Weekend fun

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joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Monday 27th November 2006
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Initial thoughts
Plastics way way too cheap for a car costing this much. They feel cheaper than the Noble, and are far far worse than the X5! Tapping the centre console feels like tapping a £30 Tracy Island toy....
Suspension far to 'chrashy' over London potholes.
Too much suspension movement feedback through the wheel.
Juddering as you turn the steering without moving.
Drive belt squeal.
Gearbox good, very good. Nicely changes up and the paddles work.
Engine, what can you say, it's a V12 and is lovely
Radio, reception crap.
Computer interface appalling.
Third gear too long for serious B-Road work, second too short.
Steering very heavy at speed.
You know it weighs a lot.

Is it worth £110k, nope. Is it perhaps one of the best second hand value cars out there? You bet.

A lovely weekend, and one I'll want to repeat.

J

chumley-warner

310 posts

262 months

Monday 27th November 2006
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I like the picture with the circular driveway - very nice! I agree about the suspension feedback, but as you drive faster you'l find it ceases to be a problem, the car kinda "planes" over them with you still in control.

cardigankid

8,849 posts

217 months

Tuesday 28th November 2006
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Where the did you find the house? The windows look as phoney as a Tracy Island toy. (All the same size) Chimneys look weird (All different sizes) Brickwork looks as if it came out of a Volvo. Front door ditto out of B&Q. The circles on the drive look like something out of Austin Powers. Garage doesn't look Victorian.Security system neither. And you have the nerve to criticize Aston Martin?

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Tuesday 28th November 2006
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Luckily I could hand back one of the Fisher Price items

J

lightningghost

4,943 posts

254 months

Tuesday 28th November 2006
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F**k me, that is an awesome house! eek

cardigankid

8,849 posts

217 months

Wednesday 29th November 2006
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Yes, it was the attitude to the Aston that bothered me!

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
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Why? I've driven far cheaper stuff than the Aston that has a higher quality interior - err - a Ford Focus springs to mind.

You surely can't say that plastics so thin the whole centre console moves when you press a key are acceptable on a £110k car can you? Even a £10 Swatch watch has a crystal not plastic face cover, the Aston's clock was cheap plastic (along with the starter button). Is that really acceptable on a car that costs this much, or are you blind to the badge?

J


petrol_noggin

3,046 posts

225 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
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joust said:
Why? I've driven far cheaper stuff than the Aston that has a higher quality interior - err - a Ford Focus springs to mind.

You surely can't say that plastics so thin the whole centre console moves when you press a key are acceptable on a £110k car can you? Even a £10 Swatch watch has a crystal not plastic face cover, the Aston's clock was cheap plastic (along with the starter button). Is that really acceptable on a car that costs this much, or are you blind to the badge?

J



*Edited*, If anyone defends their cars, they apparently aren't car enthusiasts.

For the record, the starter button is crystal glass.

Edited by petrol_noggin on Saturday 2nd December 20:56

andy355

1,343 posts

243 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
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Joust,

i once queried on here why some of the switches on the AMV8 are of such poor quality - hell i love the AMV8 and had been avoiding aston garages so as not to end up 80k poorer, finally sat in one at the motor show and came away disappointed. Anyway, i got a similar response to yourself from people who threw their toys out of the pram, called me a w*nker, and slagged off my 355 spider (which i no longer had and whos interior was pretty crap for the record). My point was that 80k for a car is a lot of money and personally i think they could spend a few more pence on some better quality plastic fittings...
I wouldnt worry too much about what people think on here, ive never seen this defensive attitude on ferrari forums but then i think they are populated by real car enthusiasts who say it as they see

rich1231

17,331 posts

265 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
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the interior of the v8 to me is fine, there is not as much plastic as you think. All the dials are aluminium as ooposed to plastic in the early 9's

petrol_noggin

3,046 posts

225 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
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andy355 said:
Joust,

i once queried on here why some of the switches on the AMV8 are of such poor quality - hell i love the AMV8 and had been avoiding aston garages so as not to end up 80k poorer, finally sat in one at the motor show and came away disappointed. Anyway, i got a similar response to yourself from people who threw their toys out of the pram, called me a w*nker, and slagged off my 355 spider (which i no longer had and whos interior was pretty crap for the record). My point was that 80k for a car is a lot of money and personally i think they could spend a few more pence on some better quality plastic fittings...
I wouldnt worry too much about what people think on here, ive never seen this defensive attitude on ferrari forums but then i think they are populated by real car enthusiasts who say it as they see


Perhaps, because Aston owners don't frequently visit other forums to tell them what we think about Ferraris we don't own? Some owners of other marques seem to have an obsession with the brand confused

*comment removed*, as a current AM driver I won't sink to those levels

Edited by Petrol_Noggin on Saturday 2nd December 21:26

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
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Excuse me!

I was running around last weekend in a DB9 that was paid for with my hard earned cash, and was about the 10th or so person to put his name down on he day the AMV8 was released so I think I'm perfectly entitled to comment

The DB9 had the same cheap interior as the AMV8 has. I'll happily take back that the starter button actually is crystal (although tapping it didn't sound like it), but everyone I showed the Aston too once they saw me press a button on the console and the whole thing moving inwards had the same impression I had - a shocking bit of cost saving from Aston.

At least the DB7, whilst a parts bin special, had certain things 'sorted'. Even the large slab of 'wood' on the DB9 had clearly never seen a tree in its life apart from on the computer it was designed in.

I canceled the AMV8 as I didn't like the final styling over the concept car (that droopy mouth stance does little for me), it's same cheap interior, poor performance, and compromises on the whole suspension setup and I decided my money would be better spent acquiring a cottage in Dorset and hence I cancelled the order.

If people on here want to stick their fingers in their ears and pretend their fisher price quality plastics are all part of the charm, far be it for me to dissuade them, but fisher price quality they are. Add that to the sluggish performance, at therefore over £100k I think I'll stick with one of the other marques thankyouverymuch.

And before you all think I'm a Ferrari fan, the 360 Spider F1 is a shockingly bad car as well

If Aston want more of my hard earned cash then they have already acquired, they are going to have to try harder than their current efforts.

J

Edited by joust on Saturday 2nd December 21:54

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Saturday 2nd December 2006
quotequote all
rich1231 said:
the interior of the v8 to me is fine, there is not as much plastic as you think. All the dials are aluminium as ooposed to plastic in the early 9's
As the 9 was just under 6 months old I assume it had the same as a Vantage? Seemed like a heck of a lot of plastic in there, even the 'wood' that goes from the console to the bottom of the screen clearly hadn't seen a tree.

The 10+ people I took out in it also all commented how shocked they were that Aston had clearly cost saved so much on the console.

Instruments were shockingly beautiful though, although I wasn't totally convinced they were metal.

J

Edited by joust on Saturday 2nd December 22:08

petrol_noggin

3,046 posts

225 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
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joust said:
rich1231 said:
the interior of the v8 to me is fine, there is not as much plastic as you think. All the dials are aluminium as ooposed to plastic in the early 9's
As the 9 was just under 6 months old I assume it had the same as a Vantage? Seemed like a heck of a lot of plastic in there, even the 'wood' that goes from the console to the bottom of the screen clearly hadn't seen a tree.

The 10+ people I took out in it also all commented how shocked they were that Aston had clearly cost saved so much on the console.

Instruments were shockingly beautiful though, although I wasn't totally convinced they were metal.

J

Edited by joust on Saturday 2nd December 22:08

Do you have any interior shots of this DB9 you drove joust?
plastic dash, plastic wood, plastic starter button and now plastic instruments? Maybe you were sat, and I quote, in "a fisher price toy"?

Lets just clarify, I'll keep it simple for you...
WOOD


PLASTIC


HTH

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
quotequote all
You are kidding no? That didn't look anything like real wood on the DB9 above the center console - even the wood in a Rover 75 looked more convincing. It was even cold to the touch and I was pretty convinced the grain was printed.

Exactly my point about the Noble. It's 50% faster, handles better, and has a plastic interior. It also costs half the price of a DB9. You pay your money and makes your choice.

petrol_noggin

3,046 posts

225 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
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joust said:
You are kidding no? That didn't look anything like real wood on the DB9 above the center console - even the wood in a Rover 75 looked more convincing. It was even cold to the touch and I was pretty convinced the grain was printed.

Exactly my point about the Noble. It's 50% faster, handles better, and has a plastic interior. It also costs half the price of a DB9. You pay your money and makes your choice.


So why didn't you get a Mitsubishi Evo then?


Please point me to a car that has so called "real" wood then Joust, and please tell me its not the lacquered fibreboard they put in beemers and jags:



I'm sure if you ask extra nicely, AM would coat there nicely oiled wood in a thick coat of gloss for you, and put a little lable on every component stating the material it is made from.

""We spent a lot of time considering how best to use wood," says Interior Designer Sarah Maynard. "Today wood is typically used as an appliqué, strips of highly polished veneer simply adding decoration to the car. We wanted the wood in the DB9 to look more structural, as it does on avant-garde modern furniture. We also wanted to use large pieces of wood, rather than little strips - again, as in top furniture."

Maynard adds: 'Wood is used in two places only: on top of the centre of the dashboard and, if the customer chooses, for the door caps. Three types of wood are offered: walnut, mahogany and bamboo. The wood is one piece, so it looks completely different from burr strips, and can be oiled rather than high gloss. Glossy wood invariably looks like plastic."



Now, if you want to continue to troll, go to another forum, because you've stated several times that you aren't getting an Aston Martin, if you were in the first place, so why are you still here? Do you want justification for this supposed decision, or are you attempting to make yourself feel better after driving one and actually rather liking it?

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
quotequote all
petrol_noggin said:
Now, if you want to continue to troll, go to another forum, because you've stated several times that you aren't getting an Aston Martin, if you were in the first place, so why are you still here? Do you want justification for this supposed decision, or are you attempting to make yourself feel better after driving one and actually rather liking it?
Oh. You AM owners are such a friendly bunch.

Oh dear. Someone comes along, says the car is wonderful in some respects, badly let down in others, and you call me a troll.

It's shockingly different to the type of Aston owners I regularly talk to at AMOC race meets. There they are quite happy to discuss the modern Aston's, the pros and cons, and have a debate.

Perhaps that's the problem with the new wave of Aston owners, they just have to pretend their cars are perfect. At least DB7 owners were happy to say their car was a Ford parts bin special.

If you read my post I did like quite a lot of the DB9. But, I found that the cost savings these modern versions have are shockingly bad. Are you really going to saw that having an undamped glove box and ash tray is acceptable. Heck, even Skoda damp their small cubby hold flaps nowdays.

If you are happy with your lot then bully for you, but it doesn't change the fact that for about £500 more spent on the interior it could have been so much better inside, which is after all where you spend most of your time with the car.

J

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
quotequote all
petrol_noggin said:
Please point me to a car that has so called "real" wood then Joust, and please tell me its not the lacquered fibreboard they put in beemers and jags:
My X5 doesn't have any wood in it at all as I went for the ally interior

Real wood cars. Let me see. My Triumph Spitfire had wood that eventaually split. Morris Minor Traveller - that seemed to have it on the outside.

Oh, there is always this



shout Next

J

petrol_noggin

3,046 posts

225 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
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Many, many people state their thoughts on the AMV8/ DB9 etc, and we have pleasant discussions, but there's a small percentile who cannot hide their motives, read your posts this week, they quickly degrade, starting with some justifiable, perfectly acceptable criticisms to uninformed rants(come on, to think that it was all plastic you have to question whether you actually sat in an Aston for more than 5 minutes).

So, to please you, I won't attempt to defend undampened gloveboxes and ash trays, because, to be quite honest they worry me as much as the quality of the rear seats, and if it did worry me, I'd have a quick word with works service.

Now, I have agreed there are faults, so will you admit to your real motive in these threads? it looks a lot deeper than just stating your opinion, as if I were that bothered after driving a car, I'd take my "£211m" (your words not mine), and go straight for something else, or aim higher in the model range, instead of reducing my orignal argument to an ashtray and cubby holes in a skoda. If that's not trolling, then its very close. There's no accounting for taste, and you either have it or don't.

If you really like modern Aston's and wish to hang around due to that fact, please do, but your criticisms will continue to fall on deaf ears, not because we can't accept flaws, but because you've stated your opinions to us and they're very thinly veiled tbh.

Anyway, carry on......

joust

Original Poster:

14,622 posts

264 months

Sunday 3rd December 2006
quotequote all
You continue to post rather a lot for someone that isn't really bothered by what I think.

I actually sat in the DB9 for 3 whole days and 500+ miles. A lovely experience, but not worth the money new, and clearly the interior lets it down when I compare it to what else is on the market for the same money.

The 430 interior was a massive jump from the 360, but the DB9 on from the DB7. Sure it looks very nice, but once you get over the looks, it's all rather disappointing.

As for what my motives are, well I am just responding to peoples posts back at mine. I was asked why I didn't order the AMV8 on the other forum in a level headed way, but then had a unhumorous quip about one of the reasons, so who's trolling who on here then?

Unfortunately you show your true colours when you say criticisms will fall on deaf ears. What you are saying is that you believe your car is perfect, and even the imperfect parts are still perfect if you like AMs. Well, if that's your view then you are entitled to have it, but then I'm not sure everyone on here is going to be so closed minded to the products. Do you buy B&O as well by any chance?

I'm just waiting for the 'sod off back to the Noble forum'. Oh. Sorry, I forgot, I already got that one. You lot on here are a lovely welcoming bunch aren't you?

J