I've left a deposit on a Vantage!!
Discussion
Hi all. So after years of admiration for the V8 Vantage, I've managed to find a 1 owner low mileage 2007 MY car. To say I can't wait to pick it up is an understatement.
Having never owned one (I know, I know...........and leaving a deposit!?!?), what are they like to live with folks? I work offshore, so have a week to wait to view the car in the flesh and have a drive. I've had a browse and can't really find many negatives about them. Nothing more than any other car of the same ilk, but it has Aston warranty for a year, so what can go wrong!?!?
Having never owned one (I know, I know...........and leaving a deposit!?!?), what are they like to live with folks? I work offshore, so have a week to wait to view the car in the flesh and have a drive. I've had a browse and can't really find many negatives about them. Nothing more than any other car of the same ilk, but it has Aston warranty for a year, so what can go wrong!?!?
7k? Personally i would be worried about a car with so few miles.. No time for the niggles to be wriggled out and I would be concerned it was a short trip shopping trolley.
These cars are made to be driven, averaging 1k a year would leave me with serious questions.
Hopefully I am worrying about nothing and it works out for you though.. How many owners has it had?
These cars are made to be driven, averaging 1k a year would leave me with serious questions.
Hopefully I am worrying about nothing and it works out for you though.. How many owners has it had?
rash_decision said:
The car has done less than 7k miles, should the clutch still be a consideration????
Oh, and how much does the clutch cost to have replaced??? Roughly??
Clutches can last 70k miles or you can ride it and destroy it in 10k. I would not worry and enjoy the car. If it goes you can replace it for about 2k .Oh, and how much does the clutch cost to have replaced??? Roughly??
Edited by rash_decision on Thursday 26th November 21:54
rash_decision said:
Hi all. So after years of admiration for the V8 Vantage, I've managed to find a 1 owner low mileage 2007 MY car. To say I can't wait to pick it up is an understatement.
Having never owned one (I know, I know...........and leaving a deposit!?!?), what are they like to live with folks? I work offshore, so have a week to wait to view the car in the flesh and have a drive. I've had a browse and can't really find many negatives about them. Nothing more than any other car of the same ilk, but it has Aston warranty for a year, so what can go wrong!?!?
Costs look like £2500 https://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?topic=19889.0Having never owned one (I know, I know...........and leaving a deposit!?!?), what are they like to live with folks? I work offshore, so have a week to wait to view the car in the flesh and have a drive. I've had a browse and can't really find many negatives about them. Nothing more than any other car of the same ilk, but it has Aston warranty for a year, so what can go wrong!?!?
Exciting times.
When you test drive (if manual) say you would like to check for clutch slip. High gear, low revs, floor throttle for a short time. It will slip then if there is an issue. If Sportshift, I think there is a way to measure clutch wear, but I do not know any more about that. Reversing up slopes is the killer, because the reverse gear ratio is high.
The job is expensive because of the torque tube and rear gearbox. Takes a long time to do. As already said, sensible driving can see 70,000 miles before a clutch change.
1,000 miles a year is even lower than I do! My car is run at least once every three weeks, and never less than a 30 mile trip to make everything hot. Trouble is, how do you know whether there were lots of 2 mile journeys with a low mileage car? Service records and condition will have to be your guide.
Clutches have been noted on fora as going in as little as 5k miles. I think Bogie's is currently the longest known at around 70k. Mine's currently done 55k. You should be OK at 7k as longer as the owner knows how to drive a manual car and doesn't reverse up hills out of habit. Cost to change is 2.5k or thereabouts.
Ask to look at all the service paperwork. It should have 8 lots of paper for you to pore over (at least), and on those papers you should see all the campaigns that have been done on the car. I say at least as campaigns may have been covered separately on different bits of paper.
Campaigns cover all manner of things - noisy pulleys; gearbox oil; rear hatch window seals; etc. There are a few, all of which will help rule out niggles in a car with so few miles (I'd also be inclined to look for one with more, but personal pref. I guess).
Ask to look at all the service paperwork. It should have 8 lots of paper for you to pore over (at least), and on those papers you should see all the campaigns that have been done on the car. I say at least as campaigns may have been covered separately on different bits of paper.
Campaigns cover all manner of things - noisy pulleys; gearbox oil; rear hatch window seals; etc. There are a few, all of which will help rule out niggles in a car with so few miles (I'd also be inclined to look for one with more, but personal pref. I guess).
I bought a 1 owner low mile V8 Vantage figuring what could go wrong. A six-speed manual 2007 with 11,800 miles at delivery.
On the first day I owned it one of the post-cat oxygen sensors failed triggering the emissions service warning. US$950 later I was back on the road. The next day half the speakers for the stereo quit working. One US$300 Bluetooth switching module later and it's all working again.
Best one is that after a month, the clutch started slipping. Apparently the 1 owner was a poor clutch operator. So since I plan to keep the car I am replacing the clutch with VelocityAP's twin-disc kit which puts the V12 Vantage S clutch and a lightened flywheel into the V8V. The parts for that were US$4500 and I expect to pay US$2500 more to have it installed.
This was after a pre-purchase inspection as well as buying from an Aston Martin dealer. They did help out a little with some of the issues but the really expensive one I am on the hook for the whole thing. I love the car but it makes my Ferrari 328 seem like an economy car to repair and maintain.
So far even with these issues I don't regret buying the car.
On the first day I owned it one of the post-cat oxygen sensors failed triggering the emissions service warning. US$950 later I was back on the road. The next day half the speakers for the stereo quit working. One US$300 Bluetooth switching module later and it's all working again.
Best one is that after a month, the clutch started slipping. Apparently the 1 owner was a poor clutch operator. So since I plan to keep the car I am replacing the clutch with VelocityAP's twin-disc kit which puts the V12 Vantage S clutch and a lightened flywheel into the V8V. The parts for that were US$4500 and I expect to pay US$2500 more to have it installed.
This was after a pre-purchase inspection as well as buying from an Aston Martin dealer. They did help out a little with some of the issues but the really expensive one I am on the hook for the whole thing. I love the car but it makes my Ferrari 328 seem like an economy car to repair and maintain.
So far even with these issues I don't regret buying the car.
Jeff - If I'd bought that car from an Aston Main Dealer in the UK they'd have been doing all those repairs for free. Did you not get any warranty with the car? I know clutch isn't covered but if it goes 1 month after purchase I'd still expect a hefty contribution, if not 100%, from the dealer.
OP - they are great cars and the major mechanicals are pretty rock solid (certainly fewer catastrophic problems than certain competitors). There will always be niggles (particularly on an older very low mileage car) but the trick is to get these sorted out within the first year under the warranty. I'm 2.5 years into Vantage ownership and have had no significant issues in my two so far. You'll love it!
OP - they are great cars and the major mechanicals are pretty rock solid (certainly fewer catastrophic problems than certain competitors). There will always be niggles (particularly on an older very low mileage car) but the trick is to get these sorted out within the first year under the warranty. I'm 2.5 years into Vantage ownership and have had no significant issues in my two so far. You'll love it!
ATTAK Z said:
OP said it's a one owner car ( OP's first post) so I guess it's had ... err ... one owner 
Yeah, yeah, I blame the fact I was reading on my phone, or the beer, or something.. Less of a concern if there's only one owner, but I'd still be very wary of any car with such low mileage - I'd rather have a higher miler than something that low - each to their own though.
In the US an 8 year old used car is almost always sold "as-is", with no warranty at all and no recourse unless you can prove you were intentionally deceived. The Aston dealer did help a bit but the car was sold by them on consignment so then there is even less recourse. It would cost more to attempt legal action than it will to replace the clutch. Life is too short. I would probably replace the clutch at some point in the near future anyway because I have a hard time living with not knowing exactly what condition it's in given the poor reputation they have. Once it's done with Velocity's twin disc kit I'll not have to worry about it again. The total investment I will have in the car will still be in the normal range of what they are worth here so it's not a major tragedy.
Thanks for the replies guys.
The clutch was the only 'common', if you like, issue that seems to keep cropping up. Can the parts be purchased over the counter, as unless there are any specialist tools required, I have no doubt in my mind that I could replace a clutch. I've changed a couple of 944 Turbo clutches over the years which sound very much like a similar set up?? Incidentally, these were for friends, and I have never had to replace a clutch on any of my cars over the years, so hopefully the previous owner was as sympathetic (careful??) a driver as I am.
I'm in agreement to a degree about the car having such low mileage, as I have always believed anything mechanical should be used. However, I'd be far more concerned if it had been a couple of thousand miles. The car has been in to Aston Martin (original supplying dealer) every year for it's annual service, whatever that should include, so has a full dealer history. It's being serviced by the dealership I am buying from this week, so hopefully any niggles they find (if??) will be resolved prior to me seeing it. So in buying it from a dealership I have the full warranty. That follows on to my next question............are they good to deal with on claims?
The 'campaigns' mentioned........are these like recalls?? Can anyone point me to, or tell me what a 2007 MY car should have had checked/fixed/replaced under these 'campaigns' and I can ask. Are AM good at alerting owners to these campaigns or do they just deal with them when problems/issues arise?
Given the car has such low mileage, I feel that I can afford to drive it, and put some on it without compromising it's worth. So should any niggles crop up in my early ownership they can be dealt with by the dealership.
The clutch was the only 'common', if you like, issue that seems to keep cropping up. Can the parts be purchased over the counter, as unless there are any specialist tools required, I have no doubt in my mind that I could replace a clutch. I've changed a couple of 944 Turbo clutches over the years which sound very much like a similar set up?? Incidentally, these were for friends, and I have never had to replace a clutch on any of my cars over the years, so hopefully the previous owner was as sympathetic (careful??) a driver as I am.
I'm in agreement to a degree about the car having such low mileage, as I have always believed anything mechanical should be used. However, I'd be far more concerned if it had been a couple of thousand miles. The car has been in to Aston Martin (original supplying dealer) every year for it's annual service, whatever that should include, so has a full dealer history. It's being serviced by the dealership I am buying from this week, so hopefully any niggles they find (if??) will be resolved prior to me seeing it. So in buying it from a dealership I have the full warranty. That follows on to my next question............are they good to deal with on claims?
The 'campaigns' mentioned........are these like recalls?? Can anyone point me to, or tell me what a 2007 MY car should have had checked/fixed/replaced under these 'campaigns' and I can ask. Are AM good at alerting owners to these campaigns or do they just deal with them when problems/issues arise?
Given the car has such low mileage, I feel that I can afford to drive it, and put some on it without compromising it's worth. So should any niggles crop up in my early ownership they can be dealt with by the dealership.
Edited by rash_decision on Friday 27th November 07:11
Its worth double checking which warranty they are giving you, they do two and the lesser of the two doesn't cover the lights amongst other things - I don't think they sell cars with the lesser one, but worth checking.
Regarding changing the clutch yourself, regardless of your ability I would question whether it makes sense on a car like this just for the potential resale issue should you ever want or need to move it on - I think any perception (rightly or wrongly) of "scrimping" would scare a lot of folks off.
Just my 2p, I do hope it works out for you - make sure you budget for some pain killers for the face ache from grinning too much
Regarding changing the clutch yourself, regardless of your ability I would question whether it makes sense on a car like this just for the potential resale issue should you ever want or need to move it on - I think any perception (rightly or wrongly) of "scrimping" would scare a lot of folks off.
Just my 2p, I do hope it works out for you - make sure you budget for some pain killers for the face ache from grinning too much
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