Inspired or idiotic? "Cheap" V8 Vantage
Discussion
Nigel_O said:
Chatted with the very helpful people at Aston Installations yesterday.
Firstly, I have to admit to not listening to much music when I'm driving. Even when I was tooling around in my mega-mile Alfa GT diesel, I'd often drive for several hours without the radio or CD. Now that I have a tuneful V8 to listen to, I'm even less likely to have any music playing.
So - there's no way I'm spending close to £2k to have the full Apple CarPlay gubbins fitted - OK, it would be great to be able to use the inbuilt satnav screen to show Waze from my phone, but I've survived many years with a phone in a holder on the dash, so I'll continue with my cheapskate ways for now.
However, AI also do a Dension / Bovee set up for about £675 fitted - still a chunk of money, but somewhat easier to justify than the full CarPlay solution. From what I can see, the Dension is about £300 retail anyway and the Bovee another £80 on top, so it's a fairly decent price. Seeing as I haven't had a nasty surprise with the service bill, I might splash out a bit (or my Yorkshire ways might prevail and I'll keep the money for when the inevitable big bill arrives).
The only other aspect of the car that I'm going to have to work hard not to get sucked into is the performance. I came from a very highly modded Fiat Coupe 20VT, with over 480bhp in just 1300kg, so the V8V is a bit underwhelming in comparison. It just feels like it could handle another 100bhp without flinching. That said, I sold the Coupe because it was just too quick (50% higher power to weight ratio than the Vantage), so I need to learn to live within the Vantage's capabilities. I need to resist spending money on performance mods, simply because the return on investment is so low. I guess it's all relative - the Vantage isn't exactly slow....
Performance mods would cost a lot and put a lot of buyers off when the time comes to sell it. It is one of the best looking cars ever made and sounds great. It is a sporty GT you can use every day. If you want a fast fix then a driving day in a Caterham/Radical/Atom is a better bet. If you find the performance over the longer term is not enough then I'd look for something faster rather than modify a Vantage.Firstly, I have to admit to not listening to much music when I'm driving. Even when I was tooling around in my mega-mile Alfa GT diesel, I'd often drive for several hours without the radio or CD. Now that I have a tuneful V8 to listen to, I'm even less likely to have any music playing.
So - there's no way I'm spending close to £2k to have the full Apple CarPlay gubbins fitted - OK, it would be great to be able to use the inbuilt satnav screen to show Waze from my phone, but I've survived many years with a phone in a holder on the dash, so I'll continue with my cheapskate ways for now.
However, AI also do a Dension / Bovee set up for about £675 fitted - still a chunk of money, but somewhat easier to justify than the full CarPlay solution. From what I can see, the Dension is about £300 retail anyway and the Bovee another £80 on top, so it's a fairly decent price. Seeing as I haven't had a nasty surprise with the service bill, I might splash out a bit (or my Yorkshire ways might prevail and I'll keep the money for when the inevitable big bill arrives).
The only other aspect of the car that I'm going to have to work hard not to get sucked into is the performance. I came from a very highly modded Fiat Coupe 20VT, with over 480bhp in just 1300kg, so the V8V is a bit underwhelming in comparison. It just feels like it could handle another 100bhp without flinching. That said, I sold the Coupe because it was just too quick (50% higher power to weight ratio than the Vantage), so I need to learn to live within the Vantage's capabilities. I need to resist spending money on performance mods, simply because the return on investment is so low. I guess it's all relative - the Vantage isn't exactly slow....
Hope you are getting out and about lots in the sunny weather we're having and enjoying it.
DanG355 said:
If you want a fast fix then a driving day in a Caterham/Radical/Atom is a better bet.
I have a confession to make - my other mid-life crisis is this..... just over 170bhp and 600kg. No screen, roof or heater. Not massively fast, but extremely entertaining in the right conditions.
DSC_1386 by Nigel Ogram, on FlickrGlad you’re enjoying it OP….
In the same boat as you and picked up my 2006 4.3 about 5 weeks ago now.
It’s been nothing short of wonderful. I think it’s a good one too.
Finished work a little early yesterday and sitting in the sun freshly cleaned over the weekend it was just begging to be taken out… put £50 of 99 in it and that was long gone after only about 100 miles as I got home
constant acceleration up to fourth, slowing down then repeat…
Glad to hear yours is healthy. Enjoy
In the same boat as you and picked up my 2006 4.3 about 5 weeks ago now.
It’s been nothing short of wonderful. I think it’s a good one too.
Finished work a little early yesterday and sitting in the sun freshly cleaned over the weekend it was just begging to be taken out… put £50 of 99 in it and that was long gone after only about 100 miles as I got home
constant acceleration up to fourth, slowing down then repeat…Glad to hear yours is healthy. Enjoy
Fantastic Nigel! Well that’s a pretty epic alternative to the Aston when you fancy something a little more raw. Looks a good spec from what can be seen in that photo.
Great couple of cars that would cover most of the driving I’d do. Would only need a tip run/shopping car park car - not a Ferrari FF that several PH’ers use for that though!
Great couple of cars that would cover most of the driving I’d do. Would only need a tip run/shopping car park car - not a Ferrari FF that several PH’ers use for that though!
Nice. This is exactly my thing to be honest... I love the arse end of the market lol, always interests me more for some reason! The amount of times I've considered pulling the trigger on the cheapest possible GTR or R8 isn't even funny. Have to admit I've not really considered going the Aston route but it's definitely a tempting consideration. Hope you enjoy and not much goes wrong!
SturdyHSV said:
I was reading the thread and waiting to say "supercharger?" at the end, it appears you're probably already considering it...
I can't deny that the power hike would be welcome, but it would cost 2/3 of what I paid for the car and it wouldn't add much value (in fact it would probably put a lot of people off)If I had another £20k, I'd have bought a much newer Vantage S or maybe even a Rapide
Nope - I'll learn to live with 380bhp - if (when) the clutch needs doing, I might get a remap to complement a lightened flywheel, but that will be about it.
I very nearly followed your foot steps about 6 months ago (regarding bottom of the market fishing) so I am interested to see how you get on. I joined the Bamford Rose portal etc and bought magazines with buyers guides to give myself a standing chance. Unfortunately, prices fell into a short false high just after my 911 sold and I put myself off the idea.
Some of the parts prices aren't bad at all, but then others are just silly. I'm sure I recall control arms were really expensive and a clutch is in the 4 figures...
Some of the parts prices aren't bad at all, but then others are just silly. I'm sure I recall control arms were really expensive and a clutch is in the 4 figures...
Edited by Alfred Pina on Wednesday 23 March 10:16
Nigel_O said:
I can't deny that the power hike would be welcome, but it would cost 2/3 of what I paid for the car and it wouldn't add much value (in fact it would probably put a lot of people off)
If I had another £20k, I'd have bought a much newer Vantage S or maybe even a Rapide
Nope - I'll learn to live with 380bhp - if (when) the clutch needs doing, I might get a remap to complement a lightened flywheel, but that will be about it.
Yeah it very much depends on whether you're thinking about selling it. If I had another £20k, I'd have bought a much newer Vantage S or maybe even a Rapide
Nope - I'll learn to live with 380bhp - if (when) the clutch needs doing, I might get a remap to complement a lightened flywheel, but that will be about it.
Realistically the bits will all bolt on and be easily reversible so you could revert it back to standard to sell it and sell on the supercharger kit to recover a decent wedge of the cost, I can't imagine second hand supercharger kits come up often for them...
Does anyone offer a shorter final drive or anything like that? Could pep up the acceleration 'feel' and maybe not cost too much, although they're a transaxle aren't they, so presumably more of a faff to do...
SturdyHSV said:
Yeah it very much depends on whether you're thinking about selling it.
Realistically the bits will all bolt on and be easily reversible so you could revert it back to standard to sell it and sell on the supercharger kit to recover a decent wedge of the cost, I can't imagine second hand supercharger kits come up often for them...
Does anyone offer a shorter final drive or anything like that? Could pep up the acceleration 'feel' and maybe not cost too much, although they're a transaxle aren't they, so presumably more of a faff to do...
You really would wince at your fuel economy with either a SC or a shorter diff Realistically the bits will all bolt on and be easily reversible so you could revert it back to standard to sell it and sell on the supercharger kit to recover a decent wedge of the cost, I can't imagine second hand supercharger kits come up often for them...
Does anyone offer a shorter final drive or anything like that? Could pep up the acceleration 'feel' and maybe not cost too much, although they're a transaxle aren't they, so presumably more of a faff to do...
As I see it, there are two "problems" with the performance
1) It doesn't FEEL fast - most of the performance is right at the top end, so you have to wring its neck to get it to go quickly (which isn't a hardship with THAT noise...) That said, it's all relative and even at 7/10 driving, it still covers ground fairly rapidly. I wouldn't see which way a well-pedalled A45AMG or Focus RS went, but that's not the point - if I wanted turbo-nutter performance, I'd have kept the Fiat and indulged in a bit of giant-killing.
2) The throttle response is really slow - blipping the throttle on downchanges is near impossible. It's partly down to a very hefty flywheel and partly down to mapping for a smooth drive, rather than making it the last word in responsiveness. By all accounts, a lightened flywheel and a twin-plate clutch transforms the driving experience and a gentle remap helps make the best of the new lightweight drivetrain.
So - like many cars, it's not without its flaws. However, I can forgive it almost anything for the way it looks, the way it sounds and the way it makes me feel when I'm driving it.
I was once fortunate enough to own an F355 for a couple of years. It was 60% more expensive than the Aston AND this was 20 years ago, but for some reason, the Aston just feels more special to own and drive.
I reckon it's just one of those cars that gets under your skin and to be honest, I'm rather enjoying it..... :-) The fact that it comes from the bargain end of the price range just satifies the Yorkshireman in me even more
1) It doesn't FEEL fast - most of the performance is right at the top end, so you have to wring its neck to get it to go quickly (which isn't a hardship with THAT noise...) That said, it's all relative and even at 7/10 driving, it still covers ground fairly rapidly. I wouldn't see which way a well-pedalled A45AMG or Focus RS went, but that's not the point - if I wanted turbo-nutter performance, I'd have kept the Fiat and indulged in a bit of giant-killing.
2) The throttle response is really slow - blipping the throttle on downchanges is near impossible. It's partly down to a very hefty flywheel and partly down to mapping for a smooth drive, rather than making it the last word in responsiveness. By all accounts, a lightened flywheel and a twin-plate clutch transforms the driving experience and a gentle remap helps make the best of the new lightweight drivetrain.
So - like many cars, it's not without its flaws. However, I can forgive it almost anything for the way it looks, the way it sounds and the way it makes me feel when I'm driving it.
I was once fortunate enough to own an F355 for a couple of years. It was 60% more expensive than the Aston AND this was 20 years ago, but for some reason, the Aston just feels more special to own and drive.
I reckon it's just one of those cars that gets under your skin and to be honest, I'm rather enjoying it..... :-) The fact that it comes from the bargain end of the price range just satifies the Yorkshireman in me even more
Edited by Nigel_O on Monday 17th October 18:25
I love these. I had a black 4.3 a few years ago and loved it.
They're easy to maintain yourself and there's lots of DIY jobs you can do to tidy it up, they're really quite simple cars underneath. I spent a couple of days with a machine polisher, painted the flaking wipers arms and replaced the wheels and had mine looking like new again.
You're right on the performance being a little lacking, especially for something so thirsty (I managed about 14mpg the whole time I had mine) however there's not a lot you can really do to improve it without throwing a fortune at it which really wouldn't be worthwhile. The biggest ticket maintenance item on these is the clutch, they're fragile and expensive to replace, however you can get aftermarket uprated twin plate replacements now along with a lightened flywheel. I didn't have it done, but I've read it's a really worthwhile upgrade, with the lighter flywheel allowing the engine to spin up a little faster.
Depending when it was last done, if it does start to go under your ownership then the upgrade would be worthwhile, I can't think of anything else they really want for.
They're easy to maintain yourself and there's lots of DIY jobs you can do to tidy it up, they're really quite simple cars underneath. I spent a couple of days with a machine polisher, painted the flaking wipers arms and replaced the wheels and had mine looking like new again.
You're right on the performance being a little lacking, especially for something so thirsty (I managed about 14mpg the whole time I had mine) however there's not a lot you can really do to improve it without throwing a fortune at it which really wouldn't be worthwhile. The biggest ticket maintenance item on these is the clutch, they're fragile and expensive to replace, however you can get aftermarket uprated twin plate replacements now along with a lightened flywheel. I didn't have it done, but I've read it's a really worthwhile upgrade, with the lighter flywheel allowing the engine to spin up a little faster.
Depending when it was last done, if it does start to go under your ownership then the upgrade would be worthwhile, I can't think of anything else they really want for.
DodgyGeezer said:
I know that mpgs are (pretty much) the last thing on your mind where you buy something like this but one thing I will say is that I'm absolutely shocked at how poor it is on fuel 
Agreed - buying a sub 20mpg car as fuel prices hit an all-time high was probably not my smartest move. However, my worst tank is 16.3mpg and average is close to 19. It'll probably do closer to 25mpg on a long cruise.I reckon that 2/3 of the fuel goes into making the car move and 1/3 is used solely to make the noise......
The noise is SO addictive that I reckon this is where most of the reports of poor mpg come from - it's really difficult not to give it some beans and once you've done it, you slow down so you can do it again.
I need to go to Birmingham so I can "evaluate" the A38 tunnels.....
Paul1984 said:
Good to see another 4.3 vantage on here, I’m 3 years in to ownership now and it still puts a smile on my face! They really have aged well, here’s mine…
Oof! - that's gorgeous! That's one of my preferred colours when I was searching for a Vantage. I convinced myself not to have black or silver, but all of the darker metallic cars I looked at were a bit shabby or needed mechanical work. When mine popped up for sale, I dismissed it at first due to the colour and the wheels. However, I found myself at a loose end one weekend, so went to view it and found I really liked the combination.I really like the optional Multispoke wheels that are fitted to your vantage -something different from the more common 7 spokes on mine. It seems we have similar taste in vehicles - my previous weekend toy was a westfield Megablade which I still miss (toying with the idea of another 7….possibly a caterham)
Another bottom end of the market fisher here 
Good to read this Nigel, had my V8 budget been larger I too would have bought an early Vantage. As it is I'm happy with the Corvette C6. It had long gearing and a heavy flywheel, changing the final drive and fitting an alloy fly have transformed the car, the power remains the same, but it feels more like a sports car, less like a cruiser.
Hope we get to meet again at some stage, it's been well over ten years now!
Good to read this Nigel, had my V8 budget been larger I too would have bought an early Vantage. As it is I'm happy with the Corvette C6. It had long gearing and a heavy flywheel, changing the final drive and fitting an alloy fly have transformed the car, the power remains the same, but it feels more like a sports car, less like a cruiser. Hope we get to meet again at some stage, it's been well over ten years now!
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