V8 Vantage - what's it really like?
Discussion
It's almost service time (it's booked in for the 27th of this month) so I was going to update after that - but then figured it might be worth updating before and after - my mood might have changed after the service!
In fact, my mood isn't that positive at the moment anyway - which is often the case at this time of year, since the Vantage and the 360 both need MOTs and services. My "car fund" - which I pay into each month to cover the running costs - was looking very healthy. Enough so that I was considering finally getting the heated seat fixed as part of the service.
Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks I had :
Tax for the Cayenne
Tax for the Alfa
Discovered the 360 had worn the inside of the front tyres out before it has worn the rears out. Full alignment + 4 tyres needed
The car fund is now slightly less healthy.
So - what's happened since the last update.....
Absolutely nothing that I can think of. The car is running perfectly and is faultless (well, apart from the heated seat). I haven't used it a huge amount - I've stuck to the Cayenne more this winter - but I'm sure that will change soon.
Most winters I've suffered from belt squeal - even though I have the update - this year, it's been silent.
If I haven't used it for over a week, then I'll get brake squeal initially (EBC reds) but that disappears within a mile.
Although I've not been giving it conscious thought, I can gradually feel myself thinking I'll own this car for a long time yet. Although it would be nice to have a newer one - I prefer the interior of the 4.3s, so apart from being younger (and a bit quicker) they don't really appeal that much.
So, at the moment I'm feeling very positive about the car. I plan to get an MOT at the end of this week, and I have the service next week (for which I've been quoted ~£420). Let's see if I'm still feeling positive after all of that.
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.
Next update in a couple of weeks......
In fact, my mood isn't that positive at the moment anyway - which is often the case at this time of year, since the Vantage and the 360 both need MOTs and services. My "car fund" - which I pay into each month to cover the running costs - was looking very healthy. Enough so that I was considering finally getting the heated seat fixed as part of the service.
Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks I had :
Tax for the Cayenne
Tax for the Alfa
Discovered the 360 had worn the inside of the front tyres out before it has worn the rears out. Full alignment + 4 tyres needed
The car fund is now slightly less healthy.
So - what's happened since the last update.....
Absolutely nothing that I can think of. The car is running perfectly and is faultless (well, apart from the heated seat). I haven't used it a huge amount - I've stuck to the Cayenne more this winter - but I'm sure that will change soon.
Most winters I've suffered from belt squeal - even though I have the update - this year, it's been silent.
If I haven't used it for over a week, then I'll get brake squeal initially (EBC reds) but that disappears within a mile.
Although I've not been giving it conscious thought, I can gradually feel myself thinking I'll own this car for a long time yet. Although it would be nice to have a newer one - I prefer the interior of the 4.3s, so apart from being younger (and a bit quicker) they don't really appeal that much.
So, at the moment I'm feeling very positive about the car. I plan to get an MOT at the end of this week, and I have the service next week (for which I've been quoted ~£420). Let's see if I'm still feeling positive after all of that.
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.
Next update in a couple of weeks......
MOT and service done - so am I still happy, or have I driven it off beachy head and claimed on the insurance?
The car went straight through the MOT, and although there were no advisories I was told it only just passed. Apparently, the handbrake came up almost too far. When it's working properly it doesn't come up far at all. But I've still not replaced the dodgy calliper they mentioned at the last service so sometimes it will come up much further. I really need to get a calliper in the spring although at a new price of £250 it's a bit irritating.
Service was a minor - I've mentioned that I wasn't really impressed with where I took it this time so will find somewhere else next year. They did pick up on a few things I'll need to look at:
The well known Aston paint issues are present - a tiny bit of bubbling in the corner of the roof where it meets the rear window (drivers side). It is very small, so although it needs sorting it's unlikely to be this year.
Apparently I have a loose heat shield on the exhaust.
There were a couple of other comments which I disagree with (e.g 50% worn brake pads).
So, nothing particularly major. I do intend to sort the calliper out this year but will wait until it's a bit warmer.
No idea what they did to my tyres - maybe they got something on them from the workshop - but as I pulled onto the (dry) road from the garage, the back end literally went sideways. I didn't pull out quickly, and it's never done that before since I bought it.
Car felt great on the drive back, although that wasn't anything to do with the service.
So, at the moment, still very happy with the car. In just over a week, I'll take the Ferrari for an MOT - if they thought the Aston handbrake came up too high, the Ferrari is going to fail. I've used several different garages in the time I've owned it, and I'm not convinced any of them have adjusted it - even when I've asked them to make sure it's done. Since you need to get under the car and take the undertray off, I won't be doing it unless the weather warms up - so if the Ferrari does fail on that, it's likely I'll just get it all sorted at the service.
The car went straight through the MOT, and although there were no advisories I was told it only just passed. Apparently, the handbrake came up almost too far. When it's working properly it doesn't come up far at all. But I've still not replaced the dodgy calliper they mentioned at the last service so sometimes it will come up much further. I really need to get a calliper in the spring although at a new price of £250 it's a bit irritating.
Service was a minor - I've mentioned that I wasn't really impressed with where I took it this time so will find somewhere else next year. They did pick up on a few things I'll need to look at:
The well known Aston paint issues are present - a tiny bit of bubbling in the corner of the roof where it meets the rear window (drivers side). It is very small, so although it needs sorting it's unlikely to be this year.
Apparently I have a loose heat shield on the exhaust.
There were a couple of other comments which I disagree with (e.g 50% worn brake pads).
So, nothing particularly major. I do intend to sort the calliper out this year but will wait until it's a bit warmer.
No idea what they did to my tyres - maybe they got something on them from the workshop - but as I pulled onto the (dry) road from the garage, the back end literally went sideways. I didn't pull out quickly, and it's never done that before since I bought it.
Car felt great on the drive back, although that wasn't anything to do with the service.
So, at the moment, still very happy with the car. In just over a week, I'll take the Ferrari for an MOT - if they thought the Aston handbrake came up too high, the Ferrari is going to fail. I've used several different garages in the time I've owned it, and I'm not convinced any of them have adjusted it - even when I've asked them to make sure it's done. Since you need to get under the car and take the undertray off, I won't be doing it unless the weather warms up - so if the Ferrari does fail on that, it's likely I'll just get it all sorted at the service.
I must admit, when I needed the new front shocks it didn't occur to me to consider non stock. For the most part, I tend to keep my cars fairly stock anyway - and I don't generally use my Vantage as a car I push particularly hard on the twisty bits, so probably wouldn't benefit from the improvement anyway.
Having said that - I wasn't in the best mood last night, and happened to have the Vantage with me. The journey home was a little more "like I stole it" than it would usually be, and it did impress me. It's definitely carrying a tad too much weight - as is the driver unfortunately - but it felt like it was running great last night, and it really does sound superb when you open it up.
I was impressed enough that - although I knew it was going to be high winds and heavy rain today - I still wanted to use it for work. Slightly wetter roads this morning, but still a great drive.
Having said that - I wasn't in the best mood last night, and happened to have the Vantage with me. The journey home was a little more "like I stole it" than it would usually be, and it did impress me. It's definitely carrying a tad too much weight - as is the driver unfortunately - but it felt like it was running great last night, and it really does sound superb when you open it up.
I was impressed enough that - although I knew it was going to be high winds and heavy rain today - I still wanted to use it for work. Slightly wetter roads this morning, but still a great drive.
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......
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!
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.
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.
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.
It's not for sale at the moment. I'm still not entirely sure what my plan is - however in the short term, I intend to fix the handbrake caliper issue, get some new door stays and probably fix the dashboard leather issue (where one panel lifted slightly last summer).
I did realise something at the weekend though, which I must admit leaves me a bit confused about how I feel about the car.
I had agreed to go to a school fete to display the car with a few other people. Initially, I was planning to take the 360 - and agreed to it before I realised it was ~55 miles away. As is becoming the norm this year, the 360 is at the mechanics - which meant I had to take the Aston instead. And I wasn't terribly keen on doing it.
I had already planned to take the cross country route, and in the 360 I would have really looked forward to the drive. In the Aston it just seemed like "a long way" (although obviously it's not really all that far). It reminded me of a couple of years ago when I'd planned my trip down to Italy, and was having a few problems with the 360 losing coolant (thanks to my own mistakes). It seemed likely I'd have to take the Vantage instead, and I really didn't want to.
It's slightly odd. I like the Aston - and I like driving the Aston. And I have never once regretted ditching my 996 turbo once I'd replaced it with the Vantage. But I guess that (for me) it lacks the "fun" element that the 360 has - which means that driving it over a distance becomes a journey, rather than "fun".
That's not to say it's a bad thing - if I needed a car to use every day, I'd choose the Vantage a million times over the 360. But I guess I need to be in the right frame of mind when I use it. Actually - that's a very applicable phrase, because there are plenty of times I'm not in the right frame of mind for the 360 either (it's a bit more like hard work) and would choose the Vantage. (In fact, there are times I'm not even in the mood for that and choose the auto-gearbox Cayenne!).
It was an odd realisation at the weekend though. For a while, I was thinking : I have a car that I don't want to drive - that makes no sense.
But that's not really accurate - I do want to drive it, and am increasingly thinking that I want it to become more of a daily car. The Alfa just doesn't interest me much these days, and the Cayenne seems to be pretty much parked until the winter. I need to sort a few more things on the Aston - and then consider whether I should start using it for more than a few thousand miles a year.
I did realise something at the weekend though, which I must admit leaves me a bit confused about how I feel about the car.
I had agreed to go to a school fete to display the car with a few other people. Initially, I was planning to take the 360 - and agreed to it before I realised it was ~55 miles away. As is becoming the norm this year, the 360 is at the mechanics - which meant I had to take the Aston instead. And I wasn't terribly keen on doing it.
I had already planned to take the cross country route, and in the 360 I would have really looked forward to the drive. In the Aston it just seemed like "a long way" (although obviously it's not really all that far). It reminded me of a couple of years ago when I'd planned my trip down to Italy, and was having a few problems with the 360 losing coolant (thanks to my own mistakes). It seemed likely I'd have to take the Vantage instead, and I really didn't want to.
It's slightly odd. I like the Aston - and I like driving the Aston. And I have never once regretted ditching my 996 turbo once I'd replaced it with the Vantage. But I guess that (for me) it lacks the "fun" element that the 360 has - which means that driving it over a distance becomes a journey, rather than "fun".
That's not to say it's a bad thing - if I needed a car to use every day, I'd choose the Vantage a million times over the 360. But I guess I need to be in the right frame of mind when I use it. Actually - that's a very applicable phrase, because there are plenty of times I'm not in the right frame of mind for the 360 either (it's a bit more like hard work) and would choose the Vantage. (In fact, there are times I'm not even in the mood for that and choose the auto-gearbox Cayenne!).
It was an odd realisation at the weekend though. For a while, I was thinking : I have a car that I don't want to drive - that makes no sense.
But that's not really accurate - I do want to drive it, and am increasingly thinking that I want it to become more of a daily car. The Alfa just doesn't interest me much these days, and the Cayenne seems to be pretty much parked until the winter. I need to sort a few more things on the Aston - and then consider whether I should start using it for more than a few thousand miles a year.
S1-NOS said:
What's the issue you have with your handbrake by the way ? Mine has this random operation where sometimes it works fine, and other times the handbrake lever comes all the way up, and I can still feel the car creeping. If I release it and try again it's usually ok. I had the cable adjusted at the last service.
That's exactly the issue I have. When it "works" it only comes up 3 clicks. When it doesn't work, it's more like 7 or 8 - and it nearly failed an MOT because of it.I was told (at a service a couple of years ago) that it was the RH caliper that was the problem, although they couldn't explain why.
I have considered trying to strip it and rebuild it - but I'm not convinced that will solve it. I assume that the piston is somehow ending up right back in the caliper and having to wind out again - but not sure how.
I want to catch it misbehaving when I get home one day - then jack the car and prove it is the RH caliper that's causing it. Problem is - I only tend to notice it's not working when the handbrake comes up so far - and by then, it's working.......
How things change in such a short time. It is very likely that tomorrow, I will sign a bit of paper which means my relationship with the Aston will come to an end in just over 3 weeks.
I've detailed this in the Supercar area, so apologies if it's a repeat - but it seems only right to bring this thread to a conclusion.
I decided last weekend that I wanted to seriously look at McLarens - specifically, 650S Spiders and 570s.
I visited Ascot on Saturday, and really didn't like the 570 (mostly the interior). I loved the 650 - far more than I had expected. I was in the Ferrari, so they took some details and on Monday gave me the part ex price - which was pretty poor, but was enough that I agreed to test drive the car on Wednesday.
The test drive was.... not what I expected. It definitely is not a Ferrari, and it's not going to replace mine. Very easy to drive, but no drama (even though it's immensely fast) - it reminded me more of the 911 turbo I used to have, or even the Vantage a bit. Definitely more GT than sports.
That threw me a bit - but the next day, I decided that I would reactivate my Aston advert, sell the car and then look at McLaren as a replacement for that (and the Alfa which I've been meaning to put up for sale for months).
The dealer mailed me to see if I wanted to proceed with the sale - I explained the situation, including the fact that I had decided to sell the Aston instead - but that there was no point in me bringing the Aston since I could not afford to trade up if I only got a part-ex price.
He replied that he was sure he could get me a suitable deal - so I told him the details of the car, and what I needed.
In fact, they couldn't match the price I was selling for (unsurprisingly) - but they did get closer than I expected. However - since the Aston is clearly worth less than the Ferrari, the numbers simply didn't add up for me.
However - I suggested that I was selling another car too - so if they increased the Aston offer by £x, and offered me £y on the Alfa - then I would do the deal. Although - I warned them that I'd discovered yesterday that I'd locked my money away until the 24th August which isn't something I'd realised!
To my surprise - they came back to me and said : Yes. Subject to seeing the cars, it's a deal.
They have now seen the Alfa, and were happy with it - quite taken with it in fact!
Tomorrow morning, they will see the Aston. It's a good car, so I am not expecting any problem with it - and frankly, if they do decide to offer less than we agreed I will simply walk away - you can't spend what you don't have!
If they are happy with the Aston, then subject to one other condition (I want them to wire my dash cam into the McLaren), and another test drive (because I want to drive it in the right frame of mind this time - i.e. it's a semi daily car) then I will sign on the dotted line tomorrow with a view to completing the bank holiday week.
I was walking towards the Aston an hour ago, and I must admit I am not entirely convinced it's a great idea - it's such a gorgeous looking car.
But it does seem it's time for a change - even if it's a slightly insane one (athough I will have one car less, so it's er..... sensible really).
The Aston has been perfect since my last post - annoyingly so actually because I wanted to sort the handbrake issue but it's hard to fix something that doesn't happen.
The Aston ad I created a month or so back is live again, and I have a few weeks until the deal completes. If for any reason I don't sign tomorrow, then I will decide whether to keep it or whether it's time for a change anyway - but if I do sign, and anybody wants one then I'm sure we could do a deal which benefits both of us - the part ex value is good, but I'd rather it went to a private sale.
I'll update after tomorrow - but it's very likely it will be a pending goodbye from the Aston forum for a while.
I've detailed this in the Supercar area, so apologies if it's a repeat - but it seems only right to bring this thread to a conclusion.
I decided last weekend that I wanted to seriously look at McLarens - specifically, 650S Spiders and 570s.
I visited Ascot on Saturday, and really didn't like the 570 (mostly the interior). I loved the 650 - far more than I had expected. I was in the Ferrari, so they took some details and on Monday gave me the part ex price - which was pretty poor, but was enough that I agreed to test drive the car on Wednesday.
The test drive was.... not what I expected. It definitely is not a Ferrari, and it's not going to replace mine. Very easy to drive, but no drama (even though it's immensely fast) - it reminded me more of the 911 turbo I used to have, or even the Vantage a bit. Definitely more GT than sports.
That threw me a bit - but the next day, I decided that I would reactivate my Aston advert, sell the car and then look at McLaren as a replacement for that (and the Alfa which I've been meaning to put up for sale for months).
The dealer mailed me to see if I wanted to proceed with the sale - I explained the situation, including the fact that I had decided to sell the Aston instead - but that there was no point in me bringing the Aston since I could not afford to trade up if I only got a part-ex price.
He replied that he was sure he could get me a suitable deal - so I told him the details of the car, and what I needed.
In fact, they couldn't match the price I was selling for (unsurprisingly) - but they did get closer than I expected. However - since the Aston is clearly worth less than the Ferrari, the numbers simply didn't add up for me.
However - I suggested that I was selling another car too - so if they increased the Aston offer by £x, and offered me £y on the Alfa - then I would do the deal. Although - I warned them that I'd discovered yesterday that I'd locked my money away until the 24th August which isn't something I'd realised!
To my surprise - they came back to me and said : Yes. Subject to seeing the cars, it's a deal.
They have now seen the Alfa, and were happy with it - quite taken with it in fact!
Tomorrow morning, they will see the Aston. It's a good car, so I am not expecting any problem with it - and frankly, if they do decide to offer less than we agreed I will simply walk away - you can't spend what you don't have!
If they are happy with the Aston, then subject to one other condition (I want them to wire my dash cam into the McLaren), and another test drive (because I want to drive it in the right frame of mind this time - i.e. it's a semi daily car) then I will sign on the dotted line tomorrow with a view to completing the bank holiday week.
I was walking towards the Aston an hour ago, and I must admit I am not entirely convinced it's a great idea - it's such a gorgeous looking car.
But it does seem it's time for a change - even if it's a slightly insane one (athough I will have one car less, so it's er..... sensible really).
The Aston has been perfect since my last post - annoyingly so actually because I wanted to sort the handbrake issue but it's hard to fix something that doesn't happen.
The Aston ad I created a month or so back is live again, and I have a few weeks until the deal completes. If for any reason I don't sign tomorrow, then I will decide whether to keep it or whether it's time for a change anyway - but if I do sign, and anybody wants one then I'm sure we could do a deal which benefits both of us - the part ex value is good, but I'd rather it went to a private sale.
I'll update after tomorrow - but it's very likely it will be a pending goodbye from the Aston forum for a while.
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