IStoSC

The interior comparisons IMO are also a waste of time because unlike the SC which comes in 3 standard interior color "options" only the Aston can be customized for tons of wood, CF, plastics, leather, metals...etc as part of the trim. You can even customize the style of seat, obviously color, types of leather, if you want inlays for ex: suede, and even piping. This particular Aston doesn't look like the original buyer bought a lot of the interior options and in fact it looks to be the base model because all we see comes stock...

The SC430 is our gem for all the practical reasons, but if I had a choice I'd take the AM over our beloved SC any day. No matter what you'll never get the 140k look and respect you get in the Aston and that feeling in itself is worth it...it is all very subjective but in the end you don't loose either way and I love my SC and always will...

Peter_Klim

We could end this debate if we had just one new member join and chime in: James Bond.

IStoSC

haha fair...

4onenight

not true, I had three runs against an am v8 and was left back only 2 cars every time

LexFather

That is actually a very fair and different write-up thanks for sharing.

I think his points are pretty accurate and the OP even said he would take the Aston, as 99% of the people would, no questions asked.

Roofless

LOL.

When I read KaiserSea1's post, I had just read the April Road&Track article on the 2010 Mercedes SL63 vs 2010 Aston-Martin V8 Vantage. KaiserSea1's pros and cons of the Aston were almost identical to the two Road&Track editors'.

The editors also didn't like the sequential single-clutch transmission in the Aston, one saying he almost got seasick during regular driving.

They drove the cars from Newport Beach, CA to Monterey where they tracked them at Laguna Seca, and then drove back. The heavier Mercedes was no match for the lighter weight and stiffly sprung Aston on the track, although the Mercedes brakes were far superior to the Aston's.

Even though both editors swore they'd prefer the Aston (before their drive,) in the end, they both said they'd buy the Mercedes. More car for the money. One said he might consider the Aston if it had a manual transmission.

They're just impressions (which give the reader a feel for what a car is like in everyday driving...) not necessarily a shootout speed comparison. I think that's what KaiserSea1 was trying to convey. I liked it.

Thanks for the write-up.

IStoSC

^thats mad props Kaisersea!

KaiserSea1

If someone would be kind enough to loan me an SL63, I would be more than happy to do a part 2.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Kaiser-great write up...I personally appreciate the subjective comments and your opinion, after all NONE of us are working at R&T, C&D or whatever and are just avid car fans who probably think we know much more about cars than we really do, right? So in the end, it's just a forum with opinions, right? That's why we log on and keep coming. Entertainment...hobby...somewhat factual? Sometimes VERY factual, sometimes fantasy. To me, that's what makes this forum so GREAT! Can we agree to disagree? Seems like we are divided. Instead of apples to pinapples or apples to apples, can we compromise on apples to pears? Both have skin and grow on trees!

I don't understand why it's not a "fair" comparison. We've compared about everything on here. Especially a Boxster to a SC which is really apples to oranges. Lets face it: we like fine, sporty, convertible automobiles. Everything is fair game, the AM is just so darn expensive...the XK is probably a BETTER comparo, but that's boring and Kaiser's family didn't lease that! LOL We are talking luxury convertibles. We've discussed the AM many times...so obviously we are thinking about it or even contemplating buying one. I personally shopped for one before I bought my second SC. I just posted not that long ago that the DB9 is my dream car. I think your comparo was right on time in fact (for me anyway)! Based on what income/age many of us are at I'd say that Aston would feel that some/many of us would be in their target market.

Would these two cars be a BETTER comparison then???

1) Brand new 2010 SC430 at sticker ~$70k, isn't it?

2) I've seen the 2005-2006 DB9 Volantes going for $75k. Here is one at $65k on eBay with buy it now at $83k. I would imagine it would sell somewhere between the two, PERHAPS close to the $70k range.

Better yet, here is one on cars.com for $78k OBO...2007 DB9 Volante Convertible 11k:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

Now...let's humor Kaiser since he took the time to write this up and everything. The two cars ARE both convertibles, RIGHT? The two cars have back seats, right? Only thing missing is one car is soft top and the other is a hard top, right?

From there...it's all about value, needs of buyer, status, dependability, uniqueness, etc, etc. Now sure, the 2007 Volante above has only 11k miles on it, but it IS 3 years old and the lease payment is a whopping $1100 per month. Sure...you could get a 2002 SC with a ton of miles on it for under $20k. SURE...you can get a 1998 DB7 convertible for $30k if you wanted to. It's all relative.

Let's let the cars duke it out:

Value: Hands down, Lexus wins
Comfort: Hands down, Lexus wins
Dependability: Hands down, Lexus wins
Styling:
Exterior: Aston Wins Interior: Lexus Wins. CL tiebreaker says Lexus WINS!
Utility/Flexibility (hard top versus soft, back seat): Hands down, Lexus wins
Status: Hands down, Aston wins
Performance: Hands down, Aston wins
Exclusiveness: Hands down, Aston wins

The LARRY MERCHANT HBO boxing scorers table has this heavyweight fight of the two luxury 2+2 cruisers AROUND $70K or more at a unanimous decision...

LEXUS SC WINS!

I think it's a "relative" comparo...fair??? Not for the SC and me! The Aston is my dream car too, but just like the 911 I may be turned off by the fit/finish and rough ride. IF I could get the AM in the color/year/mileage I want for close to the same price of a SC, HECK YEAH I would take it!!!! Unfortunately it's not the case. $35k and under was my budget on this last SC and the only AM I could find was a 2002 in gold that had 30k miles on it and had the ugly front end/wheels and ugly rear end. And unless you are considering the above scenario (unlikely) then it would be an apples to pears comparison based on the vast differences of the two cars performance/price. Based on my silly math projections of depreciation of cars (I've been an Aston watcher for a while now), I predict that in 2012 the first years of the DB9, 2005-2006 will be in the $40k range. Right now you can get 2002-2004's for $40's. I know it was a DB7, different car, but based on the depreciation curve you see, I could see it happening. SO....in 2012 one COULD be looking at a 2005 $40k Aston Martin DB9 Volante Convertible and perhaps a 2010 used SC430 for $40k as well????

I think the Maserati Grand Sport Spyder would have been less of a fair comparo...soft top, two seater, 400hp, etc etc. At least the aston has a back seat, is a luxury four seater and is a convertible, you know? But once again, marketing research MAY show that similar buyers looked at the Maseratti before they bought the Lexus? Who knows.


Now, sure I agree with some that it's not an apples to apples comparison, solely based on car price, performance but as several stated many times the car magazines pair a couple of cars against each other to get some contrast. I think this type of comparo allows the consumer and the mfg to wonder....What would the $150k Lexus SC570-F convertible be like? What would the 300hp v-8 $75k Aston look like? Maybe we'll never know, or maybe comparos like this cause target market gurus at major car manufacturers to go NUTS about pitching new ideas to their marketing colleagues for the next best thing for their brand???

Since we are giving the AM so much press...has anyone seen the One-77???

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.astonmartin.com/thecompan...d-70d1eafc6558

playa3uhh

ahaha. scdroptop obviously put some time into his response and it was worth it. I agree on all counts. This thread in general is a great debate conductor. We've got arguments from all over the place. We can beat this issue until it's dead, but honestly we will never come to a consensus. The question is ultimately subjective and there is not really a reason to come to a definitive answer. Both cars are great IMO. Whichever you buy, you'll get a great car.

Baby ///M3

Agreed.

I think the thread starter has already expressed in his post that his conclusions are subjective and not subject to the car's name plate, exclusivity, reputation, and price tag.

After all, just like the original LS400 I think Lexus had truly intended to build the SC430 to compete with the likes of the 6 series and the SL convertibles. That being said, I am sure Aston Martin also designed the Vantage to draw potential 6 series and SL buyers. So logically speaking the SC430 can be compared to Vantage.

Just like how many people pitted the GTR against its rivals such as the Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 Turbo and ZR1, it's natural for the SC430 to be compared against its more expensive competitors.

The bottom line is, the SC430 has been Japan's answer to its German and British rivals' equation of what's needed to be a popular luxury convertible. While the design philosophy in terms of style, performance, and exclusivity may differ amongst these manufacturers, their ultimate goal has always remained the same: striving for the bench mark.

Jon

IStoSC

^well said Jon...I will agree with you, though they are not in the same class to me, it makes a lot of sense to compare the SC430 to the Aston as like you put it is the same as comparing a GTR to a F430...

Good write up Kaiser...