V12V owners on here?
Discussion
I collected mine on Nov 20 and have now driven 3700 miles through one of the worst winters in years. I avoided the very worst of the snow and ice during the heart of winter but have nevertheless used it regularly. I have driven across the cotswolds (where I live), through cornwall and across Herefordshire as well as the need for A roads and motorways for longer journeys. I will choose cross country routes as often as possible because that is where this car comes alive. The simple response is that I love this car. Most of my driving is on my own so I can't really offer a passenger perspective although my wife also adores the car.
The obvious statement is that is a great looking car. I am inundated by positive comments from everyone that I come across. The car turns heads when driving, the sound draws the initial attention and the looks seem to hold them. The quality of the build with Aston is, as usual, mixed. The materials are fabulous and, at first glance are put together well. After a little driving the hand finishing that provides the craftmanship and personalisation also leads to a few creaks and groans that need addressing (I am in that position at the moment and its driving me mad) but you know that a visit to the dealer will put that right. It is a great place to sit and I love the alcantara & leather clad carbon fibre sports seats. The sat nav is also much better now and, if you want to invest in the B&O system the sound quality is superb. Elbow position for my height is still not perfect but a new, leather covered pad eases the comfort on the centre console. The gear stick is an interesting item but it is beautifully crafted in alluminium which means it is really cold to touch in the winter and I understand could get really hot in the summer so gloves are necessary at those times. Everything else inside the car is perfect from my perspective as a driver. Of greater importance to me is the way that it drives. My benchmark has always been the GT3 and initially wouldn't drive the V8 because of its relative performance to the two 997's that I have owned. The V12V has now cured me of my need to go back to a GT3.
On first feel it seems lower and wider than a GT3 ( I am not sure of exact dimensions) and doesn't quite have the same sense of informing you where its edges are, particularly on the nearside front wing. I am still more cautious in driving in tight spaces despite the front mounted sensors. In every other respect it feels tight and taut. Some people might find the ride a little hard but GT3 drivers will find it comparable. Driving it the car is wonderfully balanced and fluid, the engine delivering a magnificent sound and, unlike the early V8V's in particular, a performance to match. The more that I have driven the car across the cotswolds, despite the winter conditions and the standard tyres, the more that I have come to appreciate its handling and performance. I have only used the sports button on a few occasions (due to conditions) but the effect is electrifying. The brakes reduce speed as rapidly as anything that I have driven and it corners superbly. Inevitably that doesn't mean the car can be treated without respect and some have suggested the need for winter tyres and wheels for complete confidence in the sort of weather that we have experienced. I am expecting (hoping for) a dry, warm spring, summer and autumn when I will enjoy the car in its preferred envirnonment.
I still feel that AM need to resolve the soft paint issue, the paintwork is too easily marked but that, and the comments on the need to return to the dealer to tighten one or two fittings are my only criticisms. If it wasn't for the problem of car park parking I would literally drive this car on every journey (apart from taking rubbish to the dump and the worst of winter conditions). I use higher octane fuel all of the time and return around 17 mpg (yesterdays city centre visit to Birmingham was probably single figures - ouch !). Even car insurance seems to be reasonable.
If you couple all of this with AM's dealers and their responsiveness (in my dealings they have been far superior to Porsche) the whole experience has been totally satisfying. I have changed cars regularly throughout my life and have always been planning for the next but I can not see beyond this car. It ticks every box for me.
My advice would be to go and sit in one and then drive it. That is easier to do with AM than with Porsche and you will be impressed. I found it impossible to test drive a 997 GT3 when I was looking to buy one but you should be able to test drive a V12V. The GT3 is a fantastic car to drive, arguably the more pure drive, but the V12V has much more to offer in other respects. Go try it !
The obvious statement is that is a great looking car. I am inundated by positive comments from everyone that I come across. The car turns heads when driving, the sound draws the initial attention and the looks seem to hold them. The quality of the build with Aston is, as usual, mixed. The materials are fabulous and, at first glance are put together well. After a little driving the hand finishing that provides the craftmanship and personalisation also leads to a few creaks and groans that need addressing (I am in that position at the moment and its driving me mad) but you know that a visit to the dealer will put that right. It is a great place to sit and I love the alcantara & leather clad carbon fibre sports seats. The sat nav is also much better now and, if you want to invest in the B&O system the sound quality is superb. Elbow position for my height is still not perfect but a new, leather covered pad eases the comfort on the centre console. The gear stick is an interesting item but it is beautifully crafted in alluminium which means it is really cold to touch in the winter and I understand could get really hot in the summer so gloves are necessary at those times. Everything else inside the car is perfect from my perspective as a driver. Of greater importance to me is the way that it drives. My benchmark has always been the GT3 and initially wouldn't drive the V8 because of its relative performance to the two 997's that I have owned. The V12V has now cured me of my need to go back to a GT3.
On first feel it seems lower and wider than a GT3 ( I am not sure of exact dimensions) and doesn't quite have the same sense of informing you where its edges are, particularly on the nearside front wing. I am still more cautious in driving in tight spaces despite the front mounted sensors. In every other respect it feels tight and taut. Some people might find the ride a little hard but GT3 drivers will find it comparable. Driving it the car is wonderfully balanced and fluid, the engine delivering a magnificent sound and, unlike the early V8V's in particular, a performance to match. The more that I have driven the car across the cotswolds, despite the winter conditions and the standard tyres, the more that I have come to appreciate its handling and performance. I have only used the sports button on a few occasions (due to conditions) but the effect is electrifying. The brakes reduce speed as rapidly as anything that I have driven and it corners superbly. Inevitably that doesn't mean the car can be treated without respect and some have suggested the need for winter tyres and wheels for complete confidence in the sort of weather that we have experienced. I am expecting (hoping for) a dry, warm spring, summer and autumn when I will enjoy the car in its preferred envirnonment.
I still feel that AM need to resolve the soft paint issue, the paintwork is too easily marked but that, and the comments on the need to return to the dealer to tighten one or two fittings are my only criticisms. If it wasn't for the problem of car park parking I would literally drive this car on every journey (apart from taking rubbish to the dump and the worst of winter conditions). I use higher octane fuel all of the time and return around 17 mpg (yesterdays city centre visit to Birmingham was probably single figures - ouch !). Even car insurance seems to be reasonable.
If you couple all of this with AM's dealers and their responsiveness (in my dealings they have been far superior to Porsche) the whole experience has been totally satisfying. I have changed cars regularly throughout my life and have always been planning for the next but I can not see beyond this car. It ticks every box for me.
My advice would be to go and sit in one and then drive it. That is easier to do with AM than with Porsche and you will be impressed. I found it impossible to test drive a 997 GT3 when I was looking to buy one but you should be able to test drive a V12V. The GT3 is a fantastic car to drive, arguably the more pure drive, but the V12V has much more to offer in other respects. Go try it !
I couldn't add anything (constructive) to the above post. I picked mine up in November as well and have used it as a daily driver in and out of London. It is more practical than my previous db9 with more space for tall drivers and the hatch offers a roomy boot where the db9 was compromised.
Compared to the db9 there is virtually no understeer, it has a better dampening and feels tight. Performance is electrifying with a very smooth and constant power delivery. Due to the huge torque I have not managed to stall it once in crawling traffic and find the clutch easy to live with. I have had a couple of niggles: crome window frame became loose, faulty boot looking mechanism and tyre sensor system had a fault when I changed back to summer tyres. Dealer attention was top class with everything being sorted whilst waiting. Rear shelf is flimsy and makes squeaky noises.
Paint quality is superb (Hammerhead Silver) and much harder than my db9 which needed a bonnet respray early in its life. A general observation is that you tend to get the stone chips early when the car is new so something suggests that the paint takes a long time to harden after leaving the factory.
Cannot recommend this car enough. A joy to drive and a keeper.
Compared to the db9 there is virtually no understeer, it has a better dampening and feels tight. Performance is electrifying with a very smooth and constant power delivery. Due to the huge torque I have not managed to stall it once in crawling traffic and find the clutch easy to live with. I have had a couple of niggles: crome window frame became loose, faulty boot looking mechanism and tyre sensor system had a fault when I changed back to summer tyres. Dealer attention was top class with everything being sorted whilst waiting. Rear shelf is flimsy and makes squeaky noises.
Paint quality is superb (Hammerhead Silver) and much harder than my db9 which needed a bonnet respray early in its life. A general observation is that you tend to get the stone chips early when the car is new so something suggests that the paint takes a long time to harden after leaving the factory.
Cannot recommend this car enough. A joy to drive and a keeper.
Edited by clorenzen on Friday 19th March 14:46
Thank you both for the time in giving your reports, much appreciated. And thanks for your comparison to the GT3 which is particularly useful.
Q.Did you own/drive the 996GT3 or 997GT3?
I've owned mine from new but has only done 6800 miles in the near 3 years i've had it. Its my weekend car and the summers have been very wet so hasn't been used as much as i'd have liked (and garaged over winter).
Regarding the Vantage, I was in Wilmslow in September last year and sat in a V8V. I was sorely tempted but major factors in not proceeding were:-
1. Performance relative to my GT3 and driving characteristics
2. Frightening depreciation
3. Wasn't at a stage where i'd had enough of my GT3
However, the V12V has now arrived and by your comments above sounds like it is an equal match (at least) to the GT3 but with some added bonuses. My GT3 was £90k new whereas the V12V nearer £140k so i need to play a waiting game. Looking at the handful of used cars available the cheapest is a 7600 miler in lovely magma red for £105k. If this indeed was a £140k car when new then it looks as though even the V12V's suffer from hefty depreciation (£35k in 10 months?).
With this in mind i'm aiming to keep my GT3 until this time next year when i'll treat myself to a V12V as a 40th birthday present! If current values continue to fall i'm hoping to maybe pick one for £90k if i'm lucky. We'll see
Another question - are they still being built and how many have come to the UK so far?
Q.Did you own/drive the 996GT3 or 997GT3?
I've owned mine from new but has only done 6800 miles in the near 3 years i've had it. Its my weekend car and the summers have been very wet so hasn't been used as much as i'd have liked (and garaged over winter).
Regarding the Vantage, I was in Wilmslow in September last year and sat in a V8V. I was sorely tempted but major factors in not proceeding were:-
1. Performance relative to my GT3 and driving characteristics
2. Frightening depreciation
3. Wasn't at a stage where i'd had enough of my GT3
However, the V12V has now arrived and by your comments above sounds like it is an equal match (at least) to the GT3 but with some added bonuses. My GT3 was £90k new whereas the V12V nearer £140k so i need to play a waiting game. Looking at the handful of used cars available the cheapest is a 7600 miler in lovely magma red for £105k. If this indeed was a £140k car when new then it looks as though even the V12V's suffer from hefty depreciation (£35k in 10 months?).
With this in mind i'm aiming to keep my GT3 until this time next year when i'll treat myself to a V12V as a 40th birthday present! If current values continue to fall i'm hoping to maybe pick one for £90k if i'm lucky. We'll see
Another question - are they still being built and how many have come to the UK so far?
Regarding residuals, I was at my dealer yesterday (for the tyre system fault which got fixed whilst waiting) and we talked about the used V12V market. His opinion was that prices were firming up as a) people where starting to appreciate the characteristics of the V12 Vantage, b) weather was now becoming more friendly to take this car out for a spin (not literally) and c) and most importantly, considering that only 1000 will be build, Aston Martin had released a relative high amount of cars to the press as demonstrators (these cars are April / May 09 regs). These cars have flushed through the used car market (i believe the Magna red one is a press car) and once sold prices will firm up. We'll have to wait and see.
Edited by clorenzen on Saturday 20th March 08:06
It is limited to a maximum of 1000 worldwide over what was envisaged as a 4 year production cycle. The GT3 that I owned was a 997, March 07 to be precise. Depreciation is in the lap of the gods but the GT3 is one of the rare beasts that defies the normal laws when new (limited supply and demand) but generally falls after that. It cost £90K at the time and I assume that I would get circa £60K if I traded in today. By contrast with other cars you wouldn't get a discount when new so a strict comparison needs to made against other cars price less any discount negotiated. Who knows where the V12V will end up, personally I am not concerned. I am driving a great car and I intend to keep it. Magazines as diverse as Octane and Top Gear have placed it car of the decade and 3rd best car ever so others like it. There can't be a better way of celebrating your 40th.....well in car terms anyway.
Okay, so I visited JCT Aston Marton in Leeds yesterday in my GT3. Went to look at their Morning Frost V12V which was in the showroom looking stunning but they'd had received an order on it that morning! The paintwork/colour is truly awesome.
They also have three other V12V's in stock. I sat in a Titanium one with 800 miles on the clock, registered in Oct 09 so probably an ex-demo. They "only" wanted £118k for it!! The other two were in black (would be a nightmare for paint swirls) and Lightening Silver. This silver is fantastic with hues of blue depending on lighting and angles you look at it. In my opinion a much more involving paint scheme than Titanium.
I didn't go for a drive in one as I felt I would be wasting the salesman's time, being at least 6-12 months off being serious about ownership. I did however ask the salesman to start one up - OH MY GOD!! I instantly had tingles down my spine and a big grin across my face.
Truly, truly fantastic... it's only a matter of time!!
They also have three other V12V's in stock. I sat in a Titanium one with 800 miles on the clock, registered in Oct 09 so probably an ex-demo. They "only" wanted £118k for it!! The other two were in black (would be a nightmare for paint swirls) and Lightening Silver. This silver is fantastic with hues of blue depending on lighting and angles you look at it. In my opinion a much more involving paint scheme than Titanium.
I didn't go for a drive in one as I felt I would be wasting the salesman's time, being at least 6-12 months off being serious about ownership. I did however ask the salesman to start one up - OH MY GOD!! I instantly had tingles down my spine and a big grin across my face.
Truly, truly fantastic... it's only a matter of time!!
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