A genie pops out of a bottle and offers you the of one of three cars. You won’t have to pay for maintenance, insurance, storage – in short, operating and ownership expenses; but you may not sell your car or otherwise dispose of it. You will not get the monetary difference between the least expensive car (should you choose it) and the most expensive.
Basically, which of the following cars would you want – not because it’s expensive, but because you really like it and want to keep it?
[ul][li]Ferrari 456M GT/GTA[/li][li]Aston Martin Vanquish V12[/li][li]Porsche Carrera GT2[/ul][/li]Okay, I’m a big fan of Porsche. I’ve had a 911, and it was a blast. And the GT2 is really groovy.
On the other hand, there is the Aston Martin. Very nice, and not as common as a Porsche. The Porsche is a finely crafted tool that is perfect for its function. The Vanquish is more elegant.
Then there is the Ferrari. I think of this as a “stealth car”. It’s not as readily identifiable as the other two. It’s “all that”, but it doesn’t flaunt it.
So in the end it comes to this: I like the Porsche, but I don’t need a GT2. The Ferrari just doesn’t “do it” for me. The Vanquish looks good, is fairly uncommon, and it’s oh-so-British. I think I’d choose that one.
Lets look at them one by one… first, the 456 is now a nine year old car. Granted, Ferraris have long life cycles, but it IS aging. Its also not really in competition with the other two: the 456 is the “practical” (its all relative) Ferrari. The 575 would be a fairer opponent.
Now, the Aston… a curious mix of space age design and stone age construction techniques (which nonetheless may be more effective than any automated manfacturing process). Not as quick as the Porsche, but you really can’t make a clearer automotive statement… “Get off my road, poor person”.
Then there’s the Porsche, which, if you want to be technical, is even older than the Ferrari… its also faster, lighter and better balanced than the other two, and about half the price. (I’m assuming that’s not an issue though). But looking at Vlad Dracul’s criteria, it is by far the most likely to get you through the Stelvio Pass/across the United States/laid without breaking down…
And its the finest incarnation of the finest sportscar EVER. Can’t really argue with that…
Vanquish. I’ve never really been a big fan of Porsche, I’m okay with the Ferrari but I wouldn’t pick it over the Aston. Any Aston is stylish as hell without looking over-the-top.
Yup. Back to 1964. FWIW, the Porsche goes for about $180,000 and the Aston goes for about $245,000. I don’t know about the Ferrari. But…
Price and maintenance/repair costs are not a factor, since the genie will provide for those.
IMO the Porsche is the best car in terms of reliability, etc. Being “40 years old” has allowed Porsche time to make it right. But as I said, the Vanquish has that certain “something”. If I wanted a Porsche I’d be quite happy with a regular Carrera (or Cabrio). If a genie said, “Pick one of these cars,” I’d pick the Aston.
Of the three cars in the OP, I’d take the Ferrari (in red, gotta be red). I like the 360 and 575 a little better, though. And really, I’d try to stall the genie until the Ford GT came out.
El_Kabong, did you have the same slot-car set I did when I was a kid?
Of those three, i’d definitely go with the Aston Martin. That Vanquish is one fine-looking car.
I’ve always been a bit of a Lamborghini fan myself, and a Diablo or a Murcielago would be pretty fine, although probably not as practical for eveyday use as the Aston.
To tell you the truth, if i could have only one car for all types of driving conditions that i’m likely to encounter, i’d find it hard to go past a Mercedes E55 AMG.