V8 Vantage with low mileage - what to look out for?

[limey1]

Hey Guys,

Looking to get my first Aston, and hopefully it will be next weekend all being well.

The car I am going for is a low mileage V8 Vantage 4.7 2008 ... with <12,000 miles. I suspect the car has lived a pampered life and garaged for most of the time. It's immaculate... all seems fine mechanically, car was just serviced, new MOT, and will come with an AM warranty.

I'm thinking that there could be some things that may come up as I will be putting on ~3-4,000 per year, but hoping that it wouldn't be anything major (fingers crossed!). I guess the dealer would address any recall or service notifications prior to delivery.

Is there anything that I should be looking out for? The test drive didn't reveal any issues, and clutch seems fine as you would expect for such low mileage.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[Loka]

Low mileage is often synonymous with low maintenance. Brake fluid should be refreshed every two years. So cars with more miles/kilometers often had more maintenance and visited the dealer more often. Keep that in mint.

[rossyl]

- check for paint defects, shown as raised paint around door handles and edges of doors

- brake discs and pads,when last changed

- tyre pressure system

[cayman-black]

Sounds a beauty don't worry just enjoy.

[The Surveyor]

In addition to the above, and a general thing is to check the age of the tyres, not just the tread depth.

On such a low-mileage car, the tyres tend to crack and go hard way before they wear out. The last 2 numbers on the 'stamp' on the side-wall shows the year the tyre was manufactured. General guidance indicates you should look to replace them at 6 years old.

A full set of new tyres is going to be around £1k, and rock-hard old rubber will ruin the enjoyment as well as being a safety matter.

[HBradley]

The Surveyor said:

In addition to the above, and a general thing is to check the age of the tyres, not just the tread depth.

On such a low-mileage car, the tyres tend to crack and go hard way before they wear out. The last 2 numbers on the 'stamp' on the side-wall shows the year the tyre was manufactured. General guidance indicates you should look to replace them at 6 years old.

A full set of new tyres is going to be around £1k, and rock-hard old rubber will ruin the enjoyment as well as being a safety matter.

+1!
Cracks round the circumference are common on low mileage tyres over 3-4 years old. That said you can pick up 4 Michelin Pilot Super Sports for around £900 fitted. Some may disagree, but avoid little know tyre brands, you can't go cheap when it comes to new 'boots' on AMs!!

[limey1]

thanks for the replies. I will check the tyres, I recall they are Bridgestones and 96Y rating... where is the AM rating and date stamp located? Cheers

[Jon39]

I have found that manufacturing date codes seem to be on the inner tyre walls, which does not make them easy to see.

A four digit code will be one of the markings.
First two digits show the week number (therefore between 01 and 52).
Second two digits show the year number, so you will probably see 08.

[limey1]

Sounds like it's almost impossible without taking the wheel off, or contorting on the floor at the dealership!

Jon39 said:

I have found that manufacturing date codes seem to be on the inner tyre walls, which does not make them easy to see.

A four digit code will be one of the markings.
First two digits show the week number (therefore between 01 and 52).
Second two digits show the year number, so you will probably see 08.

[Mansfield]

If they are on the Bridgestones look on the tyre underneath the 'T' of Bridgestone and it will tell you there.
Mine read on the outside of the tyre.

Edited by Mansfield on Wednesday 1st March 20:44