[Hilspawn]

First I'd like to say hello to everyone on the forum. I just joined but have been reading the forum for a couple of days now. I have to say that the Maserati forum has to be one of the most informative, civilized, and entertaining forums out there. OK that said I am having a very hard time deciding between the Aston Martin Vantage or the Maserati GS.

With the GS I can take delivery on a Grigio Alfieri with Nero interior with G. Mercury wheels within the week. I tend to enjoy brightly colored cars so I am also thinking about ordering a yellow GS. The time to order is not that important to me since as long as I can drive it once it's nice out (April-May) I will be happy. I test drove both the coupe and GS and feel that the GS is more my style. I also noticed how long it took for the GS to start moving once I gave it gas from a full stop. The salesperson told me that since the car was cold it will do that until it warms up. I would definitely upgrade the ECU witht he EuroTek software if I go with the GS. My wife loves the GS, and she is the one that actually suggested we stop in to the dealership initially. So that is my option regarding the GS.

I fell in love with the V8 in the mags and my dealer actually had 1 of 2 in the country at the time for a non-driving demo and I was able to sit in it. It is a completely different interior feel then the GS. It's more of a non-upright sitting car. More of how my C5 Z06 felt then the GS. No rear seat, but since we don't have any kids that isn't much of a decision factor. Although it would be nice to not have to take 2 cars if a friend is over and we want to go somewhere. So to order the V8, I am still waiting for an allocation. Chances of me getting a build date before "driving season" is up here in the NE is slim to none. So that would mean I'd be looking at a 2007 MY, which has some benefits in itself. (bugs worked out, more options, etc.)

I guess what I am looking for is some insight from other Maserati owners who have been in a simular decision making situation and could give me some reasons why they went with the Maserati over Aston Martin.

Also if anyone has recently purchased an 06 GS what were you able to get off of MSRP?

Thank you,

Hil

Current:
04 Pheonix Yellow BMW M3 Cabriolet
04 Nogaro Blue Audi S4
04 Imola Yellow Audi TT

Sold:
04 Subaru WRX STi
03 Infinity FX45
03 Nissan Murano
02 Subaru WRX Wagon

Lemon Lawed:
02 Corvette Z06

 

[M!]

the AM V8 is a very exciting car. in my mind it does compete with the GS as well as 997S. there was a video i posted a few threads back from Top Gear, in which they compaired with the M6 as well.

Both the Vantage and Gransport are quite limited production coupes, but you only have 6 speed manual on the Vantage, vs a 6 speed Cambiocorsa on the GS. don't know if the 2 extra seats in the GS is a consideration for you.

i should be biased towards the GS but i have a deposit on the V8 Volante (i will wait until the Vantage comes out and see how everything works out.)

( as an aside, there is news that Commander Bond will be driving an Aston Martin DBS in the upcoming Casino Royale, not the V8 Vantage as previously predicted. )

in general, i think the approach of Aston Martin in terms of their cars and the company is more exciting than what Maserati currently is.

the GS has been well sorted out whereas the Vantage is too new... (but should be, from the DB9 experience)...

i would say get into a GS now and look at the Vantage again.

 

[Dolle Dolf]

Geee essss Geeeee Esssss Geeeee Esssss Geeeee esssss!!!!

Owning neither I would opt for the GS. To me the Maserati is an Aston with a blood transplant. And has always been an Aston with a blood transplant.

I say that as an Anglophile BTW......

 

[MikeA]

I haven't compared the two, but they both seem to be marvelous cars. I am sure you could get either one and not look back.
As for quick starts, I find with my 2003 Maser that if I put it in Sport, and then turn off MSP (the anti-slip computer), I can smoke the tires forever if I want. Of course, you lose the benefit of MSP on slippery roads, and tight curves....
I certainly haven't looked back since I got my Maserati. Another consideration is whether you intend to track the car. The Maserati is, at least to me, a blast on the track. Not sure how the AM would do on the track. Either way, with cars like this, there is no better place to let them perform than on the track.
Mike

 

[STARDOC]

Hilspawn,
First of all let me congratulate you on the P.Y. M3 Cab., as I just sold the exact car and color to get into the Maser. Although the Maser. is in a different category something has to be said about a German girl that can take some serious abuse and keep on ticking.
Regarding your choice, IMHO there is no comparison between the GS and the AM V8 as I believe that the AM is much more refined in its looks. Also consider that the GS is nearing its final year(s) in this current design and that near $100k for a soon to be outdated design may be an issue. One area of dissapointment though with the AM is the lack of performance to match its supreme growl. Nevertheless, both are awsome choices and good luck.

 

[M!]

some more V8 Vantage video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4189886640341479577

what is the 'reference' ring time for the GS and the Vantage?

 

[CC7894]

By comparing the GS and the Vantage don't forget, that the GS engine has more torque at lower revs.
According to test reports here in Germany the acceleration for low revs is much better for the GS (or also the Coupe) than for the Vantage or the Porsche!

Bert

 

[RQ]

Timely topic, yesterday driving home something behind me caught my attention so I waited for it: a black AM V8, first time I see one in the flesh.

Looked absolutely spectacular, and the sounds coming out of it were out of this world (this was just on slow city street traffic).

I happened to be driving my SUV and not my GS, else I would have tried to talk to the guy and maybe pull over for a better look.

Got to say, I was impressed. But I'm thoroughly enjoying the GS, that car is lots of fun so not ready to be thinking of trading. Do think that the AM looks better, at least from the front.

If I didn't have the GS and these two were available and sitting side by side it would be a tough choice though! Of course I am only assuming that the AM drives as good as it promises to.

 

[haha]

I'd get the Vantage, (am only saying that because I already have a maserati) The two are very similar in terms of HP and torque. Unless base run tests are performed on the two there is no way one could be 100% certain just by comparing the HP at flywheel, largely because the loss at drive shaft and yadi yada… having said that I still believe GS would perform better. However, driving in the city @10-25mph all that HP and torque are just numbers and translate to $$$ on gas. For looks, I would prefer Vantage over GS and as for the performance it really depends on how you use the car. Not everyone rev their engine @7200rpm in every gear. Vantage is slightly more expensive than GS, considering save that extra 10-20K for a Ferrari in the future.

 

[RQ]

What is the real expected availability of these things in the US anyway?

I did a couple of cursory searches and I didn't even see the usual speculators trying to sell them.

 

[M!]

i was told march/april from the canadian dealer for the arrival of the first cars.

don't know about the market in the US too much, but with the resale value of one year old DB9's at roughly $140-150k, i cannot see too many ppl will pay too much over the Vantage's $110k list. keep in mind the base Vantage is not very well equipped luxury-wise, whereas a DB9 should minimally have the xenons, extended leather, wood, etc etc. and you ultimately get a V12, not a V8.

 

[thebimbo]

v for v. Yep.

 

[RQ]

Does anyone know of a counterpart AM forum to this one?

Google just takes me to idiot places.

 

[Andrew]

Does anyone know of a counterpart AM forum to this one?

Google just takes me to idiot places.

Yes, I have started an AM forum that is very new but growing just like this site. You can visit it at:

http://www.astonmartinlife.com

Many of the same features here are on that site too.

 

[mal]

There is a good forum in Aston Martin Owners Club, uk - here is the link, http://www.amoc.org/ but you have to register.

 

[surfnirnava]

A couple of weeks back I thought I would try out the new AMV8. After the feeling of guilt when I parked my 4200 Coupe in the AM car park, I spoke with the sales guys. They were surprised that I might actually want to drive one of their cars before handing over the cash! I finally decided to forget it when they quoted a delivery time of around a year. I found the sales people a bit arrogant.
It made me think of the service I received from my Maserati dealer. He was helpful, gave me a car to try for the weekend and I ended up ordering one on the Monday!
I think I'll stick with the Maserati and look to change it for another one later in the Spring.

 

[M!]

i think Aston Martin did hype up the V8 Vantage... as well as with the 'exclusiveness', etc etc. i think the sales will slow down after the initial hype.

 

[bcardani]

Interesting question. I visited my local AM and Maser dealers on Friday. I have arranged to return at the end of the month when the AM dealer has a V8 demo to test drive and the Maserati delaer has a Spyder for a test drive. I'll post impressions after the drives. Hopefuly it will make the decision easier driving both back-to-back.

 

[birdness]

I have exactly the same predicament, sort of. I am in the market for a sportscar to be used in the summer months in Canada (May-Oct max). I am absolutely not interested in a Porsche of any kind (even the new 997 turbo) because they are simply too common. I know that mechanically they are excellent but they just don't "do it" for me (too many Boxster, Cayenne`s around). I could spring for a Ferrari F430 but somehow it just doesn`t feel right for me. I think it`s gorgeous and the performance is outstanding but I feel it would be too over the top for my tastes. That leaves 2 marques with a similar pedigree and philosophy: Aston and Maserati (I won`t even mention lambo because of the bling factor).

I have been waiting for 2 years for the new Maserati spyder to be released, and it`s still not out. The current Coupe, GS, or spyder don`t excite me from a style point of view, hence that is why I`m waiting. The new spyder will have a folding hardtop and is supposed to be gorgeous from those in the know. I got fed up with all the delays so I started looking at Aston Martin.
The AMV8 Vantage hits the nail right on the head for me. I think it is the most beautiful of all the 3 AM models (ie more sport and less GTish). It is also the fastest of the Aston Martin line up at the Nurburgring race track (8:03 with pirelli corsa tires, 8:13 with regular tires which is also faster than the GS). I have placed a deposit at my local dealer for a spring delivery 2007. My only complaint would be that I would have liked to see 450 hp instead of 390. Maybe by next year the ``S`` version may be out but I doubt it would be so soon. I am hoping that the new spyder will be out before I need to spec the Aston so Maserati has 1 more chance to change my mind (the deposit is refundable till the car is spec`d)

At this point in time I would choose the V8 Vantage over the GS for both mechanical and aesthetic reasons. Very few marques in the world have the impact of an Aston Martin, maybe not even Ferrari! Good luck with your choice.

 

[M!]

birdness, the one additional good thing about the AMV8 is that its MSRP is such a good deal in Canada - $138,500 CAD. in the US it would be $110k USD, which is similar to a GS.

I have been on the wait list for the AMV8 and i switched over to the Volante. I agree that if there is an S version it will be better. However, judging from the top gear video i think the regular vantage's exhaust will already be stunning. Not sure what the DBS is about, but i have find myself on its waitlist. as well, there was rumored of a RS version (GT3 competitor) for the V8 Vantage.