I did a bad, bad thing...

[drcollie]

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.