[767pilot]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here and this is my first of many post to come... I joined this site to get as much real first hand info about the beautiful Aston Martin machines...my first question is ... what would influence you to buy a 06-08 V8 vantage over a 02+ ferrari 360?? I'm having trouble deciding on which to buy and def need opinions...
Thank you

 

[t11ale]

I just decided to go Vantage and had exactly the same thoughts. Initially i thought i wanted a 360 until i looked at a few and the found that the majority hadn't been looked after, cost a fortune to maintain, are unreliable and cant be used as every day cars. Many of them had obviously been track cars and repaired to distract the fact,

All the Aston's that i looked at just seemed to have been treat with a great deal more respect and gave me much more confidence with regards to reliability and such. At the end of the day its down to personal preference i suppose and i've always dreamed of owning 2 particular cars. A red Ferrari or a silver Aston. When it came to the crunch and i could afford one then i went Aston.

Good luck to you mate with your choice - it's a great position to be in !

 

[767pilot]

I just decided to go Vantage and had exactly the same thoughts. Initially i thought i wanted a 360 until i looked at a few and the found that the majority hadn't been looked after, cost a fortune to maintain, are unreliable and cant be used as every day cars. Many of them had obviously been track cars and repaired to distract the fact,

All the Aston's that i looked at just seemed to have been treat with a great deal more respect and gave me much more confidence with regards to reliability and such. At the end of the day its down to personal preference i suppose and i've always dreamed of owning 2 particular cars. A red Ferrari or a silver Aston. When it came to the crunch and i could afford one then i went Aston.

Good luck to you mate with your choice - it's a great position to be in !

Thank you very much, so how is the maintenance on the AM?

 

[t11ale]

ill let you know once its been delivered in about 4 weeks time

 

[wmatos1001]

I just took delivery of a 2012 V8 Vantage S and was looking into a few used Ferrari models as a possible alternative. After much test driving and deliberation and a lot of research I chose the Aston and could not be happier. To me now it is very obvious this was the correct choice. Ferrari's have great performance but to me they lack the rock solid feel and presence that as Aston provides. Also although Ferrari's are not commonplace, they are not nearly as elusive in my country as an Aston Martin. In some areas of the US a late model Ferrari might be as common as a Toyota Camry.

The craftsmanship just exudes from every part of the Aston Martin. I will let you know how reliability holds up over time but based on my research the Aston should be a cake walk in terms of maintenance compared to any Ferrari.

Get an Aston, you won't be disappointed!

 

[kramsay1234]

I also just picked up my 2012 V8 Vantage S yesterday. I traded in my Maserati and was considering Ferrari's but decided that I would rather have a car that was still very exclusive, beautiful to look at, but that could be driven more on a regular basis with bluetooth for my phone etc. The car is just striking to look at and very solid to drive. It comes down to what you want the car for, but for me this was the right choice.

 

[lhanddds]

2 1/2 years ago I was trying to make the same decision. I found that I would have to buy a 3 to 4 year older 360 to match the same price on the Vantage that I was looking at at that time. This much older car, I figured, I would likely be spending more on maintenance. I also found that a lot of interiors on these older Ferraris just were not that nice and the Aston interiors were extremely nice. Astons are driven by car guys almost exclusively, whereas Ferraris tend to have more showoff types (JMHO sorry). Would love to have a newer 12 cyl Ferrari in the future if I still want a sports car at that time.

 

[kramsay1234]

I agree with the showoff comment, although it is an exception of course. All the Ferrari guys I know are great guys. The issue with the Ferraris is more the perception of others that the owner is the showoff type. This is a shame, but holds me back a bit from a Ferrari for right now. The understatement of the Aston is great. And the interior is out of this world.

 

[BlownRT10]

With the V8 Vantage, are there any particular years to stay away from? Any year that offeres more desireable features than others? I am looking to buy one and use as my daily driver. Any of you use it as a DD and if so what is your opinion of the car? Thanks you guys i appreciate the info!

 

[lhanddds]

With the V8 Vantage, are there any particular years to stay away from? Any year that offeres more desireable features than others? I am looking to buy one and use as my daily driver. Any of you use it as a DD and if so what is your opinion of the car? Thanks you guys i appreciate the info!

Generally, buy the newest you can afford. Mine is a 07, first year for the roadster and the sportshift automatic (quirky but I like it). The 08 will cost you approx. $10,000 more with very little difference (new arm rest, Ipod connection). The 09 went from 4.3 liter to 4.7 liter and horsepower increase of 40. Not that necessary for me. I do use mine for a daily driver. The suspension is harsher than I expected but it is a more serious handling machine than I expected also. I may be getting too old for driving this sort of car on a daily basis but it does make me smile.

 

[BlownRT10]

Thank you for the info. I am an old school kind of guy and like standard gearbox. Ive heard the the verts sometimes have issues with the computer that controls the opening and lowering of the soft top. I will most likely go with a coupe because i love the look. Is there anything to watch out for in the '06 and '07 coupes with the standard 6 speed gear box? Sorry for all of the questions i just want to know exactly what im getting my self into before i take the plunge.