quick question

[bogie]

we had a Sagaris for 30K miles as well as a Vantage done 60K to date

the Vantage worked out around 50% less to run than a Sagaris over same mileage

remember, TVRs have 6000 mile service intervals and tappets to do every 12K usually

Aston V8 is just an oil change every 10K miles and a few other bits like plugs etc every 30K ish

of course if you are just comparing yearly services and dont drive more than 6K miles a year, then its quite similar

[Diablos-666]

Hi bogie, thanks for that.

How did the Vantage compare with the Sag in terms of reliability?

I have a T350 but I do hold my breath everytime I go to start her up. She's only let me down once due to a dodgy fuel relay and once when I was picking her up from the garage and the starter motor relay went.

I also have to "tip-toe" over speed bumps and often hold cars up behind me. Is it the same for the Aston or is the ride height a bit higher?

Which car did you prefer?

[amv8beauty]

just back on this topic.

have the vantages prices bottomed out as in hit rock bottom or do you think there prices will still be on the decline.

[MichaelV8V]

They are cars, they will keep getting cheaper as they get older and less reliable.

[Murph7355]

MichaelV8V said:

They are cars, they will keep getting cheaper as they get older and less reliable.

Spot on.

The rate of depreciation will slow markedly as the cars get older/cheaper. But it will continue (even for the very best cars).

[bogie]

Diablos-666 said:

Hi bogie, thanks for that.

How did the Vantage compare with the Sag in terms of reliability?

>>>pretty similar over same mileage, no major issues with either car, just niggles sorted under warranty, neither ever failed to start and go somewhere, and the Vantage is still as reliable as a Ford group car at 60K miles plus now

I also have to "tip-toe" over speed bumps and often hold cars up behind me. Is it the same for the Aston or is the ride height a bit higher?

>>>>Sagaris will bottom out on bumpy b roads and speed bumps, Vantage is near as practical as a "Normal" car...wayyyy better, multi storey car parks no issues etc. Its not like a "supercar" in that respect and much more akin to a 911 for a useable everyday car...that looks and sounds fantastic

Which car did you prefer?

>>>>> I prefer Vantage for the type of road biased sportscar driving I do these days. Sagaris was a bit hardcore for daily driving and too impractical, more a weekend car for sure. If you were not "on it" it didnt seem to gel. Whereas a Vantage is not so raw, you can drive it fast and or just relax into GT comfort and eat the miles up

We do in intend on another TVR in near future as well (other half usually has one) and will get a Tuscan (did 30k miles in on of those too 10 years ago) because we like the roof arrangement, it really is 2 cars in one. Sagaris is to TVR what the Exige is the Lotus IMO; one of its best cars wound up to 11....but it can be a bit too focussed for a road going sportscar ...its ok having stiff suspension and sticky tyres if all you do is drive to trackdays, but not for a 10K mile a year commuter/tourer/daily sports car

[Diablos-666]

Thanks bogie.

I am seriously considering a Vantage in the near future, I love the T350 but I always have a heart in mouth moment every time I start her up.

I also get nervous sitting in traffic in hot weather, it does sort of ruin the experience for me.


However owning an Aston does scare the feck out of me. I could afford the running costs but if something where to break i'd worry I couldn't afford to fix it

As for prices, I don't think they have bottomed out just yet, DB7's are around the mid £20k mark.

So can see the Vantage going down a similar route. There is one on autotrader for £27k at the moment and one on PH for £29k - Both high miles mind but both very tempting.

[Murph7355]

amv8beauty said:

I know we are in tough economic times, but with the growing number of aston martin v8 vantages and some db9's coming down to "affordable prices" will we be seeing a lot more of these cars on the road and having said that will the aston lose its exclusivity seeing so many on the road ?

Just a thought

Out of interest, how many do you see? And how many Ferraris, Lambos, Masers and Porsches?

And where do you live? This has a massive bearing - in London, you'll see quite a few. Go outside of the big smoke by just 50 miles or so and you see very few.

[michael gould]

God I feel old.........im 52

[bogie]

"However owning an Aston does scare the feck out of me. I could afford the running costs but if something where to break i'd worry I couldn't afford to fix it "


what like? what do you think is expensive on a Vantage compared to a TVR ?

a rebuild on a Speed 6 has got to be £5K or more (had one of those on a Tuscan back in 2003)

all the rest of the components are the same as any mass production care really...suspension, brakes etc theres nothing any more exotic that what you would get on a premium German saloon

actually I had an RS6 for 30K miles as well, and that cost 2x what the Vantage cost over same period, mainly down to dealer diagnostics and stupid consumable prices with few after market alternatives ...also had £6k of warranty work in first 12 months

so I reckon my Vantage has been the cheapest car to run Ive had in the last 12 years, inc Audis, Lotus, TVRs etc ....well other than a few Volvo commuters

/I dont count fuel as I dont pay for it

[Diablos-666]

"what like? what do you think is expensive on a Vantage compared to a TVR ?"

Repair work mainly, if say an engine, gearbox, diff etc... went. I just imagine bills of £5k+ which would hurt me.

I try reading the owners cars blogs but not many of you guys keep the PH garage up to date.

Before I bought the TVR I checked the owners garages and it helped quite a lot.

[X7LDA]

kerbys said:

May not be a untrue statement?

Im 25 just bought a V8V..

::waves goodbye to the neighbourhood::

amv8beauty said:

yes same here i bought my v8v and im 24.

I was 23 (now 24) when I bought my V8V, we're going down and down here!

RE the original post, I think we are experiencing some quite unusual times at the moment. Economic crisis combined with time of year have meant that high mileage or less desirable spec Astons are falling into the 'affordable' price bracket for a lot of people. To be perfectley honest, a £29k Aston might seem like a bargain but with best part of 100k miles, it would cost you more to service/maintain (bold statement i'm sure however for anyone that says otherwise - 100k on any car will start to go through consumables that some 50k cars have never had to worry about) it and you would lose more on re-sale than it would actually cost you to just buy a well sorted, low mileage £35k model - which is where the 'smart' money will go, leaving the above on the market and pulling the prices down even further.

Few things to point out however:

1) Once the above cars are eventually sold, the next tier seem to sit about 5k higher. Move into summer and you'll see a £3k, maybe £4k improvement on those prices as well, taking you back to what I see as the normal level of £35-40k for a well sorted V8V/DB9.

2) People; we're our own worst enemies - talking our way into value declines and putting our cars up for a price thats too cheap just because everyone else is doing it. But in saying that, some people panic and some people simply just need the money and/or a quick sell. If the economy picks up and people start pricing appropriately for spring/summer then prices will level off.

3) It's inevitable that there will always be one or two lower priced cars on the market (accident repairs for example). That does not mean in any circumstance that every other car of the same make is worth the same.

4) How many 'normal' people have £30k in their pocket? Finance companies in today's climate are stricter than before and even then they have always usually wanted your finance agreement to cease by the time the car is 10 years old. So, 2005 models are 7 years old next week. That means you are allowed at most to finance for 3 years. Even with a £5k deposit that's £700 a month - BEFORE interest. So realistically (and particularly in today's climate as noted above) are lots of 'normal' income people going to run out and spend £700 of their monthly salary on a car - No. And that's before all the other associated costs!!

All of these reasons noted above is why 10 year old Ferrari's that are selling for £10k to £35k (308,328,348,355,360,Mondial) are not scattered on every driveway in Britian. People need to, in my opinion, stop panicking and just let prices pick up again in their own time!! Until then, drive the car you own and enjoy it for goodness sake - that's why you bought it. Yes, getting your money back at the other end is important but a fact of life is that it's a depreciating asset and that's unavoidable regardless. And...if you don't own one but are fortunate enough to be in a position to buy one - then go for it - you won't regret it for one second!! In fact, take the cheaper ones off the market which in turn will stop threads like this and the cycle of making our cars worth more is already underway!!

Sorry for the long post - all simply my opinion obviously. I think we're all fortunate to own these cars and to be honest, if prices come down enough for more people to enjoy them then it might not be a bad thing. I love seeing other V8V's pass me on the street as I can smile contently that i'm lucky enough to have one myself!

Cheers
Lewis

[bogie]

Diablos-666 said:

"what like? what do you think is expensive on a Vantage compared to a TVR ?"

Repair work mainly, if say an engine, gearbox, diff etc... went. I just imagine bills of £5k+ which would hurt me.

I try reading the owners cars blogs but not many of you guys keep the PH garage up to date.

Before I bought the TVR I checked the owners garages and it helped quite a lot.

to be honest, I dont know of many cars that have significant mileages on them yet (other than mine) Ive seen a couple of hire cars for sale, but most seem to do about 5K a year, and they are nearly 7 years old ....so barely run in

like lots of sportscars - they are bought as 2nd or 3rd cars/toys and changed before they are really used a lot, so getting meaningful stats from long term owners will be challenging ...its not like asking a sales rep how his car has been over the last 100K/3 years ...

seems even harder with Ferraris/Lambos, as they seem to get sold before they are due a service LOL

read Simon Georges Evo blog on his DBS thats a trackday hire car and its surprisingly good how much of a hard life a modern Aston can take compared to the Italian stuff

I would say a typical TVR is positively fragile compared to a modern Aston, certainly in my experience you wouldnt trackday one 1/2 dozen times a year, whereas I know people do their Vantages...ive had mine on track a few times

im trying to put your mind at rest, so you can get a Vantage with confidence ...but with all honesty, I wouldnt want to live with the worry either if I couldnt afford the odd large unexpected bill here and there. Cars are supposed to be fun, not something you worry about using due to costs etc