Seriously considering an early V8V; good idea?
Discussion
For a while, I've been considering something outside of the norm as my daily driver. I cover around 14k per year right now, and for years I've always had pretty standard cars. They've normally been a decent model in the range, but nothing super special.
Recently, V8V 4.3 models started to fall into my price range, and I'm considering one. I don't think I'll be able to stretch to Aston Dealer prices for used models, so I'm probably looking more at a private deal or non-Aston dealer. This is of course a shame, as the peace of mind of an Aston warranty would have been nice, but you're talking around £5-7k extra, although less if the garage will haggle I guess.
My main thoughts are, is this a heart over head moment? Is buying a Vantage in its lowest price bracket a good idea, or are there reasons for the current prices? Will they drop further or have things levelled (crystal ball anyone?)? Are they generally reliable, and do they manage regular usage without too much bother? etc etc
Clearly, I am on a budget, and this is never a good thing, but when I've stretched in the past and really researched my purchase beforehand, there's been no regrets.
I can't stretch to the 4.7 V8, so the 4.3 will "have to do". However I'm fine with that. I test drove a 4.3 recently and I really just felt at home straight away. I loved the quirks such as the key in the ignition having to be turned before you then press a button, and the stance with the original 7 spoke wheels; wow.
I could buy an RS6 or Bentley Continental for the same money with 30-40% more power and AWD, but I'm not sure that means anything to me when the looks and sound of the V8V are so stunning, and I live in Manchester where we currently have a 50mph zone for the most part of our local motorway sections. Plus I've always wanted an Aston; what kid into James Bond didn't want one?
The DB9 is another option, but I prefer the size and looks of the V8V currently, and they're a little younger as well of course.
Any thoughts and advice would be highly appreciated, and any offers of showing me around a V8V in the Greater Manchester area would be even better still.
Thanks and apologies for the huge post! :-)
Recently, V8V 4.3 models started to fall into my price range, and I'm considering one. I don't think I'll be able to stretch to Aston Dealer prices for used models, so I'm probably looking more at a private deal or non-Aston dealer. This is of course a shame, as the peace of mind of an Aston warranty would have been nice, but you're talking around £5-7k extra, although less if the garage will haggle I guess.
My main thoughts are, is this a heart over head moment? Is buying a Vantage in its lowest price bracket a good idea, or are there reasons for the current prices? Will they drop further or have things levelled (crystal ball anyone?)? Are they generally reliable, and do they manage regular usage without too much bother? etc etc
Clearly, I am on a budget, and this is never a good thing, but when I've stretched in the past and really researched my purchase beforehand, there's been no regrets.
I can't stretch to the 4.7 V8, so the 4.3 will "have to do". However I'm fine with that. I test drove a 4.3 recently and I really just felt at home straight away. I loved the quirks such as the key in the ignition having to be turned before you then press a button, and the stance with the original 7 spoke wheels; wow.
I could buy an RS6 or Bentley Continental for the same money with 30-40% more power and AWD, but I'm not sure that means anything to me when the looks and sound of the V8V are so stunning, and I live in Manchester where we currently have a 50mph zone for the most part of our local motorway sections. Plus I've always wanted an Aston; what kid into James Bond didn't want one?
The DB9 is another option, but I prefer the size and looks of the V8V currently, and they're a little younger as well of course.
Any thoughts and advice would be highly appreciated, and any offers of showing me around a V8V in the Greater Manchester area would be even better still.
Thanks and apologies for the huge post! :-)
I'd say go for it, you only live once!
These are the things I would think about in terms of your budget:
1) Servicing is £500-1k depending where you go
2) Tyres ~ £1k a set
3) Brake pads £500-1k for a full set depending where you go
4) Brake Discs £1k
5) Clutch is £2k+
6) You can purchase a warranty to be safe ~£1250, I've used mine A LOT unfortunately, but probably a 10 year old car is well tested
7) You should get the car checked out before purchasing which I think is around £350
8) Prices seem very stable but high mileage cars are a lot less desirable so you will probably suffer a bit of depreciation with 14k miles a year
9) 8 probably doesn't matter because you probably won't ever want to sell it!
10) Your insurance might cost more
11) You'll use significantly more fuel (~£80 to go 300 miles depending how you drive)
12) Nothing less will ever be good enough!
13) Bluetooth streaming isn't available on early cars without an upgrade
These are the things I would think about in terms of your budget:
1) Servicing is £500-1k depending where you go
2) Tyres ~ £1k a set
3) Brake pads £500-1k for a full set depending where you go
4) Brake Discs £1k
5) Clutch is £2k+
6) You can purchase a warranty to be safe ~£1250, I've used mine A LOT unfortunately, but probably a 10 year old car is well tested
7) You should get the car checked out before purchasing which I think is around £350
8) Prices seem very stable but high mileage cars are a lot less desirable so you will probably suffer a bit of depreciation with 14k miles a year
9) 8 probably doesn't matter because you probably won't ever want to sell it!
10) Your insurance might cost more
11) You'll use significantly more fuel (~£80 to go 300 miles depending how you drive)
12) Nothing less will ever be good enough!
13) Bluetooth streaming isn't available on early cars without an upgrade
Great reply thanks, especially number 9 :-D
I have a mechanic friend who usually does things like brakes for me, leaving anything that requires a stamp to the main dealers/specialists. I've got to hunt for better insurance quotes as they're rather silly currently, but that's never stopped me in the past.
I have a mechanic friend who usually does things like brakes for me, leaving anything that requires a stamp to the main dealers/specialists. I've got to hunt for better insurance quotes as they're rather silly currently, but that's never stopped me in the past.
I would go for it, but buy and read this first:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Definitive-Guide-Gaydon-A...
Its a fantastic book, I opted not to get the Vantage in the end but I feel that book gave me a lot more confidence in my knowledge of them which would have been very useful had I taken the plunge.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Definitive-Guide-Gaydon-A...
Its a fantastic book, I opted not to get the Vantage in the end but I feel that book gave me a lot more confidence in my knowledge of them which would have been very useful had I taken the plunge.
I've been in the market for the last 18 months. I cooled off towards the end of last year after a deal fell through and I got back into it at the start of this year.
What I've learned over that time is that prices have levelled off at ~£32k for decent examples with good specification and up to around 50k miles from both private and dealer sources.
Early cars (55 plates) and anything with 60k+ miles tend to hang around for quite some time - unless they are very competitively priced and/or well specced.
The buyers guide is a very handy resource and definitely worth getting - if only to stoke the fire of desire . The obvious rules still apply with these cars as they do with any other but it will certainly help you understand what variants are out there and what changes have been made.
I decided very early on with regards to what spec I wanted (pretty much fully loaded) so stick with what you really want and keep searching them out. I used the classifieds here, autotrader, ebay and gumtree as my main sources and checked them multiple times a day to make sure I was on top of any new additions to the market.
Drive as many as you can to get a feel for the car's idiosynchrasies as this will help you learn about the car's character and gauge how it has been treated; although you should expect a heavy clutch and some jiggle over poor road surfaces with all cars.
I'm on my way to get my first one tomorrow and I cannot wait. Good luck with you search.
What I've learned over that time is that prices have levelled off at ~£32k for decent examples with good specification and up to around 50k miles from both private and dealer sources.
Early cars (55 plates) and anything with 60k+ miles tend to hang around for quite some time - unless they are very competitively priced and/or well specced.
The buyers guide is a very handy resource and definitely worth getting - if only to stoke the fire of desire . The obvious rules still apply with these cars as they do with any other but it will certainly help you understand what variants are out there and what changes have been made.
I decided very early on with regards to what spec I wanted (pretty much fully loaded) so stick with what you really want and keep searching them out. I used the classifieds here, autotrader, ebay and gumtree as my main sources and checked them multiple times a day to make sure I was on top of any new additions to the market.
Drive as many as you can to get a feel for the car's idiosynchrasies as this will help you learn about the car's character and gauge how it has been treated; although you should expect a heavy clutch and some jiggle over poor road surfaces with all cars.
I'm on my way to get my first one tomorrow and I cannot wait. Good luck with you search.
Edited by Frances The Mute on Friday 1st July 19:27
I've had mine for just over a year (it replaced a 996 turbo). If you search, there is a thread on here I started when I was considering one, and continued after ownership to try to give a real world view of what living with one is really like.
I generally love mine, and have no real regrets. I do find it a tad slow sometimes, so if I was buying again I would probably have stretched to a 4.7 - but 95% of the time it's really not an issue.
The main blip in my ownership was the service a few months ago, which was far more expensive than I expected and did leave a slightly sour taste. However, with hindsight I think I should have said "no" to more of the things they suggested doing, and I've (mostly) got over it now.
I think I paid £32,500 for mine - 56 plate which will roll over the 40k mark within a month or so, FSH, last owner for 6 years etc. Guess it hasn't depreciated in the last year.
Bluetooth streaming isn't a major deal if you get Dension fitted (which works great, but within the limitations of the existing head unit is not exactly slick when changing tracks!).
Mine isn't a daily - I use it about half the week on average I guess - but I'm sure it would be fine as one. Only real issue I've had (apart from the service) was a emergency brake warning almost immediately after I bought it and that was fixed relatively cheaply.
I'd recommend them.
I generally love mine, and have no real regrets. I do find it a tad slow sometimes, so if I was buying again I would probably have stretched to a 4.7 - but 95% of the time it's really not an issue.
The main blip in my ownership was the service a few months ago, which was far more expensive than I expected and did leave a slightly sour taste. However, with hindsight I think I should have said "no" to more of the things they suggested doing, and I've (mostly) got over it now.
I think I paid £32,500 for mine - 56 plate which will roll over the 40k mark within a month or so, FSH, last owner for 6 years etc. Guess it hasn't depreciated in the last year.
Bluetooth streaming isn't a major deal if you get Dension fitted (which works great, but within the limitations of the existing head unit is not exactly slick when changing tracks!).
Mine isn't a daily - I use it about half the week on average I guess - but I'm sure it would be fine as one. Only real issue I've had (apart from the service) was a emergency brake warning almost immediately after I bought it and that was fixed relatively cheaply.
I'd recommend them.
The first time I saw a V8V I knew that one day I had to own one. If you're the same then go for it as you won't be disappointed. I went for an early 4.7 first time round (nearly 3 years ago) and am now in a manual V8VS which is perfect for me. You would pay the same for my MY2009 4.7 now as I did 3 years ago and I think prices for 4.3 have been completely stable over that time too. There's a huge variation in the condition of the cars out there so, as stated above, look hard for a good one and go for it. No way back now …….
The sort of age car you are looking at will almost certainly be getting into the territory of suspension bushes and shocks needing changing.
We re-bushed our MY07 last year and I was properly pleased with the transformation.
Obviously a full geo afterwards
I'd also seriously consider the merit of putting stock shock absorbers put on at replacement when BR can fit switchable shocks for not a great deal more.
We've had those on ours for 3 years and they really enhance the versatility of the car.
We re-bushed our MY07 last year and I was properly pleased with the transformation.
Obviously a full geo afterwards
I'd also seriously consider the merit of putting stock shock absorbers put on at replacement when BR can fit switchable shocks for not a great deal more.
We've had those on ours for 3 years and they really enhance the versatility of the car.
This has been really helpful, thanks. I've just ordered that book (and some pop tarts from Amazon :-D) so I'll be studying it profusely when it arrives.
With people mentioning the Bluetooth, I guess the sound system is totally integrated and therefore you can't just pop a new head unit in somehow?
With people mentioning the Bluetooth, I guess the sound system is totally integrated and therefore you can't just pop a new head unit in somehow?
Best thing to do is physically get out there and view/drive as many as you can. You'll soon get an idea of the good from the bad and also exactly what it is you're after. If you're not confident mechanically, take someone with you who can help to look over/drive any you are serious about. Enjoy the experience, but most importantly get one bought 
I keep toying with selling mine after having our first baby and building a new house, but keep changing my mind daily! You only have to look at one to understand why!
Frances the Mute, congrats on your purchase, get some pics up as soon as you've collected it
I keep toying with selling mine after having our first baby and building a new house, but keep changing my mind daily! You only have to look at one to understand why!
Frances the Mute, congrats on your purchase, get some pics up as soon as you've collected it
Depreciation is the biggest cost of ownership when you buy expensive luxury cars. Buying 10 years old you have minimised that already. I think Vantages have been maintaining value for years now, if you take care of it.
I have a 10 year old Vantage, owned for the last 9 years. Its got nearly 80k miles on it now. Its been the most reliable long term car ever owned and cost much less to run than hot Audis (like RS6) I have had previously.
You wont find anything else for £30k ish to compare as an all round proposition. Just do your research and look at a few cars. Some will have had an easier life than others.
I have a 10 year old Vantage, owned for the last 9 years. Its got nearly 80k miles on it now. Its been the most reliable long term car ever owned and cost much less to run than hot Audis (like RS6) I have had previously.
You wont find anything else for £30k ish to compare as an all round proposition. Just do your research and look at a few cars. Some will have had an easier life than others.
I'm similar in many respects as I love Astons, but not a wealthy man so as the early Gaydon cars get into my price range I was also looking at a purchase, although my car would not be my daily drive so petrol costs were not a consideration.
But.......
The Gaydon Astons are drop dead georgous cars but they share alot of parts from Volvo/Mazda/Ford and as so because the cars we are looking at are 10 years old mechanically there could be issues -
I am now 6 weeks into ownership of my 2005 DB9 28,000 miles, don't get me wrong I love the car to death, it's the only car me and my wife stare at whilst parked in the drive but i've had quite a few issues.
I brought the car from a car garage offering 3 months warranty, the car was being brokered, the owner was living in London, I viewed it, looked around it with a small torch and took it for a test drive around urban roads, I looked at the service book at all the stamps, unfortuately there were no service invoices so no way of knowing what was done during these services, but I thought I would just contact them for further info, but unfortunately after I purchased the car some of the service garages either had no record of the service and the garage in Monte Carlo wouldn't even talk to me!!!
I don't know if the Vantage is the same with some of these issues as these are from a DB9 -
- The steering wheel wobbled at 60-70 mph, this was eventually sorted as the wheels weren't properly balanced.
- The air conditioning didn't work at all, I took it to Aston Martin Derby, the AC was at only 200 grams, at under 300 grams the compressor is switched off to protect it, they charged it upto 800 grams, they could not find a leak so hopefully that should be ok!
- The CD play neither ejected or inserted CD's - I found an ipod connection in the glove compartment, when I connected up an apple device it told me a dension 500 device is connected, I also found a switch to switch on the CD player.
- The wipers looked as they needed replacing, easily replaced.
- The TPMS system was bypassed, I only found this out as I took the 4 wheels to a wheel refurbisher, they told me 2 sensors were missing, 1 was smashed rolling around inside the tyre and 1 was ok, there were no warnings on the dash, I found out the control box was bypassed.
- All 4 brake pads were almost down to the wear indicators, So I replaced all 4 brake discs and pads.
- There is a light misting of oil on the engine sump, Aston Martin Derby has said it "might" be comimg from the timing cover gasket, they put a blue dye into the engine oil and told me to return after driving 1000 miles, now if it is the timing cover gasket Mcgurk (a fantastic AM specialist) quoted me £2000 to replace that.
- There seems to be a slight misfire whilst the car is at tickover, now this isn't serious as the car drives with no problems and no warnings on the dash, but that problem will cost me £1000 in parts to replace the coilpacks and sparkplugs.
Another thing is I found out after purchase the previous owner didn't have the car serviced properly, to save costs instead of a major service he sometimes only paid for a minor service, so the airfilters/pollen filters, antifreeze, rear diff oil wasn't replaced as they should of been so I'm getting all of this replaced with additional cost, difficult to tell as I don't have the full service receipts.
So although owning an AM is fantasic, I have had alot of issues, stress and worry, the purchasing garage has only paid for the AC regassing, nothing else, so i've spent alot out recently.
I hoping things will calm down so I can get on with enjoying driving this lovely car!!!
But.......
The Gaydon Astons are drop dead georgous cars but they share alot of parts from Volvo/Mazda/Ford and as so because the cars we are looking at are 10 years old mechanically there could be issues -
I am now 6 weeks into ownership of my 2005 DB9 28,000 miles, don't get me wrong I love the car to death, it's the only car me and my wife stare at whilst parked in the drive but i've had quite a few issues.
I brought the car from a car garage offering 3 months warranty, the car was being brokered, the owner was living in London, I viewed it, looked around it with a small torch and took it for a test drive around urban roads, I looked at the service book at all the stamps, unfortuately there were no service invoices so no way of knowing what was done during these services, but I thought I would just contact them for further info, but unfortunately after I purchased the car some of the service garages either had no record of the service and the garage in Monte Carlo wouldn't even talk to me!!!
I don't know if the Vantage is the same with some of these issues as these are from a DB9 -
- The steering wheel wobbled at 60-70 mph, this was eventually sorted as the wheels weren't properly balanced.
- The air conditioning didn't work at all, I took it to Aston Martin Derby, the AC was at only 200 grams, at under 300 grams the compressor is switched off to protect it, they charged it upto 800 grams, they could not find a leak so hopefully that should be ok!
- The CD play neither ejected or inserted CD's - I found an ipod connection in the glove compartment, when I connected up an apple device it told me a dension 500 device is connected, I also found a switch to switch on the CD player.
- The wipers looked as they needed replacing, easily replaced.
- The TPMS system was bypassed, I only found this out as I took the 4 wheels to a wheel refurbisher, they told me 2 sensors were missing, 1 was smashed rolling around inside the tyre and 1 was ok, there were no warnings on the dash, I found out the control box was bypassed.
- All 4 brake pads were almost down to the wear indicators, So I replaced all 4 brake discs and pads.
- There is a light misting of oil on the engine sump, Aston Martin Derby has said it "might" be comimg from the timing cover gasket, they put a blue dye into the engine oil and told me to return after driving 1000 miles, now if it is the timing cover gasket Mcgurk (a fantastic AM specialist) quoted me £2000 to replace that.
- There seems to be a slight misfire whilst the car is at tickover, now this isn't serious as the car drives with no problems and no warnings on the dash, but that problem will cost me £1000 in parts to replace the coilpacks and sparkplugs.
Another thing is I found out after purchase the previous owner didn't have the car serviced properly, to save costs instead of a major service he sometimes only paid for a minor service, so the airfilters/pollen filters, antifreeze, rear diff oil wasn't replaced as they should of been so I'm getting all of this replaced with additional cost, difficult to tell as I don't have the full service receipts.
So although owning an AM is fantasic, I have had alot of issues, stress and worry, the purchasing garage has only paid for the AC regassing, nothing else, so i've spent alot out recently.
I hoping things will calm down so I can get on with enjoying driving this lovely car!!!
Edited by paulrog1 on Friday 1st July 10:19
Do your research, get a good feel for previous work done by speaking to the dealerships responsible for the servicing. The early cars are extremely reliable barring normal decade old niggles. My first Aston was a privately bought V8V, and it was fantastic. Do not discount the private sale, as there are obvious savings to be had and you get the advantage of meeting the owner - you can get a lot of information by doing that, especially a 'feeling' whether he's been looking after it or not.
My advice? The fact that your on here asking the question means that you're 90% there. You really do only live once and if it all gets a bit much, then you can sell it. Values for early cars have absolutely plateaued over the past few years, so in all likelihood, you won't lose much anyway.
Good luck, drive as many as you can (he said hypocritically having bought the first one he viewed) and I look forward to seeing the photos when you get it.
My advice? The fact that your on here asking the question means that you're 90% there. You really do only live once and if it all gets a bit much, then you can sell it. Values for early cars have absolutely plateaued over the past few years, so in all likelihood, you won't lose much anyway.
Good luck, drive as many as you can (he said hypocritically having bought the first one he viewed) and I look forward to seeing the photos when you get it.
gilbo said:
Frances the Mute, congrats on your purchase, get some pics up as soon as you've collected it
Cheers. I had a very enjoyable drive back from Norfolk last night. Ever so slightly surreal - inasmuch as the preparation of the day and getting to Norfolk meant my focus on taking the car home was completely forgotten until the last minute.It was a unique experience and an amazing start to what hope will be, a fantastic ownership experience.
Here are the only pics I have at the minute. The weather and light last night was extremely eerie which certainly enhanced the dream-like experience of buying my first Aston.
Early V8s can suffer from catastrophic failure of the exhaust catalysts which is caused by over-fuelling. Repair of root-cause is possible by dropping the rear sub-frame, removing the gearbox and replacing the fuel tank. This was done to my 06 plate 4.3 V8. It's not a cheap fix...
There is one slightly tricky way to test the car for this problem. Drive it until it's hot, then completely fill the fuel tank and take a series of left and right bends and corners while making reasonable progress. You should feel power drop off and/or engine cut out.
Well documented on PH - have a look back on here for my posts on this topic on the Bamford Rose thread.
If you never fill the tank and make reasonable progress you'll be fine...
There is one slightly tricky way to test the car for this problem. Drive it until it's hot, then completely fill the fuel tank and take a series of left and right bends and corners while making reasonable progress. You should feel power drop off and/or engine cut out.
Well documented on PH - have a look back on here for my posts on this topic on the Bamford Rose thread.
If you never fill the tank and make reasonable progress you'll be fine...
I was going to take the plunge just over a year ago, I was looking at the £30-£35k 05ish cars, unfortunately it wouldn't fit in the garage, well the car would but you couldn't get out. 
I've just moved house, the garage is bigger, that wasn't the only reason, honest.
apaerbag:
Unfortunately the Aston fund took a bigger hit than I'd have liked to buy the house, but if share prices continue to rise and nothing daft happens I should be back on the hunt in about a year hopefully the prices stay flat and the price of good used TVR's continues to rise.
A visit to Burghley yesterday has relit my fire and although I know the running costs are going to be a lot more than the TVR I do a very low annual mileage in my 'weekend' car so should be 'manageable'.
I've just moved house, the garage is bigger, that wasn't the only reason, honest.
apaerbag:Unfortunately the Aston fund took a bigger hit than I'd have liked to buy the house, but if share prices continue to rise and nothing daft happens I should be back on the hunt in about a year hopefully the prices stay flat and the price of good used TVR's continues to rise.
A visit to Burghley yesterday has relit my fire and although I know the running costs are going to be a lot more than the TVR I do a very low annual mileage in my 'weekend' car so should be 'manageable'.
I'm in the market for an early 4.3 as well. Have up to £35k to spend but am very specific on the spec I want - has to be Tungsten Silver with Obsidian Leather & White Stitching. Unfortunately, despite this combo apparantly being one of the most common, I just can't seem to find one that fits the bill as they are either too high mileage, wrong colour inside or have some paint finish/panel fit issues which put me off viewing straight away. This one for example looked perfect at first glance but on closer inspection of the pics there's something not right with the drivers side rear wing and alignment with the boot lid and door...
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Seemed like there were plenty around a couple of months ago (when I didn't have the funds available), but now I do have the money, nothing seems to be coming up. Just have to keep on looking I guess.
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Seemed like there were plenty around a couple of months ago (when I didn't have the funds available), but now I do have the money, nothing seems to be coming up. Just have to keep on looking I guess.
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