V8 Vantage - what's it really like?
Discussion
The Vantage is still running fine, however the handbrake caliper problem seems to have got worse, and is now really annoying me. When I get the chance, I will check that it is the driver side which is failing to work properly (it's what I was told at the service a year ago), and if so will order the part.
However - the heated seat will not be fixed any time soon....
The Ferrari service was in fact relatively painless. They discovered that the driver side headlight washer didn't work - it had clearly broken at some point in the past, and been glued back together. That repair had failed - which added a bit to the bill, but still not enough to prevent a heated seat fix on the Aston. But.....
I got 30 miles after the Ferrari service and lost all power. I was close (~1 mile) to my destination on an empty country road so used momentum to continue (which I now know is likely to have been an expensive mistake). Long story short : Variable cam actuator failed, engine rebuild required, car off the road for at least 5 weeks - with the cost you'd expect for a Ferrari engine rebuild.
So - I guess 6 months ago, when I said Astons are more expensive to run than Ferrari's - I was wrong.
Next update in a month or two - unless something significant happens to the Aston in that time. Although personally, I'd prefer nothing of significance does......
However - the heated seat will not be fixed any time soon....
davek_964 said:
If the Aston doesn't need anything extra - and if the Ferrari doesn't (it's a minor for that too, so should be relatively cheap - although they warned me last year that I may need ball joints soon) then I will probably take the Aston back to get the heated seat fixed in a month or two.
Oh, how I laugh reading that back.The Ferrari service was in fact relatively painless. They discovered that the driver side headlight washer didn't work - it had clearly broken at some point in the past, and been glued back together. That repair had failed - which added a bit to the bill, but still not enough to prevent a heated seat fix on the Aston. But.....
I got 30 miles after the Ferrari service and lost all power. I was close (~1 mile) to my destination on an empty country road so used momentum to continue (which I now know is likely to have been an expensive mistake). Long story short : Variable cam actuator failed, engine rebuild required, car off the road for at least 5 weeks - with the cost you'd expect for a Ferrari engine rebuild.
So - I guess 6 months ago, when I said Astons are more expensive to run than Ferrari's - I was wrong.
Next update in a month or two - unless something significant happens to the Aston in that time. Although personally, I'd prefer nothing of significance does......
Sorry to hear about the Ferrari Davek - hope the rebuild cost isn't too horrendous.
I must admit that the potential costs of running a Ferrari have always put me off them. A chum of mine had 3 Testarossas, a 512TR, 360 & 430 in turn and spent an absolute fortune keeping them on the road.
I must admit that the potential costs of running a Ferrari have always put me off them. A chum of mine had 3 Testarossas, a 512TR, 360 & 430 in turn and spent an absolute fortune keeping them on the road.
So, shortly after the last update, the Aston did indeed have a problem.....
The security guard at work lowered the posts into the ground to open the car park, but failed to close the lid over the post. Vertical square of metal sticking up + the fairly low height of a Vantage + a car park entrance that slopes steeply down just after the entrance = very nasty noises as you drive into the car park.
The metal lid hooked the cross member that the front of the rear under tray bolts to. It pulled this down on the left hand side, split the metal slightly and split the under tray at the same point.
Getting under the car showed that the metal part that was damaged was some kind of cross brace that ran roughly between the rear wheels. Calls to Aston showed that this is only sold as part of the rear subframe, can only be ordered by an official Aston repair centre and would cost a bargain ~£3,600 + vat. Bargain.
Fortunately, AstonBits do sell the part separately - £50 used, £100 new. I ordered new, and a new undertray which with delivery totalled ~£300.
One odd thing - the new cross member takes M8 bolts to mount the front of the undertray - my old one was more like M5. According to AstonBits, the part is common to all Vantages, even V12s, all years, and hasn't been superceded.
It did fit fine though with some new bolts for the undertray.
Apart from that, nothing much has changed in the last month. However, the issue when the Ferrari may affect the Aston. I won't know for sure until I get it back, but at the moment my feeling is that the Ferrari has crossed the line into unacceptably expensive. And it's making me wonder whether my cars in general are unacceptably expensive.
My gut feeling is that the Ferrari will be sold this summer. The Aston may then become the 'nice car' - or I may decide to ditch that too, and get rid of the Alfa.
I've always liked the new MX5s, so maybe dump £15-20k on one of them, run the Cayenne into the ground (it's not far from that I think!), and go back to two wheels for the odd blast (an £8k Fireblade looks pretty tempting when your Ferrari is going to cost that for an engine failure).
But we'll see. The Ferrari should be back within the next few weeks I think. Perhaps I'll enjoy it so much I'll decide I shouldn't change anything, maybe I'll ditch the Ferrari and the Aston will get promoted in my car lineup - or maybe I'll sell the lot and buy a 1985 Ford Fiesta.
We'll see at the next update I guess - even I don't know the answer at the moment.
The security guard at work lowered the posts into the ground to open the car park, but failed to close the lid over the post. Vertical square of metal sticking up + the fairly low height of a Vantage + a car park entrance that slopes steeply down just after the entrance = very nasty noises as you drive into the car park.
The metal lid hooked the cross member that the front of the rear under tray bolts to. It pulled this down on the left hand side, split the metal slightly and split the under tray at the same point.
Getting under the car showed that the metal part that was damaged was some kind of cross brace that ran roughly between the rear wheels. Calls to Aston showed that this is only sold as part of the rear subframe, can only be ordered by an official Aston repair centre and would cost a bargain ~£3,600 + vat. Bargain.
Fortunately, AstonBits do sell the part separately - £50 used, £100 new. I ordered new, and a new undertray which with delivery totalled ~£300.
One odd thing - the new cross member takes M8 bolts to mount the front of the undertray - my old one was more like M5. According to AstonBits, the part is common to all Vantages, even V12s, all years, and hasn't been superceded.
It did fit fine though with some new bolts for the undertray.
Apart from that, nothing much has changed in the last month. However, the issue when the Ferrari may affect the Aston. I won't know for sure until I get it back, but at the moment my feeling is that the Ferrari has crossed the line into unacceptably expensive. And it's making me wonder whether my cars in general are unacceptably expensive.
My gut feeling is that the Ferrari will be sold this summer. The Aston may then become the 'nice car' - or I may decide to ditch that too, and get rid of the Alfa.
I've always liked the new MX5s, so maybe dump £15-20k on one of them, run the Cayenne into the ground (it's not far from that I think!), and go back to two wheels for the odd blast (an £8k Fireblade looks pretty tempting when your Ferrari is going to cost that for an engine failure).
But we'll see. The Ferrari should be back within the next few weeks I think. Perhaps I'll enjoy it so much I'll decide I shouldn't change anything, maybe I'll ditch the Ferrari and the Aston will get promoted in my car lineup - or maybe I'll sell the lot and buy a 1985 Ford Fiesta.
We'll see at the next update I guess - even I don't know the answer at the moment.
Edited by davek_964 on Monday 13th May 21:01
Well, in the last update I said that the problems with the 360 might cause me to sell up. And it turns out that I am seriously considering selling both the 360 and the Vantage - although not quite for the reasons I posted before.....
From an update point of view, there really isn't anything to say. The Vantage has continued to work, not a single problem that I can think of. I've not used it much over the last few weeks - primarily because I got the 360 back and wanted to run that in - so it's a tad neglected at the moment.
Still think it's an excellent car, and like it a lot. But.......
The g/f thinks I should have a convertible Ferrari or Aston - and that's made me start browsing 458 spiders. It's currently just an impulse thought, but it's one I'm beginning to take more seriously.
It will mean the Aston has to go - as does the 360.
I am aware that neither car will be a quick easy sale - and I am aware that I may yet change my mind. When faced with the possibility that I might change my mind after selling just one of the cars - it's definitely the 360 I would want to be left with.
As a result - if I decide to do this - and it's very likely I will - the Vantage will be the car I sell first. And in fact, it's very likely I will put an advert up at the weekend - that's how seriously I'm thinking about it.
Sadly, it looks like prices genuinely have dropped - I think I paid around £32k in 2015, and it looks like I'll be closer to £25k than £30k for a private sale. But I think I could probably live with that if it's a step towards another car.
If I do decide to put the ad up, I'll give another update then. It may be the end of an era!
From an update point of view, there really isn't anything to say. The Vantage has continued to work, not a single problem that I can think of. I've not used it much over the last few weeks - primarily because I got the 360 back and wanted to run that in - so it's a tad neglected at the moment.
Still think it's an excellent car, and like it a lot. But.......
The g/f thinks I should have a convertible Ferrari or Aston - and that's made me start browsing 458 spiders. It's currently just an impulse thought, but it's one I'm beginning to take more seriously.
It will mean the Aston has to go - as does the 360.
I am aware that neither car will be a quick easy sale - and I am aware that I may yet change my mind. When faced with the possibility that I might change my mind after selling just one of the cars - it's definitely the 360 I would want to be left with.
As a result - if I decide to do this - and it's very likely I will - the Vantage will be the car I sell first. And in fact, it's very likely I will put an advert up at the weekend - that's how seriously I'm thinking about it.
Sadly, it looks like prices genuinely have dropped - I think I paid around £32k in 2015, and it looks like I'll be closer to £25k than £30k for a private sale. But I think I could probably live with that if it's a step towards another car.
If I do decide to put the ad up, I'll give another update then. It may be the end of an era!
davek_964 said:
Well, in the last update I said that the problems with the 360 might cause me to sell up. And it turns out that I am seriously considering selling both the 360 and the Vantage - although not quite for the reasons I posted before.....
From an update point of view, there really isn't anything to say. The Vantage has continued to work, not a single problem that I can think of. I've not used it much over the last few weeks - primarily because I got the 360 back and wanted to run that in - so it's a tad neglected at the moment.
Still think it's an excellent car, and like it a lot. But.......
The g/f thinks I should have a convertible Ferrari or Aston - and that's made me start browsing 458 spiders. It's currently just an impulse thought, but it's one I'm beginning to take more seriously.
It will mean the Aston has to go - as does the 360.
I am aware that neither car will be a quick easy sale - and I am aware that I may yet change my mind. When faced with the possibility that I might change my mind after selling just one of the cars - it's definitely the 360 I would want to be left with.
As a result - if I decide to do this - and it's very likely I will - the Vantage will be the car I sell first. And in fact, it's very likely I will put an advert up at the weekend - that's how seriously I'm thinking about it.
Sadly, it looks like prices genuinely have dropped - I think I paid around £32k in 2015, and it looks like I'll be closer to £25k than £30k for a private sale. But I think I could probably live with that if it's a step towards another car.
If I do decide to put the ad up, I'll give another update then. It may be the end of an era!
I could possibly be interested if you want to send me the details, i've been on the hunt for a nice one.From an update point of view, there really isn't anything to say. The Vantage has continued to work, not a single problem that I can think of. I've not used it much over the last few weeks - primarily because I got the 360 back and wanted to run that in - so it's a tad neglected at the moment.
Still think it's an excellent car, and like it a lot. But.......
The g/f thinks I should have a convertible Ferrari or Aston - and that's made me start browsing 458 spiders. It's currently just an impulse thought, but it's one I'm beginning to take more seriously.
It will mean the Aston has to go - as does the 360.
I am aware that neither car will be a quick easy sale - and I am aware that I may yet change my mind. When faced with the possibility that I might change my mind after selling just one of the cars - it's definitely the 360 I would want to be left with.
As a result - if I decide to do this - and it's very likely I will - the Vantage will be the car I sell first. And in fact, it's very likely I will put an advert up at the weekend - that's how seriously I'm thinking about it.
Sadly, it looks like prices genuinely have dropped - I think I paid around £32k in 2015, and it looks like I'll be closer to £25k than £30k for a private sale. But I think I could probably live with that if it's a step towards another car.
If I do decide to put the ad up, I'll give another update then. It may be the end of an era!
Must say I am a tad surprised.
I respect the fact that some people are careful with money and your candid breakdown of running costs, and the ups and downs, has made for a great thread. However, the 360 fault seemed to have led to a bill that many supercar owners wouldn't raise too much of an eyebrow to and yet seemed to get you somewhat hot under the collar and even now you talk disappointingly of the Vantage only being worth 25-30k and so only losing a few grand over 4 years. As I say, frugality is, in many ways, to be applauded and I think this thread alone has probably reassured a few potential owners who were concerned by stories of running costs. However, I am not so sure running a 458 will ever come as cheap unless you are in and out of it quickly! Depreciation alone could be drastic if the market doesn't remain stable (and it may very well do, particularly on the 458 - but many in that bracket seem to be sticking around at "current" prices).
Regardless, enjoy whatever in good health - your thread here has been immensely informative.
Edited to add, just scrolled down to see you are considering a Macca also!!!!!! With running costs I have heard (from owners, not the net), and depreciation, I would have thought you'd be losing an Aston a year in one of those!!!!!
I respect the fact that some people are careful with money and your candid breakdown of running costs, and the ups and downs, has made for a great thread. However, the 360 fault seemed to have led to a bill that many supercar owners wouldn't raise too much of an eyebrow to and yet seemed to get you somewhat hot under the collar and even now you talk disappointingly of the Vantage only being worth 25-30k and so only losing a few grand over 4 years. As I say, frugality is, in many ways, to be applauded and I think this thread alone has probably reassured a few potential owners who were concerned by stories of running costs. However, I am not so sure running a 458 will ever come as cheap unless you are in and out of it quickly! Depreciation alone could be drastic if the market doesn't remain stable (and it may very well do, particularly on the 458 - but many in that bracket seem to be sticking around at "current" prices).
Regardless, enjoy whatever in good health - your thread here has been immensely informative.
Edited to add, just scrolled down to see you are considering a Macca also!!!!!! With running costs I have heard (from owners, not the net), and depreciation, I would have thought you'd be losing an Aston a year in one of those!!!!!
Edited by Shnozz on Wednesday 26th June 13:47
Shnozz said:
Edited to add, just scrolled down to see you are considering a Macca also!!!!!! With running costs I have heard (from owners, not the net), and depreciation, I would have thought you'd be losing an Aston a year in one of those!!!!!
True. Heart wants, but I think reality may kick in where they are concerned.Edited by Shnozz on Wednesday 26th June 13:47
The Ferrari repair bill was a major concern, and it was bad news. On the other hand - I was initially quoted ~£10k, thought it might be twice that once we saw what the damage was but got away with £6.5k.
Of course that's a lot - but I'm currently viewing it as an unfortunate one off......
My man maths says : Running costs of a 458 should be less than a 360 + Vantage.
I have an 05 Mercedes Benz SL55 and an 07 V8V. I love looking at the V8V because it's beautiful but the SL55 is probably twice the car (i usually say 10x the car but I'm being nice as this is the Aston Martin section).
The V8V only has 15500 miles but the front end already feels a little loose. They also cheaped out in some of the oddest places. There's something really junky about the way the indicator stalk feels which really irritates me. The one on my 2002 Ford Super Duty feels nicer to the touch, why did they use one from the base model Fiesta?
I think what irritates me the most is the lack of aftermarket support for parts or DIY service. I like to work on my cars and can usually get anything I need from my wholesale distributor for my German cars. I have the Mercedes diagnostic tools and there are lots of good technical forums if I ever get stumped on a question. I know that this is the same for Porsche but Aston Martin do a pretty good job of hiding part #'s in an effort to force you to the dealer.
There are some things about it that I do like including the fact that it's so beautiful and the metal bits in the car are not plastic made to look like fake metal. it's actually real metal.
The V8V only has 15500 miles but the front end already feels a little loose. They also cheaped out in some of the oddest places. There's something really junky about the way the indicator stalk feels which really irritates me. The one on my 2002 Ford Super Duty feels nicer to the touch, why did they use one from the base model Fiesta?
I think what irritates me the most is the lack of aftermarket support for parts or DIY service. I like to work on my cars and can usually get anything I need from my wholesale distributor for my German cars. I have the Mercedes diagnostic tools and there are lots of good technical forums if I ever get stumped on a question. I know that this is the same for Porsche but Aston Martin do a pretty good job of hiding part #'s in an effort to force you to the dealer.
There are some things about it that I do like including the fact that it's so beautiful and the metal bits in the car are not plastic made to look like fake metal. it's actually real metal.
Very early days, but the Vantage is now advertised.
I've come to the conclusion that I don't yet need to decide whether I will move onto a McLaren or 458, but I do feel it's time to see if the Aston sells. If I regret it, and decide to stick with the current cars I can always buy a 4.7 roadster!
ETA : And...... now it's not advertised. (And no, they don't sell that quickly!).
All the time I've had the car, if I let the clutch out at just the wrong point it's made a bit of a noise. I've had it investigated at one of the services, but they couldn't reproduce it.
I used it this morning and paid more attention, and at least when the car is cold it was doing it pretty much every time I pulled away in first. I hadn't noticed that it had got so much worse.
I don't want to sell the car with a problem like that - I assume it needs a new clutch, even though the old one doesn't slip (but has always been heavy).
I will look into getting a new clutch (probably get a mechanic to check that is why it makes the noise, although I'm fairly sure it is).
That will mean I want my price to be closer to £30k than £25k - if it's not worth that, then I will delay selling / moving on until next Spring so I at least get some use out of the new clutch!
It also gives me a chance to finally sort out the handbrake caliper issue.
I've come to the conclusion that I don't yet need to decide whether I will move onto a McLaren or 458, but I do feel it's time to see if the Aston sells. If I regret it, and decide to stick with the current cars I can always buy a 4.7 roadster!
ETA : And...... now it's not advertised. (And no, they don't sell that quickly!).
All the time I've had the car, if I let the clutch out at just the wrong point it's made a bit of a noise. I've had it investigated at one of the services, but they couldn't reproduce it.
I used it this morning and paid more attention, and at least when the car is cold it was doing it pretty much every time I pulled away in first. I hadn't noticed that it had got so much worse.
I don't want to sell the car with a problem like that - I assume it needs a new clutch, even though the old one doesn't slip (but has always been heavy).
I will look into getting a new clutch (probably get a mechanic to check that is why it makes the noise, although I'm fairly sure it is).
That will mean I want my price to be closer to £30k than £25k - if it's not worth that, then I will delay selling / moving on until next Spring so I at least get some use out of the new clutch!
It also gives me a chance to finally sort out the handbrake caliper issue.
Edited by davek_964 on Thursday 27th June 07:02
For info, current clutch price :
BR seem to be a bargain for a stock clutch - at £2,850 inc. The other two places I checked (Works and a local specialist) want ~£1k more than that.
Twin plate is ~£3,600 (similar from BR and the local specialist - Works said it was more expensive than stock but haven't got back to me).
Given that I'm only really doing it now because I intend to sell the car, the stock one is tempting at a saving of £750. But BR told me it was a "travesty" to fit the stock clutch again, so I guess I'll swallow the difference in cost.
I intend to book it in today and get it done in the next few weeks.
BR seem to be a bargain for a stock clutch - at £2,850 inc. The other two places I checked (Works and a local specialist) want ~£1k more than that.
Twin plate is ~£3,600 (similar from BR and the local specialist - Works said it was more expensive than stock but haven't got back to me).
Given that I'm only really doing it now because I intend to sell the car, the stock one is tempting at a saving of £750. But BR told me it was a "travesty" to fit the stock clutch again, so I guess I'll swallow the difference in cost.
I intend to book it in today and get it done in the next few weeks.
davek_964 said:
True. Heart wants, but I think reality may kick in where they are concerned.
The Ferrari repair bill was a major concern, and it was bad news. On the other hand - I was initially quoted ~£10k, thought it might be twice that once we saw what the damage was but got away with £6.5k.
Of course that's a lot - but I'm currently viewing it as an unfortunate one off......
My man maths says : Running costs of a 458 should be less than a 360 + Vantage.
I have paid nearly £6.5k for a service on a Boxster S at one point when it needed boots all round, discs & pads, air con compressor and a few other odds and sods. It's pricey, but in the realms of Ferrari that sounds almost a bargain..The Ferrari repair bill was a major concern, and it was bad news. On the other hand - I was initially quoted ~£10k, thought it might be twice that once we saw what the damage was but got away with £6.5k.
Of course that's a lot - but I'm currently viewing it as an unfortunate one off......
My man maths says : Running costs of a 458 should be less than a 360 + Vantage.
As for the Vantage, rather than spend £3k - £4k on a clutch (twin plate or otherwise), and then fighting out in the £30k mark to try and get your money back, I would be minded to just sell it caveat emptor with the noise fully disclosed and stick it up for £25k to give a cheap but good car and the new owner can investigate the problem and, if its a new clutch required, can then make their own decision as to whether to go stock or upgrade it. Spending money on a car to sell it rarely seems to give a positive return. Yu could even sell to someone who is willing to do the work themselves and so get a good deal for both of you.
davek_964 said:
For info, current clutch price :
BR seem to be a bargain for a stock clutch - at £2,850 inc. The other two places I checked (Works and a local specialist) want ~£1k more than that.
Twin plate is ~£3,600 (similar from BR and the local specialist - Works said it was more expensive than stock but haven't got back to me).
Given that I'm only really doing it now because I intend to sell the car, the stock one is tempting at a saving of £750. But BR told me it was a "travesty" to fit the stock clutch again, so I guess I'll swallow the difference in cost.
I intend to book it in today and get it done in the next few weeks.
Try these two BR seem to be a bargain for a stock clutch - at £2,850 inc. The other two places I checked (Works and a local specialist) want ~£1k more than that.
Twin plate is ~£3,600 (similar from BR and the local specialist - Works said it was more expensive than stock but haven't got back to me).
Given that I'm only really doing it now because I intend to sell the car, the stock one is tempting at a saving of £750. But BR told me it was a "travesty" to fit the stock clutch again, so I guess I'll swallow the difference in cost.
I intend to book it in today and get it done in the next few weeks.
http://www.davidapplebyengineering.com/
https://amlperformance.co.uk/
Used the Vantage again this morning, and once again - no funny noises.
So it seems that the occasional issue hasn't actually got worse - which, now that I want it investigated - is a bit of a shame.
I've never really noticed a pattern to it - but when it did it yesterday, it was after not using the car for several days. Maybe it has to be properly cold.
So it seems that the occasional issue hasn't actually got worse - which, now that I want it investigated - is a bit of a shame.
I've never really noticed a pattern to it - but when it did it yesterday, it was after not using the car for several days. Maybe it has to be properly cold.
Been debating what to do about car selling / clutch - and today I've made a decision.
Replacing the 360 + Aston for a newer car is tempting - but I've decided to postpone it, and the earliest I will consider that is next Spring. Even then, I may decide against it.
The clutch on the Aston has been behaving perfectly since last week. Heavy, but other than that - no funny noises. I have given serious thought to whether I should get it replaced anyway - I'm sure it would be nicer to drive - but I've decided that for now, the answer is no. The 360 has already hurt a bit this year (and is back at the mechanic's now, since they failed to fix the oil leak and I want the occasional suspension fault sorted) - even without that pending bill, adding the cost of an Aston clutch to the 360 engine work hits £10k for the year and that's too much for something I don't actually need done.
The service is around Feb / March next year - I will see how I feel, but may get the clutch done then.
I will now sort out the other issues though. The next time I'm home and the handbrake comes up too far, I will jack the car up and make sure it is the RH caliper. As soon as I've proved that, I'll order one.
Heated seat isn't something I can do - but as soon as I've sorted the handbrake, I will get that done. First I need to prove it really is the elements (I'm dubious) which may mean I have to take the seat out so I can check the connections.
I also plan to get some new door stays when I order the caliper, since they are getting too weak.
Replacing the 360 + Aston for a newer car is tempting - but I've decided to postpone it, and the earliest I will consider that is next Spring. Even then, I may decide against it.
The clutch on the Aston has been behaving perfectly since last week. Heavy, but other than that - no funny noises. I have given serious thought to whether I should get it replaced anyway - I'm sure it would be nicer to drive - but I've decided that for now, the answer is no. The 360 has already hurt a bit this year (and is back at the mechanic's now, since they failed to fix the oil leak and I want the occasional suspension fault sorted) - even without that pending bill, adding the cost of an Aston clutch to the 360 engine work hits £10k for the year and that's too much for something I don't actually need done.
The service is around Feb / March next year - I will see how I feel, but may get the clutch done then.
I will now sort out the other issues though. The next time I'm home and the handbrake comes up too far, I will jack the car up and make sure it is the RH caliper. As soon as I've proved that, I'll order one.
Heated seat isn't something I can do - but as soon as I've sorted the handbrake, I will get that done. First I need to prove it really is the elements (I'm dubious) which may mean I have to take the seat out so I can check the connections.
I also plan to get some new door stays when I order the caliper, since they are getting too weak.
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