I would be interested in thoughts and comments from owner/drivers coming from the Ferrari 458 or Aston Martin DB9 Superleggera / DB11 to the AMG GTC/GTR
What was your experience and observations?
What do you like / dislike?

 

The shifts in the 458 feel much quicker and well nothing really compares to the sound of the 458.

The GT center console area is nicer, 458 just has that small center thing but hey it’s not meant to be a GT car.

The 458 stereo is a joke, GT stereo is nice.

Seats will vary by person.

 

I can speak to the 458 - its a completely different experience, aside from the fact that driving either will give you that 'cat ate the canary' grin.

The 458 feels more delicate than the GT; it's go kart like in terms of its feel. Light and nimble with a really cable ride and handling package. The engine and exhaust note is really hard to beat - unique and screams exotic...the interior is OK and simplistic and even those with cameras, and nav, the screens are kind of useless. The stereo, well,...did I mention the exhaust note?

The GT feels heavier, and certainly more cockpit like and the finishes are quality and there is lots to look at with knobs and buttons and screens (oh my) moving over from a 458 might be a little bit of overload until you realize that outside of vehicle settings and volume, you wont use everything all the time for regular driving. I find the car as balanced as the Ferrari, but you also feel the added weight - it sometimes feels like an elephant in ballerina shoes, but it's a VERY capable elephant and always seems to stick the landing. The exhaust note and general feel...(I have my valves modified) is like a sledgehammer; there isn't anything subtle about it. The car is exceptional in my mind and every bit as capable as the 458; just 'different'. Consider it like this - if the answer is 10, Ferrari gets there with 7+3 and Mercedes gets there with 6+4; both equal 10. Yet the GT will cost a good 30K less depending. To me it comes down to branding and how the GT is stuck in a brand that isn't (outside of F1) known for high end performance cars.

For both, they are roomy for 2 seaters. Im 6'4" and build like a football player. Both are very comfortable to me with headroom and leg room to spare. Ferrari is generally more expensive to maintain and while the both could easily handle the task of a daily driver, the Ferrari will take a bigger hit on mileage. That is less about the car, and more about the Ferrari buyer; that said, it's much better than it used to be as the cars have become so much more capable and dependable.

 

Thanks both
Skilly - get what you mean 100%
Anyone coming out of a Aston DBS Superleggera?

 

Having owned both a 458 and a GTS at the same time and spending, a week with a DBS, I can tell you this. First if you drive with traction controls on they 458 and the DBS are not very exciting. The AMG reminds me more of a more refined muscle car that loves to shake its tail (I have gone down more than one off ramp sideways), but I was born without the ability to feel almost any emotion so fear is something I must have in my sports cars. I also have a lot of other cars so this comparison will mention some of them. The AMG, I think does shift faster than a 458 and unless you have the throttle tune (open flash can do this mine has it) the gas pedal is too touchy and not linear (without the tune I would not own the car). I also have a 2019 991 Targa 4S (PDK) which is tuned and as far a Paddleshift transmissions (I have owned BMW SMG, DCT, Lamborghini Egear, Ferrari f1 & DCT, Alfa Romeo 4C dry clutch ,Maserati CC) it is by far the best I have ever driven. The Aston feels big and unlike the GTS it does not feel smaller when you drive it. I live less than ten minutes from Algar Ferrari and you see a lot of Ferrari's around (and on my street), the AMG ( or 4C or Lotus Evora 400) actually get more attention, if that type of thing is important to you. If I had to choose one car (I usually own around 15 at a time) it would be the AMG over the 458 or the Aston. In many ways my 2020 BMW M550 is more of an even to drive (remember I am talking about without traction controls) than the DBS or the 458, that thing (this one is pushing over 600 hp) rips and roars. I wear hearing aids (4 years on the road with the Grateful Dead) so even the 4C stereo sound good to me and my GTS has the high end stereo so I guess it sounds better. Opinions though are based on experience and as some who has owned close to 500 cars and built about 200 one of a kind cars over the last 50 years, my experience and my opinion are more based on the capability of the machine (and what I can do to make it an even better machine), rather than the way the car makes you feel. I find that the idea of the willful suspension of reality comes into play when dealing with Ferrari's and Lamborghini's etc. They are far better in your mind than they are in reality. The 4C (set up right which is with 17, 18" wheels) is a much better drivers car than any of the three you are mentioning. Good luck. By the way the whole steering rack went bad on my GTS, but since I have owned 64 MB's they are stepping up to pay for the part, Ferrari would never do that (and I have bought 21 cars from Algar). Just something to keep in mind.

 

That was super informative (if also, mildly entertaining)
I have heard from reputable sources that if they 'know you' they have paid for warranty items 8 years after purchase without quibble.

 

I know you didn't mention it but the new Vantage (maybe too new to move from - for some it might be an alternative to the GT). It's a great looking car with the GT motor and yet they couple it with a run of the mill torque converter automatic transmission. Its like grabbing a Heineken on a hot summer day and then after you open it, you realize it's one of those 0.0 versions...no thank you!! I suppose it offers the 7 speed manual too, but for me, after I drove a double clutch, I don't care if I ever see a manual shift car again!

 

You looking for any help around the house? Gardens maybe?
Lets see some pics of the current stable(s).

 

correct me if I’m wrong, but the new vantage has a torque converter automatic, not a single clutch like a f430 F1. I looked at and drove the vantage, but the transmission was a deal breaker for me

 

you are totally correct - my bad!...i dont know why I even said that - complete brainfart. That said, it's only marginally better and still such a miss with that engine as the heartbeat! Ill update the post so it doesn't propagate confusion!

 

To quote CARNUT1 "I live less than ten minutes from Algar Ferrari and you see a lot of Ferrari's around (and on my street), the AMG ( or 4C or Lotus Evora 400) actually get more attention, if that type of thing is important to you." Not that more attention is necessarily important, but, the kind of attention you sometimes get as a Ferrari owner can be a little dispiriting at times. While it's perfectly reasonable to make the argument that you should drive what you like irrespective of what others think, after 5 years of tooling around in an F430 Spider (that's not even red) I've come to realize that (a) 'open-top cruising' is not really my thing (b) I've grown tired of the "you're just driving a Ferrari to show off" vibes you get when you mingle at various car events. I've enjoyed the Ferrari and God knows, I've spent enough money on it, but it's time to move on and I really like the look of the AMG GT Rs and having test-driven the regular and PRO model and found them to be fun and exciting drives. That along with the fact that AMG GT Rs are a rare sighting in my neck of the woods definitely adds a certain appeal for me. I'll confess, I'm still getting new listing announcements for 458 Italias, which was initially going to be my next move, however, if you follow them on Ferrarichat, it's clear the reliability while a significant improvement over the 430 is nowhere near what an AMG GT provides.

 

how you liked the Vantage? I am looking to jump to that car.

 

the new generation vantage is nice looking and as u know, has the amg gt motor. However, I tend to like more hardcore cars (last car 991 gt3), so the amg gt r was a much better fit for me. I previously owned a limited edition Jaguar XKR-S, but didn’t like the auto transmission and it didn’t handle well (prone to oversteer). The vantage is a big step up from the jag, but it’s no amg gt r, Porsche gt3, Macleran 570S, etc when it comes to performance.

 

carnut1 - could you give us a list, say, of the 50 most notable cars you have owned?

 

I see cars differently than most people, without any emotion which means that I only see them as machines. I am also autistic and my mind works in different ways than a normal person. So, here are some of the cars that exceeded my expectations, though rarely in stock form Alfa 4C, Evora 400, Ferrari 430 (gearshift, I owned a F1 too), 500 Abarth, BMW i8 (I had two the 2nd one a 2016 was much better than the 2014), C6 Z06, Miata RF (great gearbox) Mercedes S Class (I have had a few) Land Rover Autobiography Supercharged (with Nokian tires it is almost unstoppable in winter), TR6, Spitfire (you had to know how to fix them to own them but in those days they were great cars to drive), RX7 the first one in 1979, the first Datsun Z,. !983 GTI (I had the 2nd one that came to the U.S. no air) The first 1998 MRoadster (had no traction controls yet), 993TT (should have never sold it), 1983 911 Targa, 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo (I had number 800 something and it was crap in AWD but I knew I was going to turn into RWD, then it was great). 996TT (converted to RWD and tuned, i was much better that way), my one of a kind 997S (with modification it has cost me 500K, but nothing else like it), my 2019 Targa 4S (I am only starting to get it to the way I want), and my 2016 AMG GTS, after two years it serves its purpose perfectly. To some, it is HP that makes them think a car is good, others are blinded by brand names. Yes I am also old a crabby and infotainment is not a word I often use, but today technology is too in control of what the car does. I could care less about Apple Play or how good the music sounds (as long as I can hear the dead I'm fine plus I can turn up my hearing aids). I have been told I've forgotten what I've forgotten about cars at this point, after all these years they are probably right. Thanks for the offer, I live with 7 very large (not all that friendly) dogs, and I have a landscaping service (if that was a joke or sarcasm those things are lost on me), and I am not great around people unless you want to talk about cars. There are a few cars coming that I going to be getting , the MC20, C8 Z06, Cayman GTS gearshift (yes the GT4 maybe a better machine but not for my purpose). There were a lot more cars I got rid of Jag F type R (total crap), 2007 BMW M6 (SMG was just wrong), Merkur (some of you might remember that piece of junk). I could go on for days but I think you all get the idea, there is not pattern to the way I choose, change, or keep or do not keep cars

 

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Let's see them! 🤤🤤🤤

 

Deja vu lol

 

I frakking love those new Targa's you guys.