Trade a 360 Spider for an Aston Martin DB9

When I have to own a "4 seater" per the wifes dictate.. the DB9 will definitely be high on my list. I hope I can keep the 360 and own both.. I think a DB9 is a suitable trade if low miles, later model and nicely kept... deprecitation on AM's tends to be killer though..

 

plastique999 has a 430 spider and a DB9. He should chime in soon.

 

Drive one and you will want to keep your 360.

 

I like your list and thought process. I do not have a DB9, but it is on my list for a 4 seater GT. I am not sure it would be a suitable replacement for your 360. Maybe you should also consider keeping the 360 and getting something in addition (my solution).

My list: (4drs or 4seaters trying to be sports cars)
>997TT: (+)reliable : (-)Rear seats very small, not very exotic
>DB9: (+)exotic and luxurious : (-)Slow and only reasonably reliable
>Quattroporte or Gran Turismo: (+)exotic and luxurious. : (-)Slow, not super reliable, and expensive to repair especially clutches on pre mid 2008 quattroports.
>612: (+)Ferrari, exotic, luxurious, almost fast : (-)sort of expensive for what it is

So after extensive shopping, which I enjoy, I started to figure out that taking a 4dr or 4seater and trying to make it into a sports car was just not working and offered a reasonably reliable and expensive transport with limited room and would only be a stop-gap as the kids grew older. So I included the standard 4dr luxury imports, which are just trying to do their job of providing reasonably priced, reasonable performance in a reliable package. Adding 4drs would extend the usefulness time line and reduce the PIA factor.

New List: (4 seaters trying to be great 4 seaters)
>Mercedes C (-)just not that great : (+)retains most Merc qualities
>Audi A4 (or S4) (-)I just could not get used to the AWD, felt numb (+)decent looking, good car
>Lexus IS (-) n/a for me (+)modern, luxurious, keyless-go standard, felt good behind the wheel, fun to drive
>Porsche Panamera (-)a bit pricy for what it is, polorizing looks (many find it ugly) (+)great drivers car
>BMW 335 (-)Turbo lag of 3 seconds or so would get me killed, interior reminded me of my grandmother (+) a great car for the $, quality

So I ended up falling in like with the Lexus IS and just added it as a 5th vehicle. It even sits outside (ouch). My final thought was; why try and buy a 4dr that is trying to be a sports car. I just wanted a car sporty enough and "cool" enough not to prevent me from fornicating.

 

I just got out of an AM Vantage. I liked the car, but never loved it. Just didn't have the excitement of the Ferrari. Of course the DB9 will have more power, but I think the general feel of the car will be the same- steady, predictable, and somewhat boring.

I'm with Trent. Get another car for the kid. I ended up with a Cayenne.

 

Also, and because you live in NY state and therefore see a real winter, you could add the Audi RS4 into the mix. It's quite powerful, a great four season car, and is really quite impressive on winter tires. It's getting difficult to find on the second-hand market last time I looked. Jeremy Clarkson says its V8 engine is one of the best engines ever made. Check out the following video even if you're not interested in the RS4 as it's an entertaining bit of TV:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oVSKjWKLdc[/ame]

 

A three-year old California?

 

True! Best keep the 360 and get an m5 or Jag XFR. Both are much better to drive than the DB9. Been there, done that.

 

Maybe for his wife. Haha, just kidding. But a current California owner I met this past weekend said he regrets buying that car because he believes it is a woman's ride.

NOT MY WORDS, his words.

 

Drove plastique's DBS (which is worlds of a difference over a db9) and the back seats looked unusable. Worse than a 911's because there was ZERO leg room. They looked like two buckets rather than bucket seats. Power was impressive but the car felt a bit heavy. Reminded me of an amg merc. Made me appreciate the lightness and nimble nature of an f430.

Despite this, I'm not a big fan of the 360 so I would get a DBS just for the looks and daily cruiser. But if it were between a 430 or DBS, 430 hands down for the fun. They obviously serve very different purposes but I'm pretty sure you'll have a hard time fitting a family of 3 or 4 in a db9.

 

I've had a DB9 and a 360 Spider at the same time followed by a 430 Spider and a DBS at the same time.

All are fantastic. However, a Ferrari moves in a unique way and is much more entertaining than an Aston.

The DBS is a very special car and well worth finding the extra for (over a DB9), my wife and daughters loved it and my children who are teenagers could squeeze into the rear for short journeys.

I have since sold it for a 360 CS though (430 and DBS are both sporting GT type cars whereas the CS is something different).

If it was a straight choice between Aston and Ferrari, obviously seems like Ferrari for me.

Astons are less driver focused than Ferraris and no matter how much you try and convince yourself, that is the compromise you must accept. They do have appeal in other ways though.

 

I had a 4dr BMW M3. Fun to drive. Safe. or you can get a conv M3.

 

Lotus Evora S?

 

I have considered all of the cars discussed above. I went through the painstaking process of trying to buy a car as a "compromise" to squeeze my kids in the back of a cool sports car. In the end I got the DBS (2+0) [and kept my E60 M5 for picking up my 3 boys when need be].

Before the DBS, I had a Nurburgring Edition V8V. It handled well but was underpowered. The DBS does NOT come close to my 430 in terms of visceral driving experience. It is a GT in all aspects.

So when you say a 997 TT is "boring" I fear that the Aston may not give you the 'soul' that you are looking for. There are few brands that invigorate me in this way - Lotus feeds my soul. It is raw in every way. My 430 is a close second. The DBS alternates with my M5 as a DD.

I've tried and tried to think of any and many sports cars that I could drive with my kids (with 3 its impossible). But in the end you are compromising something.

Get the car that "adrenalizes" your soul.

 

This is a very, very good choice, and if I sell my 211, I'd probably pick up an Evora (though still not as raw as an Elise/Exige) in a 2+2.

 

I have an 360 F1 spider and a manual DBS Volante. Aside from being topless, they are entirely different drives, which is why I have both.

You know how the 360 drives, so I'll focus on the character of the DBS. First off, it's a GT. It's pretty fast and handles pretty well. It's as fast as the 360, but it doesn't feel like it, and it doesn't change direction anywhere near as fast.

By today's standards, the reality is that the 360 isn't really that fast and doesn't really change direction very fast. However, it remains a very engaging drive. To me, much more so than the DBS.

That's not to say that the DBS is bad in any way. It's fabulous, just different. To me, the DBS drives very much like a 550/575. Nothing like the E39 M5.

As noted previously, it's not really a four-seater. However, a toddler in a car seat will fit if the passenger seat is moved forward.

Personally, I didn't buy the car for its speed or utility, I bought it for its looks. It has a completely different road presence from the Ferrari and to me is far more elegant.

I drive them both as daily drivers. If I want an engaging drive, I take the 360. If I'm taking my wife to dinner, we take the DBS.

 

An AMG Merc?!? Shouldn't you be studying for boards?

As DonHo said, people by AM for their road presence and elegance.

 

I am. Ok ok maybe not so numb and heavy as an amg merc but you get the point.

But I do agree. There is nothing like the presence and elegance of an AM. That DBS looks amazing!

 

I would go jag r ......half the money than the db9 and less expensive to maintain, and you can still keep the 360.

In essence , they are very similar cars when you are doing 65 miles per hour with your family in it.

 

+1 for the XK, never seen a bad review and they are stunning in real life. Look more into them before making a decision, the base 300 hp ones are getting cheap now.

 

To each his own, but once we had kids I really realized I should continue to keep the sports car seperate from family cars (back then I had a 911 as my weekend toy). I have driven our oldest child in the front booster seat of the ferrari sometimes for some rides, but really when traveling with kids especially young ones that need strollers and such, it's simiply better to keep the 2 seater sports car for yourself if you can. To me it's not worth the compromise as any 4 seater sports car will be very cramped and then wont get used much except by yourself early on the weekend or whenever you have time vs. with the family. And when driving by yourself on some nice backroads in the weekend morning before the kids are up, and there's no traffic....then you'll be wishing you had a low, mid engined flat cranked V8 2- seat ferrari (with sport cats and tubi exhaust) vs. a heavy aston. You be thinking of any way to get back into a ferrari once the "newness" of the aston wears off... At least I would be thinking that The newness/excitement of owning a ferrari for myself (and my wife on the rare occasion we can get out for dinner with just the two of us) has not worn off one bit and it's been over 3 years now since I bought the car...

By the way, I think I commented on your pictures in the past- I have a 360 coupe and a 1978 VW convertible as my toys- I get the not needing to go fast (at least in the VW) to have fun thing like you

-Andrew

 

I just love the Maserati Granturismo. It will probably be the replacement car for my S class. Look at one in white.

But then everyone's taste is different.