I've enjoyed several 911's, air cooled, 996, 996 Turbo, 997, and now a Cayman S, but I've always loved the AM Vantage V8 styling. Zero seat time in one though, even as a passenger.

I'm seeing some extremely attractive pricing on super low mileage '06's and '07's and think I'm going to start searching for one in earnest, but I'd love to hear feedback from folks who have owned and driven Porsches as well as first gen Vantage V8's.

Handling? Track days? Working on it yourself? Power? Reliability? (etc...)

I love my Cayman S but I really like owning and experiencing different cars every few years and a pristine, ultra-low mileage V8V for under $50K sounds very tempting.

 

Ton of info about all that on the forum. You can get an early V8V for a low price and build it to suit your taste. You'll be lacking in power vs a 4.7L but that can be mitigated. I'd put my '07 against a V8VS any day on track.

I do almost all my own work. I and others have done DIY guides, and I recently started making videos. Pretty straight forward stuff, really.

 

Good info...

I have tried browsing through this forum, but it's hard to find threads with much detailed info... I'm sure they are here, just not easy to find. Partly because all AM cars share the same forum.

If any particularly good threads come to mind, bump them or post up a link? Meanwhile I'll keep paging through tons of chaff looking for the wheat.

 

I'm going to post up a few links myself as I find on-point threads...

Track Days in Your Aston (I see this one was yours!)

 

Welcome!

I thought this one from the 991 forum was interesting. Certainly some ethnocentric perspectives (as to be expected), but posts from people such as DRCollie, former AM owner, offer a positive AM assessment

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...n-martins.html

Here's a thread from the AM forum
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...d-porsche.html

Since the Porsche side speaks of unreliability with AMs, here's a discussion of various issues forum members have with their AMs
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...or-issues.html

 

That was *exactly* the kind of discussion I was looking for... Some interesting opinions on both sides. I'm only looking at MT cars, I wonder how many of the previous V8V complaints about technology where from owners with sportshift cars, which seems like it wasn't very refined in early iterations.

And it's not like 997's are trouble free either, especially 997.1's... Expensive air-oil separator fixes, IMS bearings... Turbo's with cooling pipes popping off, second gear pop-outs, failing spoiler transmissions. Virtually *ALL* cars have weak spots and more exclusive cars like Porsche's and AM's can be extremely expensive to fix if you bring it to the dealer every time there is a slight issue.

 

the early v8v were cheerful

 

Let's see...
Handling Porsche but the AM was better than I expected
Track Days Porshce, brakes on an AM can't hold up more than 5-6 minutes the way I drive without overheating a it not stopping the car.
Reliability Porsche, the AM is not cheap when something goes, my 04 Porsche had less problems in 20k miles than my AM has in 3k miles.
Working on, no idea my mechanic could probably tell you :-)
Power, depends on models and years compared.

Hands down though I still own an Aston and would do it again over a Porsche. Maybe my area is different but you can see 100 Porsches to every one AM. I like exclusivity and will pay for it. The sound of the AM is so intoxicating the Porsche just doesn't compare.
I think on paper the Porsche wins all categories easily, but in reality the AM is just better, even if it's not as good performance wise IMHO.

 

Coming from a 996 Turbo I opted for the Vantage S. I know it is slightly newer and a little more money but you get better tork, a few more horses, tighter suspension and steering, and that amazing exhaust note. Love love love my Aston!

 

Have had 996 C4S, GT3, GT2, 997 Turbo, 993, 964 Turbo, 964 Cup recreation, 3.2 and SC.

I now have a V12 Vantage which I love for occasion, engine, handling, pretty much everything.

I got out of Porsche ownership because of the crazy pricing but I will always have Porsche in my blood.

Have had Lambo and Ferrari and the only thing to get under my skin anywhere like the 911 is this Vantage. Real Character.

I also love big torquey engines so the V12 appeals to me a lot!

 

I have owned vintage Ferraris and at least eleven Porsche 911s.
In May of this year I traded my 08' Carrera S for a new manual V8V.
Best trade I have ever made.
Car is obviously beautiful and elegant.
Craftsmanship is old world/English.
Nicest touring/GT I have ever owned.
Looks great sitting next to my new R8.
Interestingly, I have never seen another Aston on the roads of central Connecticut.
Merry Christmas

 

Had 930, 964tt, 964-3.6tt, 993tt, 996tt, GT2 ... all modded
Bought 2007 AMV8 brand new.
Awesome refined look, great sound
Gutless, doesn't handle like GT2 but almost as stiff.
Kept Porshes about 3-4 years but still own the AMV8. ... modded ofcourse

 

I had an 09 997S (gen 2) with PDK and replaced it with a 14 Vantage Roadster.

The technology on the Porsche is years ahead of the Aston and the PDK is much better than the Sportshift II on the Aston.

The 911 was better on the twisties but not by much. That said, I had an 07 Cayman S before the 911 and it was better than either of them in terms of handling. (Not going to beat a well sorted mid engine design).

The sound of the Aston is so much better than the Porsches. When the flaps open on the exhaust it sounds like full on race car. Around town, however it is nice and quiet. The quality of the interior on the Aston is also better. Better leather and less plasticky switch gear. (I had a full leather interior on the 997 and the Aston is still better).

Subjectively, the Aston looks much better than the 911 convertibles and it definitely draws more attention. I see 911s all the time around where I live but very few Astons.

So the Aston wins on sound, looks and fit/finish and the Porsche wins on performance and technology.

 

I just got rid of my 2012 V8VS for 991-C4S. It's my first Porsche and I have to admit that I have been deeply conflicted on the purchase sense I got (I've been making fun of Porsche guys at the track for years; sorry Porsche people but if you bought the jacket and shoes... your kinda asking for it). The Porsche handles great, I see why people come back to the Marque but I miss the Aston. It was slower but not as bad as it appeared on paper (it would run down a lot more cars than I expected it too). I would love own another but its just not practical as a daily driver for me (neither is the Porsche tho). I had the Vantage for 3 years, put 80k miles on it and the best offer I could get for it was $27k. It was 150k new. c'est la vie. I am hoping that a Porsche with similar miles will be a $60-$70k trade but who knows.

Given my druthers, I'd buy another V8V-S (or DBS actually).

 

I will add this

if you are a person that likes to modify your car beyond stock please be aware there are not as many options as Porsche. I am a BMW club racer and long time track junkie with a recently purchased V8VS. I love the Aston for all the previously mentioned reasons but the knowledge and marketplace for European car performance modifications is the highest with marks like Porsche and BMW. Obviously as Porsche and BMW have much more production volume. That's the main trade off to have the exclusivity of an Aston Martin.

Astons fill a special niche and I certainly have enjoyed mine so far. Track time knowledge will start this spring for me.