AM v8 vantage

[Sammyp123]

Evening all,

Currently have an rs3 which I am going to look at selling in the new year just because I fancy a change. I was inclined to get/look for an a45 Amg, but have found myself browsing other marques as you do.

You can pick up an Aston Martin v8 vantage for about 30k and I can't get away from the fact it still remains avoid looking car. Has anyone had any experience with one? What to look out for and if I could expect eye watering bills?

[jimmy_wrxsti]

No help, but just to say I am looking at the same thing at the moment. Tempted to look at one of these and a cheap daily, still a stunning car. Would be very interested in responses.

[rog007]

Not long sold mine after some 3 years of ownership. Most reliable car I’ve owned. Never failed to start and ran it all year in all weathers.

I miss it.

Get one that’s just been freshly serviced and MOTd and with an extended warranty and all should be well.

[Summit_Detailing]

I've driven several and have always come away disappointed.
Perceived quality - build quality and quality of leather etc merely average.
Not that quick but make a nice noise.
Gearshift action feels like it's still in the development stage.

I'd rather an R8 for £30-35k.

Cheers

Chris

[Sammyp123]

I'd love the r8, but I borrowed a v10 and know for a fact having had an rs4, the v8 r8 just wouldn't do it for me. My other predicament is i use the car for work and need to maintain a professional look. I think the vantage projects a better image . IMO obviously people may differ.

[renmure]

V8 Vantages are classy. I had one for 3 years and it was perfect in all that time and I was lucky enough to sell it for near enough what I bought it for. It's a powerful but heavy car tho, so it won't handle like an Elise but it's the sort of car you probably wouldn't want to drive like it was an Elise either. I really enjoyed owning mine, there is something special about them although I wouldn't really consider myself an Aston type of bloke.

The flip side is that everyone isn't so lucky and small niggles can be expensive to fix. Servicing and running costs still reflect the original price of the car rather than the "bargain" £30k purchase price now.

[ZX10R NIN]

At 30k you're at the lower end of the market so do your checks or pay someone to check it over:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Now for 30k I'd actually go for an XKR especially if it's going to be your daily:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

The other option is the 4.7 Granturismo which I think is the better option than the Aston:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[sparks_E46]

I wouldn’t imagine that an AMV8 would cost much, if anything more than an RS3 to run. I’d say go for it if you can!

[blank]

Make sure you have a good drive before committing.

The early ones really are not that great to drive, and will feel slow compared to an RS3.

I'm not sure when the changeover point is, possibly when 4.3 became 4.7, but later cars feel totally different and much more like they should be.

[m1dg3]

I really wanted one of these five or six years ago. A 2006 car with about 50,000 miles was £30k then too.

The test drive was probably the single most disappointing moment in my motoring life. While they look small and nimble from the outside they feel enormous and cumbersome from the driver's seat. The interior felt surprisingly low-rent and was already falling apart, that great noise wasn't particularly noticeable from inside and the chassis felt a bit numb.

Having said that, whenever I see one I always think I could probably have put up with all that for those looks.

For reference, I'm in deepest Gloucestershire so my test drive was on country lanes much more suited to an Elise and if it'd been on bigger roads I'd have probably warmed to it much more.