Considering a Vanquish...
Discussion
OK, esteemed Aston PH'ers, as the title says i am considering one of the above next year to replace my M6, leagues apart cars, but something is calling me to Aston ownership and in particular the Vanquish.
So, buyers tips, what are they like to live with, am i going to regret it ?
What are your thoughts ?
Hughesie
So, buyers tips, what are they like to live with, am i going to regret it ?
What are your thoughts ?
Hughesie
I know Vanq owners will be up in arms but from a reliable M-Car, the DB9 or (DBS if you can stretch) is a better bet.
Vanquish takes a lot of love and attention, but if you're hethy way inclined, why not!
Vanq or S? What sort of budget? Pre-purchase inspection is absolutely critical either way...
Vanquish takes a lot of love and attention, but if you're hethy way inclined, why not!
Vanq or S? What sort of budget? Pre-purchase inspection is absolutely critical either way...
Great choice of car. These are the sort of purchase you can make without even taking into consideration the practicality of the car, maintenance etc......if you think with your heart. 
Really though they do take some consideration.
I got my Vanq S back in March having done a lot of research into it.
They are incredible but aren't without their issues.
If you can stretch to an S then I would suggest doing so. There were improvements to the gearbox that make them that much more reliable, the ride is firmer than the V12 Vanq but not unduly so. It's still very compliant. The brakes are pretty phenomenal. My Subaru racer has got some impressive stoppers on it and this certainly holds its own. It's ability to scrub speed is astonishing. Not having used a non-facelifted interior car I can't say how much better/worse the later models are but I like mine with the larger Nav screen. Additions like Bluetooth and iPod connection (aftermarket) make the car as useable for me as my Discovery or my S4 before it.
That said, a V12 Vanq with the S upgrades aren't to be ignored. A fellow AMOC member up here has his V12 Vanq upgraded to full S spec with the gearbox, brakes and suspension. Seemingly it drives like a different car but wasn't without a price tag. New Ford Focus money iirc.
The fact the car actually has a useable boot is brilliant. I have been to garden centres and put pot plants in there as well as the shopping at M&S (although I sent someone in for the shopping while I stood guard over the shopping hatch drivers and their wild swinging doors!!!).
The rear seats are a joke. No human over the age of 12 can fit in there. Not only is the legroom no-existent but the roof tapers in at such an angle that you need to have a really short spine to fit! They do look good however.
Servicing is meant to be every 6 months but having spoken to Works Service and various other specialists an annual service is more than adequate unless you're doing galactic mileages. Mine is a 2007 car which I bought with 7800 miles on it. It turned 9200 at the weekend. Some of those have been some of the finest miles i've covered....in anything. Windows down, stereo off, smile on.
I must admit that I haven't actually experienced any issues with the car {reaches for the window cill!!} but I do know there are niggles that people experience. However, there are some fantastic forums that give huge amounts of info for the home maintenance of the car should you be that way inclined. Things like the clutch re-learn procedure to setup the clutch. Not a big job at all and doable by you just sitting in the drivers seat. These cars are packed with technology and most of it useful! haha.
All the best with the purchase. Feel free to mail me if you have any questions.
James
Really though they do take some consideration.
I got my Vanq S back in March having done a lot of research into it.
They are incredible but aren't without their issues.
If you can stretch to an S then I would suggest doing so. There were improvements to the gearbox that make them that much more reliable, the ride is firmer than the V12 Vanq but not unduly so. It's still very compliant. The brakes are pretty phenomenal. My Subaru racer has got some impressive stoppers on it and this certainly holds its own. It's ability to scrub speed is astonishing. Not having used a non-facelifted interior car I can't say how much better/worse the later models are but I like mine with the larger Nav screen. Additions like Bluetooth and iPod connection (aftermarket) make the car as useable for me as my Discovery or my S4 before it.
That said, a V12 Vanq with the S upgrades aren't to be ignored. A fellow AMOC member up here has his V12 Vanq upgraded to full S spec with the gearbox, brakes and suspension. Seemingly it drives like a different car but wasn't without a price tag. New Ford Focus money iirc.
The fact the car actually has a useable boot is brilliant. I have been to garden centres and put pot plants in there as well as the shopping at M&S (although I sent someone in for the shopping while I stood guard over the shopping hatch drivers and their wild swinging doors!!!).
The rear seats are a joke. No human over the age of 12 can fit in there. Not only is the legroom no-existent but the roof tapers in at such an angle that you need to have a really short spine to fit! They do look good however.
Servicing is meant to be every 6 months but having spoken to Works Service and various other specialists an annual service is more than adequate unless you're doing galactic mileages. Mine is a 2007 car which I bought with 7800 miles on it. It turned 9200 at the weekend. Some of those have been some of the finest miles i've covered....in anything. Windows down, stereo off, smile on.
I must admit that I haven't actually experienced any issues with the car {reaches for the window cill!!} but I do know there are niggles that people experience. However, there are some fantastic forums that give huge amounts of info for the home maintenance of the car should you be that way inclined. Things like the clutch re-learn procedure to setup the clutch. Not a big job at all and doable by you just sitting in the drivers seat. These cars are packed with technology and most of it useful! haha.
All the best with the purchase. Feel free to mail me if you have any questions.
James
AMOC has loads of info on the Vanquish, what to look for etc. £70k should just see you in an S. Have far better brakes than standard. You can tell an S just by looking at the front brakes - if the calipers are in front on the front axle its an S or has the SDP.
If a non S look at ones that have have the gearbox actuators upgraded to the magnetic ones. There are a couple of manual conversions for sale at the moment - may be worth considering.
If a non S look at ones that have have the gearbox actuators upgraded to the magnetic ones. There are a couple of manual conversions for sale at the moment - may be worth considering.
Probably won't help you in an objective manner, but I thought of it immediately:
http://www.crankandpiston.com/on-the-road/driveway...
http://www.crankandpiston.com/on-the-road/driveway...
yeti said:
I know Vanq owners will be up in arms but from a reliable M-Car, the DB9 or (DBS if you can stretch) is a better bet.
Vanquish takes a lot of love and attention, but if you're hethy way inclined, why not!.
+1 ... to quote a previous owner I spoke to a couple of weeks back - "I've had three V12 Ferraris in the past few years and their combined running/servicing/repair costs have been less than what the Vanquish cost me"Vanquish takes a lot of love and attention, but if you're hethy way inclined, why not!.
I absolutely love the Vanquish - it's one of my all time favourite cars. But every owner I've had the pleasure of meeting has reported significant maintenance costs.
We have some great Vanquish owners on this forum who will defend the Vanquish until their last breath......the good side of ownership is that you are probably buying the very last of the truly handmade Astons.....with some of the panels hand beaten and lovingly assembled.....If you get the right colour they look totally fabulous....and I would like to own one
The downside ....if you get a good one which has had lots of money spent on it and, if your very lucky maybe you will get away with 2-3k per year maintenance
But...if your unlucky and you get a not so good one…..you could get a phone call from your local dealer telling you the car needs 10k worth of repairs
I agree with Yeti......for 70k your very close to buying a DBS which are so reliable (and More gorgeous than Gorgeous George) they make Lexus owners admire them......or, if you want to dip you toe in the Aston waters, then buy a DB9, every bit as reliable as a DBS (it’s the same car) but with low millage 06 plates at around 40k they are a great buy
Good luck
The downside ....if you get a good one which has had lots of money spent on it and, if your very lucky maybe you will get away with 2-3k per year maintenance
But...if your unlucky and you get a not so good one…..you could get a phone call from your local dealer telling you the car needs 10k worth of repairs
I agree with Yeti......for 70k your very close to buying a DBS which are so reliable (and More gorgeous than Gorgeous George) they make Lexus owners admire them......or, if you want to dip you toe in the Aston waters, then buy a DB9, every bit as reliable as a DBS (it’s the same car) but with low millage 06 plates at around 40k they are a great buy
Good luck
For that money you might consider trying to find a well maintained 04MY V12 Vanquish with Sports Dynamic option and with the mangetic sensor change to the gearbox. There aren't many around though. The SDP wheels are the nicest of them all (as opposed to the 04 wheels that are horrible IMHO), and a nicer interior. I nearly bought one but the dealer was a complete bellend (ended up spending 50% somewhere else on an S).
Worth an email to Bamford Rose and a post in their sponsored section about the Vanquish, as Mike can go into some detail - if you post the question on his sponsored link at the top, we can all read it and learn something!
My DB9 has been with them for the best part of a month as I have been in a queue behind SEVEN Vanquishes which have all come in with some serious and even weird problems. Don't let this put you off as for every problematic car there are many more reliable ones, but go on with your eyes open and seek expert help, i.e. from Bamford Rose. There's a misconceoption they only do DB7/Gaydon cars but they are considered the Vanquish experts, ask them for their credentials...
Maybe they could produce a quick buyers guide for the Vanquish, or at least the key stuff to check/have checked? Mike? Grant's book covers Gaydon era but I know of nothing comparable for the Vanquish and I must admit that every time I see one, I want it more. I guess BR can only do this on their sposored area, so I will post the question and this response up there.
Hughesie... keep an eye at the top of the page
My DB9 has been with them for the best part of a month as I have been in a queue behind SEVEN Vanquishes which have all come in with some serious and even weird problems. Don't let this put you off as for every problematic car there are many more reliable ones, but go on with your eyes open and seek expert help, i.e. from Bamford Rose. There's a misconceoption they only do DB7/Gaydon cars but they are considered the Vanquish experts, ask them for their credentials...
Maybe they could produce a quick buyers guide for the Vanquish, or at least the key stuff to check/have checked? Mike? Grant's book covers Gaydon era but I know of nothing comparable for the Vanquish and I must admit that every time I see one, I want it more. I guess BR can only do this on their sposored area, so I will post the question and this response up there.
Hughesie... keep an eye at the top of the page
Like you I prevaricated and nearly bought a couple but was scared off by the stories of big bills/clutches/gearboxes etc.
However nothing looks quite like a Vanquish in the flesh, and nothing sounds quite like a Vanquish especially once you have had the exhaust vacuum pipes sorted.
I spoke to lots of people who had maintained them and the general opinion was that yes like most things they could get expensive, but buy carefully and keep on top of all the small things in a timely fashion and they could well be pretty reasonable (by AM standards that is!)
In the end I bit the bullet, bought from an AM Heritage dealer and had the big service etc thrown in and touch wood a year or so later still love it.
Yes the service and tidying up the small bits for the first service has just cost £1K but I have put a bit away in the just-in-case fund and there is still nothing quite it when I go to the garage and start it up.
Certainly the DBS in newer and hopefully a better car, but it still doesn't look anything like as good to me and if you look at the values for late Vanquish S and DBS you can see that market has also decided which it prefers.
One last thing is that as long as you buy a nice one and keep on top of it I don't think you are going to lose very much at all.
However nothing looks quite like a Vanquish in the flesh, and nothing sounds quite like a Vanquish especially once you have had the exhaust vacuum pipes sorted.
I spoke to lots of people who had maintained them and the general opinion was that yes like most things they could get expensive, but buy carefully and keep on top of all the small things in a timely fashion and they could well be pretty reasonable (by AM standards that is!)
In the end I bit the bullet, bought from an AM Heritage dealer and had the big service etc thrown in and touch wood a year or so later still love it.
Yes the service and tidying up the small bits for the first service has just cost £1K but I have put a bit away in the just-in-case fund and there is still nothing quite it when I go to the garage and start it up.
Certainly the DBS in newer and hopefully a better car, but it still doesn't look anything like as good to me and if you look at the values for late Vanquish S and DBS you can see that market has also decided which it prefers.
One last thing is that as long as you buy a nice one and keep on top of it I don't think you are going to lose very much at all.
There are a lot of sad hearts sitting in Gaydon seats wishing they were sitting in Vanquish seats. Unfortunately for those hearts their heads won! It sounds like it is the Vanquish for you. Let your heart win and join us.
A word of warning! Watch out, there are some strange Vanquish being advertised for sale. Earlier this year there was one that had been very badly damaged and not professionally rebuilt see this: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
A word of warning! Watch out, there are some strange Vanquish being advertised for sale. Earlier this year there was one that had been very badly damaged and not professionally rebuilt see this: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
yeti said:
..I know of nothing comparable for the Vanquish and I must admit that every time I see one, I want it more.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3923527.htm
George H said:
I am PAINFULLY aware of the existence of this car, painfully aware it's from a bunch of people I know and trust, and painfully aware it is 3 miles from me as well.Must.
Not.
Look at.
Vanquish.
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