RE: Spotted: Aston Martin Vanquish S manual

RE: Spotted: Aston Martin Vanquish S manual

Author
Discussion

CampDavid

9,145 posts

197 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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James B said:
As for values, I think the Vanq is going to go the way of the 964RS and the like. It's the last handbuilt Aston, it's got the looks, the right engine and was rare enough not to be seen daily for most people. I had the money and the choice between the Ferrari and the Aston and I know I chose wisely. driving
Think the comparison with the 964 RS is odd but you've hit the right answer; the Vanquish is, to my mind, where I'd shove my cash.

It's the last of the Newport Pagnel cars and the last to have the handbuilt feel

SeenTheStrings

63 posts

144 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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[quote=Gridl0k]As nice as these cars are, and always will be, there's an XKR that looks 95% identical and can be had for peanuts. So there's that.

"...XKR that looks 95% identical"? You're kidding, right? Four wheels, two doors and, I'll grant you, the same door handles and mirrors. Are you sure you can read a number plate from twenty metres?

peter450

1,650 posts

232 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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I think the problem with older paddle cars is the teck has improved massively since then

Manuals are currently at the peak of there design with 6 speeds etc, but have been pretty solid since Synchromesh and later 5 speeds became standard

Driving an older car with a 5 speeder, is not going to be that far away from a modern 6 speeder, ok it's got 1 less ratio, but thats it really

However early semi auto's have dated very badly to current hardware, shift speed, quality etc have all improved massively

While future Semi auto's will no doubt improve on todays hardware, i expect the differances will not be so big as the gains seen over the first generation boxes

Gridl0k

1,058 posts

182 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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SeenTheStrings said:
XKR that looks 95% identical? You're kidding, right?
Yeah, the XKR looks nothing like contemporary AM stuff, silly me, must be dreaming

UnluckyTimmeh

3,435 posts

212 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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To me this was the last good looking car Aston made.

I hate the way all of the new ones look the same/very similar. Dont get me wrong, they all drive magnificently but what ruins it for me is when you can barely tell the vantage, db9, dbs, rapide and virage apart. That to an untrained eye may not know which one it is.

Seems a shame really.

British Beef

2,191 posts

164 months

Wednesday 20th June 2012
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The Vanquish has the best front end of any recent AM, however I do feel the rear lights are over chunky and the rear is neater and better resolved on the DB9 / Vantage, all opinion of course!!

With regards to Vanquish or 575, tough call. I think a 575 with an open gate gear box would be more fun to drive, but the AM would put a bigger grin on my face to see it on my driveway. AM it is then!!

CampDavid

9,145 posts

197 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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British Beef said:
The Vanquish has the best front end of any recent AM, however I do feel the rear lights are over chunky and the rear is neater and better resolved on the DB9 / Vantage, all opinion of course!!

With regards to Vanquish or 575, tough call. I think a 575 with an open gate gear box would be more fun to drive, but the AM would put a bigger grin on my face to see it on my driveway. AM it is then!!
Rear lights are Ford Cougar items, so that probably won't help!

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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I love the Vanquish. I remember the first time I saw one in the flesh going through a high street, and I fell in love with it.

Muscular looking, but in a subtle way. Sounded gorgeous, and had so much presence and class.

Would love a manual version.

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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For sheer power alone, my favourite Aston is the 1998 V600 Vantage (600 bhp back in 1998!).

Olf

11,974 posts

217 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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Went to a Aston Martin dinner at the RAC on Pall Mall a few years back. They had the Chief Designer or similar there. When it came to question time I asked him to promise me there and then that they would never put bicycle reflectors on one of their cars again. Some people even got it!

tesser53

16 posts

229 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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Am I the only one confused ? the two pictures in Chris Harris's article show a grey coloured exterior with a black interior with manual shift - yet the dealer ad from the link in the article shows a green exterior and interior and the interior shot also shows its an auto! Plus the dealer is not proporting it is an S more that it has had the recent S transmission upgrade!

Ftumpch

188 posts

157 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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Yep, my favourite Aston. But I still don't really like the look of it. It's a bit... nobbly. Maybe if it had been made by Jaguar and called a Lister something-or-other it might have made more sense conceptually.

It's sort of hard to tell what might happen to it value-wise in the future. I just don't think it's quite legendary enough to go stratospheric, and in any case it's still too new to start appreciating. But then again I can't see it plumbing the same depths as the 550/575 - which I can imagine will attract their fair share of neglectful owners and will start to develop a dodgy reputation.

And early flappy paddle gears I get the feeling may well end up being viewed as unfortunately half-baked pieces of technology, in the same way that black plastic impact bumpers on MGBs are.

Still... I wouldn't refuse one if someone offered it to me rolleyes

quantum_man

266 posts

209 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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Love the Vanquish. A friend has had one from new which I have driven and it's incredible. Problem is, he's talking about selling it and I can't afford to buy it frown

2004 (54) with 13,000 miles though and complete history from Aston Martin.

RiccardoG

1,584 posts

271 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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I love the Vanquish and agree with many above that it is the most attractive and purposeful looking of the modern Astons.

It remains engrained in my memory when I heard one on full acceleration from standstill, it sounded like a classic Le Mans race car and I still haven't forgotten it (and I live in London where great sounding cars are two a penny).


Kong

1,503 posts

170 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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The Vanquish is my favourite Aston of all time, just love the muscular styling without the use of OTT body kits.

With a manual gearbox it's getting on for perfection lick

MyCC

337 posts

156 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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An original Vanquish with a manual conversion will be a fast appreciating classic. If you have the cash, buy one now, use it sparingly and see a better way to see a return on your money than 'other' investments!

Beautiful.

Regards,

MyCC.

myhandle

1,182 posts

173 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
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CampDavid said:
Rear lights are Ford Cougar items, so that probably won't help!
No, they are not. They were going to be, but the launch was delayed to change the lights to different items. The general shape is similar though.

My 2 pennyworth. The Vanquish is a special car, and doesn't have that many rough edges. Some bits of the interior perhaps and the weird owner's manual that is a metal ring binder full of what look like photocopied sheets (this on an '02 car so perhaps the owner's manual evolved with the S, I suspect it did). It can be argued that the most desirable Vanquish derivative is a pre-S with the nicer bodywork, and without the horrendous rear badge the Vanquish S had, with the brake and wheel upgrade from the S, which the factory can do. Silver Birch, black leather.

Edited by myhandle on Thursday 21st June 23:47

urquattro

755 posts

185 months

Friday 22nd June 2012
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A few years ago my business mate bought a new one, lots of money,If i remember it was a V12 with twin turbos and a chev. corvette gearbox - Does that sound right folks.
It drank fuel worse than an alkie drinks everything, gearbox was a bit lorry like but I remember watching the speedo go one way and the fuel gauge go the other, fearsome animal.

Big Six

37 posts

146 months

Friday 22nd June 2012
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I was trying to find this video yesterday!

http://youtu.be/Zk7e2oPXx_g

k-ink

9,070 posts

178 months

Friday 22nd June 2012
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When I collected my Lexus from its previous owner, he had just upgraded to a Vanquish for his daily driver. It was in the same metallic grey as mine parked right alongside. It looked a tad better than my box though! Way to take the edge off my new ride hehe