I just spent a weekend on a rally with Aston-Martin Owner's Group driving and riding in a 2007 Vantage.

Of course I could not help but compare the experience to my base '07 Cayman that I use as a daily driver. Fair warning - these thoughts are not scientific and are very subjective.

Vantage
Good: Bags of torque; fine leather interior just screams quality; great (outstanding) exhaust note; best stereo I have heard in a car; excellent fit and finish; high degree of exclusivity;
Questionable: Front end lightened up and seemed to wander slightly at triple digit speeds; shifter in the wrong place (had to reach back from the wheel); shifter was just a tad vague when hunting for the 3-4 vs. 5-6 gate; after 250 miles in the driver's seat the thigh bolsters that felt so good initially felt too tight and made my legs tired; accelerator pedal seemed just a bit too close to the brake (a couple of times I hit the brake and accelerator)

Cayman 2.7
Good: The Cayman seemed like a pure driver's car; the shifter was in exactly the right place (your hand drops from the wheel to the shifter); shifting was just plain easy and natural; Seats are snug but comfortable; It is glued to the road even at triple digit speeds; road feel and handling is impecable; pedals spaced exactly right
Questionable: Not nearly as exclusive as the Aston; Stereo (Bose) sucks; In base form (lightly optioned as mine is) the Cayman "experience" does not stroke your ego nearly as much as the Aston "experience".

• Which car would I rather have (money no object)? Vantage, as long as I could have a second car
• Which car would I want to drive at the track? Cayman
• If I could only have one car (and use it as a daily driver)? Cayman (surprise here - I just would not feel right about leaving the Aston sitting out at work)

All-in-all, I was surprised when I got back in my Cayman how little the Cayman gave up to the Aston, purely from a driving and handling standpoint. I expected to get back in the Cayman and be disappointed. I will happily drive my base Cayman and enjoy it tremendously, knowing that in many ways it compares well to much a more exclusive and expensive autombile.

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Thanks for the report. The Astons are such beautiful cars. What did the owners say about the reliability of these newer models?

Unfortunately at their price point (AM V8) I'd be much more tempted by a 997 GT3.

This past June I was able to watch them run on the track.

Aston Martin Track Day @ Lime Rock Park, CT Photo Gallery by pistolpete13 at pbase.com

Re. the question about reliability:
There was much talk about the "improved reliability" of the new models at the meet. There were discussions about a cross country run this past summer that included a stint through Death Valley - they seemed proud that not a single car had a problem.

However, on the morning of the event I attended, three cars stopped in at the dealer before leaving town - all of them because their gas cap doors would not open. Seems the weather change (it was cooler) made tolerances just a bit too tight. Once at the dealer each was fixed in a matter of minutes. Small annoyance - but seemed strange that three would happen on the same day.

If Porsche would give the Cayman enough power (say, 450hp) to bring it up to par with the Astons, I could see no reason to drive the Aston. If you want the plushness of the Aston, that could be taken care of with an interior upgrade option. IMHO, horsepower and some suspension tweaking is all that is keeping the Cayman from being the best sports car on the planet!

A friend of mine is selling his MB S500 and his pristine 911 -993 to buy one. I personally like the Aston OK but I think he is crazy to sell the 993 for anything other than another Porsche.

The Vantage is way more gorgeous than the Cayman.

Even though the Vantage has 380 hp, it has similar performance numbers to the CS. I saw no reason to get the Aston after my test drive when it first came out. The extra weight and tall gearing hamper the V8...and the CS handles much better. The looks and the exhaust note was all the car had going for it.

Come on, its an Aston Martin, its not a track car, its, in my opinion, the most beautiful car made, to be seen in it, it says I have arrived, tastefully. Oh yeah, it also says, in a deep voice, "My name is Bond, James Bond".

I have an order in for a V8 Vantage that should be coming in December. I agree that it is not the 'driver's' car that the Cayman is, but it is not even remotely bad and I think it is the best looking car on the road.

I'm getting the SportShift transmission, so at least I don't have to worry about that!

I'm not 100% sure that I'm not going to back out, though. That new Maserati GranTurismo is the tits.

I love the Vantage. I fell in love with the DB9 first, though, and that car is also on my list.

It'll be right after the CS purchase.

I sat in the DB9 and the Vanquish S for an hour or two. The salesman didn't mind my drooling over every inch of the cars.

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Future Cayman S: 56 - Cobalt blue, RA - Cocoa leather, M6C - floor mats, 639 - Sport Chrono, 460 - sport leather steering wheel, 403 - 19" Carrera S wheels, P12 - dimming mirrors and rain sensor, P74 - bi-xenons, 342 - heated seats.

What the Vantage has over any Porsche is beauty. The Aston can't match the Cayman on driving dynamics, but there's a different kind of pleasure offered by the British car. It is just so achingly good looking.

I strongly considered spending my hard earned moolah on a new Vantage V8 as I have always dreamed of owning an AM (probably from watching too many Bond movies).

But I couldn't give up the true Porsche driving experience, so I ordered the new GT3 instead

The AM is damn beautiful though for sure