DB9 is my retirement dream car. Not cheap to run at all, but once the mortgages are paid off and the kids are gone you need something to spend the dosh on.

In the mean time I can highly recommend the Z4///M. Have had mine nearly five years now, since I said farewell to My Coupe in fact. It costs less than the Coupe did to run, but that is mainly down to it being a weekend toy, were the coupe was a daily.

What BHP do you have these days Ryan?

It's in my signature, 416.

Lol. So it is.

Well, that's why you're quicker than a Vantage. Would have been reasonably close though I'd have thought - I'd take through third and to the the top of fourth to be seen off by a 420bhp coupe.

You have email

What power does yours have? I've done some reading and it seems there was an uprated 4.3 engine and thena later 4.7 fitted (400bhp and 420bhp IIRC).

Any pics?

I've had mine now since earlier this year and still loving it. As Mr Cooper says, not blistering fast by any means, but it's actually pretty nippy from about 70+. But it's the noise I love - Mr C, I take it you've pull fuse 22?

Really need to take some proper photos!

Cheeky TVR hiding in the garage there Piers?

Yep. It gets the garage because it's significantly less water tight than the Aston

Actually, I tried fitting the Aston in the garage when I first got it and it was too wide!

The Vantage V8 is my retirement dream too, though I have entertained thoughts of picking one up early. The problem is that I would still need to get to work so such a plan would mean the Coupé would have to go

Current thinking is to keep the Coupé and get something else more interesting for work... A 5 cylinder TTRS perhaps?

Very pretty car but I think if I could have any car it would have to be a Maserati. I have seen a few for around £10,000, so maybe one day!

Piers - Snap.

Yes, it sounds awesome. I have a switch which allows me to have it one or run on bypass. You might want to put the fuse in every now and again as I hear the valve can seize open otherwise and if open it may not pass the MOT. That may be forum bullshit though...

Mr Cooper / Piers,

Are you fellows using the Aston as a daily driver?

A change in our circumstances has potentially brought forward my Aston dreams. However my sensible head is telling me to invest in the house. Also the A5 has really grown on me and this has placed focus on the potential of the V8 RS5. For the same money I could have a much newer RS5 - agreed it isn't an Aston but....

A good friend who has a rather enviable car collection, which once included a V12 Aston, has suggested I rent a Vantage over the summer and get it out of my system

We commute on the train so no. However there is a chap near me i often see when cycling to the station and i know he uses his for his work run.

We have another car for doing the close to home donkey work.

So basically we use it at weekend and once during the week to keep it all moving.

I think you could use every day but these will be your concerns:
- its an aston so you will be agitated about regularly putting it in car parks and having some fool damage it
- mileages of 35k for a nine year old example are common. Fifty or sixty k is high mileage. I understand the cars can take it but you have to think resale. If most people do 3k a year and you do ten then its going to have an effect. Less of an issue if you own for a year or two and buy a low miler to start.

I think prices are both low and stable at present meaning its a good time to buy. Ok there is the risk of a largish bill, but if depreciation is only a k or so per year it can make more sense than a new car.

I'd say do it, but have another car for short trips near home, when the roads have salt onthem, when you have to leave it somewhere less than ideal etc.

Very nice MrCooper! I've had mine almost a year now and I still love it as much as ever.

With regard to the exhaust switch, I've actually got a remote fob which activates the bypass valve, which I tend to use when leaving for work in the morning to not piss the neighbours off too much.

I do use mine as a daily driver, but I only do about 3k a year (plus TVR does some of that too), but if I were doing more serious mileage I'd probably think again. Fuel economy is pretty awful, think I average about 14mpg.

So tempting...

On the A5 forum there was a discussion regarding RS5 or Aston. I think tat whilst I need to commute it has to be an Audi, not the RS5 though

I'll live with my current A5 3.0tdi for now, need to get some summer fun under my belt with it really. I might upgrade it later in the year though

Darn it... that's another change of undies needed.

Very nice. Quite a few miles on it. I'd want to be damned sure it wasn't this car (nothing wrong with it AFAIK, but I'd want to be clear on history) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Martin-V8-Vantage-FOR-HIRE-ONLY-NOT-FOR-SALE-/321215345436?hash=item4ac9ed331c:g:F~IAAOSwU9xUN9xl

If you are going to want to commute a decent distance in it then I agree I wouldn't go for the Aston either.

It's coming up for service time for me and an oil and filter change is c£850 at Aston. A total rip off. However, insurance is significantly cheaper than I expected where I live, so it's swings and roundabouts.

Interesting views on that thread. Different boards pick up on different things and some of the negatives cited I don't disagree with. However, the view you'd rather have an Audi of any description, rather than an Aston Martin is, IMHO, myopic. Technically, is it a better car - in some ways certainly, perhaps most. Does it have soul - No. My 350z was a far, far, far, better car than my coupe. However, I didn't really love it - no soul you see. Some people value that, others value teutonic-sledgeness.

Hi Piers, I've seen some of those online. Look like they will do the job. They seem very reasonably priced - are they easy to install? I have no idea how my switch works. Have a receipt from aston for its fitting from a prior owner - I don't fancy repairs on it!

Yes fuel economy is very poor for short work. Put it on a motorway and I think its not too bad - 25mpg say. However then you clock up the miles quickly, so I don't like going on motorways!

Yeah, dead easy to install. Think it cost about £15 all in and I fitted it myself! (which says a lot)

It's just a little emitter box with a small alarm fob (bit like the Fiat's one) which avoids the need to funnel any wires from the boot into the cabin. Fuse 22 is replaced by a little switch connected to the emitter which either makes the car think Fuse 22 is in or out.

Thanks. Good to know there's a cheap alternative if i ever have any problems.

Who do you go to for servicing by the way?

I decided to use Harwoods in Chichester rather than a slightly more local specialist. Cost just over a grand all in, but had any work needed doing I would've taken it elsewhere. They pick up and deliver which is handy and the car came back with the interior looking brand new. Not sure what leather product they used but it's better than anything I've used before.

Plus now I'm on their books I got invited to a local event and test drove the new vantage (was offered a Vanquish test drive too), and also got invited to go look around the James Bond DB10 when it was doing the tour of the dealerships. Also got a fancy Aston magazine through the post a couple of weeks ago. Not saying all this is worth spending £1k on an annual service, but it's pretty cool all the same and helps it be a bit more palatable!

I've done quite a bit of thinking on this recently.

It is really rather odd that as the possibility of ownership has become closer to being a reality I've become far less enthusiastic about the Aston

This week I decided to take a look at a 2013 RS5 that is for sale locally. It is up for similar money I was looking to spend on an Aston but is obviously considerably newer.

The test drive was fun but there were good points and bad points. Top of the good list was without doubt the sound. The burble on start up is fantastic but the noise above about 5000 rpm is epic. Handling and traction was really good too but I didn't get to exploit the car enough to see if the sport diff made much difference. The car did have the performance brake upgrade and that was really noticeable.... WOW.

The bad list is topped by the fact the car is almost exactly the same on the inside as my current A5. There are a few differences but it's not easy to tell you are in an RS. The interior is nowhere near as special as that of a Vantage. The next on this list is a bit odd. The V8 has over 400hp but it has noticeably less torque than my 3.0Tdi This is most noticeable when setting off. The Tdi has a huge and instant shove from standstill but the V8 only seems to come alive once moving, or if thrashed. Once on the move with the revs climbing the car comes alive though. The RS5 is a quick car!

I do love the look of the RS5. OK it's no Aston, far from it, but sat there on it's 20 inch wheels with its subtle external styling touches it does look rather sweet. The noise from the Audi V8 is a bit more subtle than the Aston, even when the more extreme mode is selected but it still sounds really good. OK neither the Audi or the Aston sounds as good as the F-type R

Sadly the worst thing about the whole RS5 package is how it doesn't really feel Special when compared to my current A5. This has me thinking that a later model 3.0tdi Quattro with the 300hp remap, sport diff option might actually be what I could go for

I do think that during the summer I will take the chance to rent an Aston for the weekend and see if I can re-kindle the Vantage attraction.

I think if you are choosing between a 2013 RS5 and a significantly older vantage the vantage is going to mean that you need to have some love for its foibles as an older car. You won't need this with the Audi.

Also you are going to have to be willing to swallow the horrible parts and servicing costs (no idea how these compare to the Audi, but realistically you are going to need more parts due to age).

If I had to pick a car to keep for five years I might well go for the Audi myself. However, you only live once and there is a case for owning the Aston for a year or two and then getting something else.

This is the crucial bit, Bob; you won't get to a ripe old age and wish "If only I'd lived the dream and bought that Audi"

Well, you might, but I think the Aston will impress the grandkids more... (I speak from experience - my Grandmother had an Aston Martin in the 1930s...)

No wait, if you're driving a James Bond Aston Martin "You Only Live Twice" not once?

Cool! Get both!

Reading your posts I would be inclined to stay put and enjoy the a5 you have.

I seems clear that whilst I am working and have to commute there can be no Aston, unless I got shot of the Coupé.

But then I like the Coupé and also an Aston wouldn't fit in the current garage.