Wow, I own an Aston Martin
Discussion
After a few months of keeping a keen eye on a Vantage at the local Bentley dealership I finally struck a deal on Monday and picked it up yesterday, just in time for the (wet) Easter weekend. Still can’t quite believe I own an Aston Martin.
I’ve always been a car guy but not taken the plunge for something special until now. My mum’s partner had a Bentley GTC V8s for quite a few years which I was able to use but he decided to sell it last Autumn. Problem has always been that I’m quite conservative with money and been focused on early retirement, until someone pointed out that (a) I do enjoy my work (working for myself) and (b) I’m “only” 41. Luckily my wife likes to humour me so she was full of encouragement. It also helped that I agreed on a price some £11k below what it was first listed for late last year (who knew the 25th of the month before a bank holiday weekend is the sweet spot on dealer needing a sale) which made it cheaper than any equivalent car around and a no brainer.
She’s 2018 v8 Vantage (AM6) in Silver (alumunite?) with 22k miles on the clock and full AM service history. I’m based in Huntingdonshire, so judging by the spotted thread I might get seen out and about as it will be used daily. Whilst I’m not an owners club kind of guy, happy to meet up with anyone local who’s a more experienced owner than me for a coffee to appreciate their wisdom.
Whilst I had been watching the car I can’t profess to have researched the ins and outs of ownership, but know vthe cost of fuel, servicing and a new set of tyres are within my means. The car came with a 12 month warranty from the Bentley garage and presumably after that I can go to AM and get a warranty for c.£2k p.a. from them (or is that me being naive?). Servicing wise one isn’t due until September and had earmarked taking her to Dovehouse, unless anyone local has other suggestions.
Cheers, Stu
I’ve always been a car guy but not taken the plunge for something special until now. My mum’s partner had a Bentley GTC V8s for quite a few years which I was able to use but he decided to sell it last Autumn. Problem has always been that I’m quite conservative with money and been focused on early retirement, until someone pointed out that (a) I do enjoy my work (working for myself) and (b) I’m “only” 41. Luckily my wife likes to humour me so she was full of encouragement. It also helped that I agreed on a price some £11k below what it was first listed for late last year (who knew the 25th of the month before a bank holiday weekend is the sweet spot on dealer needing a sale) which made it cheaper than any equivalent car around and a no brainer.
She’s 2018 v8 Vantage (AM6) in Silver (alumunite?) with 22k miles on the clock and full AM service history. I’m based in Huntingdonshire, so judging by the spotted thread I might get seen out and about as it will be used daily. Whilst I’m not an owners club kind of guy, happy to meet up with anyone local who’s a more experienced owner than me for a coffee to appreciate their wisdom.
Whilst I had been watching the car I can’t profess to have researched the ins and outs of ownership, but know vthe cost of fuel, servicing and a new set of tyres are within my means. The car came with a 12 month warranty from the Bentley garage and presumably after that I can go to AM and get a warranty for c.£2k p.a. from them (or is that me being naive?). Servicing wise one isn’t due until September and had earmarked taking her to Dovehouse, unless anyone local has other suggestions.
Cheers, Stu
Congratulations Stu!
From a financial perspective, the car will depreciate but from experience, keep up to it and shouldn’t be too onerous. Also can’t put a price on the enjoyment, especially as a daily!
If it has the AM history, a circa £400 check at an AM main dealer will determine what needs doing to it to qualify.
A 13 year old V12 is around £3K pa on the warranty so you’d hope you’d be a lot lower.
Try a few dealers as it might be worth shopping around.
Anything identified can be rectified at an Indy if required and the car checked again but that might make the costs mounts, so maybe have an Indy go over it first to prepare for the “warranty MOT” (some Indy’s will be better at spotting things than the mail dealers!)
Get some pics shared - it’s a big achievement and everyone loves photos!!
Alternatively bank the cash every year and roll the dice, if it’s a good car, you may well be greatly up doing this (advice given to myself in a similar position).
From a financial perspective, the car will depreciate but from experience, keep up to it and shouldn’t be too onerous. Also can’t put a price on the enjoyment, especially as a daily!
If it has the AM history, a circa £400 check at an AM main dealer will determine what needs doing to it to qualify.
A 13 year old V12 is around £3K pa on the warranty so you’d hope you’d be a lot lower.
Try a few dealers as it might be worth shopping around.
Anything identified can be rectified at an Indy if required and the car checked again but that might make the costs mounts, so maybe have an Indy go over it first to prepare for the “warranty MOT” (some Indy’s will be better at spotting things than the mail dealers!)
Get some pics shared - it’s a big achievement and everyone loves photos!!
Alternatively bank the cash every year and roll the dice, if it’s a good car, you may well be greatly up doing this (advice given to myself in a similar position).
LTP said:
Come on Stu, you're not new here. You know the drill. Pictures or it didn't happen.
Congratulations. I still remember the feeling of sitting in mine on the first day of ownership, late at night, in the garage, thinking "I own this".
I remember doing exactly the same thing when I had mine.Congratulations. I still remember the feeling of sitting in mine on the first day of ownership, late at night, in the garage, thinking "I own this".
macdeb said:
LTP said:
Come on Stu, you're not new here. You know the drill. Pictures or it didn't happen.
Congratulations. I still remember the feeling of sitting in mine on the first day of ownership, late at night, in the garage, thinking "I own this".
I remember doing exactly the same thing when I had mine.Congratulations. I still remember the feeling of sitting in mine on the first day of ownership, late at night, in the garage, thinking "I own this".
i sat around 1am in my garage sofa pinching myself to make sure the car was realGassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff