X5 vs 550ix

[TahoeM3]

Originally Posted by z2g

Tahoe and OP,
What are your thoughts on the Vantage? I've been considering getting one as my next car. Our new X5 is for the wife. I've been looking at the Tesla S, Fisker Karma, and the Aston Martin Vantage. I've always loved the Aston Martin ever since I saw the spy shots of it.

I love it. Awesome car even in stock form. Well made, fun to drive, looks fantasic. The stock tuning is a bit conservative, but it responds very well to mods...especially boost, in my case. Mine is an '07 with the 380hp 4.3L. I went from 307rwhp to 534rwhp with SC and cats.

[z2g]

Originally Posted by TahoeM3

I love it. Awesome car even in stock form. Well made, fun to drive, looks fantasic. The stock tuning is a bit conservative, but it responds very well to mods...especially boost, in my case. Mine is an '07 with the 380hp 4.3L. I went from 307rwhp to 534rwhp with SC and cats.

I know it's kind of crazy to ask this but what's the reliability and maintenance cost?

[TahoeM3]

Originally Posted by z2g

I know it's kind of crazy to ask this but what's the reliability and maintenance cost?

The reliability is very good. There are a couple of minor service bulletin things...door lock mechanism, etc, but those are all fixable. The stock clutch is a bit weak and can go early (20-30k miles). I replaced mine wih a heavy duty one when I upgraded the power. The stock cats are very restrictive and mine failed (literally disintegrated) due to the heat from the SC, so I replaced them with high-flow ones, which added about 20hp across the power band.

Maintenance cost isn't unreasonable. Figure about $1500 once a year for standard service at the dealership, less if you go to an outside mechanic that you trust.

[TheX5]

Originally Posted by z2g

Tahoe and OP,
What are your thoughts on the Vantage? I've been considering getting one as my next car. Our new X5 is for the wife. I've been looking at the Tesla S, Fisker Karma, and the Aston Martin Vantage. I've always loved the Aston Martin ever since I saw the spy shots of it.

AMV8 is a great car. Lots of fun to drive and always elicits lots of ooohs and aaahs. I have the sports shift version and it can be a little jerky when the car is cold, but it smooths out after a couple of minutes.

As far as reliability goes, it has been good so far. One issue with bubbling leather on the dash due to defective adhesive and a squeaking sound that was due to a misadjusted hand break. The car also has a couple of rattles that come and go, but that's a British car for you.

Oh yeah, and nothing beats the sound of the V8 in that car

[z2g]

TheX5 and TahoeM3,
Thanks for the info on the AMV8. Very good info!

[askhao]

Originally Posted by TahoeM3

The reliability is very good. There are a couple of minor service bulletin things...door lock mechanism, etc, but those are all fixable. The stock clutch is a bit weak and can go early (20-30k miles). I replaced mine wih a heavy duty one when I upgraded the power. The stock cats are very restrictive and mine failed (literally disintegrated) due to the heat from the SC, so I replaced them with high-flow ones, which added about 20hp across the power band.

Maintenance cost isn't unreasonable. Figure about $1500 once a year for standard service at the dealership, less if you go to an outside mechanic that you trust.

if you don't mind me asking, how much are you paying for insurance?