE SAG", follow your heart Astons are for footballers and OAP like me.

matty_boy

156 posts

267 months

Thursday 5th April 2007
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No Andy (Witty)! Don't do it:

www.pistonheads.com/sales/153244.htm

You'll regret it... trust me on this one...

witty

Original Poster:

95 posts

250 months

Thursday 5th April 2007
quotequote all
matty_boy said:
No Andy (Witty)! Don't do it:

www.pistonheads.com/sales/153244.htm

You'll regret it... trust me on this one...


ahh, you’ve spotted the add.
Ideally I would of liked to have kept the Sag to run alongside the Aston but the missus would probably file for divorce (hmmm, now there’s a thought).

The Sagaris is a fantastic car in every way, but I just fancy a change.

I can almost guarantee that in twelve months time I’ll be bored of AMV8 and on the lookout for another weekend toy.

So maybe I’ll be back with a TVR again not before too long.

matty_boy

156 posts

267 months

Thursday 5th April 2007
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witty said:
matty_boy said:
No Andy (Witty)! Don't do it...


ahh, you’ve spotted the add. Ideally I would of liked to have kept the Sag to run alongside the Aston but the missus would probably file for divorce (hmmm, now there’s a thought). The Sagaris is a fantastic car in every way, but I just fancy a change. I can almost guarantee that in twelve months time I’ll be bored of AMV8 and on the lookout for another weekend toy. So maybe I’ll be back with a TVR again not before too long.


Sigh. Sounds like your mind is made up Andy. Ah well, I tried. Astons have their appeal, and there's no doubt they're good all rounders (I've been lucky enough to drive all of the current range). I guess if you have to choose a sporty car with decent performance, great engine/exhaust soundtrack, beautiful interior and looks to die for, and the capability to be a comfortable daily drive, the Astons clinch it. And they're predominantly British! Bonus!

But you'll miss the soulfulness of the TVRs. They might be a firmer, bumpier, noisier and perhaps more unpredictable ride than you'd like as a daily drive, but the good times and the aching face from all the grinning numbs you to their impracticalities. And you won't get the same sense of drama from anything else. Maybe it's their rawness?

The Aston ticks many of my boxes. But with a TVR you're directly connected to the drive. You feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction when you drive them well. With most modern cars, the Astons included*, they've become somewhat sanitised. Even when they can rip your head with their performance, the way their power is put down is somehow emotionless (speaking generally). You feel removed from the experience.

(* Perhaps with the exception of the Vanquish, which is breathtaking to drive, even if no quicker to accelerate than a TVR.)

But, it's your call. You gotta do what you gotta do. Don't say I didn't warn you, though...

RayVonn

1,352 posts

246 months

Tuesday 10th April 2007
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Blimey, the AMV8/Sag combo seems to be quite popular. As said above, it largely depends on what you want the car for. The Aston is good as a day to day car, but for a weekend treat the Sag wins everytime. I have a few pro's and con's for each (purely from my own experience and is my opinion).

AMV8 Pro's:

Women like them thumbup
Other motorists respect the badge and assume that you are a Gent (wrongly in my case)
People let you pull out of side roads, etc
You don't really worry about people scratching the car, like they might a BMW or Porsche
It sounds great (with fuse 22 removed)
It's fairly reliable (mine is, touch wood)
Steering and brakes are good, and handles well
Drives ok and is fast(ish)

AMV8 Con's:

A bit slow compared to my old 550
Gearbox can be stiff and not very quick/communicative
A bit common - especially for an Aston
People think that you can't afford a DB9
You could buy a used Vanquish for less and maybe should've done
It's not actually as good as a (cheaper) 911/Jag
There's still a few build issues - which really should have been resolved for the money
They are losing money - fast
Did I mention that it is a bit SLOW for an Aston
Not hand-built, ignore the dealers bull
A bit girly
A proper Vantage has always been the 'hot' Aston - what went wrong
Badge engineering always in the back of your mind

Sag Pro's:

Car looks mental, driver looks mental
Exclusivity
People stare in amazement, little children get scared
Sounds good
Is fast, especially with short shift box
Are super value for money at the moment
Build quality probably best of any TVR
Handles, goes and stops like it looks
Proper hand-built british sportscar with character
The TVR smell of hot fibreglass and leather
Good back up from other owners/experts on forums like this

Sag Con's:

Warranty... will they pay, won't they pay?
Supply of parts at the moment ie: Windscreens, instrument binnacles, etc
Seem to be difficult to sell unless at Silly Money
Cloud still hanging over Speed Six engine history
Reliability, day to day use
Are prices going to fall even more


Just my opinion, but I'm probably wrong - usually am.


matty_boy

156 posts

267 months

Wednesday 11th April 2007
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RayVonn said:
I have a few pro's and con's for each (purely from my own experience and is my opinion)... etc...


Absolutely spot on! If I could've been bothered to think it through and write it up, that's exactly what I would have put...

(And I'd add that if I could have only one, it'd be the Sagaris every time.)

DJC

23,563 posts

266 months

Wednesday 11th April 2007
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Ray...Im working on the parts supply front m8

Somebody else I think has come up with a genuine windscreen solution and bloody well done to em.