1999 Aston Martin DB7 Volante from UK and Ireland - Comments

Brake light's didn't work when it was delivered, soon cured.

It's a fantastic car!

Incredible looks combined with supercar performance really shows an XK8 how it should be done. Interior is a marvel (if a little small sometimes) and they even managed to make the air vents out of a Ford Granada look like they belong.

I'm on my second (the first one was a hardtop) and I can't think of anything that I would rather drive.

Although the Aston may show the XK8 how it should be done... the XK8 certainly shows Aston Martin how to competitively price a car!! The DB7 is in fact an F-Type Jaguar at a ridiculous price. AND for all that money they still have to use horrible Ford parts... shockingly overpriced and over hyped, overweight bull... Hippo.

To see how it's done look no further than TVR... the only good "British" Supercar.

TVR? Bearing in mind that you have to buy two - one to drive and one being repaired, perhaps you're right.

Look here Mr. Aston Martin, don't you listen to Mr. Jaguar "I'm just jealous" XK8...

XK8's are becoming as common on our roads as the Ford Capri did back in the 70's. Give me the Aston any day, it maybe twice the price of the jag but it's got the better badge if you ask me. And as for TVR, ask yourself why they go so fast for so cheap, because they're unreliable basically. Amazing how a British sports car maker has managed to adopt Italian reliability into its manufacturing process. And do you really think it's cool to be driving a car called "Trevor"??? I rest my case!

(-)

DB7 versus XK8. Tough one. But look at the DB7. Just look at it. It's a work of art next to the Jag. A car that looks that good is worth every penny. Case closed.

I agree that the DB7 is far more superior than the XK8. But for performance/price you can't beat an Jag XKR.

Ahem, excuse me people, are you aware that the DB7 design was scrapped by Jaguar and given to Aston Martin? They thought that the car looked too Japanese and got rid! As for all the Ford parts, they both have them as they are both owned by Ford.

Buy a Ferrari if you want speed, buy a Rolls Royce if you want comfort, buy a TVR if you want to be frightened!

Good conclusion Mr 18th June!

HOWEVER:

The TVR Tuscan puts everything else to shame though in terms of acceleration, and after all that's more important than straight-line speed (unless you own a runway!). An Escort Cosworth can out handle anything else too (if that's what you're after!) and it looks better than any other car ever built. I thank you.

An Escort Cosworth? Good god man. I can imagine what my fellow chums would say! Can any of you gentlemen imagine turning up to play a spot of golf in an Escort Cosworth? I say common as muck. Real gentlemen drive Aston's and Roll's.

The TVR Tuscan may be a nice car old chap, however, it seems to have a lot in common with what dogs do on pavements. I declare the case closed.

AND I declare that REAL Gentlemen don't act like stuck up snobs (think about it, if you can).

Power is nothing without control Sir, remember that when you decide to challenge one of MY babies at the lights on a wet morning ;) (hehehe)

If you want speed, buy a Subaru Impreza.

If you want an Aston Martin, buy an Aston Martin. I have an old AM V8 (1976) which I love to bits. It is impractical, fast enough, crap in the wet, but it is worth every penny it cost and keeps costing. I love it.

I am thinking of getting a DB7 because it is a car I can drive every day which will give me almost as much pleasure. In the end though, if it is worth it to you, then that is OK, if not, then that is OK too. As for the Ford parts, even the old cars got parts from all over. What matters is that the cars and engines are hand built. That is what costs the money.

Hmmm...real gentlemen don't care what others think of what they drive.

I could personally afford an Aston or Porsche or Rolls but drive a Peugeot. Glad to be driving a Peugeot and not being as sad and snobbish as so many contributors here.

R.J.

Boys and Girls...isn't it all just a matter of personal taste? God forbid we ever agree on the merits of a machine. I have had the extreme pleasure of owning all the machines you mention and each has its own characteristics which I have enjoyed... now go out and enjoy your driving... no matter what it is!

I think it would be fair to call the XK8 a poor man's DB7. This comparison is in much the same vain as calling a Rover 75 a poor man's Jaguar S-Type.

People may choose the cheaper alternatives in both cases because they offer far better value for money.

However they are clearly worlds apart although they may have slight resemblances.

Just look at the levels of depreciation. Both the DB7 and the S-Type retain more value than the XK8 and the Rover 75.

With the exception of the XJ220 Jaguar do not make fast cars. The normally aspirated XK8 is far too slow. The supercharched XKR is not much better. Jaguar should now build on their new found success in in the Executive Saloon sector.

Having criticised the XK8 I would still have one over the Aston for obvious reasons: Second hand bargain prices, cheaper running costs and much cheaper insurance.

RMW.

I am the owner of a Bentley Mulliner Continental R. I am always labelled as an English snob and I like it. It keeps the riff raff away. When I am at the traffic lights and I prod my accelerator, it deters all other opposition. They quiver with fear. 420bhp, 650 lb ft (875 Nm), 6.75 liter V8, 0-60mph in 6 seconds. I CAN CRUISE AT 250km/h EASILY AND THE TOP SPEED IS 270km/h (claimed) (yet to be tested personally). My buttocks are caressed by delectably soft leather seats and my eyes are always feasting on the wood trim that looks like it has been ripped from the floor in Buckingham Palace (I got the carbon fibre taken out) AND THEN YOU CALL YOUR SCRAPMETAL, YOUR INFERIOR, CHEAP LOADS OF JUNK CARS. YOUR CARS HAVE NEITHER THE REPUTATION OR THE HERITAGE OF MY FINE THOROUGHBRED BEAST. JAGUAR XJ220, what a piece of @#W$@. JAGUAR XK8, another piece of Ford engineering, WHAT A PIECE OF COMMON %**%. ESCORT COSWORTH, WHAT A TIN CAN! THE SAME APPLIES TO THE DB7. THE WORLD IS BEING FLOODED BY AMERICAN DESIGN. I DEMAND THAT EVERYONE REPEL IT. REPEL! REPEL! REPEL! THE CAR INDUSTRY WILL BE DESTROYED IF WE DO NOT.

steven@carsurvey.org:

Note that I've approved the previous post because it's pretty funny. I don't believe for a second that this reflects anybody's real view or that it was intended to be offensive.

Best Wishes,

Steven.