4.3 Vantage vs DB9 - what would you do?

[Minglar]

Calinours said:

Maybe I should have been clearer, I didn’t describe the manuals as I assumed all would know what a manual box was.

Yes it’s true that at launch the Vantage was only offered with a manual. The automated manual option came a bit later.

Yes fair enough. I was being a little pedantic I guess. If it was me I wouldn’t even bother trying to find an early coupe with the automated manual. I suspect there aren’t too many available anyway. BRM.

[Hogarty9999]

Really interesting to read this thread. I want to change my Golf R for something special. The Golf is every car you would ever need but I feel like a change. I nearly purchased a 996 C4S recently but am so put off by likely engine rebuild costs. Everyone I spoke to said I should expect to rebuild the engine not if but when. The same was said about the 911 997 also. Would I enjoy a car that costs approx 35k if a 10k engine rebuild was likely. So I am looking at the V8 Vantage. The 4.3 is good value but should I focus on 4.7 only? And I am only really interested in a manual.
It would be my daily car, not that I drive much other than to the station and errands etc. we have a bigger family car also.
I think I need to drive an Aston! Any advice appreciated. Thanks 🙏

[kevin_cambs_uk]

My mate at work has a Porsche, and he drives it very differently than I drive my Aston, so much so I think he would not like it at all.
For me the Aston is not about going fast but getting there is style.In fact the longer the journey or even slower the better as I spend more time in it!

Kev

[Hogarty9999]

kevin_cambs_uk said:

My mate at work has a Porsche, and he drives it very differently than I drive my Aston, so much so I think he would not like it at all.
For me the Aston is not about going fast but getting there is style.In fact the longer the journey or even slower the better as I spend more time in it!

Kev

Thank you 🙏
Appreciate the comments.

[Laup99]

Hogarty9999 said:

Really interesting to read this thread. I want to change my Golf R for something special. The Golf is every car you would ever need but I feel like a change. I nearly purchased a 996 C4S recently but am so put off by likely engine rebuild costs. Everyone I spoke to said I should expect to rebuild the engine not if but when. The same was said about the 911 997 also. Would I enjoy a car that costs approx 35k if a 10k engine rebuild was likely. So I am looking at the V8 Vantage. The 4.3 is good value but should I focus on 4.7 only? And I am only really interested in a manual.
It would be my daily car, not that I drive much other than to the station and errands etc. we have a bigger family car also.
I think I need to drive an Aston! Any advice appreciated. Thanks ??

Things i would say is just drive them. You can ask as many questions as you want but only driving them will give you your answer.

I have just picked up a 4.7 2012 Sportshift 2 Vantage Roadster. I set out for a Manual 4.3 but after test driving a few that was what suited me the best. I went from an Alfa 4C and Boxster (sold both of those for the Aston as I needed to reduce some of my cars)

Luckily I got to test drive 2 cars on one day (straight after each other) and the next day another couple...... If you can do it very close together will give you the best idea about what you want.

I would defo try a 4.3, 4.7 & DB9 before decding what you want to do & dont rule out Sportshift (I did) but it suited me more than I thought.

[Hogarty9999]

Great advice, thank you. 🙏
I loved the 996 C4S that I drove, far more than I was expecting to. Will get the drives booked in. Thanks again

[Apollya]

I was also looking at both these a few months back.

I don’t have kids though and came to the conclusion the back seats in any 2+2 Aston (except the rapide) might as well not even be there, literally only small kids to very early teens can fit in those spaces and be comfortable.

On that basis I bought for a vantage as I also preferred the looks, I also went for a roadster, I loved the styling of the hood lid with the raised leather roll cage covers / wind deflectors.

There’s a range of different models and engines to pick from depending on budget too.

I went for a 4.3, but an n400. it had a factory tune, sports kit, and some other parts as new additions for performance and loaded with extras/ spec as standard (premium audio as an example). Also has different side skirts and rear light cluster. I also thought being a limited edition and numbered car it should hold its value better and I went for manual too, more desirable on 4.3. The sport shift in the 4.3 was not as good as the sportshift 2 in the 4.7, in the 4.3 the autobox is described as pretty awful so you need to drive it as if it were manual on the paddles.
Being my first Aston I also figured 400bhp and 0-60 in 4.1 was plenty enough for me.

Edited by Apollya on Thursday 27th June 00:31

Edited by Apollya on Thursday 27th June 00:36

[alabbasi]

David W. said:

Every aspect of V8V is a disappointment compared to a 911 other than looks, I ran both side by side so I had a regular reminder of this!.
Space in a DB9 is very disappointing for a car that size and it still suffers from most of the other Aston shortfalls. I tried several. DB9gt was the most sorted.
Rapide is your only solution if you feel you need to scratch the Aston itch.

I think that this is pretty accurate. I own an 07 V8V and an 05 SL55. The SL55 is twice the car for half the $. If i was to do it again, I think I would go with a DB9 as the V12 will offer a different level of refinement. At the time of purchase (around 2015), It was a toss up between a 997 and a V8V. I think I would have been much happier with a 997