OT: decisions...decisions...decisions...Aston V8? Maserati GT? GTR? M3? 911 Turbo?

not one i'm faced with as i dun have the dosh for it but a cool watch + mad sportscar lovin' mate in the US posed this question on his facebook recently and it is worthy ;)

fb status - RW needs help from friends:
(A) Nissan GTR (0-60 in low 3s but 80% of people think its a Sentra with bodykit)
(B) Aston V8 Vantage (0-60 in 4.8 but looks and sounds mean)

(C) Maserati Gran Turismo (0-60 in 5 but ferrari engine sounds mean and has backseats)
‎(E) 911 Turbo (997.1) Coupe (0-60 in 3.6 but ive already had 2 Porsches)
(F) BMW M3 coupe (0-60 in 4.1 but looks like a normal BMW just wider)
(G) Lotus Exige S (0-60 in 4.0 but super small, yet super sporty (can add 100hp to wheels for cheap)

thats the main choices for the time being, i wont say which way I'm leaning to get unbiased results.lol.

car porn at its best... so beautiful... V8 Vantage...

options not in there which were thrown up by mates were (H) an early Gallardo [may have to be a bit older maybe, 5-6 years if sticking to the price range] (I) Bentley Continental Supersports [bit out of the range] (J) Audi RB V8 (K) Ferrari 430 [bit out of the range] and you can't buy a 430 now that the 458 is out there ;)

interior of the aston... i think u can guess what i'm leaning towards ;)

back to the original contenders then, A-G and for style the 2 that stand out are the maserati and the aston. the aston is the better one based on the looks, the great sound the v8 makes and... uhm did i mention the looks? it looks utterly amazing. the maserati is not such a great drive and i am not too fond of the front to be honest although from certain angles it does look great but it loses out to the aston for me.

so the style & overall winner is... the V8 Vantage (roadster or coupe will do the job nicely)

the GTR is just all business and some say too digital & soul-less with all its computer wizardry and playstation designed screens... in Singapore though the choice is the GTR as it and the Aston are in totally different price brackets, one costing 1.5-2 times the price of the other [eg. brand new from Authorised dealers S$333k and S$475k for the coupe manual. 2nd hand mid 2008(about 2 years old) S$220k and S$440k]. the only contender against the GTR in Sing at a similar but slightly higher price point is the M3 [brand new coupe is S$367k and a close to 2 year old M3 at about S$260k].

oh and since he's a watch lovin mate... one of my pics of a watch he got recently (and is selling already ;) that was super fast...) [for more AP 2010 ROO pics click here... ]

and somethin in black in case white ain't your thing ;)

lookin at the BMW M3 vs Nissan GTR then... which does one choose if one is in the small island of Singapore?

[ click to know the answer... expand or collapse ]

i got me a family car i'm real happy with (story in link) so whats the best car with 2 doors and a bit of zip in SIN? at a budget of about S$250k, there can only be 2 real choices in Singapore... the BMW M3 or the Nissan GTR... so which will it be?

top down goodness... the M3 convertible may be the right one but it'll cost a bit more than the coupe... hmm

going on the following factors then...

- engine, 0-60, power, torque: GTR wins on all fronts. the M3 is higher revving though up to 8300rpm

- transmission: M3 has the option of a 6 speed manual gearbox or a DCT flappy paddle auto and the GTR is a full automatic or one could use the paddle shifters too

- comfort and ride: both have adjustable settings for ride comfort and such but M3 is comfier than the GTR overall

- day to day sports car: M3 has the bigger boot. both have rear seats (GTR is 2+2) if u fancy bringing more folks about but both are very cramped at the back, so more for kids or real small sized folks...

- looks: the M3 actually doesn't look that good because well its a 3 series innit and the 3 series doesn't look too good... the GTR is no stunner too but it does look purposeful and mean... and so on the looks front the GTR wins out just because it looks like it was born to kick some :) GRRRR!!!

Singapore factors

- stereotypes: in the GTR you are either a petrolhead or chow-ah-beng or perhaps you are an ah-beng who is a petrolhead? [ah-beng=colloquial expression for chinkified Chinese wanker... uhm wiki of it here] :) in the bmw, u are a bit of a wanker with some money and well... also a petrolhead. if u had a bit more money we would find u in an Audi R8 probably ;)

- annual road tax: both are high... about S$3.6k for the GTR and S$4k for the M3

- insurance: too scared to check :) i think the 4 door M3 may be the best for this... and register it under your wife's name :)

US insurance is apparently pretty crazy... the insurance for a GTR is 3 times the insurance for a brand new Porsche...

and then there was a winner...

the M3 is definitely a great drivers car with the manual gear shifter, poised/balanced, great handling and control but the choice for me is the GTR... power and a great system to deliver that power... it is a game changer... brute force with a smart computer brain & science that will smoke cars worth 3-4 times its price... bellows defiantly at the laws of physics... a mechanical monster! its GODZILLA!!!

...hold up a second though

problem is u can't buy the pre-2010 GTR second hand as u don't know how many times the previous owner(s) have done launches with launch control and VDC off and screwed up the transmission... [old launch control - put the transmission and suspension into R mode, turn the VDC off, left foot on the brake pedal and right on the throttle, push it to 4,500 rpm and BLASTOFF!! but there was a bit of a problem with this and it laid out a fair amount of undue stress on the car's rear-mounted transaxle and replacement costs could be a lot of $$$]

so its gotta be a 2010 GTR that u get with the VDC never turned off / brand new one from authorised dealers here are out of reach at S$333k... hmm looks like i won't be getting a GTR anytime soon [unless perhaps if i end up workin in a country where its sellin cheaper than... possibly maybe... hmm] but one can dream and save up for it till then :)

GTR 2010 version specs and info

• new launch control at a lower rpm around 3000rpm and VDC doesn't get turned off, so reduced stress on the transmission - low 3 seconds for 0-60mph
• shifts even faster (2/10s of a second!)
• better suspension - bilstein dampers/shock absorbers
• dual clutch transmission
• brakes - 20" forged alloy wheels, 15" discs brembo racing brakes - 6 piston calipers in front and 4 in the back, cross drilled rotors
• drag coeff of 0.27
• lil more power - 485 bhp twin turbo charged 3.8litre V6 engine with 434 lb-ft of torque (588Nm) at 3200-5200 rpm, weighing in at 3829pounds=1737kg, top speed of above 315kmh(above 200mph). redline is 7000rpm
• rear bias AWD system, vehicle differential control - skid management.
• bridgestone potenza tires (255/40 R20 front, 285/35 R20 back) knurled wheels (knurling on the rim to stop the tyres from comin off! swweeeett...)
• 2+2 style seating
• high gear boost control - broadens the cars torque by 14lb foot for 80 seconds between - 3500-5200revs. manual mode, switch on the boost control switch
• hmm gotta get the black edition with the BOSE sound system and the black wheels with nice white body paint or a matt black cover for awhile :)