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Thread: I did a bad, bad thing...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Alexandria VA
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    15,889

    Default I did a bad, bad thing...

    I have a bit of a car and motorcycle habit that my wife of 28 years has tolerated reasonably well. I have owned many of both, and probably will have cool and fun mechanized toys until the day I die. i do have one rule to live by, however - and that is "Never Drive Something You Can't Afford To Buy". This rule is self-imposed so mostly I can maintain my sanity, and I broke it this past Sunday.....

    I was on my way to the Porsche dealer in Tyson's Corner Virginia, just to look at cars on the lot for fun (I have a 2008 Boxster). Window-shopping on a nice day. Across the street from the Porsche store is an Aston Martin dealer, and they were open so I just swung in to take a look around. As you might imagine, dealerships that sell $ 200,000 cars aren't real busy on a Redskins Football Sunday so the sales guys came out to chat me up as I'm walking the lot. Nice, friendly guys that weren't pushy in the least and seemed like real car enthusiasts. First words out of my mouth were "Just looking guys, I can't afford what you sell here, but they are beautiful to look at." The Sales Manager "Peiter" comes out and asks me if I've ever driven an Aston Martin. I say 'No, I haven't' and he says 'Come on, let's take one out - i have one might be in your budget - its only $ 83,000'.

    We walk over to a 2007 Vantage Coupe that only has 10,000 miles on it. It looks new, not a mark on it. Peiter fires it up and I nearly melt from the exhaust tone alone. WOW. It has a performance kit (420 HP) and Quicksilver racing exhaust. Who needs a stereo in the car when you have a car that sounds like that? We head out onto the Dulles Toll Road with Peiter driving, he wants to show me what the car will do and opens it up. In very short order we were up to 130 mph and he goes flying off the exit ramp to Wolf Trap at about 110. I've been a high-performance driving instructor for about 15 years (but he doesn't know that) so I'm not really concerned with the ramp speed but think to myself that we're going to very shortly find out how good the 6-pot brakes are on this thing and if Peiter is in over his head. He hits the corner like a pro and I remark 'You've got mad skilz, either you're a race car driver or performance instructor". Turns out he raced in Europe for many years prior to coming to the USA.

    We swap spots and I drive the Vantage. But we're in bumper to bumper 40 mph traffic now and I can't exercise the car. We get back to the dealership and I'm really intrigued with this car and ask if we can take it for another loop where there's no traffic. Peiter says "I've been watching you drive and you know how to handle a clutch, most Americans don't. So you take it out and come back in half an hour or so, just drop me off."

    TURNED LOOSE WITH AN ASTON MARTIN ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON? ARE THEY NUTS?

    I had the best time with that car! Don't think I stopped grinning the whole time I had it out. Did I want it? HECK YES. However, while I'm just about to sign over my soul for this thing, a little voice kept saying "You better not buy this without clearing it with your better half!" So I got the razzing from them about having to ask the Mrs., but I was not about to make that mistake of acting solo on this. I call her on the phone and she said something on the order of "Have you been in the sun too long today? EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS for a 5-year-old used car? You're kidding, right? What's wrong with your Porsche?"

    So I left the Aston Martin Dealer - dejected. When I got home I feebly tried to resurrect the pitch but it was D.O.A. My wife is entirely too practical. But I spend most all of Sunday evening and every evening since trolling the web for Aston Martin Vantage's. I think I know where most all the ones in the USA are located that are for sale by now. I'll have to start leaving pictures of them around the house, and talking causally about them every chance I get. I should have her to the "Just go get it, I'm tired of hearing about it" point by maybe January or February, I figure. This one is going to take some time.

    So keep those sofa and recliner orders coming in, folks! I need 'em for my used car fund! <laughing>

    Oh, this is what I drove on Sunday.....the very car. I have to get one of these. I drank the Aston Martin Kool-Aide.

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    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  2. #2
    bubbaonline Guest

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    Every time an Aston Martin goes by me on the freeway, I have the same reaction.. "Wow!"..

    That said, if I had $80K to spend on a car (I don't), that wouldn't be the one.... If I had $150K to spend on a car, then that one for $80K might make more sense..

    I broke your rule, just last week... drove a friend's Nissan GT-R.. (which would smoke that AM... lol)

  3. #3
    Judyg951 Guest

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    You are a smart man to get the wife involved. My late father-in-law once bought a new organ and didn't tell his wife until it was out for delivery. It almost cost him big time. Of course it was not anywhere near 80k.

    We love cars too, but 80k......I don't know if I can rationalize that much $$ on a car. However my husband and I love BMW's and currently have a 5 series and a 3 convertible along with our SUV.. I keep teasing him about this, but he really loves the convertible. 2 people really NEED 3 cars? Maybe? I'm not really sure on that though. I have a serious love affair going with a 6, but......I'm not sure I can talk him into one. Maybe when the lease is up on the 3 we can trade the 5 and the 3 in for one. I sure do love that car (the 6)even though part of me thinks it would be crazy to do it. Of course our sons are telling us we should just do it. Sure, it's not their $$$$$.

  4. #4
    BevoGal Guest

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    Must say, very nice Aston. Enjoyed the part about getting your wife to the "go and get it so we can quit talking about it" phase. I feel like I'm doing that to my husband with the sectional/sofa purchase =)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
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    15,889

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    That's how she got her trip to Italy and Greece. I didn't want to spend the money ("can't we just go to the Outer Banks for a week and eat pizza?") - but she just wore me down with Italy-this and Europe-that. lol
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  6. #6
    Judyg951 Guest

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    Well that was a once in a lifetime trip and you should be happy you went. If it were not for a baby on the way (my daughters) We would be going to Israel at the end of this month, but you can't trust babies to come when they are due.

  7. #7
    Vegas Guest

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    Isn't the Aston Martin James Bond's preferred ride? Great taste, Duane. If you took a poll, I would say go for it!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Lakewood Ranch, Florida
    Posts
    243

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    We just got back from a trip to Vegas (celebrating our anniversary and using some miles that were going to expire on USAir). Anyway the first night my wife is reading the What's New in Vegas mag. and announces "the Barrett-Jackson auction starts tomorrow at Mandalay Bay". Talk about your window shopping opportunities. She and I spent the best part of a day inspecting 800+ machines of boyhood fantasies, including a beautiful 2010 AM Vantage. Best day I every had in Vegas for a $12 admission ticket. I tell my wife women and men each have 2 unique genes that cause then to behave differently.
    For women they need to live or vacation by the water and buy more pairs of shoes that they could possibly wear out in a lifetime. For men they need to hold the TV remote at all times and fantasize over fast beautiful cars. So Duane, enjoy the memory, and buy lottery tickets often. Good Luck

    Larry

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Alexandria VA
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    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    I've had a lot of BMW's and they're great cars. Right now the only one I have is a motorcycle (K1600GTL) which is their flagship, 6-cylinder powerhouse. I've owned (2) 3 series, (1) M3, (1) 5 series, (1) 7 series and (1) X5. Then they kept making them heavier and more luxury loaded and I moved over to Porsche. I still like a pretty raw car...has to be light, powerful and have handling feedback. Of course, my daily driver is my mighty Toyota Tacoma Pickup truck, which is basically unstoppable in any weather from snowstorms to floods and works hard hauling all that leather furniture packing material up to the dumpsters! Best pickup truck I've ever owned, and I've owned them all.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  10. #10
    MJM_CA Guest

    Default Re: I did a bad, bad thing...

    "Women are dream killers." - Tom Leykis


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