Discussion
you know it makes sensetimsiggs said:
I have a budet of £24/26k. I have driven 80's V8s and they are not for me, so I suppose it's between a Virage or early DB7. Some advise would be much appriciated. Cheers Tim
I looked at doing the "budget Aston" thing at the start of last year when I wanted a year or two of cheaper motoring (after the Tuscan!). Came to the conclusion an early 6-pot DB7 was the only option. Then I drove one. And, for me (based purely on what I do/don't want from a car), it was no longer an option in standard spec... I very nearly got one and had it "tweaked", though - I was going to take it to BBR (www.bbrgti.com/aston.php) and get the engine sorted, then sort out some stiffer springs and better brakes for it straight away, too.
By the time I'd priced this up I'd gone from £26k to £34k or so. Any by the time I'd found a DB7 with a colour-scheme I was happy with, I was up another £4k. Given that this got me dangerously close to low-end Vantage money, and was £13k more than I'd initially planned to spend, I gave up on it - especially when I considered the amount that'd get spent on servicing and upkeep on an early, relatively high-mileage, "well worn" car. So, I got a Paramount tuned (and styled) XKR instead - definitely the right choice at the time (again, for me - I wanted the handling and power - nothing against the car if it suits your needs).
If you just want one for "pottering about" in/cruising, I'd go for the DB7 and get the "cheap" £1k upgrade from BBR to at least liberate a bit of power and (more importantly) to make the power delivery that much smoother. Coming from a Noble, I imagine you might get annoyed by it in the same way I did when test-driving it, though... would give one a try, either way.
Hope that's of some use!
timsiggs said:
Hi J S G, Thanks for your input I will have to try one. Have you ever driven a virage? Looked at your XK8 advert the other day very tempting. Cheers Tim
Afraid I've not driven a Virage.
When I was looking everything in that price bracket seemed as though it'd need a few things tidying up/renewing, which pushed the cost of ownership up massively. Might be different now. The i6 DB7 at £22k on Autotrader might be worth a punt if the mileage isn't off-putting... By the time you've settled on £21k for it, you've got a good few £k for getting a bit more of a dynamic drive out of it. The thought of a "budget Aston" still doesn't sit well, mind; the car might be cheap, but I doubt you could say the same about the bills! Currently had someone put a deposit on the XKR without seeing it - coming to pick it up tomorrow. Don't expect that to fall through, but can give you a shout for a test drive (just as a comparison if nothing else) if anything goes wrong with that.
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