£35k GT car - Aston/3200/XKR
Discussion
Ok guys, opinions.....
Having Seen Aston prices tumbling a bit, you can now a get a FSH 1996 DB7 for around 35k.
For the same sort of money you can also get..a Porsche 996, A Maserati 3200 or a nice Jag XKR.
How do you guys rate these in terms of keeping for 2 years, fun, cost of running, depreciation?
Having Seen Aston prices tumbling a bit, you can now a get a FSH 1996 DB7 for around 35k.
For the same sort of money you can also get..a Porsche 996, A Maserati 3200 or a nice Jag XKR.
How do you guys rate these in terms of keeping for 2 years, fun, cost of running, depreciation?
If you're up for it you can get a left hooker 456GT for under 40K, look at www.mobile.de (some are even in this country already)
davidy
davidy
The XKR will cost peanuts on service costs and you will get a newer car , i think the Aston would be very expensive as would the Maserati , the Jag is a very good car ,,, but only auto as with the Aston i guess , the Maserati at resale time could (would) give a nasty shock .
Jag XKR they look good , go good and are built like a brick shit house
Jag XKR they look good , go good and are built like a brick shit house
Well, from a financial point of view, Aston has a very good name, and the DB7 is their most popular car ever, so financially I think it will depreciate the least, given that the 3200 and XKR have been superceded. The 996 might be handicapped by the fact that they are relatively common.
In fun terms, the XKR and DB7 were intended as GTs, the 996 as a sports car (with German reliability therefore capable as a GT), and the 3200 between the two. Both the Jag and the DB7 are supercharged, 3200 turbo'd with the 996 breathing naturally.
In reliability terms, the Porsche would seem to be the obvious choice, but I'm sure there are people on the forum who can attest to the fact that the DB7, XKR and 3200 are equally reliable, as I'm sure that there are some 996 horror stories.
Oh, what a choice to make...
In fun terms, the XKR and DB7 were intended as GTs, the 996 as a sports car (with German reliability therefore capable as a GT), and the 3200 between the two. Both the Jag and the DB7 are supercharged, 3200 turbo'd with the 996 breathing naturally.
In reliability terms, the Porsche would seem to be the obvious choice, but I'm sure there are people on the forum who can attest to the fact that the DB7, XKR and 3200 are equally reliable, as I'm sure that there are some 996 horror stories.
Oh, what a choice to make...
Animal I dissagree ref the 996 being a sports car, the new 3.6 has improved the situation more in a sporting direction, but the earier 3.4 was far more in the GT mold and earlier 911s and was not prased highly by the press. Oh and rear seats in an XKR are really not any better size wise than a 996 and you have 390bhp to play with, but and auto box boo!
I always thought a DB7 was the best looking most desireable car on the road - until I drove one. What a disappointment. It was the most dull uninvolving car I had been in for years. I also thought it was poorly finished and the nasty XR3i switchgear was the final straw. The 3200GT is also fabulous but the depreciation is like falling off a cliff. A friend has an XKR and it has ben great. To me it is basically a cheaper but better finished DB7. Really renders the DB7 as an overpriced piece of poorly executed badge engineering. 996 is a bland but very capable machine with low depreciation. What about a late 993 ?
Having driven all three, my choice would be to hold off buying one yet, or get a 911 if you can't wait. DB7 didn't light any fires for me, and I thought that the XKR didn't handle that well and drove like a BIG car. Also didn't like that slab of sideboard masquerading as a dash. Really wanted to want a 3200GT but too many little irritations, the main one being the seating position and the seat made my arse ache after about 30 mins. 99T cars for late 20s money and will fall further over winter.
Faced with the same choice I arrived at a 911, either a flatnose or a 993 with the same silencers as Doms car. Exactly.
Faced with the same choice I arrived at a 911, either a flatnose or a 993 with the same silencers as Doms car. Exactly.
Choice in order
1) 996, all mags are now saying 3.4 was better handling car and more adjustable than newer 3.6. has plenty of grunt and lowest ownership cost overall. Its £170 a service!
2) 3200, find a car at a dealer and offer 28K for this you get so much stonk. its not perfect but its an experience.
=3) Aston looks good and its bonds choice, but expect serious bills, can look tatty for 35K and is based on XJS chassis / engine. XKR Jag is newer and faster but drives like a bus and has a pipe rack!
4) 456 only touch one if you dont mind water leaks and 8k service bills. I have been there and written a small bit for Evo next month about it.
Bennno
>> Edited by bennno on Thursday 24th October 23:13
So yours was a lemon was it Bennno? Sorry to hear that. I drove the 3 cars last year and after 4 TVRS thought that with I would fulfill an ambition and buy a DB7. The 4 I drove made it the most disapointing driving experience ever. The 2 early ones (supposedly more driver focused felt that (A)they could fall apart at any minute, (B) crude and (C)slow. The later cars felt soft and slow. The XKR is Auto only which put me off as did the apalling brakes (the XKR-R might be better) and the lack of room as I'm 6ft4". Loved the Maser in many ways like driver involvement,pace and it felt special but the drive-by-wire throttle and the on-off power delivery made it bloody difficult to drive smoothly. Bought an HSV instead.
>> Edited by sjc on Friday 25th October 23:06
>> Edited by sjc on Friday 25th October 23:06
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