Got a DBS for the weekend! Pics inside, Vantage vs. DBS...

[jus]

Need some input here, lads! My dealer is prepared to offer a great trade-in plus a staggering discount on their demonstrator DBS!

So what do we think, then? I'll try take some proper side-by-side's tomorrow...

In terms of the beauty contest alone, so far (haven't had enough driving time yet for good comparison yet) my thoughts are:

The Vantage is more classically beautiful, more well proportioned, the more perfect sculpture. It is a woman in a beautiful, elegant evening gown. It is an exercise in design fluency.

The DBS on the other hand is all about the meanness, the presence, the dramatics. It is big and bold (for an Aston). It is a girl with attitude in a sexy bikini and not afraid to flaunt it and attract attention. It stirs something in your loins!

[Kurgen]

I would have the DBS.. if I were in the position to do so, no question!

Have seen a couple at HWM, stunning cars!

Rob

[FloPlast]

What sort of trade in /discount is available!

[Triple7]

The bit where you said 'staggering discount' put me off. Why can't they sell them? Ahhh, now I remember it's what the DB9 should have been, but for £60k extra.

Stick with you AMV8 and wait for him to crawl back with an even better offer.

[Grant3]

The DBS is a stunning car, but as with all ultra high end models of the range it looses its shirt come re-sale, this isn't knocking Aston just look at Porsche 996GT3, Ferrari 612 (etc etc) & the Vanquish... 160k to 80k in three years!
If you don't mind the loss & lets face it some can comfortably afford it, then great, but I can't & wouldn't... so better wait for two years & the relative bargain the dBs will be then!!!

[jus]

Well, it's their demonstrator, so we're talking serious discount here... like 23%!

[clorenzen]

23% is a staggering amount for a car that supposedly has 18-24 months waiting list - but unfortunately only a sign of things to come. Here in the UK, HWM have their demonstrator for sale at a premium to list - but that is before you start haggling.

I think this time around, even for people who clearly have the means, you will have to take into consideration the free-fall that high end petrol guzzling cars are going through at the moment. In the UK the market has slowed down considerably, but it has not entered into free-fall yet. This is bound to happen during the autumn, where factories are re-opening after the summer break and new cars will swamp the market. Especially the DBS will see big depreciation numbers, as a Volante and a TT version will further dilute the exclusivity of this vehicle.

I still thing the lines of the "original" DB9 are prettier. The DBS is more muscular but too busy and brutal looking. A dark colored DB9 with sport pack is still a more classic beauty. Bofore you jump to conclusions, have a drive in a DB9 and see whether you can find the STG 60.000,-.

Edited by clorenzen on Saturday 2nd August 11:38

Ahh - and forgot to mention: For the difference you can keep your amv8.

Edited by clorenzen on Saturday 2nd August 11:39

[XXXAngelXXX]

forget the money - just buy it

[Grant3]

XXXAngelXXX said:

forget the money - just buy it

Careful or I'll tell your Mrs that you have been looking DBS's

[jus]

Okay, I have now had the opportunity to really drive this thing. @#$#%, chaps! Aston Martin have built a masterpiece here. It is truly phenomenal. The more time you spend with it the more you realise what a brilliant car it is.

Here's some more pics and a video to give you some more to chew on... it was a beautiful sunny day in Camps Bay, Cape Town, on the Atlantic seaboard on Saturday!

Aston Martin DBS startup and rev (wmv video file)

Pics:











This guy just couldn't contain himself..!

[Olie Baxter]

DBS all the way in my opinion mate!

People say that it's a DB9 which has been karted round Halfords but I agree with above... Looks meaner and it knock the V8 into a tin can as far as performance.

You plonker though! Lol. Now you have driven and LOVE it by the sounds of things...

How are you possibly going to NOT buy it...

2nd best looking car on the market!

Buy it.

[jus]

Some more pics, DBS vs. Vantage...

[Murph7355]

I'm beginning to think that DBS punch with V8 looks would be unbeatable...let's hope the RS delivers!

[jus]

Murph7355 said:

I'm beginning to think that DBS punch with V8 looks would be unbeatable...let's hope the RS delivers!

That brute of an engine would be scary in the Vantage! It's monstrous enough in the DBS!

I spoke to my dealer about it.. trouble is he reckons pricing is going to be stratospheric, way past the DBS. And he's saying it's going to be a Scuderia-esque focussed semi-track type car. Which doesn't suit me personally, unfortunately...

[Grant3]

Stunning car Jus, must confess I have been wondering what I will be in two years down the line...... think you may have answered the question, two years time will see prices around the £90k-s & like the Vanquish the DBS will come into its own.

Are you going for it???

[Kurgen]

Nice little vid, and great pictures!

How can you not take the DBS.. makes the V8 look like a kiddies toy!

[bogie]

go for it

I cant wait for it to be 3 yrs old too and fall to sensible levels so I can have one !

[petermansell]

Kurgen said:

Nice little vid, and great pictures!

How can you not take the DBS.. makes the V8 look like a kiddies toy!

+1

[Murph7355]

jus said:

...
I spoke to my dealer about it.. trouble is he reckons pricing is going to be stratospheric, way past the DBS. And he's saying it's going to be a Scuderia-esque focussed semi-track type car. Which doesn't suit me personally, unfortunately...

All manner of rumours on this. 120k? 200k? Track car? GT?

I suspect Aston are still trying to make their minds up.

It might not be such a bad idea to build a "softer" version with, say 480-500bhp (at 120k), and a focussed version with less weight and say 520-550bhp (at 200k).

Apparently the engine in the mule was 600bhp? So it would seem easy enough for them to hit these figures if they can package it right.

To me they shouldn't worry about hurting DB9 sales to much. The "+2" is important to a lot of buyers I would suspect, and it's a bigger, heavier car (in theory) to give it a different character.

[jus]

Well, I have given the DBS back. And let's just say parting with the key was rather hard. I'm being emailled a formal quote Monday morning for consideration.

Final deal comes down to this... and it seems like a bargain to me. Thoughts?

Current trade value on my '06 Vantage with 28,000km in these market conditions: R1.0m (70k GBP) if I'm lucky.
Price of a DBS here in SA: R3.6m (250k GBP)

Offer is R1.2m (84k GBP) trade-in on my Vantage, and I get the DBS for R3.1m (215k GBP). So I get R200k over trade on trade-in plus R500k off new list price (albeit for a demo car with 8,000km on the clock).